Open to Join Mischief Afoot

What’s out there?
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Cricketkit had been walking on eggshells for the past more or more, afraid of her mother’s fury. The queen had seemed to become more and more easily annoyed as her and her brother had grown. Boredom tugged at the little she-kit’s heart, however. It was no fun behaving. Skykit and Galekit seemed so happy and playful, while she, herself, felt stuck in the nursery. Almost three moons old, the chocolate torbie was certainly not the most playful of kits. It was clear, however, that she wished to be. Whenever Bloomfire seemed truly asleep, Cricketkit would sneak out of the nursery to chase loose feathers, balls of moss and insects. Any sound from the nursery would have her scurrying back to check if her mother was stirring.

At Hailstrike’s call, the little kit’s gentle mottled face appeared at the nursery entrance. She glanced back over her shoulder and then soft-pawed her way out before quickly slinking her way over to the warrior. ”Always!” Cricketkit purred, little tail stuck straight up. Since she and Beetlekit had been weaned, Bloomfire had been taking hunting trips to get away from the nursery. It honestly looked like she was rapidly losing interest in her offspring, but to Cricketkit this had afforded her more freedom. When Bloomfire was in the nursery, she was often sleeping, having exhausted herself in whatever she was doing beyond the camp walls and this meant the young kit had time to leave the den and play.

With one last check toward the nursery with perked ears, confirmed for Cricketkit that her dam ought to be asleep and stay asleep for at least a while. Slowly the young she-kit relaxed and her attention turned directly back to Hailstrike, eager and ready to play whatever game the warrior had in mind. Not many seemed to want to play with her, likely out of fear for her mother’s reaction if there was no express permission given. Which was rare. While Bloomfire seemed to have no desire to play or entertain her own kits, she also didn’t seem to approve of the company of others. Obedience was enforced and yet Cricketkit was drawn to disobey time and time again.

There’s always something new to try. I’m hungry for all of it!

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As Cricketkit came galloping out of the nursery towards, her, Hailstrike rolled the piece of moss under her paw, it was older, but not exactly dirty. She may have been a risk taker, but she wasn't stupid enough to grab stock from Nettleplume without permission. Instead, it was just a small clump of moss from the warrior's den, a strand of her own fur probably in there somewhere. Regardless, she stood on steady paws and looked down at the young kit. "I got the perfect game!" She chirped with a flick of her tail before she did a small press on the moss and it still bounced back as it should, good, that would work for this.

"I played a game as a kit with leaves, feathers, moss, whatever can stay in the air. I call it Keep-Up." Hailstrike added, teasing the moss with her paw again. "What you gotta do is keep the thing in the air for as long as you can. You can swipe up at it, kick it into the air, headbutt it if you want to. The longer it stays in the air the better." she explained, the tips of her fur standing on end with anticipation as she moved the moss ball in front of her and between the two.

Hailstrike lowered her body to Cricketkit's level and gave a challenging smile, then a shrug. "I haven't played it in a while so maybe you'll do better than me." She chuckled, flagging her tail in anticipation. "Wanna take the first hit?"

What’s out there?
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Once Cricketkit felt certain her mother wasn’t going to be furiously exiting the Nursery, she raced up to Hailstrike and half sat, tail flicking rapidly with excitement. Her ears pricked enthusiastically at the idea of a game and her now dark green eyes flicked over to the mossball. The obvious tattiness of the ball didn’t seem to deter the young she-kit and for a moment she wondered if she ought to fetch her brother. Ultimately the chocolate torbie decided it was best not to pull Beetlekit into this little venture. As much as she loved playing with him, going against Bloomfire’s desires seemed to stress him out and Cricketkit was honestly not up to dealing with that mood dampener right now.

The fluffy she-kit nodded as Hailstrike explained the rules of the game. “Got it!” she chirped brightly as the older she-cat finished her explanation. “Do we take turns at keeping it up, so I hit it then you do? Or shall we go one at a time and see how many hits before we miss?” Cricketkit didn’t state it plainly, but she had played this game before in the nursery when she was bored. It was a fun little game, especially since she could play it alone as well as with others. Once more the young she-kit glanced at the mossball that was available, this time debating strategies for beating Hailstrike. Obviously the warrior would have the advantage of size, strength and skill, but Cricketkit hoped that she would do well enough to make the game fun for them both.

Regardless of which way Hailstrike agreed to play, Cricketkit excitedly took up the offer to go first. Swiftly, but not overly skillfully, she hooked the mossball and tossed it into the air. She watched its trajectory and raced over to where the mossball was going. The young torbie’s paws skidded from under her, causing the swipe she aimed at the ball of moss to send it on a more horizontal angle than upwards. Just as Cricketkit’s paw had connected, she had also slipped, her left haunch landing on the ground. If the game was to have Cricketkit play first, counting the successful hits, then the ball of moss was certainly going to land on the ground before she could regain her paws. As such, it was up to Hailstrike to keep it airborn, if the warrior decided to.

There’s always something new to try. I’m hungry for all of it!

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Hailstrike's heart gave a little flutter at Cricketkit's playful energy, she only had vague memories of being like that when she was younger. Part of her thought about one day taking her on as an apprentice, but the other... more logical side knew it wasn't her choice, she'd probably be too young by that time anyway... unfortunately. "Well we can-" before the large RiverClan warrior could make any effort to finish her instructions, Cricketkit was already batting the ball around like it was a warrior's duty, whoever she'll be put with will have some great instincts to work with.

"Try batting upwards!" Hailstrike slipped down beneath the ball of moss catapulting towards her and used an upward swipe of her paw to keep it in the air. The act felt oddly invigorating, no wonder why kits were encouraged to play with other cats, keeps the blood flowing! "If you hit it to the side it'll fly too far and won't stay up! Go on! try again!" She chirped, slipping out of the way to leave room for the possible flailing of kit paws. But she didn't mind if she was being honest with herself. She just liked having something to entertain herself.

Although Hailstrike had stepped back, her muscles didn't relax, ready and willing to launch up at the moss if things ended up going south... or sideways, rather. Her pale green eyes fixed themself onto the moss ball, following the ball as it bounced up an down in the efforts of their game. She purred loudly, letting the adrenaline fill her muscles, prepared for the next strike at the airborne ball.

What’s out there?
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Cricketkit’s eyes brightened as Hailstrike batted the ball of moss before it landed. She purred and scrambled to her paws, nodding enthusiastically as she heard the warrior’s advice. She raced over to where she thought the ball of moss was going to land, as she slipped on the soft ground, the little ticked torbie realised that she wouldn’t be able to bring her paws up fast enough to swipe the mossball at the angle mentioned. An idea flashed in Cricketkit’s mind and as the moss came flying down toward her, the small kit jumped up with all the force she could, headbutting the mossball back into the air.

The chocolate torbie let out a mew of wordless excitement as the ball of moss sailed back up into the air. This was by far the most fun that she had had since that day more than a moon ago when she and Beetlekit had snuck from the nursery to chase their own ball of moss. Things had been dreary to the little kit since then, it was almost like her mother had never forgiven her for not running straight back like Beetlekit had. For a moment the smile slipped from Cricketkit’s face as she thought about how if she was caught, Bloomfire would likely eat her share of evening fresh-kill and send her to sleep hungry while lecturing her on obedience and about how she was destined for too much to be playing around like a dumb kit. She would likely be compared to Beetlekit and told to be more like him. It all made Cricketkit’s heart quaver and suddenly her desire to play began to whither.

The next time the moss ball came toward her, Cricketkit only made a lazy attempt to bat at it, causing it to fall. Her eyes turned toward the nursery then back at Hailstrike. She wanted to play, but was she really supposed to? “Hailstrike,” Cricketkit mewed quietly.”Am I a disappointment to the clan?” The words were something she had been told regularly and they pierced her heart sharply. Not sure of how the warrior would answer, the young kit only stared at her paws.

There’s always something new to try. I’m hungry for all of it!

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Hailstrike saw that the moss ball was catapulting to the side once again, not by Cricketkit's fault, it was situational of course. Hailstrike was about to launch herself toward it, to energetically encourage the kit to go again, to say that she was doing great, but Cricketkit's newly found dimmed mood distracted her immediately. Hailstrike instinctively moved beside the tortie kit and curled her tail around her with little hesitation. "Hey now, what's got you thinking that? A missed moss ball isn't the end of the world." the large warrior explained, her voice softer than normal letting her tone become closer to the maternal nature that her mother carried... usually. "No kit is a disappointment to the clan, all you four are a blessing." 

"It takes a lot for a cat to be a disappointment, to a whole clan especially. And for a kit even more so." Hailstrike explained, softening around the brown and ginger kitten with a soft, hopefully assuring hum. "You're still learning how to navigate the world around you, and there's a bigger one further out, nobody should be disappointed in you for making mistakes. Even warriors make mistakes, that doesn't make us any less." she answered, lowering her head so her green eyes could meet with the kit's wide green eyes, two shades of green meeting. A mix of anger and ache burned and stung within Hailstrike, a kit should never be taught to think themself as a disappointment to the clan before they have a name that identifies them beyond their mother's belly. It was cruel of Bloomfire and Hailstrike held back a growl of distaste... contempt.

For a moment, there was a blanket of silence around the two, but Hailstrike covered Cricketkit with her body, keeping her sheltered from a world that from the start, had given her a dame that shuts her out for mistakes that weren't her fault. "How about we hang out longer today, your mother will meet the spurs of my tongue if she tries to take you back when we're having fun." Hailstrike replied, a determined spark returning to her eyes, that was a spark closer to who Hailstrike was. "Would you like to continue the game? Or do you have a better one you wanna play?"

What’s out there?
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Cricketkit looked up at Hailstrike sadly. She hated that her mood had shifted so easily, but truthfully this hurt and sadness had been simmering for at least a moon. “It’s not the game,” she meowed quietly and shook her head, eyes going wide at the thought that she may have upset the warrior. “Well, sorta,” she added. “Bloomfire says that I shouldn’t play around like this. That I’m the daughter of the clan’s leader and so I should behave more maturely. She says… that I’m a disappointment when I play around…” The ticked torbie stared at the ground, ears flattened as she expected Hailstrike to agree with her mother. As much as the warrior had claimed that it would take a lot for her to actually be a disappointment, it just didn’t feel true.

Confusion bubbled up in Cricketkit’s mind. She had vowed not to question or doubt a warrior so that the horrific creature from the story her father had told her would never have cause to hunt her. Yet in this moment she couldn’t quite find it within her to completely accept Hailstrike’s words over her own mother’s. When Hailstike moved to stand over her, the young kit couldn’t help but jump. She stared up beyond the furry chest of the warrior, trying to see Hailstrike’s face. “Bloomfire gets really mad though,” she meowed timidly. “She even yells at father…”

Cricketkit stared at her paws for a moment, thinking. She didn’t want to go back to the Nursery. It was boring and truthfully she didn’t like to be around her mother whether she was awake or not. Yet if they continued to play her then Bloomfire might hear them and wake up sooner, ending the game sooner. If she didn’t go back, a lecture was guaranteed. A frown pulled at the ticked torbie’s muzzle and she glanced toward the Nursery from between Hailstrike’s legs. “Can we keep playing something, but away from the Nursery? She’s going to yell at me anyway and I would rather delay it for as long as possible.” Cricketkit had no clue whether her choice was the right choice, but her mother said she ought to be more mature, which meant accepting consequences with grace apparently, and Hailstrike said that mistakes were okay. As far as Cricketkit could work out, she may as well have fun with Hailstrike and just accept the punishment that would come regardless of her choice.

There’s always something new to try. I’m hungry for all of it!

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Cricketkit's words... about Bloomfire telling a kit that she can't play like all kits should, it irked Hailstrike, burning an angry fire in her chest that she didn't show while the kit was at her paws. "Bloomfire's confused about what kits do cause she hasn't been around them in a while." Hailstrike replied, a light hearted chirp, trying not to diminish the little she-kits thoughts on how her world works, just labeling it a misunderstanding rather than something Bloomfire was saying was wrong, she would let Cricketkit figure that out on her own. 

"Some kits play, some kits don't, but if you want to play, you should be allowed to. I played around as a kit, and my father was the leader that was before Coldstar." For a moment, Hailstrike hesitated on her words, she wondered if Cricketkit had known a world before Coldstar as leader had existed. But she didn't put it past Bloomfire not to tell her about Boldstar especially since the little one grew up in a world without him. "His name was Boldstar, I've been told I look a lot like him. But that's a story for another day, I'll tell you about him later." She promised.

After Cricketkit requested to play a little further from the nursery, Hailstrike's ears perked, but she nodded eagerly. "What about a race? We can play around the camp entrance, far away from the nursery. But you can race me there. I bet you're speedy for your size right?" Hailstrike challenged. A smirk growing on her muzzle, she'd like to see Bloomfire shout at her, try and lecture her, she'd love to see her try and make Hailstrike of all cats feel small. That will be her mistake.

Hailstrike had never been one to accept defeat from a challenge, at least not well. But she honestly planned to let Cricketkit win, if she had accepted. Hailstrike's winning streak would end here. By choice.

What’s out there?
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Cricketkit blinked up at Hailstrike, sadness shifting into confusion. Bloomfire was confused? That didn’t make sense though. Warriors, especially dams were supposed to know everything. Not to mention the fact that Skykit and Galekit were older than she was, so there had definitely been kits around for her mother to have been around. Hailstrike’s claim about Bloomfire just made no sense but the little ticked torbie didn’t dare to speak her questioning thoughts out loud. She didn’t want a monster to hunt her down because she questioned a warrior after all.

The young she-kit was deeply considering her own confusion about Bloomfire’s claims and how she ought to act, when Hailstrike spoke again. This time Cricketkit looked up at the warrior with eyes wide with wonder. “No one scolded you for playing around?” the little kit gasped in surprise. She had never considered the idea that there had been a leader before Coldstar, although she certainly knew that Riverclan had had leaders before him. To Cricketkit, Coldstar’s leadership was so absolute that to her, he must have been leading for a very long time. Even with Hailstrike’s assertion that she was the daughter of the former leader, Cricketkit still saw her father as an ancient, all-knowing being. This former leader, Boldstar, must have been dead a long time as a result, and that meant Hailstrike had to be old too. “I hope I stay as pretty as you when I get old,” Cricketkit mewed without thinking, following her own train of thought about the various ages of the cats around her. The little she-kit shuddered at the thought of being a scruffy, unpleasant mess like some of the clan’s older cats.

Cricketkit’s eyes lit up at the idea of a race and she looked toward the camp entrance. In many ways it seemed like it was forever away, but she knew she was going to win this race. She was faster than Beetlekit, and had a lot of practice dashing into the Nursery before her mother noticed her absence. “Yes!” the little torbie chirped brightly then winced and glanced toward the Nursery. She waited for several tense heartbeats, but hearing nothing that signalled Bloomfire being awake, she relaxed.

After glancing once more at Hailstrike and then the goal of the camp entrance, a cheeky grin lit Cricketkit’s face. “Mmmm… Tag!” she chirped and then raced toward the camp entrance as fast as her little body would take her. As with most kittens, her little tail stuck straight up in excitement as she charged across the clearing, looking back after a moment to judge how far ahead she was. Delight lit the chocolate torbie’s face as her worries about her mother’s ire melted away for a moment or two.

There’s always something new to try. I’m hungry for all of it!

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"I'm sure you will, you'll certainly be more eye-catching." Hailstrike commented, the way she looked was nothing special aside from 'looking sort of like Boldstar' so Cricketkit's splashes of ginger and chocolate would certainly catch glances when she's older, well, as old as Hailstrike is anyway. But she had a feeling that Cricketkit was still learning how the world worked, how old cats really were. Hailstrike wouldn't spoil that wonder yet, it wasn't her job to do. 

When Cricketkit raced over to the entrance of the camp, Hailstrike gave a steady trot after her, at least it began that way. She wanted Cricketkit to get the best head start possible, however, when the torbie kitten made her way to the entrance of camp, Hailstrike ran, making it seem as if she had been running for the whole time Cricketkit had been running. When she arrived at the camp's entrance, she feigned heavy breath, slouching as it to try and catch a breath that was always there. "Stars you're fast! I could hardly keep up with you!" Hailstrike cheer, 'breathlessly' as she flicked her tail from left to right in barely contained enthusiasm. 

Hailstrike looked down at Cricketkit with a smile, for a moment, she imagined herself having a litter of her own, but she shook that away quickly, she still had to make her mark as a warrior first... and she would need to befriend a tom for that anyway. She let a chuckle free for a moment before turning back to the green eyed kit. "What game do you have in mind now? Cricketkit?"