Open to Join What a Phenomenon

The sun is settin' like molasses in the sky
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From the shadowed mouth of the nursery, two bright orange eyes tracked a small, wobbly shape as it toddled a bit too far for comfort. Emberdust had noticed the moment Wolfkit wriggled out from her side and started his tiny expedition. She didn’t call after him. Oh no, that would ruin the fun.

Instead, she crept forward like a hunter through the undergrowth, shoulders low, paws silent against the camp floor. A mischievous grin tugged at her lips as she stalked her unsuspecting prey.

Closer… closer…

With a sudden pounce and a flourish of dusty fur, Emberdust leapt the final pawsteps and bapped Wolfkit lightly on the haunch with a soft paw. "Gotcha!"

She let out a purr of amusement, short tail flicking behind her as she stood over him with mock sternness. "And just where do you think you’re sneaking off to, little smudge?" She teased, nosing at his thick kitten down affectionately.

I’m not different. Am I?

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Wolfkit's ears perked up at the scent of his mother behind him, however before he could dark around to defend himself against the half-hearted pounce and let out a squeak as he fell to the ground, his head touched the ground lightly but he didn't bother to wriggle about or move aside from his legs kicking every so slightly, as if trying to kick an enemy warrior away, but the force was nowhere near anything that would do anything effective.

The little smoke kit glanced over to the remainder of the camp as his mother spoke to him in her normal tone, he adored his dame's voice, it was the first thing he heard when his ears unfolded and it was like a light in the fog a lot of the time. If there was anything he had to be concerned about in the nursery, Emberdust was sure to help him.

Soon enough, he squeezed himself out from beneath Emberdust's paw and shook off his unkempt kitten down, purring softly as she pressed he nose against him. "Lookin' round" he spoke, his first few words in what felt like days, he didn't really care much for speaking as often as his sisters, he knew that he could get across what he wanted to say with actions... for the most part anyway.

The sun is settin' like molasses in the sky
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Emberdust let out a delighted purr as Wolfkit gave his feeble little kicks, his paws thumping against her leg like an ambitious beetle trying to topple a tree. She didn’t move, of course, just leaned down with a grin.

When he wriggled out from under her paw and gave himself a little shake, Emberdust stepped back with a soft laugh, watching his fluff puff out like a badly groomed thistle. At his tiny voice her ears perked, and for a moment, pride swelled in her chest. She loved hearing him speak, brief as it was. That soft little mumble was worth more than all her sisters' chattering kits combined.

"That’s a mighty important mission. Can’t let you do that alone." She gave his ear a quick, playful lick and then rose to her paws beside him, keeping her steps slow and careful. "C’mon then, ShadowClan’s full of things to see...big dens, the prey pile, maybe even a beetle or two if you’re lucky."

I’m not different. Am I?

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Wolfkit watched his mother with a faint curiosity as she rose to her paws beside him, he glanced up at her, his eyes wide but his voice silent compared to the idle sounds of the camp, even when cats weren't actively chatting, there were always sounds to focus on, always something to keep track of in the great scheme of things. After all, nothing was every truly silent.

Behind his dame's pawsteps, Wolfkit followed with his own, trying his hardest to stretch his paw into each pawprint that Emberdust had made. He seemed to fall much to short on each step though, of no fault of his own, he was still yet to grow into his frame after all.

There was a glint of excitement in the young tom's eyes, excitement about seeing the camp, still so new to him, but from how Emberdust listed a few of the sections of the camp, he knew she was an expert at this sort of thing. Deciding against trying to mimic Emberdust's exact pawsteps, her bounded until he was beside her, attempting to keep up close to her front paws instead of trailing behind her.

Wolfkit turned his head to the side in a questioning manner, as if enquiring about everything in the clan's camp all at once, and perhaps even asking for a tale of each, whatever his mother decided to bestow upon him, he would be happy to be spending time with her.

The sun is settin' like molasses in the sky
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Emberdust’s ears flicked as she caught the faint scuffle of tiny paws behind her. She glanced over her shoulder, and her heart gave a little thump at the sight of Wolfkit trying so valiantly to fit his paws into her own prints. The effort was clumsy, adorable, and so very him.

When he bounded up beside her, she slowed her pace even more to let him match her stride. Her flank brushed his as they padded forward together, the tip of her tail flicking lightly across his back in a gentle touch of affection. She noticed the way his head tilted, eyes full of questions he didn’t yet know how to ask. She remembered that feeling well - so much wonder, so little language. Although, as a kit, she recalled talking the tails off of anyone who'd listen.

"Alright..." She mewed with mock seriousness, looking ahead like a tour guide. "Let’s see… The warrior's den is over there! That's where Specklenose sleeps. I used to have a nest right next to his. That’s the warriors’ den, o' course. We're both warriors - of ShadowClan!" She mudged him forward with a swing of her paw, tail tip flicking. "Take a big whiff - see if you can find his scent!"

She gave him a knowing glance, eyes gleaming with playful exaggeration. It would be good practice to distinguish scents between clanmates, and ShadowClan in general. Better pratice if it was a fun game.

I’m not different. Am I?

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Faced with the small challenge, Wolfkit wondered what to think of it, he had certainly caught his sire's scent in the nursery when he visited Wolfkit and his sisters pretty regularly. He glanced over to the warrior's den for a moment, glancing back to his mother with a look of concern, as if he felt he would get in trouble to going into a den that he didn't quite belong in yet.

After a few heartbeats of deafening silence, Wolfkit decide that it would be fun to break the pattern only a little, and he would only catch Specklenose's scent and he would be right back at Emberdust's side to continue their tour of the camp, spending time with his family was worth getting a little scolding from a warrior.

Wolfkit treated this mission with the stealth it deserved, lowering into an imperfect, relatively mediocre crouch and stalked forwards into the direction of the warriors' den as if his black smoke fur was not a stark contrast to the slushy snowy floor. This was a serious mission, and he couldn't risk not taking it seriously.

As he reached the entrance to the warriors' den, the entrance to it was a narrow entrance, not as narrow as the nursery, and even that had enough room for a large warrior to fit through, at least he guessed. As Wolfkit peeked into the Warriors' den, he took in the sheer size of the den, briar walls taller than he could have thought and dried grassy nests that were laid out evenly across the dirt floor. His nose twitched for a moment, focusing on finding a specific scent and turned his nose to a nest that smelled faintly familiar and darted too it, grabbing a piece of grass from the nest before rushing out of the den and back towards his mother.

Wolfkit stood at her paws with the faintly scented grass in his mouth before placing it down at his dam's paws, glancing up at her expectantly, as if waiting for a response, of either praise of a sign that he had failed, but he was most certain that he had plucked a clump from Specklenose's nest.

The sun is settin' like molasses in the sky
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Emberdust had to bite down on a purr of amusement as she watched her son freeze with that worried look. Her whiskers twitched, but she didn’t call out or coax him. No, this was his patrol. His choice. And sure enough after a moment’s thought Wolfkit slunk off in what could generously be called a crouch. Emberdust didn’t dare laugh out loud...he was trying, and that effort was what made her heart ache in the best way.

She watched, eyes shining with pride, as he reached the den, paused, and then darted inside. A beat later, he returned, triumphant, with a piece of grass clutched in his mouth like a vole on the battlefield. When he dropped it at her paws and looked up at her, Emberdust stared at it with exaggerated intensity. She leaned in, sniffed, and then gave a little gasp.

"You did it!" She exclaimed, eyes wide. "That’s definitely Specklenose’s!" Then, mischief twinkling in her eyes, she leaned close to Wolfkit and whispered. "Wanna know what we do to claim a nest?" Before he could answer, she was already trotting toward the warriors’ den her pawsteps light and quick. Without hesitation, Emberdust slipped through the entrance and made a beeline for the familiar mossy spot that bore Specklenose’s scent.

With a delighted trill, she flopped onto the nest and rolled...dramatically, like a fish writhing on dry land. Her legs kicked, back arched, and she twisted around until the moss was half flattened, tufts sticking out in every direction. She even shoved a bit aside with her forepaw, making sure it was just messy enough. Then she rolled onto her side with a satisfied huff and called. "Oops! Guess Specklenose’s nest isn’t so cozy anymore! That means he’ll have to spend the night in the nursery with us. He’s got no choice now. Rules are rules."

She arched herself from the nest, shaking out each foot as she stepped out and made her way over to her dark furred kit before giving him a good swipe between his ear. "Now, where to next? You lead, I follow."

I’m not different. Am I?

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A near silent, concentrated hum came from Wolfkit's throat as he took to following his dame back into the warriors' den, watching her rolling about in Specklenose's nest. He tilted his head in a light curiosity as he patted his paw on the nest at a feeble attempt at joining his mother in the play but stepped back after losing interest in doing the action himself, much rather watching his mother do such a thing, it was pretty fun to watch after all.

Wolfkit's ears perked and his expression noticably changed from endearment to a soft excitement just by a change of the glittering in his eyes, at the mention of Specklenose joining them in the nursery for a while, sure he was just as clumsy as Emberdust was, but he liked it that way, it gave him some good dodging practice!

As the two left the warrior's den, Emberdust told Wolfkit to lead the way to wherever they would venture to next, the little tom puffed out his chest and turned to his mother, stepping forward with his tail held high like he had seen Clovershine do once or twice before when leaving camp, he assumed that is just was some cats who are on patrols do with their tails when they leave camp.

Wolfkit slipped past the elders den then noticed another entrance to a smaller den, from a brief glance, the den he found was a near exact match to the warriors' den, but with fewer space and a little amount of nests. He lifted his paw then placed in on the ground in a light stomp to signal a halt to this tiny patrol, this was certainly something he was curious about, especially since he was leading this patrol now!

The sun is settin' like molasses in the sky
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Emberdust padded after her son. He had that same gleam in his eye she used to get whenever a game became a real mission. When Wolfkit stomped his paw down in an official little halt, Emberdust obediently froze behind him, head tilted in exaggerated attention.

She followed his gaze to the den he’d discovered and flicked her ears with fond recognition. "Ah, now that is the apprentice’s den. That’s where all the ‘just-graduated-from-being-kits’ go."

She stepped forward and nosed open the bramble woven entrance. "Looks a lot like the warriors’ den, doesn’t it? Most of the apprentices are probably out training with their mentors now..."

Emberdust glanced down at Wolfkit with a smirk. "Go on. You discovered it. Might as well inspect the nests." She plopped down just outside the entrance, resting her chin on her forepaws and curling her short tail around her side. "I’ll stand guard."

She gave him a slow blink, watching his reaction, already guessing he’d make something fun out of this.

I’m not different. Am I?

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Wolfkit's eyes followed Emberdust towards the inner workings of the apprentice den, it was a great deal smaller than the warriors' den, that was for certain, he wondered when he would be sleeping in there... not for a long while yet, he assumed before sniffing at the entrance, faintly of Clovershine and three scents that he was less familiar with but it wasn't anything for him to have much concern about, not at the moment anyway.

At Emberdust's confirmation that she would stand guard of the den, Wolfkit gave a nod of acknowledgement and respect before tapping his paws against the outer rim of the apprentice den, checking how sound the entrance was, after all he didn't want any of his clanmates to get trapped in their own den.

The inside of the apprentice den was not much to marvel at, it was near identical to the warriors' den, so much so that Wolfkit had thought it had shrunk on him as they moved and they had just gone in circles, but the scents were different, more different than the mix in the warriors' den. The little tom nosed at the nests nothing special really except for the unique scents of each, though he snatched a bit of grass from one and curled to place it in his tail as a little keepsake of his adventure.

Upon exiting, Wolfkit rubbed his head against Emberdust, signaling his return and almost dismissing his dam from her guard duty as his gaze turned around the camp, wondering which den to conquer next, there were so many, this could very well take all day, but that was not going to stop Wolfkit.

The sun is settin' like molasses in the sky
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Emberdust cracked one eye open as Wolfkit brushed his head against her, the tiny gesture of dismissal making her huff out a soft amused breath. "Oh, back already? Did the apprentice nests pass inspection, or do we need to order them to rebuild the whole thing?"

Her eyes flicked to the little curl of grass tucked neatly in his tail, and her whiskers twitched with joy as she rose to her paws with a stretch, arching her back and shaking out her dust-caked fur before falling in beside him. "Alright...Where to next? Do we need to raid the Fresh kill pile before our next den? Or...perhaps a full scale recon of the medicine den? I hear they keep all the best smelling stuff hidden there."

Her tail swept the ground with anticipation. Wherever he went, she'd follow - no matter how many imaginary ambushes, nest inspections, or rules they had to break to get there.

I’m not different. Am I?

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Wolfkit turned to his dame as she asked if he had inspected all the nests, for a moment he just stared but eventually did give an affirmative nod, his bushy and unkempt tail flicked from side to side in a thought as he contemplated what to do next, he surveyed the camp with his keen eyes and landed on a small, prey filled depression in the center of the camp.

Without a word, his boldly wondered over to the pile, with his tail held high, despite him looking like a fluffed out thistle. Every now and again the little tom turned to his mother to make sure that she was still following him and every time she seemed to be keeping up with him, good, the patrol would just be Wolfkit waddling about if it weren't for Emberdust being there.

The scent grew stronger as he found himself at the edge of the pile of fresh-kill, the younger cat decided to sit at the edge as a sign for his mother to halt at the fresh kill pile. He had no idea what the litter creatures in there were, but they were certainly new to him, but he didn't dare lay a paw on them without Emberdust being with him, because who knows what they could be?

The sun is settin' like molasses in the sky
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When he veered toward the fresh-kill pile, Emberdust followed without a sound, keeping pace easily behind him. Every few steps, he glanced back, and every time, she gave him the same look: ears perked, eyes bright, and a tiny smile that said, 'here I am!'.

When Wolfkit sat down, signaling the patrol's next checkpoint, Emberdust stopped just beside him. She looked down at the pile and gave an approving little purr. "Ah, good instincts. Always take stock of the prey supply on a patrol."

She leaned down, nosing through the pile until she found something small and soft enough—a freshly caught mouse, still a bit warm... perfect!

"You know..." She said, gently dropping the mouse between them. Between her paws, the queen then began to rake her claws over its body, shredding the mouse fluff that could just as easily adorn their nests. "You’re just about the right age to try one of these. Nice, fresh, soft prey like this mouse here."

Once she had defluffed it enough, her teeth tore into its flesh, opening the little critter up for her learning kit. "Want to give it a try, Wolfkit?" Her tail curled around her paws as she crouched down, ready either to guide him or show off the art of the first bite.

I’m not different. Am I?

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Wolfkit watched with an innate curiosity as Emberdust pulled the mouse from the fresh kill pile, he had no clue what it was used for but she wanted him to try it? Even if he had been told what to do with a mouse it must have simply just slipped him mind in the moment. Judging from Emberdust's words it was obviously something important. He assumed he just had to guess, and since she was clawing at its pelt, it must be something to sharpen claws? But It could be used for almost anything to a small kit like Wolfkit.

The scruffy tom crept over to the prey and in a few heartbeats, he pounced, not a graceful or coordinated pounced by it landed regardless and he started batting clawlessly at the mouse, he didn't want to destroy it in case he was wrong in his theory, but in case he was right, he was sure his mother would give him some sort of word of praise, and if he was wrong, he would just try again.

The mouse obviously didn't fight back, if it had any fight in it, it would have twisted about in fury or fear and attacked Emberdust when she picked it out of the fresh kill pile. Wolfkit continued to kick and bat at the prey, after getting slightly exhausted from the extravagant show of undeveloped skills, he glanced over at his dame with wide and expectant eyes. Whatever he had done, right or wrong, he was certain that his mother would tell him.

The sun is settin' like molasses in the sky
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Emberdust watched the entire display with an expression that hovered somewhere between affection and barely contained laughter. The dramatic pounce, the careful clawless batting, the sheer performance of it all...it was like watching a badger kit try to learn to swim by shadow boxing a puddle.

She didn't interrupt. Not once. Just crouched there with her tail curling and uncurling around her paws, her head tilted with warm amusement. When he finally paused, panting slightly and looking at her with those wide, hopeful eyes, Emberdust let the silence hang for just a beat longer before breaking into a soft purr. "Well, that mouse never stood a chance."

She leaned in and gave his head a single lick, smoothing back a tuft of fur that had gone wild in the fray. "Good instincts...But this one's not for fighting. It's for eating." Then she reached out with one paw gently nudging the poor defeated mouse closer to him again.

"You tear the soft part open, like this..." She leaned in and nudged the mouse open a little wider, exposing the tender meat. "Then you take a bite." She demonstrated by doing so herself, slicing off a mouthful and chewing it before swallowing.

She lifted her head, eyes gleaming with encouragement and giggled. "Go on."

I’m not different. Am I?

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For eating huh? Wolfkit thought to himself as he nudged at the mouse with his paw, stepping back as his mother took a bite, still leaving enough for him to have a taste of the prey. Upon sniffing the prey, saliva filled the kit's mouth that he swallowed back and rasped his tongue over his mouth pre-emptively before taking another precautionary sniff of the prey.

Wolfkit followed his dame's instructions to his best ability, ripping a bit of flesh from the mouse, a little bite even to a kit and chewed it in a theatrical display of bared fangs and a flicking tongue, after all, this was the first time he used his teeth to break down his nutrition, but it will certainly not be his last.

Eventually, the piece of prey was chewed into mush that was a lot easier to swallow than the chunk he had pulled away, it tasted vastly different from his mother's milk, it seemed a little more filling, mostly because it was more solid than the diet that he had been on since his birth.

Wolfkit drew his tongue over his mouth, catching whatever droplet of mouse blood was left on his lip before a smile peeked out from his usual expression, not an enthused grin, but nothing soft either, a perfect, satisfied mix between, the effort to chew was worth it.

The sun is settin' like molasses in the sky
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Emberdust watched the whole ordeal like it was the most important ceremony in the world - and, in a way it was. Her little kit, so full of strange dignity and raw curiosity, was making his first real step toward independence.

She let him chew in peace, didn’t rush him, just sat there like a sentry by a sacred fire, eyes warm and waiting. And when that small, satisfied smile curled at the corners of his mouth, Emberdust couldn’t help but mirror it her own grin soft and wide.

"Well?" She mewed, voice light and teasing. "How was it?" Her tail flicked behind her, brushing once against his flank. "From milk-drinker to meat-masher."

She reached over and gently tapped the mouse with a claw. "Plenty more where that came from, too. But don’t worry - we’ll work our way through the pile together these next few days. Taste test every single one if we have to. We'll be sure to involve your sisters too."

I’m not different. Am I?

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At the thought of his sisters getting involved in the prey tasting, it just dawned on the little tom that he was the first of all the ShadowClan kits to eat prey, well, the first of the ones in the nursery that is. He gave his mother a nod of approval at the prey she had offered him and pulled the mouse closer to himself by the tail, wanting to take it with him on their exploration of the camp.

Wolfkit dropped the mouse and glanced up at his mother, noticing the smile that mirrored his own and let out a soft purr, keeping his tail high to express joy and possible confidence, he was chosen to lead this expedition by Emberdust, and that must mean something, he must be very important to her to do this much work to lead her around the camp.

Wolfkit's eyes began to get heavier however, but he worked hard to try and keep them open, even puffing his chest out to make him seem larger, and his scruffy fur seemed to puff out like a freshly bloomed dandelion in stubborn rebellion against his own instinct to lay down then and there and go to sleep. The patrol would still go on, he was sure he would be able to stay awake for a little longer to finish his exploration of the camp.

With mouse tail now gripped between his teeth, he began to sluggishly continue the patrol towards the medicine cat's den, pausing at the entrance, sitting there like a sentry in waiting for his dame, glancing back every now and again to see if she had kept up.

The sun is settin' like molasses in the sky
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Emberdust rose slowly to her paws, eyes fond as she watched him tug the mouse along like a warrior dragging home his kill. That little nod, that determined puff of his chest...He was wobbling already, fluff puffed and wide eyed, but the sheer willpower in his tiny frame was something she recognized all too well. .

She followed him at a respectful distance, letting him take the lead as they approached the medicine cat’s den. His little body slumped just slightly at the doorway, and Emberdust couldn’t help but smile again.

Once she caught up, she paused beside him, her shoulder just brushing his. Her gaze flicked toward the den’s entrance. "Let’s take a peek inside, shall we? Just a quick one. I’ll bet they’ve got all sorts of strange things in there… herbs, mouse fluff and moss bundles. Just don't touch or taste anything in there."

Then, leaning down with a mock-whisper. "If you get sleepy we can always stop back into the nursery for a quick nap." She flicked her tail encouragingly toward the den, still letting him choose: keep playing sentry, or continue the march. Either way, she'd be right behind him.

I’m not different. Am I?

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The sun is settin' like molasses in the sky
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Emberdust laughed softly. But the breath that left her was light and warm, more sigh than chuckle, as she looked down at the little heap of fur collapsed beside the medicine den threshold.

Her nose brushed gently over the top of his head in a gesture of silent pride. "Tour later." She echoed in a murmur. Emberdust tilted her head slightly, eyes half lidded now as camp noises filtered in from the clearing beyond - distant pawsteps, warrior banter, the rustle of leaves. The patrol would have to wait, and as she rose back to her paws, she scooped little Wolfkit up in her maw by the scruff.

Toting her kit in tow, Emberdust retreated back into the comforting, if boring, darkness of the nursery.