Open to Join Birds of a Feather

Never be bored and you'll never be boring

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Familiar round green eyes against a familiar round dark face met Flickerkit when she turned. The venture really had ended, hadn't it, and she was back where she belonged. Experiences of the strange day had taken on a dream-like quality, though they had only just passed. 

Flickerkit set down the black feather that had been in her mouth and scrutinized it for a moment to stall for time to respond. She hadn't given any thought to what she would tell her littermates when she returned to camp, but she realized now that she didn't feel like sharing her reasons for running off, which she barely understood herself. 

"Nowhere, really. I kind of got lost." Was her dismissive response. Though happier than she had been that morning, her usual energy remained dampened by the persistent low mood that had followed her since Aspenberry's death.

Before Smokekit could ask why she had been out of camp in the first place, she added, "I got this, though." Flickerkit gestured to the raven feather with one paw. "Go on, guess how." Though unable to muster much real excitement, she looked forward to shocking Smokekit with the day's adventures.

Looking this good is a full-time job
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Smokekit's ears flicked forward immediately at the sight of the feather. "That's huge!" Came the inevitable blurt, green eyes fixed on the feather for a few moments longer than necessary. Perhaps he was admiring how the light shone off it.

His gaze snapped back up to Flickerkit's face, curiosity overtaking everything else for the moment. Her mood made the mystery seem even bigger. "Did you steal it from a crow?" His tail lashed once with excitement as he circled around her, sniffing at her fur for traces of outside scents...

The camp didn't feel the same anymore without Aspenberry... Smokekit looked away briefly before forcing his attention back to her. "You should tell me." He coaxed as he licked at his forepaw impatiently.

Never be bored and you'll never be boring.

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The sensation of her brother's whiskers tickling her fur as he inspected her comforted Flickerkit for a moment. As with apparently everything, it reminded her of Aspenberry, and how she would never feel her tongue brushing through her fur again. The thought made her sad and irritable all over again.

"You're not even gonna try to guess again?" Flickerkit asked, almost snapped, rolling her eyes. Typical. She would have to punish him for his lack of imagination, or he'd never have any incentive to procure one.

"Yeah, yeah, I'll tell you in a minute. First I gotta put it away," She took the feather carefully in her mouth before Smokekit could protest and trotted across camp to the nursery without waiting for him. 

Looking this good is a full-time job
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Smokekit was so enraptured by the pristine feather that he half forgotten about, well, more guessing. Perhaps he was hoping that she was just as eager to share her story. When she chided him an ear flinched at the tone, but seemed relatively unbothered. She knew better than to expect more from him.

"Okay...okay. If you're pulling my tail, then...you found it...by some prey? Some big dead thing?" His muzzle had pursed with thinking. Imaginiative engineering wasn't really his strong suit, but he hoped that placated her.

He followed her as she picked up her treasure, trailing after her like her shadow - and was indeed darker than the rest of them and had the least white. Hopefully that minute wouldn't feel like eternity. When his paws hit the nursery entrance he was hit by the usual smells...and Cloudflare was curled near the nest, tongue swiping over his front leg before he noticed the kits returning.

Cloudflare lifted himself up, his expression stern but as he rushed upon the she-kit, his paw aimed to half scoop her into his muzzle to give her a few licks. "I know you're getting big but you shouldn't run out of camp like that."

Never be bored and you'll never be boring.

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"Mm-mm," Flickerkit hummed and shook her head in response to Smokekit's guesses. Nonetheless they appeased her, and she decided he might deserve to hear the story of her adventures away from camp after all. Distraction felt slightly wrong, but she wanted a break from thinking about Aspenberry.

By the time she realized Cloudflare was in the nursery he was already on his way to her. Flickerkit stumbled over her paws as Cloudflare pulled her towards him.

"Yeah, I know, I know," She grumbled around the feather in her jaws. Twisting her head away from Cloudflare's chest to keep her prize intact, she pressed into him and closed her eyes. She took as much comfort as she could in the moment, willfully forgetting everything that wasn't the warmth of her sire's fur--including Smokekit, because he could live another minute without hearing her tale, probably.

Love is just a cloudy sky as far as I can see
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Welcoming the touch of his young daughter, Cloudflare half curled around her as she buried herself into his fur. The edges of his eyes widened a fraction, somewhat exaggurated, once he eyed the black prize she had so painstakingly brought into the den.

"That's a mighty fine feather, Flickerkit. And I bet it comes with a fine tale." He wouldn't rush the she-kit in her explanation, and was amused enough by Smokekit's impatient antics as he stomped around the den. "Will you decorate your nest with it?"

Looking this good is a full-time job
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The young tom's kitty brows furrowed at his sister's nonchallance as she brushed off his advances. She wanted him to try and guess right? Why was she holding back? Next time he'd escape camp and maybe then he'd find something really interesting...Like a deer antler, or a duck's foot!

"Coome ooon." His muzzle was fixed in a pout, shoulders squaring as his foot falls fell heavier than usual. Circling the den he tried to distract himself by counting the steps, but he didn't seem like he'd be placated until Flickerkit told her story. Oh, he'd be mad if he found out that she did steal it from a crow.

Never be bored and you'll never be boring.

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"Yeah, probably," Flickerkit replied distractedly to Cloudflare, eyes still unopened. Her ears flattened halfway as Smokekit whined, but she pulled away from Cloudflare. She could have stayed snuggled up against him for a while longer, but Smokekit couldn't be ignored forever. 

"Okay, okay," Flickerkit relented. After taking a moment to tuck the feather into her nest, she turned to Smokekit and began her story. 

"So, I was out in the territory, some big flat field with a bazillion rocks. Emberdawn came and found me sitting by one of the big ones—it was cooler in the shadow of the rock so I had sat there, though there wasn't much shade anymore by then because the sun was so high—but anyway, we were there by the rock when this big bird came out of nowhere, and I think it was gonna try to eat me because it was kind of flying down in my direction." Though she started out in a subdued voice, Flickerkit's storytelling became more animated as she went on. “But then another bird, an even bigger one—a crow or a raven or something—flew in the first bird’s way and fought it until it left. And then the black bird flew over Emberdawn and me and dropped one of its feathers.” 

Flickerkit stepped back over to her nest and tilted her head to indicate the feather, a small self-satisfied smile on her face by now. “This feather. Emberdawn told me I could keep it.” 

Looking this good is a full-time job
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From the moment his sister begun her story he stood in a fixed place, unmoving. Each word created a small fractional difference on his face as he absorbed the tale, from start to finish. Once she got about halfway his eyes widened, pupils fixating on her. The tip of his tail flicked with second hand excitement as if he was really there. There was no way that Flickerkit was almost eaten - and then another big bird chased it away!

"Wait!" When she concluded his smile had faltered and was momentarily locked in a frown. "So you did steal the feather! You took it from the big crow thing!" Tail on end it had straightened over his back, nearly straight up. Smokekit had believed he had guessed right after all.

Love is just a cloudy sky as far as I can see
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If Cloudflare wasn't so impressed with the days events retold by his kit he would have been concerned. And certainly he was both scared and relieved that his daughter came back unscathed, but friendly ravens were something else entirely.

"I don't think that raven had its feather stolen. It must have been given to her as a gift Maybe for her bravery? That'll be part of your story when you tell it again." Cloudflare winked down at Flickerkit, hoping to disarm the two kits from turning stoyrtime into an argument.

Never be bored and you'll never be boring.

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Smokekit's engagement pleased Flickerkit immensely. And to think—she still hadn't even mentioned how Emberdawn had taken her hunting! Well, let her watch him hunt. 

Flickerkit's expression switched from satisfied to annoyed at her brother's accusation. Hadn't he been listening? She only got as far as an incredulous look at him before Cloudflare interposed himself. 

"Well, I wasn't really doing anything brave…" She couldn't help but quibble. "But yeah, I didn't steal it, the raven dropped it for us. Or maybe he dropped it by accident." She shot a look at Smokekit to emphasize the statement. 

"And then Emberdawn caught a vole for me to eat. He let me watch him—it was really cool." She added quickly, hoping to distract Smokekit before he could continue arguing.

Looking this good is a full-time job
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Of course Flickerkit would get annoyed at his claim. He never heard of any cat getting a feather gift - it must have been by accident. He nodded to himself to reassure himself, eyes narrowing softly as he moved around to his sire's side. "At least we agree on that." He quipped back at her mentioning that she wasn't doing anything courageous. Not in the slightest. If anything Cloudflare should be angry that Flickerkit was almost eaten.

But he mercifully didn't linger on how she managed to obtain the feather anymore. Not when she revealed that she got a special, one and one hunting demonstration from Emberdawn. He scoffed, not entirely impressed. Aspenberry was a much better deputy than Emberdawn. He half huffed his rebuttal into Cloudflare's side, muted but audible. "Yeah, I bet it was."

Love is just a cloudy sky as far as I can see
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Cloudflare's eyes softened around the edges as he watched his daughter. Of what had caused her outburst in the first place. It wasn't fair for a kit to lose their mother so early...It wasn't fair that the Clan was now without a deputy and a dear friend. He didn't blame her for her feelings overwhelming her, and he was grateful to Emberdawn that he took additional time out of his day to settle the kit's nerves and hunt for her after. That certainly would have been a pleasant distraction. "I hope you thanked Emberdawn for taking you on his hunt. A whole vole! You'll have to go with me sometime and we can see if we can find a couple mice - or a rabbit!"

Never be bored and you'll never be boring.

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Flickerkit nodded her enthusiastic agreement. "I did thank him! Hunting looks awesome– we should really really go out hunting sometime." Getting to hunt hares and rabbits and similarly big fast things would be the absolute best part of her apprenticeship, she was sure. Wait, when would she learn that? It was probably easier to catch small creatures, so would her mentor start her on mice and things? Part of her wanted to ask, and another part just wanted to curl up in her nest and sleep. She decided she felt more tired than interested in further conversation.