Open to Join No Kit Left Behind [18SC'21]

Never be bored and you'll never be boring.

⋆✴︎˚｡⋆

Was Flickerkit old enough to catch her own prey? She wished. All the same, she rushed to answer Fawnstar's call at the Talking Cliff. This could be it! Her apprentice ceremony! 

Flickerkit took a seat before the Talking Cliff, feeling as if she might die of disappointment if it wasn't her ceremony after all.

Love is just a cloudy sky as far as I can see
⤝ ⥈ ⥈ ☁ ⥈ ⥈ ⤞

Smokekit was with Cloudflare at the fresh kill pile as Fawnstar called the clan together. Finally! He had expected becoming an apprentice any day now - his sire had talked it up and he was eager to check out the borders to see just how big WindClan territory really was!

Both son and sire moved to join Flickerkit before the Talking Cliff, eyes lifting up at their leader.

Find a way, not an excuse.

his ears perked up at the sound of the leader's voice, that could only mean one thing to him. he padded quickly towards the Talking Cliff, his eyes fixated on the leader 

slowing down he took his seat next to his siblings, his eyes looking over to the two of them before his eyes lifted to the chocolate tortie

Be the reason someone smiles today.

∘◦❁◦∘ 🐝 ∘◦❁◦∘

The grief had begun to seem like a part of Beewhiskers routine, waking up, the pained feeling in their stomach and then the urge to wail at the sky, hoping StarClan would wake them up from the nightmare that both Aspenberry and Cedarpaw were still gone, by now, the search had stopped, and Beewhisker hated it, Cedarpaw was still out there somewhere and they were expected to just stop looking.

Beewhisker almost didn't register Fawnstar's meeting call at first, their own thoughts gathered instead almost blocking it out entirely, Beewhisker lifted their head however, at some point, they'd be the only cat not at the meeting, that was the point they'd all look for them, they hardly wanted them to worry about them, but they just couldn't help missing them. How were they supposed to move on when it was their best friend and their daughter that had been pulled from their loving paws. Heathersky visiting them outside of camp helped, but it had been a while since then and Beewhisker had fallen back into the mud that surrounded them, weighing them down.

Still they pulled themself up, did their duties, however... out of it they seemed. They had no idea what this meeting was about, but they padded into the clearing regardless, flopping down carelessly onto the belly as they watched Fawnstar with not so much as their usual friendly greeting to the other cats there. Grief seemed to be changing them, but for how long until they'd be able to go back to their old self? They didn't know, so their blue eyes just moved to Fawnstar.

Find a way, not an excuse.

Cinderkit's face lit up the moment his name came out of the leader's maw. he took a step forward. keeping his head high, he wanted to look confident to whoever would train him.

Be the reason someone smiles today.

∘◦❁◦∘ 𖠑 ∘◦❁◦∘

Beewhisker hardly lifted their head as the other mentors were announced, the names and words flying right over their ears as apprentice was set with mentor. It didn't seem worth while to stay for much long, so they rose, ready for the last mentor to be announced, then they would be able to lay in their lonesome once again.

They teetered slightly on their paws when they pulled themself up with their own strength and sighed as they took a step towards the warriors' den again. But then, their own name was called. Fawnstar didn't mention this... and if she did, Beewhisker didn't remember it in the slightest. Their ears flattened for a moment, they remembered Smokekit... Smokepaw, Smoke...something. They remembered commenting on his resemblance to Aspenberry when they were in the nursery, and now that would be their bane.

With another heavy sigh, they moved over to the clearing. They shut their eyes, not wanting to look into green eyes that should have belonged to Aspenberry, if she were still here, they wouldn't have minded this, they would have been thrilled actually, but everything was different now, almost dry an empty. Beewhisker craned their neck down to touch noses with Smokepaw, still not daring to look at him, but when they felt a cold wet touch on their nose they knew they met his nose. They couldn't bare to look at a cat that reminded them so much of Aspenberry.

"Join your kin." They murmured with a flick of their tail saying not much more before slipping back into their warriors' den, curling back into their den, perhaps Smokepaw would like to spend the first day with his kin, after all, they are all he had.

Looking this good is a full-time job
⤝ ⥈ ⥈ ☁️ ⥈ ⥈ ⤞

Smokepaw! Smokepaw! Smokepaw!

His heart swelled as he bounded forward. He wasn't Smokekit anymore and he certainly wouldn't be told to wait or stay behind. He was finally going to have a mentor, learn the moors, hunt rabbits...His green eyes found Beewhisker immediately and slowed, smiling despite himself.

The tortoiseshell approached, and Smokepaw dipped his head, already leaning forward to touch noses. Then...What? The words barely registered before Beewhisker turned away and the young tom blinked. "...Huh?"

He remained frozen in place, nose still half outstretched towards Beewhisker. The cheers sounded muffled now and his eyes trailed hot after the cat without so much as a congratulations... nothing. His smile was gone. Did he do something wrong?

His ears folded back and glared around the clearing. Flickerpaw and Cinderpaw got greeted properly... Every apprentice had a mentor standing beside them...except him. His throat tightened painfully.

They hates me...

As he stood there his paws trembled before his vision blurred, and before anyone could stop him he bolted back towards the nursery. To familiar scents and fading memories there. He scrambled into the nest that had once been his and collapsed into it, burying his face deep in the bedding where Aspenberry had curled around him so many nights before.

The moss didn't smell like her anymore... If a cat could cry, he would have. "...Mum..." A part of him wished that he was still Smokekit and that Aspenberry was still here. Apprentices weren't supposed to be left behind on their very first day...

"Your happiness is mine."

≿━━━━༺˚˖𓍢ִִ໋🌊❀˚˖𓍢ִ✧˚.༻━━━━≾

Bayflower watched. Just as deep in their grief as Beewhisker. The tom blinked slowly, feeling the sadness rise in his throat. He was angry. Angry that Aspenberry had left them. But on the outside, he remained composed. Everything happened for a reason, he was sure of it. He just had to keep pushing forward like the rest of the warriors did. Like he always did. He was a senior warrior after all. He couldn't let his emotions get in the way of serving WindClan.