Open to Join Peek-A-Boo! (25TL'20)

The flower that blooms in adversity is the most rare and beautiful of all
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 Heatherkit stirred slightly as the warm scent of fresh moss reached her tiny nose, accompanied by the soft murmurs of her mother and the stranger nearby. Her small ears twitched as she tried to make sense of the new sound, and with a little wriggle, she slowly opened her pale blue eyes, still heavy with sleep.

At first, everything was a blur of soft colors, but as her vision cleared, she noticed her brother, Oatkit, waddling toward the nursery entrance. Curious, Heatherkit blinked and let out a soft, sleepy mewl, pushing herself up onto her still wobbly paws. 
The unfamiliar scent and the soft voice outside piqued her interest, and despite her usual love for napping, Heatherkit felt a small burst of energy as she tottered after her brother. She would have toddled straight out into camp if not for the appearance of an unfamiliar cat standing nearby. Heatherkit blinked up at Bayflower, her little pink nose twitching as she took in their scent.

For a moment, she hesitated, clinging to the familiar warmth of her mother's side, but her curiosity got the better of her. With a shy, yet determined step, Heatherkit padded closer to the stranger, her tiny tail sticking straight up in the air. She peered up at Bayflower with wide, innocent eyes, a soft purr rumbling in her throat as she sniffed towards the fresh moss they were holding.

"Who' you?" Heatherkit finally squeaked, her voice high-pitched and a little wobbly coming from a two and a half week old kitten. She stared at the bundle of moss, her eyes lighting up with wonder.. "Mossy fo' us? Smel' tikle in m' nose!" As she waited for a response, Heatherkit’s little paw reached out, almost of its own accord, to pat at the moss, her tiny pink toes curling around the soft strands. The sensation brought a delighted smile to her face, and she looked up at Bayflower with pure, unguarded joy.

'I am yet to understand my place in this world, but with you by my side, I know things just might be alright'
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With most of the day's jobs done, the spotted she-cat had been making her way over to the prey pile to check on its supply before the familiar black pelt of Bayflower, heading towards the nursery with moss in their mouth. She had been so focused on running the clan with Fawnstar, along with attending to her own personal things that she hadn't had the proper time to visit Brightmaple's newest litter. She had peeked in not long after the birth, but since then she had left the queen be, not wanting to intrude into the nursery, especially with the kits so young.

If Bayflower was going, she may as well too. So instead of heading to the pile, she did a sharp turn, trailing after Bayflower. She watched the interaction of Heatherkit and her black feline friend with a soft smile on her face, her heart almost aching at the pureness of the interaction. Seeing kits like this was not an opportunity one got often, so Aspenberry was loving the moment. 

Squeezing past Bayflower, and heading deeper into the nursery, Aspenberry made her way over to Brightmaple. If she hovered near Heatherkit while Bayflower was there, she might overwhelm her, plus she wanted to check in on Brightmaple anyway. She carefully made her way over to the queen, sitting beside her before turning her gaze down to look at the she-cat. 'Hello Brightmaple', her tone was cheery but soft, not wanting to spook any cat within the den, or nearby. 'How are things going with the furballs? I hope you don't have your paws full, but I saw Heatherkit just before, she's lovely. Both of them are gorgeous, but knowing you, these kits will be no trouble for you' she said, while a quiet purr rumbled from her throat. 

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The day was fairly warm as per usual, but Beewhisker wasn't really thinking about the temperature, but more so how the kits were doing in this heat, especially with Brightmaple having thicker fur, the kits most likely have long fur too. Broken out of their thoughts by moving paws, Beewhisker observed Bayflower and Aspenberry padding toward the nursery. This was their chance!

Beewhisker bounded up to their paws and pranced after their two closest friends, their tail high like an excited kit exploring the camp for the first time. Watching the two warriors slip into the nursery, Beewhisker questioned if they would even fit in the nursery at this rate. The large warrior peeked their head into the nursery and smiled at the queen that was chatting with her kittens.

For a second, Beewhisker thought they hadn't been seen, so glanced at the kittens for a moment, they were just a beautiful at Barelyswipe said they were! They craned their neck towards the kits and poked out their tongue for a playful gesture, "Hello sweet things, My name is Beewhisker, I heard your names were Oatkit and Heatherkit, Lovely to meet you two" They purred gently placing their nose on each kitten's head as an affectionate greeting. Though they soon returned their gaze to Brightmaple and flicked their ears in greeting "Think we have room for one more?" 

The flower that blooms in adversity is the most rare and beautiful of all
❖ ⭒ ❖ ⭒ ❀ ⭒ ❖ ⭒ ❖

 Heatherkit felt like her world was getting bigger and bigger as more cats came into the nursery. She blinked up at Bayflower, her little mouth forming a tiny "o" as the warrior crouched down to her level. She was fascinated by the way they said her name so gently, and her tail wiggled with excitement.

"Bayfwow...er." She tried to repeat the name, her tiny voice lisping a bit as she looked down at the soft moss they had brought. "Is so squishy an’ co'fy!"

Before she could explore the moss further, another new cat poked their head into the nursery. Heatherkit’s big blue eyes grew even wider as she saw Beewhisker’s playful gesture. A delighted giggle bubbled up from her as they touched their nose to her tiny head, a gesture she was starting to like and spun around on her little legs, tail waving in the air.

"Be'wskie! Be - ws - kie!" she chirped, her words tumbling out in a rush. "An’ ya know m' name!" She continued to spin around with glee, but eventually dizziness overwhelmed her and she flopped down unceremoniously onto the soft nursery floor, her big world spinning.

'I am yet to understand my place in this world, but with you by my side, I know things just might be alright'
✧ ⭒ ✧ ⭒ ✧ ⭒ ✧ ⭒ ✧

The deputy nodded at Brightmaple. That was exactly what she wanted to hear. There were few cats Aspenberry could trust as much with a litter of kits as she did with Brightmaple. The now elder had countless moons of experience, and Aspenberry held her in high regards. Despite this, she still wanted to make sure everything was okay. Not just from her role as deputy, but out of genuine care, for the wellbeing of Brightmaple meant just as much to her as the kits did. 

As she was introduced to Oatkit, she saw Fallkit's head pop up from the other side of the queen, her eyes flickering over to his with a smile before speaking quietly, 'Hello Fallkit! I'm just here to visit you, your new siblings and your mama'. She then crouched down, lowering herself as much as she could so she could be on the same level as Oatkit while keeping a respectable distance from him. 'Hello little one. As your mama said, I'm Aspenberry. It's okay if you don't want to say anything. I'm just here to say a quick hello'. Her voice was soft and tender, her eyes softening as she spoke to the two week old kit. 'Fallkit, want to come over here or are you happy staying beside Brightmaple?' she said while tapping the empty ground next to her with the tip of her crooked tail, offering Fallkit a spot. 

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Beewhisker was already smitten, adoring the sweet kits letting out a loud, partially amused purr as Heatherkit began to spin around, unable to contain her joy. Beewhisker continued to purr loudly watching as the small kitten became rather dizzy. Beewhisker held a paw beside Heatherkit in the case that she were to fall from her dizziness, at least she would have a soft paw to land on if that were to happen. 

"I certainly do know you name! And now that you know mine, you can call for me whenever you want, all of you kits can" They spoke gentle giving all kits a single lick between their ears, hoping not to overstep on any boundaries that Brightmaple may have set that they did not know about. Beewhisker then faced Fallkit, who crawled out from beside Brightmaple, just woken from a nap, Beewhisker lowered their voice to something more tolerable for a cat that had just woken up. "Hey there Fallkit, how was your sleep little one" 

With another chuckle, Beewhisker added to their question to Fallkit. "Too short I bet, sorry about that bud" They apologized sincerely to the bigger kitten. Regardless, Beewhisker flicked their tail in greeting to their friends, who had also come to visit the newest arrivals. They also gave a respectful nod to Brightmaple. "Brightmaple, your kits are beautiful" They purred, giving the queen a gentle, friendly smile that revealed the tips of their fangs through their lips