Brightkit sniffed the cold air outside as rain splattered on the ground outside.
Rain.
The rain was keeping him from going outside but at least here in the nursery he was kept safe and dry. Though he was never really far from the cold water that dropped all around it would sometimes feel like he was worlds away.
It was morning but the sun was mostly covered by rain clouds.
Brightkit sighed and rolled over, "Piperkit? Are you awake?"
22
Brightkit and Piperkit
Sibling Chatting and Characterization
Wind Clan Nursery
Sitting up, Piperkit glanced over at the rascal who had awoken her, otherwise known as her brother, Brightkit. Blinking her eyes open, she grumbled to him,
“I’m awake now, furball.” After a moment of actually waking up, Piperkit surveyed her surroundings, taking in the fact that it was raining, and therefore it would be an unpleasant trip to the freshkill pile to get food.
“What is it, Brightkit?” She asked, guessing that he was bored because of the rain, as any kit would be, including herself.
“You afraid of a few drops of water?” She asked jokingly, grinning while saying this. She had finally fully waken up, and decided that she felt like teasing her brother. So that’s exactly what she did.
Brightkit smiled as Piperkit teased him. He hoped she wasn't too agitated with him waking her up but now he had someone to talk to, which, course, was a good thing for him.
"I'm not afraid of anything,'' Brightkit told her, proudly, though the rain was keeping him inside so maybe he was, "Not anything,'' he insisted, "Are you scared of the rain?" he asked his sister, teasingly, "I heard River Clan cats swim in cold water all the time, isn't that weird?"
“My brother, my dear, dear brother, why ever would I be scared of mere drops of water?” Piperkit asked poshly, in the accent she’d heard other warriors use when making fun of the other clans.
”Swimming? In cold water? Bleh. Why would you want to do that on purpose?” The young she-cat questioned, wrinkling her nose.
Brightkit laughed a little at his sister's posh accent.
"River Clan cats are a mystery,'' he said. He reached over with his tail to get just outside the nursery, letting one drop of rain fall onto it before yanking it back. It was cold. "Do you think it's raining over there too? They'd probably enjoy it, Pinestep said River Clan cats are crazy like that.''
Brightkit always talked about the Wind Clan warrior he spoke to with pride. He learned from them, after all.
"River Clan feels worlds away right now but when we become apprentices we're able to go near the borders, isn't that exciting?" Brightkit stood up with renewed energy thinking about how apprenticeship would be like.
Piperkit thought for a moment, before replying
”If it’s raining over here, than it’s probably raining over there. I mean, it can’t be that far, right?” She questioned, smiling at her brother.
”It’ll be awesome when we’re apprentices.” Piperkit reassured him.
”We’ll be able to go to the border and out of camp. I’m sure it’ll be loads of fun!”
"Yeah!" Brightkit exclaimed, happy that the thought the same way he did, "And plus, we'll learn all sorts of new things, and I honestly can't wait, I also can't believe it's so close, can you?"
"And an apprentice needs a mentor, right?" he added, "Have you thought about who you want your's to be?"
“I.. honestly have no idea.” Piperkit faltered, hesitating before continuing.
”I kinda think that.. maybe…Rowanglade? But.. I don’t wanna decide right now.” She responded, before changing the subject quickly with a
”Who do you want as your mentor?”
Rowanglade? As in the medicine cat?
"Cool!" Brightkit exclaimed, he couldn't really say much more before Piperkit changed the subject.
"Ummmmm..." Brightkit figured he should've thought about his answer before asking the question in the first place, "I dunno, all the warriors here are so great, I'd be more than happy to have any of them as my mentor,'' he paused for a moment, "Buuuuuut, I guess if I had to choose it'd be between Pinestep and Shadesleek.'' Those had been the two he'd talked with the most recently, after all.
“That’s cool! They’re pretty awesome, and nice too.” Piperkit agreed, glad that her subject change had worked. She didn’t really wanna talk about it, especially since she still had a whole half moon until being apprenticed.
”Do you wanna play something?” Piperkit asked after a bit of an awkward silence.
"Play something?" Brightkit's eyes sparkled with interest. He had been sure for a while that the day would be ruined by the rain. He was glad he had Piperkit as a sister, it was always good to have company in the nursery other than just their mom. It meant he always had a friend.
"Like what?"
“Uhh…” Piperkit started, thinking carefully for a moment.
“What about tag?” She suggested, glancing at her brother for his reaction. Tag was a simple game, but it was fun.
"Tag is fun!" Brightkit exclaimed. He booped Piperkit with his nose. "You're it!" he said, with a laugh, then, without thinking, he ran out of the nursery, out of shelter into the rain.
Somehow he'd already forgot it was raining and the cold water surprised him.
Piperkit giggled, before sticking her paw out from the shelter of the nursery. It was cold. She then realized that Brightkit was soaked in water this cold. He didn’t need to take tag that seriously!
”Aren’t you cold out there?” Piperkit called to he brother, easing her voice over the thunderous pounding of the rain.
”I’ll let you back in here.. At a price!” Piperkit was grinning at this point, and gave her brother a wink. She had the advantage of a dry shelter.
"I'm not cold!" Brightkit protested, though it was an obvious lie, "I'm just as tough as-'' he tried to shake the water from his fur as an instinct, but it was only replaced with, of course, more rain water, "I'm just as tough as a River Clan cat!"
Brightkit sniffed in mock disdain, "And I'm not about to make a deal with you! You can come out and get me, if you're not too scared of the rain, that is,'' he added the last point with a teasing grin.
Piperkit snickered at his obvious lie. And watched him try to pretend to be unbothered by the fact that he was sopping wet and was standing out in the cold rain.
”As tough as you are, you don’t wanna catch a cold, do you? Imagine, you might not be able to leave the nursery for a while. That doesn’t sound like fun, does it?” She reminded him, smirking.
Upon hearing her brother refuse the deal before even hearing about it, than mocking her, Piperkit gave her brother a mock glare.
”What if I’m simply smart enough to know that I don’t have to get wet to catch you? You’ll come in eventually. And even if you don’t, mother will force you to, lest you catch something.”
Brightkit pouted defiantly, though Piperkit did have a point. He tried to stay strong for a little while longer, planting his paws apart but his discomfort with the rain was already getting to him.
"Fine!" at last he conceded, "What do you want?"
Piperkit grinned at her brother, seeing as he certainly gave in to the fact that Piperkit was right.
“You gotta get me some freshkill and bring it here. Without eating it.” She answered, glad that it meant she wouldn’t have to get her pelt wet from the rain, but would still get food.
"Sure thing!" Brightkit replied, rather enthusiastically for someone stuck out in the rain. He darted over to the fresh-kill pile, not wanting to be out in the rain any longer, scooping up a mouse by its tail, then racing back to the nursery.
As soon as he came back into the shelter he noticed it was noticeably warmer and, without the constant pattering of rain on his back, much more comfortable.
He dropped the mouse next to Piperkit and shook the water from his fur, spraying it everywhere else in the process.
"Happy now?" he asked, with a little laugh.
Piperkit let out a little squeal, as she got showered with droplets from her brothers pelt, and scurried away- with her mouse of course- to a farther corner of the nursery.
”You couldn’t have warned me?!” She shrieked to her brother, lifting a now wet paw and giving it a halfhearted shake, before putting it down and doing a full on shake herself.
Thankfully, the mouse was still mostly dry, and so she gobbled it up in a couple bites, saving a mouthful for Brightkit.
”Want some?”
Brightkit laughed, "Of course, I went through all the trouble to get it after all,'' he ate it quickly, practically inhaling it. He licked his lips after, mice never failed to taste good.
"Your welcome,'' he added, with a smirk.
Piperkit rolled her eyes at her older littermate, exasperated. As he inhaled the mouse, she padded towards, the entrance, looking out into camp. Somehow, a couple cats were still walking around, as if everything was normal.
Inwardly, she wondered if the rain hit Windclan the hardest because they had little shelter, while the others did, for the most part.
