Smoke and Mirrors

I'm not just playing—I'm training to be a warrior!

✧･ﾟ: ✧ :･ﾟ✧⭑🍓⭑✧･ﾟ: ✧ :･ﾟ✧

Berrykit had seen storms before, big ones, scary ones, ones that could knock cats off of their paws... at least small kits like Aspenberry's kits and possibly himself. But in his own mind, he was the biggest cat in the clan, not physically, but mentally... to Berrykit, he was the size of even the biggest lion in the ancient LionClan.

He had been rolling about in his own nest restlessly, bored, not scared of the storm, bored of it. Until he shifted when hearing Smokekit squeak from a dryer corner of the den, he gave a single audible mrrp back to signal he had been heard. "Awake as ever" the cream tabby tom replied, flicking his tail restlessly "And super borrrreeed" he said, a slight whine laced his voice like a bitter herb, but he sniffed the damp air as Smokekit walked over, feigning bravery by cuddling up to him for warmth.

Berrykit didn't really move, more, shifted until he was curled around Smokekit, the difference in size of the kits was drastic, and yet, Berrykit was still smaller in comparison to his sister and dame, not that he cared of course. "Of course! Only the bravest kits keep their clanmates safe from the cold" he boldly proclaimed, wrapping his tail around the seal point kit, placing his pale chin against the soft nest.

Looking this good is a full-time job
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Smokekit gave a great, theatrical sigh as Berrykit curled around him, his little body immediately melting into the warmth. "Mmm... okay, fine. But only 'cause you're warm and I'm cold."

He shifted just enough to rest his cheek on Berrykit’s flank, eyelids fluttering halfway closed. His tail gave one flick, like he was still pretending to be annoyed even though his purring was already giving him away.

"You’re lucky I let you cuddle m- " Another crack of thunder rolled across the sky, and Smokekit pressed closer, fur still fluffed slightly from the last boom. He was quiet for a moment, then murmured "...But I guess if you're gonna be brave, I can let you keep me safe.!"

I'm not just playing—I'm training to be a warrior!

✧･ﾟ: ✧ :･ﾟ✧⭑🍓⭑✧･ﾟ: ✧ :･ﾟ✧

"Of course I'm brave!" Berrykit proclaimed, as if it was a known fact in the clan that Smokekit hadn't been filled in on, he tail twitched as if it were about to stick up proudly, but he made the effort to keep it curled around Smokekit, for both warmth and possibly something more. "I can be brave enough for both of us." He added, firmer but quieter as he offered the fellow kit a warm smile.

Berrykit glanced around, it was dark, Beewhisker and Cedarkit were still and so was Aspenberry with Smokekit's littermates. "Beewhisker told me a story last time it was storming, it helped me calm down from all the thunder and lightning" he mewed softly, twitching the tip of his tail again before tightening his curl around Smokekit.

The smile that Berrykit beamed could rival his own dame's bright grin, his canines poking out slightly from his upper lip the wider the smile grew. "Wanna hear it Smokey? I promise you it's the best story you've ever heard!"

Looking this good is a full-time job
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Smokekit didn’t respond right away, just made a low, rumbling purr that vibrated through his chest like a contented bee trapped in honey. Berrykit’s warmth, the sound of the rain, and that tail still wrapped around him like a little barrier from the world. It was all very acceptable.

"…Hmph. That's a lot of bravery." His voice sleep soft and almost skeptical. But his eyes blinked open again at the mention of a story, the storm lighting up the nursery faintly behind them in irregular flashes. His ears twitched at the sound of Berrykit’s voice, the quiet curl of warmth in it.

"Guess I could listen! Tell me!" He mumbled, voice barely above the whisper of rain.

I'm not just playing—I'm training to be a warrior!

✧･ﾟ: ✧ :･ﾟ✧⭑🍓⭑✧･ﾟ: ✧ :･ﾟ✧

Berrykit's eyes gleamed in the faint light of the storm, his tail curled just a little tighter around Smokekit like a protective shield. "Okay, okay, this one's really good" he whispered, lowering his voice as if the thunder might be listening. "Beewhisker told me when I was scared, and I didn't even blink at lightning after." He puffed out his chest a little, clearly proud of the story he was about to share.

"So, there's this giant Cloudcat," he began, his tone already taking on that dramatic storyteller flair he loved so much. "It lives way up in the sky, and it's got paws so big they can cover the whole moon! Whenever it thunders, it's just stomping around, trying to chase away the bad dreams that sneak between the stars. And the lightning? That's the Cloudcat's claws swiping the sky to make sure everything's safe for us down here." His whiskers twitched as he added, "And trust me, no bad dreams stand a chance against claws that sharp."

He leaned in closer, his eyes wide and glowing with the tale. "Beewhisker said that when it rains, that's the Cloudcat washing its fur, 'cause you have to stay clean if you're guarding the whole sky right? So, every time you hear the rain tapping on the roof of the den, you're just hearing the Cloudcat shaking water out of its fur, all proud and shiny."

Berrykit gave Smokekit a confident grin, his voice dropping to a whisper. "And here's the secret part... if you listen really close during a storm, you can almost hear it purring after it's done chasing the bad stuff away. That low rumble? Totally the Cloudcat."

He tilted his head, still watching Smokekit with curious eyes. "So, see? Storms aren't scary. They're just the Cloudcat doing its job. Protecting us."

Looking this good is a full-time job
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Smokekit was quiet through the whole story, his green eyes round and fixed on Berrykit’s face like it was the only thing in the den that mattered. The storm still rolled on outside...thunder cracking now and then, lightning casting flickers across the nursery walls. But now he didn't flinch!

Instead, his ears twitched at Cloudcat, and his breath caught just a little at claws that sharp. His expression shifted with each part of the tale, from skeptical squint to slow, wide eyed wonder. By the end, when Berrykit leaned in and whispered about the purring rumble in the clouds, Smokekit’s mouth parted in a tiny, breathless .. "Oh!"

The dark, smoky brown tom paused. "That’s so cool..." He whispered, as if afraid talking too loud might scare the Cloudcat away. "Why didn’t anyone tell me storms were that cool?"

He blinked, looking upward as the wind rushed across the roof again, this time not quite as scary. "It does sound like purring…And the rain - yeah. Fur shaking. I do that after I get cleaned too!" He gave a little nod, fully convinced now. "I bet it’s really fluffy. Like me."

I'm not just playing—I'm training to be a warrior!

✧･ﾟ: ✧ :･ﾟ✧⭑🍓⭑✧･ﾟ: ✧ :･ﾟ✧

Berrykit puffed out his chest in pride at the successful story, it sounded a bit better when Beewhisker had explained it, but it worked! His story stopped the little kit beside him from flinching at every sound that the evening brought and that, that was enough.

"Well that's because not a lot of cat know about the Cloudcat, Beewhisker only learned that from their sire! Not even their own dame knew about Cloudcat." The small tom purred loudly, he spoke as if he had the whole world's worth of information at his paw pads. Little would he know that he would learn a lot more in a moon's time.

He then leaned in closer, lowering his normally bouncy and energetic voice to a low whisper "I bet Cloudcat is even fluffier that Beewhisker and Brightmaple combined!" he exclaimed, however he tried to keep his voice down as he heard the shuffling of the tortoiseshell queen in their nest nearby.

"And sometimes, when its warm and sunny, the Cloudcat thinks that we will be safe enough from the bad dream so they sleep until they're needed again. Isn't that so cool!"

Looking this good is a full-time job
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Smokekit’s ears twitched as Berrykit whispered, and his whiskers gave the faintest bounce when he heard Beewhisker and Brightmaple combined. His eyes went wide again, like that was the most unimaginable amount of fluff in the world. "That fluffy?" He breathed, awestruck."No wonder it needs the whole sky to stretch out in. It’s probably got a cloud for a nest. A big one. With moss. And feathers. Real feathers."

The seal mink tom curled tighter into Berrykit’s warmth, his tiny paws kneading against the soft bedding beneath them. His voice, always a little pouty by default, now softened with sleepy awe. "I wanna see Cloudcat someday." He gave a half hearted attempt to lick his chest fur back into place, though the motion was more of a lazy swipe than actual grooming. "Cloudcat’d probably say I could be to a sky guardian too. Maybe like… a mini one."

His gaze lifted toward the roof again as the rain began to ease slightly, now more of a gentle patter than a fierce drumbeat. The storm was still there but it didn’t feel scary anymore. Smokekit let out a long breath and blinked slowly. "…Tell me another one?"

I'm not just playing—I'm training to be a warrior!

✧･ﾟ: ✧ :･ﾟ✧⭑🍓⭑✧･ﾟ: ✧ :･ﾟ✧

Berrykit's eyes lit up the moment Smokekit whispered 'Tell me another one.' He puffed out his chest dramatically, looking down at his denmate like he was about to reveal a long-lost secret from the depths of the elders' den. "Ohhh, you're lucky I even got this one." He said with a conspiratorial grin, tail twitching like a snake in dry grass. "Sunbear didn't want to tell me. Said it was too big for my ears, she challenged me! And I..." he leaned closer, his voice dropping to a whisper "I wrestled it out of her"

He gave a very serious nod. "Had to sneak up on her, real quiet, like a shadow in the grass. She was gnawing on some old rabbit bones and didn't see me until I launched the first attack. I leapt right onto her tail and gave it the fiercest tug you ever saw. She grunted like a badger and threw me off, but I landed!" He swiped a paw through the air like a warrior swiping down an enemy. "And then, then she said, 'Fine, Berrykit, if you want a story so badly, I'll give you one to chew on' whatever that meant" Berrykit paused dramatically, eyes gleaming.

"She told me about a cat named Duskjaw" he continued, lowering his voice like it was something sacred. "He wasn't scared of anything. Not thorns, not foxes, not even twoleg monsters. One day, he chased a hawk off a cliff and landed in a grove of glowing trees! Trees with silver leaves that never fell, even in leaf-bare. They whispered secrets when the wind blew, and if you listened just right, you could learn how to speak to owls. Duskjaw did, and he became the owl-friend, the only cat who ever got invited to an owl council. Sunbear said they gave him a feather for each story he told them."

Berrykit curled closer to Smokekit in response, he felt as if their pelts would blend together at this rate, but it was warm, it was comfy. His voice grew soft again, nearly lost under the pitter-patter of rain. "And that's how he became the first cat to fly, tucked beneath the feathers of a hundred owls, carrying him across the stars." He paused, flicking his tail against the moss. "Bet Cloudcat knows him, too. Maybe they fly together sometimes."