Three weeks had passed since I was born again. Most of my time in the first week was spent sleeping and eating. I couldn't see or hear, I didn't have teeth, and I was too weak to walk, so it was a bit to adjust to. But kittens need their mother for everything, and I was a kitten myself.
Speaking of my mother, at the end of what was probably my second week, I was able to hear again. The first thing I heard was her warm, comforting purr, followed by a gentle, sweet as honey voice. She murmured sweetly to me and my brother in the way a mother would to her newborn baby in the human world. I remember trying to look at her but being unable to. Right, kittens can't see when they're super young.
A few days later, my hearing got much better, even from when I was a human! Yet I could process it much better than if I was a human who suddenly gained cat-like hearing. I could also see again, and while everything was a little blurry, it got better as they days passed by.
Over those days, I learned my new mother was a slender gray molly named Willopelt, and my father was a big, kind tom named Whitestorm. But the weird thing is that while I was dubbed "Poppet" because of my sweet, quiet nature, and my brother "Fluffball" for his thick coat, it didn't sound like those were actual names in this naming system. I heard a few other examples of names, like Lionheart or Bluestar, or some of the other mothers in the nursery's names, like Brindleface or Robinwing. I wasn't sure why me and Fluffball didn't have names like that, but something I found out quickly was that my kitten brain couldn't focus on something for long.
Right now, I was staring at the center of the camp, watching as the cats outside moved around and talked amongst themselves. I tilted my head, wondering what my clanmates were doing.
Hm... clanmates. I hadn't even realized before how I thought of the cats outside the nursery. I wondered briefly if they would think of me the same way shortly before I sneezed.
Willowpelt lifted her head, blinking slowly at me. Oh yeah, cats blink slowly to show they love someone. I stared up at her, the clanmate dilemma completely forgotten.
"Good morning, Poppet." The gray molly purred, "Do you want to go outside?"
I gave her a strange look, tilting my head. I was pretty sure a month had passed judging by what the nursery queens said about me and my brother's age, but I knew I was still wobbly on my legs last time I tried to walk. She snorted good-naturedly and meowed, "You and Fluffball are big enough. I'll stay by you though, don't worry."
Robinwing, one of the nursery queens, half-opened one eye, staring at my mother.
"If you're going to do that," She murmured, "Can you take these two? I want to stretch my legs real quick.". He tail uncurled to reveal her two kits, Ravenkit and Dustkit. I learned that they were born three weeks prior to me and Fluffball, and they already had proper names. It befuddled me, yet the prospect of actually going outside began to excite me. I turned to the sleeping Fluffball and nudged him with my nose.
"Fwuffbaw!" I squeaked, them furrowed my brows. Damnit, how could I forget was still learning to speak! I tried again. "Flwuffbawl!". Eh, fuck it, close enough, "We'we goin' outside!"
"Mph, you mean now?" He groaned, sitting up and drowsily blinking at me. Willowpet nudged him to his paws, smiling warmly.
"Yes, hun. Right now." She murmured. Fluffball shot up, suddenly wide awake with an elated grin on his face.
"Wet's gow!" He mewled, rushing outside of the nursery entrance, only to trip and fall flat on his face. Willowpelt chuckled, pushing him back onto his tiny paws. I followed close behind my mother's heels, tail twitching in excitement. Shortly after I exited the nursery, I was bumped into by Dustkit and Ravenkit. I craned my head around to face them, head tilted. Dustkit waved his tailed in greeting.
"Hiya!" Dustkit mewed, "I'm Dustkit, and this is Ravenkit! Mom said you're Poppet, right?"
"Yeah? And I know youw names!". I puffed my tiny chest out to try and look intimidating, yet Dustkit didn't seem to be moved.
"Oh, okay!". Dustkit then nudged Ravenkit, mewing, "C'mon Rave, say hi!"
Ravenkit's wide purple eyes gazed at me for a few seconds, making me feel awkward. "Uhm... hi..." He finally mewed. I nodded back and opened my mouth to speak, only to bump into Willowpelt's haunches.
I looked up at my mother, head tilted. It turns out she was talking to a dark gray tabby tom with a scowl on his face.
"... how is that my problem?" The tabby growled. For the first time in my short life, Willowpelt looked angry.
"You need to meet your little brothers, Darkstripe." She said sternly, "Do you want them to not know you?"
"I have a patrol-"
"I talked with Redtail earlier." Willowpelt said, her voice as hard as ice, "He said not until sunhigh."
I bit my lower lip, furrowing my brows and padding away from the tusseling Ravenkit and Dustkit to sit by Fluffball. He was stared at the two arguing cats, eyes wide. I craned my head to him and whispered, "What goin' on?"
"I dunno."
"Oh..."
There was more back and forth between Darkstripe and Willowpelt, but eventually Willowpelt seemed to win, as Darkstripe loudly huffed and bent down to sniffed at me and my brother.
"Hello." He said flatly, looking like he wished he could be anywhere but here. Fluffball sniffed him back curiously.
"Who'we youw?" He asked. The dark gray tabby tom sniffed.
"Darkstripe, your half brother.". When we both looked confused, he grunted and said, "Willowpelt's my mom too."
I asked quietly, a little nervous around this clearly annoyed tom cat, "Where's youw dad?"
"... Dead." He sighed heavily, shoulders slumping. Fluffball looked confused, but I, who already understood death, suddenly felt pity for this tom.
"Oh... sowwy...". I ducked my head, embarrassed by my inadvertently callous inquiry.
Darkstripe shook himself like a dog, muttering, "It was a long time ago anyways, but thanks I guess."
There was an awkward pause for a long while, Darkstripe looking upset and me and Fluffball getting more and more restless. But before any of us could say something, Dustkit bounced a wadded ball of damp moss to us, letting out a war cry. Or at least, the closest a kitten could get to a war cry.
Fluffball approached the kit, looking confused. He asked, "What's that?"
"Mossball!" Dustkit explained, "You chase it around the camp and pounce on it!". He then nudged it over to my gray furred brother, asking, "Wanna play?"
"Sure!"
With that the two were off, batting around the wad of moss. It looked fun, so I ran after them, yowling, "Wait fow me!"