Black kit was lying there bored. Spottedpaw was rambling something right over his head, but he didn't pay much attention to it. Something about herbs, infecting wounds, new ways of treatment and so on. She did that a lot, while she came to visits him those past few days. Although it may have been somewhat endearing, he mostly found it annoying.
She also talked about a clanlife sometimes, which wasn't so bad but after some time tended to get pretty exhausting since Spottedpaw seemed to easily wander off the main topic and fall into completely irrelevant blabbering.
Despite the occasional annoyance, the kit grew to like the spotted she-cat. She seemed to always be in a rush, with bright, sympathetic smile almost always on her muzzle. Although he couldn't wrap his head around her sometime he decided he liked her non less.
Beside it wasn't really like he had a choice in the matter of company really, since Spottedpaw and Redpaw were pretty much the only cats who visited him. And, since Redpaw apparently had some of those apprentice stuff to do, had not much of a better choice than to listen to Spottedpaw's chattering. "…but there are a lot of really useful herbs out there really. And you know medicine cats need to learn all of them?" Spottedpaw continued, unaware of the look of pure indifference the kit gave her "It's a really big thing. Because imagine that there would a terrible illness and the medicine cat couldn't remember the cure. It would be horrible! Although, I guess he could always ask Starclan for help then, couldn't he? They may help him although, you never know since Starclan can get rather mysterious at times…"
Black kit looked around, slowly processing the words. Then his ears perked up as he heard the phrase he though he heard her speaking about earlier." What's this… Starclan, you're always talking about? "He cut in the middle of a Spottedpaw's sentence.
She looked at him for a moment, surprised, before explaining. " They're our fallen ancestors, warriors that came to live in the sky after their death here." she stated calmly" They all live in this bright trail of stars you can see in the night, it's called Silverpelt. Every time a cat joins Starclan, a new star appears in it."
There was a long moment of silence.
" …So you are telling me there are cats… living in the sky?" black kit sad slowly with strange shaky voice. And then, not being able to hold it any longer he exploded in fits of laughter. "That is… probably the most nonsensical thing I heard from you so far!" kit still chuckled "I mean, how would that even work? How would they walk in a sky? They would fall right back down and…"
" S-Shut up!" the kit went quiet immediately, pretty much shocked to hear Spottedpaw so angry. He was even more surprised when he looked at her and found a look of fury and resentment in her eyes "How can you laugh about it?!"
" What?" he asked, his voice sharp as he couldn't understand why was she so irritable all of sudden "You have to admit, it sounds rather senseless! Dead cats in the sky? Please, it sounds like some tale for the kits…"
" Just because you can't understand something doesn't mean it isn't true!" she hissed. They sat like this for a moment, glaring at each other, before Spottedpaw sighted and went back to sorting herbs. Black kit looked at her for a moment. He couldn't understand why was she mad at him, but then again, questioning her further about that seemed like a bad idea. Besides, he really didn't want to deal with all that right now.
He stood up slowly. Over past days his wounds got better, although they still pained him every time he tried to make a more challenging movement. The ache wasn't going to stop him from moving though, as sitting around got boring pretty quickly. He let out a small groan at the small sting of pain, and walked out of the den.
This Featherwhisker, so called medicine cat told him that although he should rather stay in the den he could walk around a bit when he felt like it. And now he did felt like it.
The slowly walked through the fern tunnel, and narrowed his eyes, as the sunlight illuminated his face. After his sight adjusted to the light, he looked around the camp.
It had been weird for him at first, getting used to live with so many cats around him, but after some time it kind of grew on him. Although he still didn't knew all of them, he learned pretty much all the names from Spottedpaw and talked with few on some occasions. They were mostly polite, although he could tell some didn't actually thought much about him.
His gaze stopped as he spotted three cats at the edge of the camp. There was Redpaw, the second cat in the clan that black kit found liking for. The tom was bright and energetic, much like Spottedpaw, but much less bubbly and more composed. He always seemed to wear this aura of steadiness and honesty around him, making even his presence reassuring. Although he maybe wouldn't admit it out loud, black kit really appreciated the time apprentice spent around him, telling funny stories, sharing his experiences at training sessions. The kit found them much more compelling than Spottedpaw's since Redpaw usually spoke straight to the point, and he found his stories actually interesting.
There was also Whitepaw, the young pure white tom, apparently Redpaw's friend. The dappled tom brought him around a few times, and black kit found his company acceptable. He seemed to be rather friendly, often throwing a joking comments and generally wearing himself in an easygoing manner.
Then they kit felt the fur rising on his back as he laid his eyes on the last tom. The big dark brown tabby, with pale amber eyes that he was all too familiar with. Tigerpaw was sitting there, discussing something with two other toms and apparently showing off some fighting moves.
He didn't spoke to any cat about what happened that day when he was brought to the camp. He didn't know if he should say to anyone who his attacker really was. But that didn't meant he forgot. And those burning glares the tabby gave him the other days told him he didn't forgot either. And, although they didn't exchange a single word, it was pretty easy to get the clue that Tigerpaw hated him and didn't want him here. And black kit made sure to convey the best he could that the feeling was mutual.
He sat by the fern tunnel entrance, watching as the three young toms practiced. It was not the first time he did this, analyzing and committing every move to memory so he could try on his own later on, while nobody was looking. Apart from remembering the moves he also tried to memorize each cat's fighting style. They all had their different ways of moving, which really showed in the battle. Like Whitepaw seemed to be the fastest of three, always dashing around his moves quick and steps light. Redpaw on the other hand was much more precise, his movements more balanced and steps more firm. And Tigerpaw always attacked with full power, his way of fight wild and untamed. After some time of observation the weak points and mistakes were much easier to be picked up. And the black kit was a good observer.
He watched as the toms fished showing off their battle moves and moved to hunting crouches. He was calmly watching Whitepaw, as he creeped forward slowly, when his gaze flicker aside to meet Redpaw's amber gaze, who seemed to just notice him. His face brightened up with a smile, and black cat felt immediate urge to look aside, but the sympathetic warmth of those amber eyes kept his gaze in place.
" Hey!" Redpaw meowed, making the other two toms glance up and take notice of a small black cat.- You're out of the den! How are feeling?
" I'm fine." tom responded, his voice flat. That didn't seem to weaver dappled tom's smile though.
" That's great!" he meowed. "Would you like to come sit with us?"
" Yeah kit." Whitepaw sent him a smile standing up from his crouch "It would be much easier to talk, if we didn't need to yowl to you across the whole camp."
"Why would you even want to talk to the kittypet…" he heard Tigerpaw's growl, who was however shushed with a flick of Whitepaw's tail. This still made the fur raise on his back however, as he stood up and promptly walked towards them.
" Good to see you back on your feet." Redpaw meowed when the cat approached them. " Are your wounds still hurting?"
Black tom didn't miss a chance to shot Tigerpaw a cold glare. " Sometimes. It's bearable."
" Good for you." Whitepaw meowed, his voice calm but kind. Tigerpaw, simply groaned something under his breath, still holding black kit's gaze. He shrugged, putting on the look of indifference.
" So… what are you doing?" small tom asked, after a moment, looking around trying to keep the talk casual and not make it known he's been observing them for quite some time now.
"We, were practicing some hunting moves!" Redpaw beamed "Whitepaw was just about to show us this new move his mentor taught him…" he spoke when Tigerpaw interrupted him with a groan.
" Why are you wasting your time trying to explain that to a kittypet. He won't understand any of that either way." He hissed and gave small cat another glare " Bet he never even tried hunting in his life."
Black tom felt the icy fury slowly grow in him. "I did!" he hissed, not really thinking through what he just sad " I- I have even caught something once. A bird! It- it was huge." he lied. Tigerpaw rolled his eyes with annoyed while Whitepaw gave him a look of amused disbelief.
" Yeah kit. Sure you did." he purred teasingly, though there was no real edge to it. This however didn't change the fact that he was mocking him, at least as far as it concerned the black kit. Not that he was surprised by it, annoyed non less.
" Kittypets do not hunt. Especially as small and weak as you." Tigerpaw growled, ignoring Redpaw who tried to silence him quietly." I mean how old are you? A moon?" he added, his voice harsh "You look like a kit fresh from the nursery."
Black kit gave him long, icy, emotionless gaze. "I'm apparently old enough to have more battle scars than you." he stated with a cold voice, glaring straight into Tigerpaw's eyes. There was a long moment of silence between the four.
Tigerpaw let out a huff. "Well, so maybe then you would like to show a proper hunting crouch." he hissed "I would love to see what a soft kittypet like you can do."
" I don't think that will be needed…" Redpaw looked at the black tom, a worried expression on his muzzle, but was cut off by the tabby.
" If he says he can hunt, he has to prove it." he growled "As long as he is not just a kittypet but also a liar."
Black kit felt a pang of anxiety but kept a straight face, holding dark tabby's glare.
" Sure." he stated simply, quickly remind himself of how Whitepaw did it earlier. He let the instincts take control of him, as he moved his body towards the ground, his tail still and legs ready to leap. He slid slowly forward, paws sliding slowly across the ground. He was always good at stalking, the ability he learned long time ago when trying to sneak out, away from his family.. It always made him feel untouchable, invisible. And that was all he wanted back then.
He snapped out of his thoughts as he heard a groan. " That's what I thought, he is completely hopeless." Tigerpaw rolled his eyes, his voice harsh.
" Actually," Redpaw cut in, a look of sincerity and slight surprise on his muzzle "It wasn't half bad. A bit rough maybe, and a bit too slow but pretty good non less. I think you would manage to catch something with it." he purred, his voice sounding honest and kind. The kit struggled to hold back a proud smile.
" Yeah, it was fine kit." Whitepaw nodded and gave Tigerpaw an amused look "I would like to see you do better with no training whatsoever."
Dark brown tabby growled. " That doesn't change the fact that…"
"What's going on here?" All four cats turned around, to face a blueish gray she cat, walking their way. She had an serious expression on her muzzle, her voice calm yet sharp.
" We were just training our hunting moves." Redpaw answered.
The she-cat glanced at the black kit and gave the all a stern look. " This kit shouldn't overwork himself. His wounds won't heal properly if he won't get a proper rest, and you shouldn't stir him up."
" He shouldn't be here in the first place." Tigerpaw growled but went quiet as the she-cat gave him and sharp glare.
Whitepaw looked down. " Sorry, Bluefur."
Grey she-cat sighted. " It's fine. But you should get back to your duties. I'm sure your mentors have some work for you to do." she meowed, and black kit could promise he saw a small smile on her muzzle as the apprentices groaned quietly. Three toms stood up and begun to walk away, Redpaw sending the black tom one final smile, before padding after the group. The small tom followed him with his gaze for a moment before turning his attention back to Bluefur.
According to Spottedpaw she was the one to bring him to the camp. This was probably one of few parts of this story that kind of made sense for him. He remembered the blueish she cat defending him earlier. He still didn't find time to thank her for that though.
She looked at him with deep blue eyes, and he returned the gaze, his blue eyes calm and steady. He felt a respect for a she-cat ever since the first day. There was something about the composure, the way she carried herself that made you notice and abide her. She didn't need to be big or cruel to achieve that. And that made him keep her in a very high regard.
" Are you feeling alright?" she asked calmly. He simply nodded in response. "You should probably go back to the medicine den. Don't want your wounds to reopen." she stated firmly. Black kit followed her with his gaze as she padded away. Then, looking carefully around the camp, he sneaked away, unnoticed.
The black kit slowly worked on a pacing of his movements, carefully repeating every step as he did countless times now. Remembering the moves apprentices practiced before he tried to emulate them best he could.
He found a quiet place to train in a small spot behind the apprentices' den- it was surrounded by bushes and hid well from the prying eyes. He came here ever so often to try the moves he saw others do. He didn't know why he felt a need to practice though… but something deep inside him pushed him to try, to train. Because that made him stronger.
The kit new he was weak. He has been told so all his life. But now, having seen the life and ways of those cats… he realized weakness was an illness. An illness he could no longer tolerate.
He didn't realize when he fastened his footwork but suddenly he felt ache resulting in rushed movements. He hissed quietly stumbling. His paw slipped and he fell on a ground with light thud. He lied there for a moment before he breathed heavily and stood up. Then he returned to repeating the movements once more, more careful but firmer this time.
He didn't know that some distance away. two cats watched him carefully from the Highrock. One was a ginger furred tom with bright yellow eyes, the other one being a familiar blueish gray she-cats.
They watched the black kit train, thoughtful expressions on their faces. When they saw the kit stumble, Bluefur twitched her tail nervously but regained composure as she saw the kit stand up.
" He seems very determined." The ginger tom spoke casually, calmly gazing at the kit. Bluefur didn't move, the twitch of ear being the only indication that she heard him.
" Stubborn would be more adequate I think." she stated, her voice flat. The tom looked at her smiling slightly.
" Still, it is quite admirable to see such a young cat with so much energy. It's even more surprising, acknowledging the fact he is a kittypet."
" We don't know how old he actually is." Bluefur spoke, her voice more thoughtful." He's small, but I've seen smaller cats. He may even be close to the apprentice age."
Ginger tom looked at her for a moment before returning his gaze to the kit, who still continued his practice. There was a moment of silence between them. " How much longer it will take for his wounds to heal?"
" Featherwhisker said that they will be good in about a moon." she cat replied, something off in her voice.
" They were definitely severe. Especially for such a small cat."
" They were." she replied flatly, though her eyes glanced back for a moment as if thinking of something.
" Some thought he isn't going to live."
Bluefur hummed, her gaze fixed on the black kit. " Some would definitely wish for that to happen."
" Few of are clanmates are not content with him being here that's true. But they have their reasons. They had to share food and camp with a unknown cat who didn't even introduced himself."
" Was I supposed to leave him to die?" Bluefur hissed, glancing at the tom sharply.
Ginger tom returned her glance, but it was steady and unwavering "I'm not questioning your decisions. Bluefur. I'm simply asking what are you planning to do now?"
Bluefur looked at him for a moment before looking back at the kit.
" This cat is strange, Sunstar." she spoke after a moment, her voice firm yet calm "It's unusual for a kittypets to wander so far into the forest. Especially so young ones. He also didn't even mentioned anything about his home or wishing to return to it. Quite opposite actually, from what I've heard from Spottedpaw, he has been avoiding this topic like fire. He also seems really interested in clan life, talking with cats and asking about our ways of life. I once saw him talking with the elders, questioning them about clan's history. Larksong seemed quite content with all the attention. There is also strange confidence radiating from this small body… like he was challenging someone to call him out. He's wary but there is a courage of a wild cat in him." she meowed, remembering the icy blue eyes, which brought so much memory with them. Sunstar looked at her for a moment nodding slowly. Then he looked back at the kit, who seemed much more comfortable with the battle move he has been practicing now. His eyes gleamed with confidence as he moved his paws in a way he knew by hearth right now. Sunstar smiled slightly.
" Well, when his time comes we will see where he chooses to go." he sad and lightly jumped off the rock, walking towards the den's entrance. Bluefur followed him and returned her attention to the kit.
This kit who seemed so small and weak back then, now had a determination burning in his eyes. And at that moment, Bluefur was more sure of her decision than ever before.