[ivyy.]

Cat #: left 1440
Username: bunnoblizzard
Cat Name: Azula
Gender: She-cat
Rank: Kit
Clan: ≋O≋c≋e≋a≋n≋ ≋C≋l≋a≋n
Age: 4 moons

Cat #: right 1441
Username: bunnoblizzard
Cat Name: Toph
Gender: She-cat
Rank: Kit
Clan: ≋O≋c≋e≋a≋n≋ ≋C≋l≋a≋n
Age: 5 moons
Prompt: "Azula! You know this is a horrible idea!" Toph hissed at her denmate angrily. Toph and Azula never really got along very well, always bickering and arguing over petty, childish things. Azula rolled her eyes and nudged her roughly with her tiny pink nose, "Argh, don't be such a rule follower, rule follower." Toph scoffed and looked around the forest they were in. "Tora and Okami wouldn't like this!" She growled, sulking like she always did when she got upset. The forest looked dark in the evening light, the trees' shadows stretching out and curving around them like dark pythons of the night.

"NOW WHERE ARE WE?" Toph groaned angrily. Night had completely fallen, the sunshine gone by now. Toph was getting slightly more and more concerned by the moment but Azula was just constantly pulled in by the coo of the owl, the darkness of the trees, and the shadow that grew over her and her denmate. Azula and Toph heard the screech of an owl and bumped into eachother, taking off in oposite directions, the both of them screaming "AHHHH!" Thankfully, the owl found neither of them but... now they were lost and away from eachother which, in the forest, was not a very smart idea.

After several hours of whining, calling eachother's names and searching up and down, left and right... they finally found eachother again and they even hugged! Toph and Azula hugging? Pfff. None of their clanmates would ever believe that. Soon after finding eachother, daylight hit and as their stomachs growled and groaned, their deputy and several clanmates had sent out and went on a search party to find Toph and Azula. After that day, Toph wasn't as rude to Azula and Azula stopped teasing her as much.

[Shiver Hohojiro]

Cat #: left 1440
Username: All Along Watchtower
Cat Name: Stormcloud
Gender: Trans Tom
Rank: Kittens
Clan: The Factory
Age: 5 moons

Cat #: right 1441
Username: All Along Watchtower
Cat Name: Permafrost
Gender: Agender
Rank: Kittens
Clan: The Factory
Age: 4 moons
Prompt:

"That should be the last of them," Ferrous growls, panting, as he glared down the alleyway one of the city's feral colonies had fled down. Behind him, the other factory cats start to relax and lick their wounds, letting the massive deputy stand guard and vigil.

The empty space left by the rogue colony is a relief. The ragtag group of former kittypets and loners that made up the Factory weren't particularly used to fighting, outside of perhaps small squabbles over territory - but this had been something Bigger. The burgeoning Factory had for the most part either been ignored by the colonies that dotted the empty city, or the cats had ended up joining for extra food and protection. But this group... they'd not even come close to their borders when its cats had come to the Factory doors and threatened them all, telling them to leave or die.

Ferrous didn't take kindly to threats. And when the cats had started harassing and attacking patrols nowhere near their borders... well-

There's a very tiny little mew from somewhere behind him. Ferrous whirls around, ears tilting towards the sound, much to the alarm of everyone else. He tracks the noise to a heap of junk, crates and piping with loose and rusty nails sticking from the boards. For a moment, he focuses on them, sniffing, before finally rearing back on his hind legs to push the lid off one of the crates.

He only manages to push it back an inch when a tiny grey paw shoots out and claws him across the nose.

The Factory cats stiffen. Ferrous is larger than life to most of them, an imposing figure. They've all just seen him in a fight, silent, deadly, and somehow just as able to blend in and not be noticed until it was too late. A paw that tiny could only belong to a kit.

To the shock of all of them, Ferrous - stoic, intimidating, tough as nails Ferrous - softens. He laughs, a low, rumbling chuckle as he slowly settles down onto his haunches. "It's all right," he says, voice warm. "I'm not going to hurt you."

A grey tabby head pokes out from the crate, squints at him. "You're not with the Coliseum?" he asks. Ferrous shakes his head.

"The group of rogues living here? No. We just drove them away."

The kit's demeanor changes instantly, going from wary stares half hidden in his box to a wide grin as he pushes himself up onto the lip. "Oh! Cool!! That must mean you're good cats, or something. My name's Stormcloud, and this is my brother, Permafrost!"

Much slower than Stormcloud, another head peaks its way out from the box, a chocolate tabby with eyes half closed, as if world weary already. Keener eyed members of the Factory cats note that, tired as they seemed, their eyes and ears were still focused, wary. "We're not really brothers," Permafrost groans, resting their cheek on the edge. "You're a whole moon older than me, Stormie."

The comment appears to fall on deaf ears, as Stormcloud ignores him entirely. A new plan of action is quickly arranged, and Ferrous and Misty Morning scoop up a kitten each to bring back home to the Factory along with almost the entire battle party, while a couple of other cats stayed behind to clean the scene. Charlie's reaction of nearly fainting dead away when Ferrous came back, a wide smile plastered on his face and Stormcloud gently scruffed in his jaws, followed by scrambling to find a safe place in the Factory to establish a kitten "nursery", was hilarious to all who witnessed it.

That night, the brother slept curled around each other in the softest nest they'd ever known.

---

The life of an orphan kitten on the streets is not an easy one. For most, being deprived of their mother too early meant certain death.

It was a better fate than being picked up by the Coliseum.

Stormcloud was picked up at a few weeks old, the oldest and only surviving kit from his litter. Their mama had been very sick. She couldn't hunt well enough to feed them. Most of his other siblings had also been sick. Stormcloud had thought himself a hunter, had gone to try and bring his family extra food-

And so he was snatched up and taken back to the Coliseum's camp.

Stormcloud was very scrappy for his age. Fearsome (for his age) and snarky, he became a favorite, a kitten who could have risen through the ranks of the Coliseum and become one of their own.

Permafrost, however, was not. Smaller, weaker, smart but determined to stay out of things. The only kit in their litter, with parents who knew where. They would have been an easy target...

...Had Stormcloud not instantly latched onto them in the place of the siblings he'd lost.

"Hi," he said, when Permafrost was first dropped into the kitten box. "I'm Stormcloud! I'll be your new big brother!"

Permafrost did not take well to the new adoption. Smart and jaded, they didn't see the point to it. A kit older and bigger than them had to... want something, right? They would want something in return for friendship or protection. That was how things worked. Each day that passed without Stormcloud making demands or seeking... well, anything from them, weighed heavy in their mind. Still, Stormcloud couldn't seem to see things the same way. "Everyone deserves somebody!" was all he'd ever say when Permafrost asked why he was so insistent on them being brothers.

So when he clawed his way out of the kitten box to defend them from one of the Coliseum's own kittens, Permafrost was sure it spelled a change in the relationship - that finally, finally, Stormcloud would use this debt as an excuse-

And still he did not. For hours afterward, Permafrost huddled in the corner of the kitten box, wondering what had happened and why. And then, finally, stupidly, it dawned on them-

That Stormcloud had actually meant it.

They tried very hard to still stay distant, pride stung a little over being wrong. Why should they have expected him to mean it? Didn't he see the cats around them? Surely he ought to understand, see things from their perspective.

Stormcloud didn't curl up to sleep with them that night, his tail drooping when he looked at them. They stayed where they were. They couldn't give in. But the space next to them was... very empty.

When they eventually got up and curled next to him, they were very worried his cry of joy might wake the whole camp.

---

The Factory cats try to be welcoming towards newcomers, especially the kits, and not talk about them behind their backs. But there is one odd thing they've noticed.

Permafrost is the wary one. They're the one who looks tired but always stares at you, who hangs back from conversations. They stick with their brother (who, despite them being the one to complain about them not really being brothers when first rescued, still ends up calling him brother more than anything) more than anything. Stormcloud meanwhile is happy-go-lucky, talkative, seems excited to mingle with the other cats.

So, it's weird, right? Some of the Factory cats weren't even sure why they felt this way, until others agreed. But for whatever reason, it seems that Permafrost is the one who actually trusts them to have good intentions, and really be the good cats they claim-

And Stormcloud is the one still wary, still protecting his brother.

[nindroidzane]

Cat #: left 1440
Username: nindroidzane
Cat Name: Stream -> Streamkit -> Streampaw -> Streamdash
Gender: female
Rank: kit -> apprentice -> swimmer
Clan: FrostClan
Age: 4 moons

Cat #: right 1441
Username: nindroidzane
Cat Name: Owl -> Owlkit -> Owlpaw -> Owlsight
Gender: male
Rank: kit -> apprentice -> healer
Clan: FrostClan
Age: 4 moons

Prompt:
Owl had never liked being a barncat. So when he had come to Stream, telling her that he was heading north towards the snowy mountains cresting the horizon, she hadn't been surprised in the least.

"But why the mountains? Won't it be cold?" She'd wondered, the farm already the size of her paw in the distance.

"It just feels... right." He'd spoken without looking at her, steady gaze set on the peaks ahead of them.

With a huff of frustration, she flicked him with her tail. "That doesn't make any sense, y'know."

He'd glanced at her briefly, with that melancholy face that never went away, but kept trekking on without speaking.

Irritated, she swatted at him, but kept up with his pace, trotting alongside him with her stubby legs. She didn't really expect a straight answer, considering that this was Owl and all, but it was still a little frustrating that they'd left in the spur of the moment for another one of his "feelings".

Not that they had anything left for them at the farm. They weren't any good as mousers, and most of the mice had been burnt up with the barn, anyway.

"Owl?" She tried again when the sun was beginning to set. It was beginning to get colder, and her legs were getting sore. When he looked at her, she could see the same exhaustion reflected in his eyes.

"Can we take a break?" Before he could say anything, she sat heavily in the somewhat frosty grass. "My paws are killing me!"

When he swayed slightly towards the mountains in that I'm not going to listen to you way, she pounced at him, sending them both tumbling through the grass and pebbles.

"Come on, sleepyhead. You look like you drank a whole bowl of cream." She batted at his ear playfully, and he slumped, relenting.

"Fine, fine, we can sleep." As if to agree, his jaws parted in a huge yawn. "You're worse than mom."

"Well, somebody's gotta make you do stuff." She swatted him one last time, gently over the muzzle. "What would she think of you runnin' off into the mountains, huh?"

Owl shrugged, nudging her off and clambering to his paws. "I dunno. Maybe she would've come."

"I don't think so." Stream stretched out with a yawn of her own. "It'd be way too cold for her."

"It's not that cold." Owl muttered, wiggling under a thorny bush. She wiggled in after him, scraping together some of the softer leaves.

"Ooh, prickly!" She yelped, falling over backwards. "I miss the hay!"

Owl grumbled something she didn't quite catch, curling up into a tight ball. She looked at him for a moment. Then, with a sigh, she gave him a single lick over the head, before curling up with him.

She felt warm again, pressed up to her brother, their fur mingling. If she closed her eyes, and thought hard enough, she could pretend they were back in the barn, curled up together with their mother, bellies full of milk, or cream, or musky scented mice.

But none of that was there anymore. There was no more barn, no more mice. She looked at her brother, eyes shut a little too tight to really be asleep. She rested her head on his flank comfortingly, whispering a story their mother used to tell them.

It didn't matter if the farm was gone. It was fine that the barn was empty and still smelled of smoke. It had been their home, yes - but Owl would find them a new one. And she didn't care if that home was in the mountains, beyond the mountains, or someplace she couldn't even imagine. If Owl was there, grumpy, stubborn Owl - she would be home.

[miles.]

partners with rainbow! ^ . ^

Cat #: right 1441
Username: zabimaru
Cat Name: branchkit
Gender: male
Rank: kit
Clan: tdse
Age: 3 moons~
Prompt:
if minnowkit’s perception of himself was the older, protective one, branchkit’s self-perception is that of a slightly younger sibling having to keep them out of danger… and growing exhausted of the burden on his tiny shoulders.

abandoned by their mom pretty much as soon as they were weaned, branchkit & his brother were left at the whims of predators, rogues, and other general troubles of surviving as loners very young; while branchkit focused heavily on survival (finding prey, licking his brother’s wounds, keeping them safe, shelter, etc.), his brother focused heavily on trouble -- or at least that’s what it felt like. he practically ran himself ragged scooping minnowkit out of danger, keeping them both at least somewhat fed & healthy, scenting out predators or rogues that had been in the area, only to collapse at the end of the day into some form of rest. rinse & repeat, day in & day out - convincing his brother to stop running into trouble, picking fights, and getting into reckless / impulsive behavior was a full-time job for branchkit.

things changed drastically and yet changed absolutely none simultaneously when the brothers were found by a carrier on an adventure patrol through the tiny temporary den they’d dug out for the night in the woods. shocked that someone had abandoned kits all the way out here, they were taken back to the express’s camp & immediately placed under the caring, watchful eye of yarrowheart - luckysong immediately agreed that the poor kits couldn’t just be left to wander, and the clan pretty much all agreed.

and just like that, for the first time in branchkit’s life so far, they had stability.

no threat of not being fed because the two of them were tiny, barely able to catch something bigger than a mouse; no threat of a rogue or a predator crashing their temporary stops for the night, sending them on the run. in branchkit’s eyes, this was heaven.

unfortunately for him, his brother… had other ideas.

he tried so very hard to convince minnowkit that they finally had a home! no more running, no more self defense, no more going hungry because they scared off all the prey in an area and branchkit couldn’t find scraps for them both. they could both relax, get bigger, become great hunters & even have friends! there was absolutely no reason for them to return to the hostile wilderness; it was stupid to even consider it, really. and yet, minnowkit protested, tried to claim that he was “protecting” them both when all he was doing was causing more stress for branchkit - trying to shove them both back into danger for no reason.

(they are, of course, both kits. yarrowheart pretends to not hear the poor children devolve into hissed fighting, forced to grow up too fast so far for their clumsy little paws, and holds no ill will towards minnowkit’s constant escape attempts or how often she has to scruff him back into the nursery. kits will be kits, after all; it’s never malicious.)

branchkit exemplifies good behavior, listening to the carriers and never wandering outside of the camp; he uses his ability to leave the nursery to bring fresh-kill back to his brother in the hopes he’ll understand how nice they both have it now. when his repeated attempts to feed them both and settle down are scorned, he gives up on understanding why his brother is so intent on making his life so hard. instead, he tries to plead that if minnowkit’s so insistent on “protecting” him, to listen for once that all branchkit wants is the peace & quiet of being a normal kit, not hunting or constantly cleaning up minnowkit’s messes.

he tries, he really does. brushkit, a soon-to-be apprentice & the only other kit in the nursery, awkwardly suggests one dawn that he should maybe just give it up; some cats just can’t be stopped. but branchkit can’t find it in himself to just give up on his brother like that, having spent so long protecting him, saving him from himself - he just… doesn’t want to be separated from minnowkit, despite everything. minnowkit’s his brother, and he’ll try until he’s hoarse or succeeds to get his brother to calm down so they can enjoy a new life together.

he’s just a kit, though. he doesn’t realize that while he has all the time in the world to spend on this, the carriers of the express are more than a little frustrated with dealing with a kit constantly trying to get himself killed, and while they refuse to cast him out like fox-hearted monsters they don’t hesitate when a visiting representative from creekclan stops by to offer minnowkit to their neighbouring ally.

”It’ll be easier,” luckysong explains in a low voice, glancing to the nursery with a flick of his tail. ”If he goes somewhere where he can run around a bit without bein’ able’ta escape. Your leader has more patience than I do, t’be frank, ‘n… well, I don’t wanna force the kit to stay here if he wants to leave this bad. I just can’t let him join StarClan by livin’ on his own, yanno?”

branchkit doesn’t really get a chance to make up with his brother, or get an apology for the constant fighting and jeering minnowkit’s been lobbying towards him, or apologize for his own frustrated outbursts of a moon’s worth cleaning up the cracks that minnowkit’s recklessness caused for them both exploding at once. he doesn’t get a chance for much, really, when yarrowheart scruffs his brother and hands him swiftly to luckysong, who hands him swiftly to wrenflight and bounds off towards the boxcar. branchkit is left squeaking in shock desperately, scrambling after the older cat as fast as his tiny paws would carry him, mewling frantically.

“Stop! You can’t take him away from here!! He’s my brother!” he mewls desperately, biting yarrowheart’s tail with his tiny teeth and tugging as hard as he can, eyes wide with tears. “Stop him, please! I know he’s a handful, but--!! I’ll do all our work for both of us, so, please--”

“Hush, little one,” yarrowheart murmurs soothingly, wrapping her tail around the agitated kit with a wistful look. “It’s not that he’s too much, or he’s being punished. We just don’t like to force cats to stay here that don’t want to. When you get bigger, you can go visit him every day - he’s just going Southrails, to the cats that live with the creek.”

“B-but, but, but…” branchkit whispers, watching the last glimpse of black fur vanish through the western exit of the camp. he wishes he could’ve had some kind of resolution. he wishes he was strong enough to make his brother stay.

he knows then and there he will become a strong enough cat when he’s bigger to visit his brother, and when he does, maybe this time he won’t lose him again. even if minnowkit’s ungrateful for it, he’ll never stay mad. his brother is his brother, after all.

[soras]

Partners with zabimaru ! ^u^

Cat #: left 1440
Username: rainbow!
Cat Name: Minnowkit
Gender: Tom
Rank: Kit
Clan: Creekclan
Age: 3 months
Prompt:
Driven by the constant desire to be anywhere other than where he was. He sees himself as the older, responsible brother who needs to save them both. But his personality and actions says anything but responsible. He rushes head first into everything, eventually getting saved by his own ‘baby’ brother. When they both got found in the bushes around the Drifting Smoke Express, Minnowkit wasted no time trying to arrange multiple escape attempts at the dismay of his brother.

No matter how many times Branchkit tried to convince him how much safer this place was for the both of them, Minnowkit was having none of it. His outright refusal to eat and constant escape attempts made the clan more and more aware that he was not going to get over it after a couple of days.

It was then that the clan representative of Creekclan, Wrenflight, made his appearance. After a short talk with Luckysong, Wrenflight bowed his head low and swiftly scruffed the wiggling kit. Minnowkit could only hiss and squirm at his transporter, and mewled loud enough for his brother to take notice of what was happening. He could only make out the faint mewls of his brother as Wrenflight padded off silently into the forest.

After a couple of minutes, Minnowkit winded himself and slowly began to fall asleep. During the past few days, he had only tiny bites of scraps that he managed to steal, and that was finally starting to get to him. His dozing didn’t last long, however, and he woke to the sound of numerous cats coming to see him. The sound of rushing water filled his ears, and his first instinct was to lash out at whatever is in front of him out of fear.

“Ow!” The calico that was closest to him winced, backing up quickly. She pawed at her face, making sure there wasn’t any blood. Beside her, a cat with the most bright pink eyes laughed.

“I thought so! Didn’t think you would still get so close to anything. You didn’t learn from the time a lizard bit you on the nose?”

A couple of other cats came forward, looking at and inspecting Minnowkit. He suddenly felt even more scared and he shut his eyes, as if that’d hide him from all the new cats. Close by, a more quiet, calm voice spoke up.

“Wrenflight, you can set him down now. He looks tired.”

The kit could feel his transporter nod his head awkwardly before setting him down. Minnowkit had never felt so happy to touch solid ground before, and took the time to stretch his little limbs out. It was then he suddenly felt the weight of exhaustion drape over him, and he couldn’t help but to doze off quickly as the larger cats spoke above him.

Days in Creekclan went by fairly quickly. When Minnowkit finally woke up, he found himself in a rocky den filled with soft moss and leaves. He soon realized that when he mewled out, there was no Branchkit to come to check on him, or to tell him to keep his voice down. For the first time, Minnowkit felt so incredibly lonely and afraid. It was only a couple of minutes though until another cat stepped into the den. Soon, he was tagged by the cat named Cherrystep, who made sure he never went too far out of her sight.

Minnowkit soon became the complete opposite of the kit he originally was. Under the watch of Cherrystep, he started to realize how he made the other cats upset with his constant escaping. While incredibly embarrassed by his actions, Cherrystep reminded him that he was still such a small kit and that he still had time to grow.

“Maybe, when you get all older, you can say sorry to them! And you can show’em how much you’ve grown up into a big cat, like me!” Cherrystep lightly bumped the kit's head and purred. And in Minnowkit’s mind, he loved the sound of that.

‘Branchkit, just you wait! I’ll come back a better cat for the both of us, and I’ll be able to help you again!’

[Hush]

If anyone would like an extension on these just message me and it will be arranged

[Hush]

Congratulations to Lovage these two are now yours! They will follow the same growth as normal kits so I’ll go ahead and age them on the 19th and again on the 9th

Hm’s to zabimaru & rainbow!

[lovage]

thank you!