[kiwipen]

Coat: Chocolate spotted tabby with min white
Magic: Ice

[rem sleep]

Tuxxie was going for his afternoon walk, as he often did. He'd never expected his territory to become so expansive-- nor did he expect to ever have any territory at all. He never expected things to evolve, for a clan to form around him, for this clan to become home to so many wayward cats with nowhere else to go. It was in this whimsical, daydreaming mood that Tuxxie stayed as he strolled the wood, not watching where he was going, but rather seeing figments of the past and musing on what was. He was pulled from his trance abruptly when he heard a quiet meow from somewhere nearby.

He couldn't be totally sure it was real. He blinked once, then again, and hesitantly rubbed his eyes. He blinked hard, flicked his ears, and stood perfectly still-- trying again to listen. Was it a figment or a reality? The meow came again, and hesitantly, on uncertain paws, Tuxxie approached it. The brush subtly crunched beneath his paws ass he tip-toed closer to a spot hidden in the bushes where the sound was coming from.

It was a kitten. A lonely, brown kitten-- just sitting there in a pile of leaves and sticks. Tuxxie was stunned momentarily to silence. Good-natured as he was, he frantically looked about for the kitten's family-- for any signs of anyone-- but it was just the two of them, as far as he could tell, the two of them and the trees.

Tuxxie swallowed hard.

The kit seemed... tired. Like they'd been walking for a long time. They were probably hungry, and worn out.

"Hey...?" Tuxxie's voice returned to him after a long moment of feeling breathless, "Excuse me, are you awake...?" He asked, gently poking the kitten with one paw.

The small frame stirred only slightly, a soft meow pressed out of it by the prodding, as if air was being squeezed from its tiny lungs against its better judgement. What had happened to make this poor kitten so drastically tired...? Were they running from something? If so, Tuxxie couldn't see it anywhere near here...

"Alright little guy," Tuxxie spoke again, "I'm going to take you to my friends, they'll know how to fix you up. Is that okay?" He cast a friendly smile to the kitten, whose eyes were too hazy to make heads or tails of it. Tuxxie didn't know if they agreed, but they didn't fight when he scooped them up and carried them on-- so he could only hope that this was fine.

He knew where he was going and made good time getting there. It wasn't a few minutes until he was in the center of the territory-- sitting outside Redmoon's den.

The large she-cat came out to see Tuxxie and first went to greet him warmly before she noticed the kitten and reeled back, shock widening her halfmoon eyes. "Tuxxie! Where did you get this kitten from--?" It sounded dumb, but it was all she could think to say. Where had the kitten come from? There were more questions derivative of that one-- how did it get there, who's was it, where was it from and who was this kitten anyway? Certainly, it wasn't their business to be tending to any kittens (though some of their own did rather act like dumb kittens sometimes). They were nowhere near refined nor established enough as a clan-- nor had they existed as a group long enough to harbor any kittens of their own. Redmoon, the medic, was at a loss.

"Just-- in the brush," Tuxxie admitted earnestly, "I couldn't find anyone else near them, and I don't know anything about them other than that they need help. You can get them situated, can't you Redmoon?"

Redmoon was about to object. Really, she was. She was by no means a matron-- and in her life she had never seen herself as a nurturing type. She was a warrior, a hardy survivor, and she was not the type of cat you wanted to care for a kitten. She looked down at that tiny, sweet little frame and was overwhelmed by all sorts of emotions. Fear, first of all, of messing things up-- she worked only with adult cats, and her medicine was by no means traditional-- she didn't know if a kit would be okay being handled with her admittedly lackluster attempts at medicine. Then, after fear, there was deep sympathy. She had been abandoned. She didn't know if that was what this kit was going through now-- but either way, they were vulnerable, and alone, and she knew how that was. The conflict was tearing at her-- but in the sharp, split second, fear won--

Until she saw Tuxxie's brilliant blue eyes, so brimming with honest compassion that she bit her tongue.

She knew if Tuxxie could've done it himself, he would've. That was just the kind of cat Tuxxie was. It was how he'd ended up starting this haphazard clan and how he kept it from falling apart. His empathic nature had tamed the brutal side of Redmoon's personality many times and reminded her of her vulnerability, of her own compassion. She sighed.

"Okay, Tux. I'll get them settled." Redmoon replied, her red eyes softening at the last minute. Tuxxie smiled up at her with a solar warmth that caused her to scoff, "Please take care of the rest."

"Of course, Moon." Tuxxie replied, bowing his head respectfully to her. He separated from her for now, and left to inform the others.

~ ~ ~

Later, when the kit stirred, and their hazy eyes opened to see again, they noticed the massive red she cat hovering nearby and were startled for a moment. They cried out sharply, only to be turned to with calm, expectant red eyes. Redmoon was used to this behavior, as a matter of fact.

"Goodmorning, child," Redmoon offered in an even tone. The kit noticed she was covered with scars, and despite her ferocious appearance, she was handling her herbs with delicate paws. "How are you feeling?"

"Alright...?" The kit replied, tentatively, as if they didn't know how to use their voice. "Who...?"

"Redmoon. I'm the medicine cat here." She offered in calm reply, "If you're up to it, I believe we should take a quick stroll. There's someone who wants to see you."

The kitten probably would've stayed put, if not for the incentive of meeting someone who expected them. Not wanting to keep anyone who helped them waiting, the kitten found their paws and stood. "I can go now. Will you walk with me?" The kitten asked. They may not have known Redmoon well, but they knew Redmoon had every opportunity to hurt them already, if they had wanted to. Seeing as they were safe, Redmoon was an ally-- and they could trust this massive she-cat to at least keep them safe for now.

"Sure." Redmoon replied, escorting the kit out of her den. The pair strolled but with a purpose to the center of the territory, around a large rock they often used as their gathering place. Most everyone was there that night, including one curious blue-eyed tuxedo cat with a cloth wrapped around his tail.

"Tuxxie," Redmoon called them, "Your friend's awake."

Tuxxie's eyes broke from the cats he'd been talking with to the kit and they immediately lit up with thankful gratitude, "Oh, look at them! Thank you so much Moon, they're in much better shape."

"It's nothing," Redmoon scoffed. She had a feeling this wouldn't be the end of her status taking care of this kit, if all was as Tuxxie said. She subconsciously curled her tail around the kit defensively as they stood near each other.

"Who are you, little friend?" Tuxxie asked. The kit only looked back at them and blinked.

"I'm not sure," the kit replied.

"Do.. you have any family?" Tuxxie asked, tilting his head a little to the side.

"Not around here," they replied. "Not anymore."

Tuxxie seemed concerned, as did Redmoon-- but they weren't the only cats there anymore.

Spectreshade, the clan seer, sighed with faint understanding at the kit's admission. She saw with her astral eyes something the others didn't, and she faintly patted the kit's back with one paw. "Dear child, I'm sorry for your misfortunes. If you'd like, we can give you a new name to go by."

The kit peered up at the curious she-cat, with a voice that sounded like she was always dreaming. "That would be nice." They replied.

"What misfortunes? What're we talking about here?" Asked a tom who stuck his head out of a nearby log. It was none other than Sunnytail-- Tuxxie's good friend, and the notorious clan clown. He wasn't the brightest, but very well-intentioned-- and he had a voice much louder than his small body would have you believe. "Oh, hey there! Where'd you guys get a kit? I thought you weren't interested in Tuxxie, Moon."

Moon's fur bristled and she blurted a sharp noise of surprise and irritation before Tuxxie interjected, "This kit was wandering the outskirts of our territory, they don't have any family, so..."

"So?" Sunnytail asked. There was something Tuxxie hadn't yet cemented himself in saying, and Sunnytail-- without meaning to, mind you-- was going to make him make up his mind. "So what? Are we taking them in?"

"Are we?" Asked Rivergaze from nearby. She and her little gaggle of companions all peered over with curious eyes. In fact, it seemed like the whole clan, even the cold and disinterested Silverbane, had stopped to listen, eager for the answer.

Tuxxie swallowed hard. He looked up to Redmoon, who looked back at him. Something quiet was left unsaid between them, but Tuxxie planted a paw on the kit's back and grinned. "Yes. As a matter of fact we are."

The kit's hazy eyes lit up in such a way then that Redmoon knew she'd never have the heart to be anything but good to this kit. She put a paw on their back too.

The other cats listening giggled and waved, calling welcomes to the clan's latest addition. Even Silverbane bowed his head with respectful kindness to the kit, despite his bristly attitude. The energetic Sunnytail kept bouncing around them, offering name suggestions-- a sport in which Leafspring soon joined in, and the cats bantered for a good while. Spectreshade offered to show the kit around, while Solarcrest was confident that he could teach this kit all the ins and outs of hunting-- something which Fallowbranch was contesting, the two toms bantering about who was the better hunter in good spirits and with fond energy.

Tuxxie had, admittedly, been rather worried about how the clan would react to taking in the kit-- but it seemed like it was all good news. Then, they had all been lost and lonely once-- and had all been led here somehow or another. Instead of opposition-- the kit received only the warmest welcome from the most ragtag, but good-hearted clan of them all.

[ wc : 1,863 ]

[kiwipen]

For your exceeding effort, you have earned a total of 7 Copper Pieces.

[rem sleep]

Username; rem sleep
Storkie Name; Blizzard
Nicknames; N/A
Coat Description: Chocolate spotted tabby with min white.
Gender: Male
Born Magic Type; Ice
Additional Magic #1
Additional Magic #2

Parents:

Founder | Founder

Children:

-- [url]Partner[/url]
-- [url]Child1[/url]
-- [url]Child2[/url]
-- [url]Child3[/url]