[russet]

Originally Posted by meraki

@itsyaboirussetbird
"Don't let your head get in the way of your heart!" Was an expression that Mintkit heard most frequently. Nearly every cat knew of Mintkit's narcissistic manor and swagger, though he was far more stubborn than one might think, and the young tomcat was growing tired and vexed by the Elder's critical ways. Of course, the young grey tom was completely oblivious to his own cocky ways and could hardly imagine not having the self-absorbed thoughts that frequently spiralled in his cranium. Mintkit hadn't ever had a single doubting thought in his entire 3 moons of life, and he wasn't planning on ever second guessing his cruse nature. According to the Queens that resided in the Nursery, he was 'far too young to be having such a personality.' The Queens just loved to talk about him behind his and his mother's back; petty drama was what kept these bored she-cats going. Though who could blame them, being stuck in a claustrophobic den filled with boisterous kits for several moons could make even the littlest story become interesting. Mintkit was no fool and he often called the older cats out on their rude behaviour. If he overheard one of them talking about his ungroomed pelt, he'd be on them in a flash with a retort that could leave them speechless.

Mintkit was not an awful tom, he wasn't mean-not really. He had friends, but not many. Most of the kits his age disliked him because he did nothing but talk about himself. But he had his brother Maplekit, who, unlike the other kits, was actually fun to have around. Maplekit loved to explore and always brought Mintkit along with him. He was nice, friendly, and didn't judge Mintkit like other cats would. They'd always been close, and Mintkit planned on keeping it that way. So long as he had one friend, even if they were siblings, he wasn't lonely. And he had himself of course! Being a friend to yourself was just if not more important than being a friend to others, at least in Mintkit's opinion. It was quite nice to not have to worry over every word that came out of his mouth; he said everything with absolute certainty. Even if most of what he said was biased, Mintkit hadn't a single doubt that he was correct and whoever he was speaking to was wrong. But this tended to cloud his thoughts and made him seem irrational, though he'd never admit this to be true; not in a million moons.

It was a nice day; a breezy day. The morning sun had risen and hung above Mintkit's head like a firefly in green leaf. The sky was overcast with clouds, though the bright, furry orb in the sky managed to seep its glowing rays through the greying clouds and down, onto the clans below. An early morning zephyr rustled the grey pelt of the young tom, while his mint-green eyes focused on the camp and his clan mates around him. Mintkit was laying out in the clearing, just outside of the nursery where old and young kits screeched and giggled and Queens whispered secrets with no meaning. He'd only been alive for 3 moons, and Mintkit was already tiring of being a kit. Mintkit wanted to be an apprentice. He wanted to be able to go out into the territory, practice fighting with warriors, and be trained by only the clan's best. But even more so did he want to be a warrior. The warriors were strong, brave, courageous. They risked their lives for the clan, hunted for prey to feed them all, and kept order in the clans.

If Mintkit closed his eyes and shut out every sound, he could almost smell the rabbit that he would chase through the moor, it's white tail bobbing up and down as it ran. And he'd be running too. Faster and faster he'd go, until he'd snatch up the rodent and bring it back to the clan, head held high and proud as the fresh kill hung limply from his strong jaws. He'd place the rabbit in the fresh kill pile and he'd receive praise for catching the largest rabbit WindClan had ever seen. But a loud noise from the Nursery completely disrupted Mintkit's daydream. He heard no praise, just kits fighting over a leaf and warriors snoring.

Maplekit was a slightly more calm kit than his brother, causing them to balance each other out nicely. If Mintkit had gotten himself into trouble, Maplekit would use his smooth charisma to get them out of it. The queens still adored Maplekit; in their eyes, he was a perfect little angel. They didn’t realize that he, as well, took part in his brother’s scheming plans. They hadn’t been able to get out of camp yet, but they were sure close. They had almost made it a few times, before being shoved away by an annoyed queen or grumpy warrior. Maplekit scowled at just the thought of those warriors. Why weren’t they any fun? Weren’t they kits once? He got even more annoyed whenever an apprentice stopped them. They, of all cats should understand. They had been kits just a few moons ago! You would think they would understand Maplekit’s urge for adventure.

The soft morning sunlight blazed through Maplekit’s soft pelt, causing his skin to become warm. He was glad that it was warm, though he was wondering why it was like that. He had been born in early green-leaf and had heard that in leaf-fall it became chillier. Perhaps it was just warmer this season-cycle. His fluffy fur protected him from most cold, though the morning breeze blew through his pelt. He looked over and saw his brother sitting in the clearing as well, letting out a light purr. Maplekit bounced to his feet. As he bounded over to his brother he noticed for the first time how uncomfortable and on edge all the cats in the clearing were. Their fur was slightly spiked up and they talked in quick whispers. He heard “ThunderClan” a few times, his ears twitching in confusion and his head tilting to the side. Had ThunderClan done something wrong?

Maplekit knew that WindClan had disliked ThunderClan, and that all the Clans were natural enemies, but why were they so worried? He had never seen adult cats this scared and nervous before. Then he began becoming scared and nervous, and it took a lot to get this kit anxious. Something serious had to be going on if all the brave warriors were this scared. He hunched over as he continued his trip to his brother, finally reaching his side and sitting himself down. He was one of the only friends that his brother had, and he wondered why. He really enjoyed Mintkit’s company, and always loved talking with him. He had heard apprentices say that it was sad that they were each other’s only friends, but he never understood. They had each other, so at least they weren’t lonely. He looked over at his brother and smiled. ”Why do you think everyone’s so nervous?” the small tom asked, his ear twitching. ”Maybe we could find out!” He suddenly dropped the anxiety he was carrying with him and beamed excitedly.