A Prodigy's World {P}

[Streamtail]

Rosekit

Rosekit lies in the clearing, ears perked as always. Recently she's been pretty agitated by all the loud kits in the nursery, their constant babbling and screaming is so pointless and chaotic, they disgrace their parents acting like that. The three-moon-old kit shakes her head, dumb kids, she's more mature than even the oldest ones.
There's another thing that's been tugging on her in the back of her mind, the cats in Shadowclan... kinda smells like something she's smelled before; and strangely enough, even something she's tasted before. It's weird, but she can't stop thinking about it, maybe Mother will have some answers for her? Possibly, but she'd risk her mother thinking she herself is strange, maybe even a little morbid. What if she's dead wrong, would she scold her? Another possibility, not one she's very fond of though, it sends a chill down her spine just thinking about failing.
Failing. Such a terrifying word, caution is a much better one, safer. Safe, another good word. Either way, she should talk to Stoatleap, she can learn more from her at the very least. Maybe she could even learn a few more fighting moves; then, she could teach Tickkit some of them! Scarlet isn't usually very easily excitable, more calculating and eager to learn than anything, but whenever she thinks about teaching another (especially her brother, Tickkit) she gets a bit enthusiastic.
Scarlet doesn't really feel like finding Stoatleap right now, she could be out hunting or on a patrol, so she shouldn't disturb her. However, usually her mother has her ways of just sorta appearing. So she's decided not to worry much about finding her, they'll probably meet eventually today.


{ @Fritter }

[Fritter]

Originally Posted by Streamtail

Rosekit

Rosekit lies in the clearing, ears perked as always. Recently she's been pretty agitated by all the loud kits in the nursery, their constant babbling and screaming is so pointless and chaotic, they disgrace their parents acting like that. The three-moon-old kit shakes her head, dumb kids, she's more mature than even the oldest ones.
There's another thing that's been tugging on her in the back of her mind, the cats in Shadowclan... kinda smells like something she's smelled before; and strangely enough, even something she's tasted before. It's weird, but she can't stop thinking about it, maybe Mother will have some answers for her? Possibly, but she'd risk her mother thinking she herself is strange, maybe even a little morbid. What if she's dead wrong, would she scold her? Another possibility, not one she's very fond of though, it sends a chill down her spine just thinking about failing.
Failing. Such a terrifying word, caution is a much better one, safer. Safe, another good word. Either way, she should talk to Stoatleap, she can learn more from her at the very least. Maybe she could even learn a few more fighting moves; then, she could teach Tickkit some of them! Scarlet isn't usually very easily excitable, more calculating and eager to learn than anything, but whenever she thinks about teaching another (especially her brother, Tickkit) she gets a bit enthusiastic.
Scarlet doesn't really feel like finding Stoatleap right now, she could be out hunting or on a patrol, so she shouldn't disturb her. However, usually her mother has her ways of just sorta appearing. So she's decided not to worry much about finding her, they'll probably meet eventually today.


{ @Fritter }

•Stoat Leap•
• She/Her • Queen • No Purrks

Her thoughts churned and hummed about things, her kittens were (annoyingly) always at the front of the things she thought about. Scrambling little scamps she was stuck with because she hadn’t heard from their father in a whole moon and had no previous parenting experience. She wasn’t scared of losing them to something, it was an easy job to replace them simply scoop up some naive runt from the growing pile of parentless kittens in Shadowclan but she wasn’t really looking to re-teach manners. Her glaringly bright pelt made it impossible to be subtle with her movements in shadow so she leaned toward more where the most light was as she scoured the clearing for a specific kitten of hers, Scarlet or RoseKit’s name had been the most fondly spoken by her remaining scraps of family and those who knew her and the most promising of all of her litter. Something that had been said often and made obvious to the rest of her kittens, creeping right beside her and seating herself Stoat Leap gave a quiet murmur of acknowledgement to Scarlet before glancing over the clearing, peaceful for once. Stoat Leap was not a bad parent but she didn’t feel the need to put enough effort in to be the best one, unlike all the other easy to roll over queens that would fuss over their kittens as if they were to be the clans saviours and heroes, the thought made her visibly shudder. ‘Rose Kit. How are you?’ Stoat Leap wasn’t sure if she was meant to greet her kittens as if they were already fully grown warriors, but she did not care what she was and wasn’t meant to do, there was no code for how to parent and by acknowledging them as older then they are they would hopefully adapt to act as such.

[Streamtail]

Originally Posted by Fritter

•Stoat Leap•
• She/Her • Queen • No Purrks

Her thoughts churned and hummed about things, her kittens were (annoyingly) always at the front of the things she thought about. Scrambling little scamps she was stuck with because she hadn’t heard from their father in a whole moon and had no previous parenting experience. She wasn’t scared of losing them to something, it was an easy job to replace them simply scoop up some naive runt from the growing pile of parentless kittens in Shadowclan but she wasn’t really looking to re-teach manners. Her glaringly bright pelt made it impossible to be subtle with her movements in shadow so she leaned toward more where the most light was as she scoured the clearing for a specific kitten of hers, Scarlet or RoseKit’s name had been the most fondly spoken by her remaining scraps of family and those who knew her and the most promising of all of her litter. Something that had been said often and made obvious to the rest of her kittens, creeping right beside her and seating herself Stoat Leap gave a quiet murmur of acknowledgement to Scarlet before glancing over the clearing, peaceful for once. Stoat Leap was not a bad parent but she didn’t feel the need to put enough effort in to be the best one, unlike all the other easy to roll over queens that would fuss over their kittens as if they were to be the clans saviours and heroes, the thought made her visibly shudder. ‘Rose Kit. How are you?’ Stoat Leap wasn’t sure if she was meant to greet her kittens as if they were already fully grown warriors, but she did not care what she was and wasn’t meant to do, there was no code for how to parent and by acknowledging them as older then they are they would hopefully adapt to act as such.

Rosekit

༺♥༻

Scarlet had detected her mother before she reached her, yet her skills in stealth are rather impressive considering the bright hue of her pelt. She gives Stoatleap a polite smile when she greets her, her mother has always been the one to appreciate manners.

"Hello Mother, I'm doing well. I just needed a break from those noisy kits, they really are quite distastefully chaotic," She replies, her bright amber eyes focused on her mother while her ears face different directions.

Rosekit pauses before saying anything else, should she ask her about it? There's a chance that she could be scolded for the silliness of the connection she's drawn. However, she's still curious as to the explanation she might receive. Is it worth the risk? Another word she despises, tsk. A bit of a dilema, but Stoatleap will probably sense that she's holding something back. So... the risk might not be too great. Yes, she should indeed speak up.

"Stoatleap? I-I made a strange connection lately, why does everyone smell so f-familiar? They kinda... smell like... f-food," She says carefully, sadly unable to leave out the stutter.

Unfortunate.

[Fritter]

Originally Posted by Streamtail

Rosekit

༺♥༻

Scarlet had detected her mother before she reached her, yet her skills in stealth are rather impressive considering the bright hue of her pelt. She gives Stoatleap a polite smile when she greets her, her mother has always been the one to appreciate manners.

"Hello Mother, I'm doing well. I just needed a break from those noisy kits, they really are quite distastefully chaotic," She replies, her bright amber eyes focused on her mother while her ears face different directions.

Rosekit pauses before saying anything else, should she ask her about it? There's a chance that she could be scolded for the silliness of the connection she's drawn. However, she's still curious as to the explanation she might receive. Is it worth the risk? Another word she despises, tsk. A bit of a dilema, but Stoatleap will probably sense that she's holding something back. So... the risk might not be too great. Yes, she should indeed speak up.

"Stoatleap? I-I made a strange connection lately, why does everyone smell so f-familiar? They kinda... smell like... f-food," She says carefully, sadly unable to leave out the stutter.

Unfortunate.

•Stoat Leap•
• She/Her • Queen • No Purrks

StoatLeap felt quite pleased with the formality, mostly pleased with herself for raising such a perfect prime example of what a kitten should act like, a brief break in her fixed deadpan at the mention of noisy little runts in the nursery, her ears briefly swivelling backward at the memory of how unbearably loud it was in there. All of the queens in there thinking they were doing anything right were raising brats and noise makers and she hoped that bit them back real hard in future when they had to watch those kittens fail to function because of how entitled they all felt to ruin the peace and quiet of silence. ‘I agree, personally the noise those kittens make makes me wonder how their mothers fare raising such out of control runts.’ StoatLeap’s words were bitter as she glared in the direction of the nursery, and rose a brow slightly at the pause, hesitation or withdrawal of something? In the brief moment of silence she focused her gaze directly onto RoseKit, ears and all. A hushed way of saying ‘you’ve my attention.’ And yet when the question was verbalised she found herself a mix of disappointment and mildly impressed. She had planned to announce the truth of her kittens mystery food she’d been bringing them since they could work on solid food, and it wasn’t all that surprising that Scarlet of all her kittens figured out the dots first. She was the favourite for a reason after all. Her main concern was the decision of whether or not to reveal the truth just yet. ‘There is a truth to why all the cats around you smell this way, and I am under the personal belief you’re ready to hear it. It is not a bad reason, now let’s move further from listening ears, some cats like to steal secrets afterall.’ StoatLeap hushed her voice slightly but maintained her formal way of speaking, rising to her paws and moving slowly to a more secluded area of the clearing, reseating herself after a moment of lingering in one spot, she cleared her throat. Usually StoatLeap held as much respect for RoseKits continued success in the family as one could in a kit, but she had noticed that even for such a usually outrageous question. There had been a stutter. And a stutter was not something she wanted to be frequently nor rarely hearing from Scarlet. ‘I will give you a chance for questions before and after but not in-between or in the middle of any of the explanation. So this would be your chance for pre-questions.’ StoatLeap was admittedly uncomfortable needing to give an explanation for the morbid secret of what that ‘mystery food’ was. More so because it risked ruining her built up bond between her kittens and exposing her true self sooner then she’d of liked.

[Streamtail]

Originally Posted by Fritter

•Stoat Leap•
• She/Her • Queen • No Purrks

StoatLeap felt quite pleased with the formality, mostly pleased with herself for raising such a perfect prime example of what a kitten should act like, a brief break in her fixed deadpan at the mention of noisy little runts in the nursery, her ears briefly swivelling backward at the memory of how unbearably loud it was in there. All of the queens in there thinking they were doing anything right were raising brats and noise makers and she hoped that bit them back real hard in future when they had to watch those kittens fail to function because of how entitled they all felt to ruin the peace and quiet of silence. ‘I agree, personally the noise those kittens make makes me wonder how their mothers fare raising such out of control runts.’ StoatLeap’s words were bitter as she glared in the direction of the nursery, and rose a brow slightly at the pause, hesitation or withdrawal of something? In the brief moment of silence she focused her gaze directly onto RoseKit, ears and all. A hushed way of saying ‘you’ve my attention.’ And yet when the question was verbalised she found herself a mix of disappointment and mildly impressed. She had planned to announce the truth of her kittens mystery food she’d been bringing them since they could work on solid food, and it wasn’t all that surprising that Scarlet of all her kittens figured out the dots first. She was the favourite for a reason after all. Her main concern was the decision of whether or not to reveal the truth just yet. ‘There is a truth to why all the cats around you smell this way, and I am under the personal belief you’re ready to hear it. It is not a bad reason, now let’s move further from listening ears, some cats like to steal secrets afterall.’ StoatLeap hushed her voice slightly but maintained her formal way of speaking, rising to her paws and moving slowly to a more secluded area of the clearing, reseating herself after a moment of lingering in one spot, she cleared her throat. Usually StoatLeap held as much respect for RoseKits continued success in the family as one could in a kit, but she had noticed that even for such a usually outrageous question. There had been a stutter. And a stutter was not something she wanted to be frequently nor rarely hearing from Scarlet. ‘I will give you a chance for questions before and after but not in-between or in the middle of any of the explanation. So this would be your chance for pre-questions.’ StoatLeap was admittedly uncomfortable needing to give an explanation for the morbid secret of what that ‘mystery food’ was. More so because it risked ruining her built up bond between her kittens and exposing her true self sooner then she’d of liked.

Rosekit

༺♥༻

Tw: Mentions of cannibalism

Rosekit follows her mother, a bit of nervousness churning in her stomach. She thinks she can guess what's going on, with all the secrecy about it and Mother's reaction to her question, she's guessing cannibalism? But that's not necessarily a bad thing, it is just food after all. If Mother does it, then it mustn't be a bad thing, she's the epitome of the very thing she strives for; perfection. So, basically... Shadowclan is just a hunting ground. Live among the prey as their equal, don't ever get caught. There's the hunter and the hunted, she's just the hunter. Predetermined by fate to be part of something bigger, just like her mother. Okay, so this is fine. It's all fine, it's not like anything's really changed.

Okay, so even though she already basically has the gist of it, she will listen quietly to Stoatleap. Oh, pre-questions? No, she just wants to hear her mother's explanation.

"No, no I don't have any questions. I just want to hear your explanation Mother," She says curtly, politely taking a seat next to her.

She wonders if she understands it all, if not, she can always learn more about it from her idol. Stoatleap really is so amazing, she's always so calm and composed, not to mention how much she knows about almost any practical thing anyone would need to know.

[Fritter]

Originally Posted by Streamtail

Rosekit

༺♥༻

Tw: Mentions of cannibalism

Rosekit follows her mother, a bit of nervousness churning in her stomach. She thinks she can guess what's going on, with all the secrecy about it and Mother's reaction to her question, she's guessing cannibalism? But that's not necessarily a bad thing, it is just food after all. If Mother does it, then it mustn't be a bad thing, she's the epitome of the very thing she strives for; perfection. So, basically... Shadowclan is just a hunting ground. Live among the prey as their equal, don't ever get caught. There's the hunter and the hunted, she's just the hunter. Predetermined by fate to be part of something bigger, just like her mother. Okay, so this is fine. It's all fine, it's not like anything's really changed.

Okay, so even though she already basically has the gist of it, she will listen quietly to Stoatleap. Oh, pre-questions? No, she just wants to hear her mother's explanation.

"No, no I don't have any questions. I just want to hear your explanation Mother," She says curtly, politely taking a seat next to her.

She wonders if she understands it all, if not, she can always learn more about it from her idol. Stoatleap really is so amazing, she's always so calm and composed, not to mention how much she knows about almost any practical thing anyone would need to know.

Tw for mentions of Cannibalism!

•Stoat Leap•
• She/Her • Queen • No Purrks

StoatLeap gave a slight nod, her claws itched to unsheathe and curl into the dirt bellow or something else that would anchor her down well she explained, mostly because this would take a while. Making such a link at such age was probably a show of significant intellectual skill, especially since the list of others who figured such a thing out are down to those who don’t care. Or indulge in such actions themselves, which she didn’t have any lingering or strong opinion in. And so begun the explanation, it would be a shame to kill such a promising kitten, so she held onto the hope that for the sake of not needing to raise up new ones, that it went well. ‘The link you you have made is correct, far far before I joined this clan I was originally a loner and this food you’ve been eating is apart of a tradition our family holds. That tradition is that in order to be better then those around you it is required to also know how to hunt those around you. All of the games we play refine those skills, hide and seek, tag, all adapted to your needs to sharpen your abilities. The kittens in the nursery are noisy and weak and mewl for their mothers to scoop them up and cater their bad habits. They are prey. Apprentices slack and barely hold respect for those higher then them, constantly failing their one requirement which is to learn. They learn only to become prey. Warriors oppose those they shouldn’t, and act just like kittens as if they are trying to go back to such a rank of which they’d fit it well. They are failures who hunt prey only smaller then themselves never bigger, they dont push the limits of what can be hunted or ever adjust their skills.’ Every word was spoken as if it was something she was repeating, her focus locked onto RoseKit looking for any sign of reaction, disgust, confusion. Anything negative. ‘And so I brought and adapted the tradition and you and your litter mates will carry it on. We eat other cats because those cats are too foolish and loud and blinded by their stupidity that they cannot see what world they live in or the ranks they fall in. We are the predators and they choose to be prey. So with this explanation given to you, we will one day hunt another together, me and you. I suspect that day draws near with your swift aging. The hunt entails a chase of another cat that we eat once caught and killed. It is a test to see if your worth this traditions time and that is what you work and memorise for.’ StoatLeap wasn’t going to sugarcoat anything, she didn’t need to, if she’d taught them well and taught them right she wouldn’t have the type of prey kittens other mothers raised she would have predators. Cold-blooded predators that aren’t afraid to sink their teeth into something or draw blood but have enough sense to know when to do that. For a moment StoatLeap enjoyed the silence after, the soaking in moment of something where someone simply processes what they are born to do and taught to follow. It wasn’t a fault of hers if she enjoyed silence like this. RoseKit was a blessing to her family she wasn’t afraid to admit that. A kitten who was not afraid to follow their mothers paw-steps or learn, a correct kitten. ‘Now would be the time I allow after questions.’ StoatLeap was under the assumption there would at least be a question to answer at least.

(Lemme know if there Any problems with this post btw! )

[Streamtail]

Originally Posted by Fritter

Tw for mentions of Cannibalism!

•Stoat Leap•
• She/Her • Queen • No Purrks

StoatLeap gave a slight nod, her claws itched to unsheathe and curl into the dirt bellow or something else that would anchor her down well she explained, mostly because this would take a while. Making such a link at such age was probably a show of significant intellectual skill, especially since the list of others who figured such a thing out are down to those who don’t care. Or indulge in such actions themselves, which she didn’t have any lingering or strong opinion in. And so begun the explanation, it would be a shame to kill such a promising kitten, so she held onto the hope that for the sake of not needing to raise up new ones, that it went well. ‘The link you you have made is correct, far far before I joined this clan I was originally a loner and this food you’ve been eating is apart of a tradition our family holds. That tradition is that in order to be better then those around you it is required to also know how to hunt those around you. All of the games we play refine those skills, hide and seek, tag, all adapted to your needs to sharpen your abilities. The kittens in the nursery are noisy and weak and mewl for their mothers to scoop them up and cater their bad habits. They are prey. Apprentices slack and barely hold respect for those higher then them, constantly failing their one requirement which is to learn. They learn only to become prey. Warriors oppose those they shouldn’t, and act just like kittens as if they are trying to go back to such a rank of which they’d fit it well. They are failures who hunt prey only smaller then themselves never bigger, they dont push the limits of what can be hunted or ever adjust their skills.’ Every word was spoken as if it was something she was repeating, her focus locked onto RoseKit looking for any sign of reaction, disgust, confusion. Anything negative. ‘And so I brought and adapted the tradition and you and your litter mates will carry it on. We eat other cats because those cats are too foolish and loud and blinded by their stupidity that they cannot see what world they live in or the ranks they fall in. We are the predators and they choose to be prey. So with this explanation given to you, we will one day hunt another together, me and you. I suspect that day draws near with your swift aging. The hunt entails a chase of another cat that we eat once caught and killed. It is a test to see if your worth this traditions time and that is what you work and memorise for.’ StoatLeap wasn’t going to sugarcoat anything, she didn’t need to, if she’d taught them well and taught them right she wouldn’t have the type of prey kittens other mothers raised she would have predators. Cold-blooded predators that aren’t afraid to sink their teeth into something or draw blood but have enough sense to know when to do that. For a moment StoatLeap enjoyed the silence after, the soaking in moment of something where someone simply processes what they are born to do and taught to follow. It wasn’t a fault of hers if she enjoyed silence like this. RoseKit was a blessing to her family she wasn’t afraid to admit that. A kitten who was not afraid to follow their mothers paw-steps or learn, a correct kitten. ‘Now would be the time I allow after questions.’ StoatLeap was under the assumption there would at least be a question to answer at least.

(Lemme know if there Any problems with this post btw! )

Rosekit

༺♥༻

Tw: Mentions of cannibalism

Rosekit listens intently, taking in every word. She was right. She was meant to be the hunter from the day she was born, more than that; it's tradition. Scarlet smiles when her mother mentions hunting together, nothing's really changed now, she was just brought into the light. She's already been doing it, the only difference now is that she knows she's doing it. It's a tradition handed from generations, she can't disappoint anyone, it's all good. Why would it be wrong anyway? Mother does it, her whole family apparently does too, and it's just prey, right? What's wrong with hunting? Nothing, so it's fine. Clan cats are just... wrong. They indulge in meaningless violence, do not properly discipline their young, raise generations of fools, are they not worse than mice? She gets it, everything makes perfect sense, which is why she's nodding along with her mother's explanation. It's sensible and something Stoatleap has chosen to teach her, so it's perfectly rational. Normal prey dies out in the winter and becomes scarce. Cats are always multiplying, around year-round. She's a cat too, but she's... superior. On top of that, she can use it to her advantage, living among her prey. The prey she's been fed since she was weaned off of milk. It's only another role for her to fill, no problem, she's been doing it since she could speak and since her eyes opened. She's the prodigy of the family, she has to be amazing, it's a requirement.

When Stoatleap finishes speaking, she ends with asking for questions. Questions. What should she ask? Scarlet already understands, so what is there for her to ask? When to start? Who has she been eating all this time? That last question's answer doesn't really matter to her, but she doesn't want her mother to think she's so incompetent that she can't come up with a single question! She'll just ask the first question she came up with, the latter might upset her.

"... When can I start?" She says, pausing a moment to collect some good words, "I want to make you proud, Mother."

That should be fine, vigor in her newfound purpose and a bit of loyalty to her kin, two good things she'll hopefully appreciate. Oh, there is one other thing she should probably ask.

"However, what would happen if we're caught? I mean, I won't allow anything of the sort to happen, but Dawnstar isn't one to stop at exile. She would kill us, wouldn't she? I'm not afraid, but that seems like a likely outcome that will follow failure. I just want to be prepared, so I can overcome any obstacle in my way," Scarlet smiles grimly at her mother, determination etched in her features.

That about sums it up, anything she needs, she's already asked for.

[Fritter]

Originally Posted by Streamtail

Rosekit

༺♥༻

Tw: Mentions of cannibalism

Rosekit listens intently, taking in every word. She was right. She was meant to be the hunter from the day she was born, more than that; it's tradition. Scarlet smiles when her mother mentions hunting together, nothing's really changed now, she was just brought into the light. She's already been doing it, the only difference now is that she knows she's doing it. It's a tradition handed from generations, she can't disappoint anyone, it's all good. Why would it be wrong anyway? Mother does it, her whole family apparently does too, and it's just prey, right? What's wrong with hunting? Nothing, so it's fine. Clan cats are just... wrong. They indulge in meaningless violence, do not properly discipline their young, raise generations of fools, are they not worse than mice? She gets it, everything makes perfect sense, which is why she's nodding along with her mother's explanation. It's sensible and something Stoatleap has chosen to teach her, so it's perfectly rational. Normal prey dies out in the winter and becomes scarce. Cats are always multiplying, around year-round. She's a cat too, but she's... superior. On top of that, she can use it to her advantage, living among her prey. The prey she's been fed since she was weaned off of milk. It's only another role for her to fill, no problem, she's been doing it since she could speak and since her eyes opened. She's the prodigy of the family, she has to be amazing, it's a requirement.

When Stoatleap finishes speaking, she ends with asking for questions. Questions. What should she ask? Scarlet already understands, so what is there for her to ask? When to start? Who has she been eating all this time? That last question's answer doesn't really matter to her, but she doesn't want her mother to think she's so incompetent that she can't come up with a single question! She'll just ask the first question she came up with, the latter might upset her.

"... When can I start?" She says, pausing a moment to collect some good words, "I want to make you proud, Mother."

That should be fine, vigor in her newfound purpose and a bit of loyalty to her kin, two good things she'll hopefully appreciate. Oh, there is one other thing she should probably ask.

"However, what would happen if we're caught? I mean, I won't allow anything of the sort to happen, but Dawnstar isn't one to stop at exile. She would kill us, wouldn't she? I'm not afraid, but that seems like a likely outcome that will follow failure. I just want to be prepared, so I can overcome any obstacle in my way," Scarlet smiles grimly at her mother, determination etched in her features.

That about sums it up, anything she needs, she's already asked for.

Possible mentions of cannibalism



•Stoat Leap•
• She/Her • Queen • No Purrks

StoatLeap had a fixed deadpan as she studied the reaction of her kitten after the ‘big reveal’ some would be surprised that RoseKit was so eager and leaning toward the idea rather then away, but StoatLeap was more relieved she’d finally raised one right than anything. Curling her tail over her paws she thought on an answer to the question, it was quite an ambiguous one, start what exactly? Participating in tradition was something from birth not a choice, but alas she held a light smile and attempted to answer to her fullest anyhow. Formal and with a sense of what etiquette was. That was the entirety of her life and her kittens filed into one word in fact, etiquette. For such a messy lifestyle it was humorous to watch those who were supposedly their prey follow an informal slump of behaviour. ‘If you’re referring to the tradition it has already started, and you’ve already done a fine job of making me proud. You must know your the tradition’s greatest hope of carrying through the generations, which means that not for a second should you assume gaining my praise and pride means the bar is set any lower. Only higher.’ ‘I want to make you proud mother was a phrase she couldn’t really conjure any reaction to, StoatLeap found at best pride in RoseKit but the rest of her kittens were nothing but a meagre waste of breath. ‘If you refer to the hunt it’s quite a spectacular thing, it will be arranged either a moon before you reach 6 moons or earlier with the way your progressing compared to your littermates.’ StoatLeap had quite a lot to say simply upon the first question, but she also had a lot to inform RoseKit of. ‘And finally if you are talking about learning how to more efficiently slot into the role as a superior cat, a hunter, then we can start on some lessons that refine your skills quite nicely.’ StoatLeaps face scrunched slightly at the last question, being “caught” made it sound as if what they were doing was some filthy crime, but it was the finest of traditions she was burdened with carrying and tossing over to the youth. StoatLeap had considered the situation ever since she’d scooped up the guts to join, and placed herself quite cozily within the society even if her friend count and social interactions were slimmer then slim. Who needed friends when they were simply looking to rat out the tradition? ‘To start, there would most likely be no fancy meeting for it, and if we were to get caught right now I doubt you or your littermates would be affected perhaps just more closely watched. Me and your father wherever he may be lurking for the moment would indefinitely be killed on the spot, if any of you are to fail and get me killed you will find the rest of your lives indefinitely miserable.’ StoatLeap took a deep sigh before rolling her shoulders. ‘Is that all?’