ThunderClan Nursery

[korok]

◢◣ RAGGEDEAR | 28 MOONS | HE/HIM ◢◣
fluffy, russet tom with yellow eyes, torn left ear, & black paw tips

꧁꧂


Raggedear stifled back a sneeze as the dust from the den blew out at him as he wove more brambles into it. "No harm in fortifying the dens just in case..." He muttered to himself grimly, tail flicking to and fro. He heard some of the kits playing around nearby, but paid them no mind as he dragged more protection to the den, bits and pieces stuck along his rugged fur. Hearing the kits play, the tom's mind began to wander. 'Wonder if I'll have kits playing here, one day?' He mused, whiskers twitching. Raggedear shook the thought from his head. He was still young, he had plenty of time. What was the rush? Besides, there seemed to be no shortage of kits. Everything would happen in due time. Although, his tail continued to betray his thoughts, still twitching back and forth as he worked. 'Maybe I'll be a mentor to one of these ones?' He listened thoughtfully to the sound of squealing. 'Though I'm not sure I'll be as good as Hawkcatcher was to me.' Lost in thought, the large warrior paused to clean the burrs and leaves out of his fur.


[ @Weekend-Wondering | hope starting here was okay ! ]

[Weekend-Wondering]

Rosekit
Male / 3 1/2 Moons / ThunderClan / Sexuality Unknown
Chocolate-brown and russet tabby Tom with fluffy fur and bright amber eyes, thin scars on his legs and a wide scar across the bottom half of his face

“Sure, I’ve got half a face, but you’ve got yourself half a brain, so I’m sure we’ll get along just fine, ey?”
~Rosekit

✽❀✽

Rosekit hated waking up so, so much. His jaw always felt as if it had been punched to pieces and messily slapped back into his face- the ache was terrible. At this particular moment, Rosekit was being forced to go through the occasional routine of getting his face back in shape, making sure the bottom half of his head wasn’t going to feel like it was preparing to fall off for the rest of the day. Great Stars, I hate this stupid scar so much, He thought angrily, stretching his jaw and ignoring the burning sting he felt whenever he moved it. He knew the fiery pain would leave eventually, it always did. There just so happened to be a natural soreness to his face every once in a while he awoke. Normally the longer he slept, the worse the pain, but on completely random day like today, his jaw would make some mysterious decision to die off for no reason, and here he was having to deal with it.

As the russet tabby played around with his jaw and glared down cross eyed at his chin, silently begging his jaw to cooperate, he tried to multi-task and listen around the nursery for anything interesting and/or with his attention. Eventually his jaw popped into place for a second, and he took his chance to tilt his head up and take a good look around the nursery at all his denmates. Using the increasing amount of pain in his temporarily stable jaw as some sort of timer, he whipped his head around the nursery to note down everything that was going on. Unfortunately, there wasn’t anything new. Just the usual shrieking, laughing, and tumbling of kittens scrambling clumsily around the den. It was amazing how much energy they always seemed to have in such a boring lifestyle, while Rosekit just sat and gnawed on his jaw miserably.

Hey, it’s not like I’ve got anything big against fun, but like… He winced when he felt the stability of his jaw fail all over again, and his eyes returned to his chin. Grumpily, he lifted his paw to the lower half of his face, and playing along with plan B, put pressure on it. …anyway, not that I don’t want to have fun, I’m just not very interested in all of that. Runnin’ around like crazy, role-plays, all that… nah, I like training, and pranks, n’… n’ battle things! Finally, he felt his jaw click perfectly into place, and the russet kit felt a surge of satisfaction. He let his paw fall gently onto his moss bedding, taking a mental note: I should just start with plan B next time. Works every time… well, at least half of the time.

Now that his jaw was in place and functioning nicely, Rosekit shrank down into a stretch and yawned. There was one time he had tried yawning with an unstable jaw, and that was the last time he had done anything of the sort. It was a miracle he wasn’t crying to hard he had to hurry on over to the medicine- but he wasn’t exactly a big cryer, so it made some sense. Rosekit let his mouth close shut and hopped up gracefully onto his paws, making a full turn towards the nursery entrance. Time for a snack, He decided. Hopefully I didn’t wake up too late.

But when Rosekit reached the entrance and stared up at the sky, the sun was high ups den shining down, and the realization that he had “overslept” came flooding into Rosekit’s head. His eyebrow pinched in frustration. N-no! I’m trying to start up the whole apprentice-schedule thing early… wha… what is this?! Why didn’t I wake up? Right on cue, his jaw burned with another sudden ache. Rosekit groaned quietly and returned to pressing it with a paw. Life really had to kick him today, didn’t it? Ah, well look here- now I’ve gotta rush! That’s what an apprentice would have to do if they overslept, right? Hurry and sprint? Ah, enough thinking, I gotta GO!

Go where? Rosekit didn’t know. Or care, frankly.

His paw was blocking one side of the nursery entrance from his viewpoint, and this was the side where Rosekit decided to make a sharp turn. He was rushing to get out and into the open, find something to do that didn’t revolve around bumping and fixing his stubborn jaw. Maybe some warrior’s be nice enough to teach me something… they’ve done it before, haven’t they? He skirted to the side, beginning to make his messy and clumsy turn out of the nursery, paws slipping across the ground in haste. Y’Know, I bet if they see me practicing stuff they’ll come and help me out. Maybe I should- He ran face-first into something furry and solid, and with a gasp, Rosekit felt his jaw pop right back in place again. But he was too busy falling to the ground to feel satisfied.

“OI!” He exclaimed in surprise, tumbling to the floor beneath his paws. For a moment, dizziness came flooding into his vision, and Rosekit had to blink constantly to send it away. As it faded, he squinted at the formulating figure in front of him, eventually making out another cat. It was a warrior, with fluffy russet fur and a torn ear. Rosekit labeled him, Oh… yeah, Raggedear! He coudln’t help but allow his anger to take over him for a moment, so noisily, Rosekit snapped, “Dang you, Raggedear, ya’ really gotta be standin’ out in the open like that? Right n’ front’a the nursery, too? Jeez…”

Flustered, Rosekit slumped back up onto all fours and glowered at Raggedear in silence. But as he stared at the tom-cat, his gaze softened, and he remember the goal he’d put into his head. Oh, stop being such a brat and a hypocrite, Rosekit. It isn’t admirable. What happened to ‘be the best?’ So reluctantly, still glaring at the warrior, Rosekit muttered just loud enough for his voice to be heard, “Um… sorry. My fault. Just- ah, whatever. You good, Half-Ear?”

Rosekit used the time period where he waited for answer to brush the dirt and grit from his fur, paws, and face. [I]There, I apologized,/I] He told himself, unhappily. That should be fine. Now he won’t have any right to come at and kill me about being disrespectful. About misbehaving. We’re all good here, then. I’ll move on. He closed his mouth tightly for a moment, testing his jaw to make sure it wasn’t still burning, and he felt slightly relieved when it seemed to be just fine. So just in case his apology wasn’t enough, Rosekit chose to add, “Oh, and- thanks, I guess. Ya’ fixed my face, technically.”

✽❀✽

// You’re all good! Thanks for a great starter! ^^
Ah, this baby-old man’s problematic jaw. He’ll grow into his nasty scar eventually, I promise- \\

~ @leopardheart00 ~

[korok]

◢◣ RAGGEDEAR | 28 MOONS | HE/HIM ◢◣
fluffy, russet tom with yellow eyes, torn left ear, & black paw tips

꧁꧂


As the russet warrior groomed himself, he felt a small force crash into him, surprising him. "Now what in the-" Raggedear paused, muttering the curse under his breath. Looking down, the tom stared curiously at the kit before him. Quickly, he noticed the kit's jaw- how could he not? But all he did was blink slowly, giving Rosekit a thoughtful gaze as the bundle of fur in front of him snapped angrily. 'Half-ear?' Letting out a rumbling purr of amusement, the tom twitched his "half-ear". "My apologies," He drawled, sweeping his tail on the ground as he continued on with grooming himself. "You must be Rosekit?" Raggedear inquired, bending down give the kit a sniff. He had heard about the temper of a kit with an odd jaw, but never made his way around to the nursery enough for it to mean anything to him. He tilted his head as Rosekit thanked him for fixing his face. "Any time, pipsqueak." He teased, rocking back on his haunches.

"I'm doing quite alright." He twitched his whiskers in amusement. "Just patching up the nursery, just in case." He swiveled his ears towards the brambles he had already woven in. "Making sure you stay protected." 'He can't be any older than 3 moons.' Raggedear mused. 'Does he even know the calamity going on right outside his den?' He shook his head as if shaking the thought away. No time to dwell on it right now.

"Aren't you a little young to be exploring outside the nursery on your own?" Raggedear questioned with a sniff. He looked a little small...and with that jaw probably shouldn't be unsupervised. 'But he seems confident enough, with that attitude, I'm sure he's fine.' He shrugged to himself before turning to tug a last bit of leafage out of his pelt. "Or shouldn't you be playing with your denmates?" The large warrior swung his gaze around, looking for other kits. He bit back a frown. He hoped the other kits weren't bullying Rosekit due to his jaw. Strong bonds started in kithood, in Raggedear's opinion. Regardless, he knew he shouldn't be fretting. This little kit clearly had the personality of a full-grown warrior.

[ @Weekend-Wondering | Ragged is absolutely going to dote on this kid ]

[Weekend-Wondering]

Rosekit
Male / 3 1/2 Moons / ThunderClan / Sexuality Unknown
Chocolate-brown and russet tabby Tom with fluffy fur and bright amber eyes, thin scars on his legs and a wide scar across the bottom half of his face

“Sure, I’ve got half a face, but you’ve got yourself half a brain, so I’m sure we’ll get along just fine, ey?”
~Rosekit

✽❀✽

The russet tom-kit had been too caught up in fiery anger and his own rambling to pay attention to the fact that Raggedear had noticed his jaw so quickly (not that he wasn’t already used to watching cats’ eyes fall down to his messy face every time he interacted with them for the first time) and he had kept rambling over the warrior’s own voice. As Raggedear and stared down at him curiously, he had shot back a look of anger and annoyance in hopes that his won tense expression would overpower Raggedear’s, but it didn’t seem to have much effect. This and all taken place just before Rosekit had regretted getting snappy, back when he was still all fired up over bumping into Raggedear.

When Raggedear had apologized, Rosekit had just begun to start feeling bad for snapping and shouting, and the kit had been relieved to find Raggedear go right on back to grooming himself. It was a good thing he hadn’t been too angry… Rosekit had been trying to start up a new and better reputation, or at least an admirable one, and he had almost ruined his streak right here, right at the start. He spouted out his defense, and that was when he began to wait out a response.

When Raggedear spoke up, confirming who he was, Rosekit’s ears perked. The russet tom-kit tilted his head to the side, and began to ponder, Oh, uh-oh. He only asks right when I go off snapping and ranting? Well, makes sense, like- I don’t shut up very well, but dang. That’s how cats know me? But the kit tried to abandon these thoughts, mumbling quietly, “‘Rosekit the Tantrum-Rant-Runt’, yeah. Right. That would be me, sir.” Rosekit assured himself, Well, hey- at least I admit to it.

Out of unfortunate instinct, Rosekit jerked his head back in annoyance when the russet warrior bent down to give him a sniff, paws rising to hover in front of his face. When Rosekit realized all Raggedear was doing was catching his scent, he swore a child’s swear, “Crap-” and forced his paws back onto the ground. Man, I’ve gotta quit doing that. There’s no point to it. So he waited for Raggedear to finish his response to Rosekit’s last thanks, without immediately processing the nickname, ‘Pipsqueak’, and then awkwardly, he muttered, “Sorry, Half-Ear. I’m sure you ain’t a Two-Leg, I shoudln’t be treatin’ ya’ like one- HEY-” The nickname finally filtered into his head, and Rosekit blinked in surprise. But quickly, that surprise transformed back into grumpiness. “Hey- what? Pipsqueak-?!”

When Raggedear answered another one of Rosekit’s older questions, the one about how he was, Raggedear told him he was doing fine. Rosekit listened as Raggedear briefly explained what he was doing at the nursery entrance, letting him know that he was simply fixing it up and keeping it stable. ‘Just in case’, Rosekit had heard him say. Rosekit felt a sudden pull on his heart, and disappointment came flooding back in. Oh, dang, that’s right, He started to remind himself about how warrior duties truly worked. They don’t just fight an’ hunt; Warriors’ ‘afta patch an’ fix up things. That’s gotta be the most boring part, then. Maybe even more boring than talking about prey shortages and irresponsible apprentices… ugh. But when the warrior added, ‘Making sure you stay protected’ Rosekit’s mood took another turn. As always, he was back to feeling annoyed.

They really wanna make it crystal-clear that we can’t care out for ourselves, huh? He thought to himself. ‘Stay protected’… oh, from what? If RiverClan comes piling into here, they’ll only get it worse for them. If the sky decides to barf up a storm without warning, I’m sure it’s pretty stable enough as it is! There was a part of Rosekit’s Brian that was trying to remind him how easily triggered he was, begging him to calm down over the comment, but Raggedear’s next comment completely crushed the chances of it saving Rosekit’s spoiled mood.

‘Aren't you a little young to be exploring outside the nursery on your own?’ Rosekit raised an eyebrow and looked in Raggedear’s direction, a mixture of confusion and returning anger bright in his eyes. He watched as Raggedear stayed casual, sniffing and shrugging off a stray leaf from his pelt as if nothing had been said, staring at the warrior with blank frustration. No way…. no way he just said that! NO! Rosekit prepared to open his mouth and snap out a defense, but Raggedear wasn’t finished. As if to add a cherry on top of the Ice-Cream-Cone-of-Offense, he asked Rosekit a final question. ‘Or shouldn't you be playing with your denmates?’ Rosekit felt his jaw fall a little as he gasped at the warrior. The young tom-Kit didn’t quite grasp the concept of sociability yet, and due to his lack of friends, he felt he didn’t need them. This had led him to feel against them, and with his growing levels of confidence, even above friendship as a whole. Is he trying to say that- at my age- I depend on friends to make it out alright? Rosekit asked himself. He squinted up at the warrior. That just isn’t right! I don’t need friends- the kits here are complete idiots, why would I want to PLAY with them? Rosekit watched with impatience as the warrior swung his head over into the nursery at the rest of the kits, waiting for the warrior to bring his attention back to Rosekit.

Eventually Rosekit found his chance to cough up another rant, and he took it. “I’m sorry, wha? Playin’? Man, have you seen what those idiots do in there? They’re in there tumblin’ and trippin’ over their mamas’ tails, screamin’ and shriekin’ about stupid things like ‘hide and seek’ and ‘tag’. Games ain’t nothin’ but a waste of time, at least for me- because I would rather learn n’ right!”

Rosekit thought back to all of the other things that the warrior had told him to get him triggered and made sure to give the russet tabby a response to each one. “Also, I’m sorry, but did ya’ just ask if I should be out n’ explorin’ outside the nursery by myself? HALF-EAR- DANG. It’s a pathetic little camp out there, wha- whatcha thing I’m out there doin’, settin’ the place on fire? Mister Raggedear, I can assure you that I’ve been doin’ just fine out and about on my own out there! Heck, it’s a literal camp, I go walkin’ ‘round there all the time by myself!” He finally moved on.

Ah, that’s right, Pipsqueak. Rosekit felt a sudden change of mood again. There was something about how casually the warrior had thrown out the nickname that had caught him off guard… but not exactly in a bad way. In fact, Rosekit could feel his anger fading now as he put more thought and feeling into the nickname. It was amazing how quickly his mood would change just based off of his thoughts. But again, there was something about Raggedear’s tone and personality in all that he said… Rosekit didn’t exactly respect it yet, but it was… fun…?

Rosekit gave up on yelling and shouting. All of the vicious remarks and rants were making his jaw sore again, and he wanted to say something that wouldn’t engrave a burn into his face that would stay for the rest of the day. So Rosekit gave into the new mood, letting himself smirk and accept his sudden lack of anger. “So, yeah… I’m alright on my own, I guess. At almost four moons, I’ve got life under control! But… come on, Pipqueak?” The russet tabby kit narrowed his eyes at the warrior. “That the best you can do? I can come up with a handful of nicknames for myself right here, right now, let’s race! Half-Face, Jutty-Teeth, Thorn-Tongue, Rant-Runt, Rat’Face- I could go on forever, man! Creativity is key!”

Alright, now I look miserable. He realized. I just went on and on listing ways to insult myself, didn’t I? He blinked away the thoughts. Whatever, he hadn’t spent too much time thinking about it before… well, there was that one night back when he had made a mental list of offensive nicknames for everybody in the nursery, himself included, just to practice being a brat… but that didn’t count! He just so happened to involve himself! See, I’m humble! He decided. Yeah, humble! That’s all!

✽❀✽

// I swear, this kid’s mood-swings. Hey, at least he’s already starting to take a liking to Raggedear’s personality. \\

~ @leopardheart00 ~

[korok]

◢◣ RAGGEDEAR | 28 MOONS | HE/HIM ◢◣
fluffy, russet tom with yellow eyes, torn left ear, & black paw tips

꧁꧂

It took all the large tom could muster not to burst out with a rumbling purr at this fiery spirit in front of him- managed to contain it in a twitch of amusement with his whiskers. Tilting his head slightly, Raggedear noticed that the kit had some considerable mood swings, going back and forth like the wind. Rosekit certainly didn't seem to appreciate his little nickname, 'Pipsqueak'. A stab of pity made it's way to Raggedear's heart, knowing it must be hard to have that big of a reputation as kit, especially not necessarily a good one. However, the warrior can't deny it felt good to have the little one call him 'sir' and 'Mister'. At least he knew..some of his manners.

It was clear Rosekit wasn't interested in Raggedear's attempts to patch up the nursery. 'Probably thinks it's a boring job, but I can't blame him.' He silently agreed, but his mouth said, "It's important to make sure all the dens are protected, so your Clanmates have one less thing to worry about if they're out of camp on the defensive." This part of the conversation was short-lived, however, as the spunky Rosekit turned the conversation back to his denmates. The large tom listened, eyes betraying nothing as Rosekit ranted and rambled about the other kits and how boring they were. "Games like tag and things of the like are actually good hunting practice." He said slowly, flicking an ear in interest at Rosekit's enthusiasm to "learn right". Before Raggedear could say more, the russet kit was already firing off again. 'Should have called him Spunkkit.' He snorted to himself, settling down on the ground as he listened.

"Pathetic little camp?" He echoed, looking sternly at Rosekit. "Your Clanmates and your ancestors worked hard to make this place suitable for you to grow up in, and if you really want to learn something, I suggest appreciation first." Just as quickly, Rosekit turned his attention to listing even more horrid nicknames for himself. The warrior's gaze softened as gazed at Rosekit. "You know, you clearly have the will that a real warrior needs to be strong and brave," He started, laying his head down on his paws. "And some cats may think less of you because of your jaw, but only you can prove them wrong." He yawned, ultimately deciding to roll onto his back, exposing his belly to the warm sun. He had done enough work today, it was okay to chat with a kit for a little bit. Provide some entertainment and life lessons.

He chuckled to himself, knowing his former mentor would probably give a snort of laughter if she ever heard Raggedear say he was providing life lessons. But then again, he learned from the best. "How about you just call me Half-Ear, and I'll just call you Pipsqueak. Both of those statements are true." He joked, eyeing the kit playfully from his awkward position.

"So, what do you want to learn?"

[ @Weekend-Wondering | you give me so much to work with I love it, let me know if you'd like me to make mine a little longer! Hopefully Rosekit will learn to handle Ragged's teasing lolol ]

[Weekend-Wondering]

Rosekit
Male / 3 1/2 Moons / ThunderClan / Sexuality Unknown
Chocolate-brown and russet tabby Tom with fluffy fur and bright amber eyes, thin scars on his legs and a wide scar across the bottom half of his face

“Sure, I’ve got half a face, but you’ve got yourself half a brain, so I’m sure we’ll get along just fine, ey?”
~Rosekit

✽❀✽

Rosekit watched and waited for his response carefully, allowing him to easily notice the twitch of the older tom’s whiskers in an instant. Raggedear was amused again. Rosekit couldn’t stop himself from feeling a little bit provoked by the warrior’s constant amusement in his behavior. If Rosekit was angry, Raggedear twitched in amusement. If Rosekit was having fun, Raggedear twitched in amusement. If Rosekit was in a neutral mood, Raggedear would probably twitch in amusement. If Rosekit was polite to him, Raggedear would- well, Rosekit thought it went on forever. The tabby tom-kit understood that he did a lot of amusement-twitching himself, but watching the warrior take such enjoyment in everything he said and did made him feel young and stupid. Warriors loved to laugh- as well as twitch, in this case- at young and mischievous kits, and Rosekit was falling right down into one of those situations.

But it had felt better to tease Raggedear pleasantly than yell at him, so Rosekit didn’t have any interest in bringing it up. Rosekit was too tired of mood swings at the moment to allow himself to go through another by getting angry again, anyway. Raggedear could twitch all he wanted, Rosekit would learn to adjust. So far, Raggedear was seeming like a pretty fun cat, and the russet kit enjoyed speaking with him. He isn’t just treating me like a sensitive and sad furball, Rosekit thought to himself, peering up in Raggedear’s direction from below. No, he teases me. I’m sure he teases other warriors, too. And apprentices. I feel less dumb, I guess.

Rosekit had half-expected Raggedear to find some sort of way to tease him for his views on warrior duties after his comment on Raggedear’s fixing of the nursery, so he was a little surprised to find the warrior talking down to him a little. He listened as Raggedear defended those sorts of warrior duties, explaining he stable dens were both protective and reassuring, providing emotional support to everybody in camp by decreasing the chances that their dens would come raining down on them during bad times. Rosekit started to understand the importance of responsibility and feel a little bit bad about bothering the warrior for his efforts to protect their dens. See, me? He started to get onto himself. This, this right here, is why I need to keep my mouth shut!

But he hadn’t let himself take too much time to think about it, and instead, he had jumped right back into rambling off again, this time about his denmates and lack of interesting in things like ‘games’ and ‘play’, as well as several other things that he viewed as childish. Friendships just so happened to fall into the mixture. Rosekit was sure that this was going to make him look better, unlike the last comment he had made. Bothering Raggedear for getting work done had… backfired, but Rosekit had a feeling that this one wouldn’t. Naturally, the tabby tom-kit was wrong, and when Raggedear spoke again, Rosekit only found himself extra saddened. The warrior defended games like tag and hide and seek, and only then did Rosekit start to see the purpose in them. Only then did he actually notice their benefits, right after he’d already wasted time hating on them. Why. Can’t. I. Keep. My. Mouth. Shut?! His thoughts demanded. Why do I have to ruin conversations every time I get involved in them?

Well, now that Rosekit had an entirely new perspective of the game of ‘Tag’, time for one final attempt at making himself look good. He made sure to add a quick, “…Right, right… Sorry,” before starting this said attempt. Rosekit started to go on and on about how disappointed and sad camp was, how it was nothing compared to the outside world and he was sure he could handle walking around in it without warriors brushing over his shoulder every step of the way. It had always frustrated him whenever warriors would ask him about his lonesomeness, telling him that it might not be a very good idea for him to wander out and about by himself, even just in camp. But his ‘final attempt’ at looking good proved to be just as ineffective as the last two, and backfired just as much, if not even more. Raggedear repeated the title Rosekit had given camp, and he began to look stern. Rosekit lifted both eyebrows at the sight, and paused briefly to listen. The warrior began to explain the hard work and effort that had been out into camp and its existence by warriors of the past, and Rosekit sighed deeply. He was growing tired of this disappointment. Ah, man. I guess even fun cats can get strict and stern, talk-talkin’ away with their lectures. Well, what’d I expect, I’m small and stupid, he’s tough and clever. Wow. I suck at peaceful conversation.

Rosekit finally decided to abandon his anti-everything rambles and rants, moving onto throwing out nicknames for himself. He had found his happy place again- being a brat to everyone and bothering everybody, himself included. Once he was finished, he noticed Raggedear’s gaze soften at the sound of his horrible nicknames being thrown out into the air, and he felt his ears itch to fall back. He kept them up, but the thought of, Oh. Now I’m just looking sad and unconfident in myself. Ah, shoot! had begun to swarm his thoughts.

But his mood was pulled back into a decent one when the warrior started talking about his warrior qualities. The russet tom-kit had heard it all before, listening to older cats point out his bravery and tell him that it was something that would definitely benefit him as a warrior- he did like to be compared to warriors, so the disappointment wasn’t coming back to nip at him anymore. Instead of struggling with his thoughts and confidence, this time, Rosekit lifted his chin and continued to smirk, sitting straight as he could. He thinks I’m brave, He thought to himself, happily. Brave and confident. Well, I guess I am! I’ll stay that way too, if I try! He watched as Raggedear rested his chin on his paws and told Rosekit about how Rosekit himself was the only cat who could save himself from judgment and unwanted attention on things like his jaw, and how he believed that Rosekit did have the power to actually do the saving. Rosekit’s smile widened, and he added, “Oh, fun. Then I guess I’m not hopeless.”

Then the warrior covered the nickname topic. Rosekit was pleased to hear a fun topic being brought up again. When Raggedear told him that just so long as he was called half-ear, he had any right to call Rosekit Pipsqueak. Rosekit tilted his head and nodded awkwardly to the side. “Well, then, I guess you’ll be calling me Pipqueak, Half-Ear. Enjoy it while I’m still small, eh?”

When the warrior asked him what he wanted to learn, Rosekit was caught slightly off guard. Well, he wanted to learn lots of things! He wanted to learn how to survive in a battle, how to catch invaders, how to locate prey, how to actually catch that prey, how to fight, everything from little to small. So that’s exactly what he told the russet warrior. “Oh, everything,” He said, honestly. “But I guess I really want to know how to be… not noticeable, but worth extra attention. I want to be bets of the best, you know? It’s one thing to know how to fight well, but another to do it better than your clanmates! I damn, I don’t want to sound selfish and all, but it’s nice seeing my denmates praise and compliment me on the things that I do that they themselves can’t. So in the nicest way possible, um… yeah! I want to be noticed, hehe…”

Rosekit took a moment to turn his attention to the nursery and the kittens that roamed around in it, releasing another sigh. He didn’t want to get too selfish with it all… he defintiely didn’t want his denmates to do bad or not That was the thing, he was competitive, and he loved a challenge. If his denmates tried extra hard, Rosekit planned on trying extra-extra hard. If they did well, he at least try to do even better. It was a cycle that helped somebody like him stay motivated and stay focused, get things done. For now, all the kit could do was fantasize… or, better yet, start early.

✽❀✽

// Thanks, glad to hear it! No need to put extra effort into your own posts if you don’t want to, they look amazing as they are! ^^ And fortunately, Rosekit appreciates the teasing, so I’m sure they’ll have quite a future of back and forth remarks and other sorts of jeers. \\

~ @leopardheart00 ~

[korok]

◢◣ RAGGEDEAR | 28 MOONS | HE/HIM ◢◣
fluffy, russet tom with yellow eyes, torn left ear, & black paw tips

꧁꧂

Raggedear blinked in his upside down position, sticking out his tongue playfully for a moment when Rosekit agreed to their nicknames. The large tom stretched, smacking his lips tiredly as he continued to allow the sun to warm his belly. "Hopeless? Far from it, my little friend." He yawned, rolling back over onto his stomach. "Everycat wants to learn to be the best." He pointed out. "What makes you different?" He asked, giving his chest fur a few licks. "What are you good at?"

The warrior looked Rosekit up and down, eyeing him thoughtfully. "You're pretty tall for a kit, good for fighting. Intimidates the enemy." He observed, pushing himself up with a grunt to tower over Rosekit himself. He leaned his head down, eyes flashing as he bared his teeth with a low growl. Not that he thought Rosekit would actually get scared, based on his demeanor anyways, but Raggedear was aware that even he was on the larger side. He took every opportunity to use that to his advantage in battle. After his brief display, he leaned back, still standing as he looked at the kit again. "Lean build...I imagine you'll be a force to be reckoned with eventually. Are you faster or stronger?" He asked, flicking his tail. "Or do you believe stealth is something you're better suited to?" Without waiting for an answer, the warrior hooked a leaf that had been dragged with him while repairing the den with a claw and padded about three tail-lengths away before dropping it.

"Show me what you think you know." He instructed, sitting down next to the target and wrapping his plumy tail around his paws. If he wasn't going to play with his denmates, this kit clearly needed a challenge. If he could channel that energy into practicing to be a warrior, Raggedear imagined that his apprenticeship would be smooth sailing. 'Though he mentor will definitely have their work cut out for them.'

"Go on now."



[ @Weekend-Wondering | Rosekit is going to get a mentor later and they're gonna be like "wow ur a natural!" after Ragged & him develop their friendship more LOL ]

[Frozen Reign]

Ivykit fell asleep.

[Weekend-Wondering]

Rosekit
Header by @/Dolomedes / Male / 3 1/2 Moons / ThunderClan / Sexuality Unknown
Chocolate-brown and russet tabby Tom with fluffy fur and bright amber eyes, thin scars on his legs and a wide scar across the bottom half of his face

“Sure, I’ve got half a face, but you’ve got yourself half a brain, so I’m sure we’ll get along just fine, ey?”
~Rosekit

✽❀✽

Before Raggedear started to speak again, Rosekit thought about training again. He was only a kit, but there wasn’t any reason he shouldn’t feel motivated to start up some sort of training early, should there? No way! Rosekit told himself, eyebrows furrowing. He unsheathed his claws and poked them against the ground repeatedly. Why shouldn’t here be? I’m guessing it’s pretty common to want to be well trained, but… maybe less common to dedicate your free time to getting the job done. Well, that would at least be the case for kits. I’m not sure about apprentices and warriors- but I’m sure they’re quite different from us all. The russet tom-kit sniffed in annoyance. It was going to be while before his effort would be truly noticed anyway… was it worth it?

But Rosekit had thought this over time after time in the past already. Of course it was worth it, effort was simply a part of life. And if I practice using responsibility now, then I’ll be perfectly set up for apprenticeship! Aha… then I won’t just be saying that I’ll be the best of the best, I actually will! Well… hopefully. All I’ve gotta do is just practice more than everybody else, and boom! Best of the best. Easy Peasy. Or at least, Rosekit hoped it would be.

He had already had a couple of training’ish interactions with some of his clanmates, but Rosekit had a feeling that most cats had experienced that sort of interaction somewhere along the line during their kithood. Two? Maybe, maybe not- most of them seemed too busy running after their own tails playing tag, but occasionally, Rosekit would find somebody more like himself, somebody who took a stronger liking to training than your average kit-games. That always activated his competitive spirit, and within seconds of seeing this sort of kit, Rosekit would spring back into the action of scavenging out some warrior or apprentice to force into teaching him a thing or two. See? Even just knowing some basics can save me from being at the same/a similar level to my denmates. And fortunately for me, that’s exactly what I want right now.

Upside down and blinking, Raggedear stared at Rosekit thoughtfully, and Rosekit returned his stare, his eyes falling back into being narrowed. He watched the warrior rest in the sun, waiting quietly for the russet Tom’s response, and when it came, Rosekit shrank down into a sitting position to listen comfortably. He brought up Rosekit’s comment on hopelessness, and how he felt that Rosekit was far from it. Rosekit felt himself straighten again. With each praise, his posture improved at least a centimeter. It was a little bit strange, but he did it mindlessly. Then Rosekit went back to wondering, thinking, I guess technically no kits are hopeless- struggling, maybe, but not hopeless. We’ve just got so much life out there in front of us… yeah, I’m sure I and the of the nursery contaminations will be just fine.

Raggedear yawned and Rosekit couldn’t help himself from joining him, maw widening in his own yawn as he listened to the warrior get back to talking. But when Raggedear’s next words finished leaving his mouth, Rosekit caught his breath mid-yawn. What made him different from the rest? Well, what a fun question to answer! Rosekit started to plot out his response to the question in his head, building up a reaction internally. Well! First thing’s first: I have no friends! In other words, they can’t distract me! Secondly, I’ve made it my number-one goal to learn as much as I can before apprenticeship. Most of the other kits just sit and wait it outs get a little excited whenever a warrior shows them something. Most of them would rather play, with a few exceptions. And thirdly, I like to-

But Rosekit wasn’t given time to respond (or finish thinking, for that matter- this was one of those rare events where Rosekit didn’t finish an internal monologue just before somebody else returned to speaking) because mid-thought he was interrupted by the sound of Raggedear’s voice again. After finishing licking his fur, Raggedear asked him what he was good at. Rosekit started to prepare another monologue, but he wasn’t given very much time. He managed to note down a few things he had found his skills set in earlier on in life, and the list included awareness, precision, and strength. He made sure to think about his weaknesses before Raggedear spoke again, keeping track of his slightly wonky aim, bad jaw, and extreme frustration whenever he missed a hit. Rosekit had several crystal-clear memories that showed himself kitten-swearing and throwing paws with the ground in anger after missing some leaf or other small target-object. It made him cringe thinking about it, so he stopped, glad to see Raggedear thinking about his next words.

Rosekit tried his hardest to stare down the russet warrior’s face as Raggedear eyed him thoughtfully, observing his traits and attributes. When he spoke, he talked about Rosekit’s height, mentioning how it was beneficial in combat. Rosekit felt his heart lift and flutter. Rosekit smiled happily when he was told that his height would intimidate the enemy. He had a feeling that his jaw would do a nice job of scaring some opponents, but not necessarily all… so that was where his height could come to his rescue!My height helps me with fighting skills, huh? Oh, that’s convenient! That’s actually my favorite, sir- He wanted to say, but he allowed Raggedear to continue on. Now that he was this far into their first interaction, Rosekit had made the conclusion that it was better to wait for Raggedear to speak than do the speaking first, because so far using his own voice had only gotten him into more trouble, as well as humiliation and embarrassment.

The tall kit eyed Raggedear as he pushed himself onto his paws with a grunt, waiting to see what the warrior was preparing to do. Maybe teach him something? Maybe just turn-tail and abandon Rosekit because his personality and snarky remarks were getting too annoying? But the warrior didn’t behave anywhere near int he ways Rosekit had expected him to. Instead, Raggedear stood and towered over him. Rosekit raised his eyebrows in curiosity, casually slumping back onto his own paws, waiting patiently. He stepped back a little, startled when Raggedear leaned his head down with flashing eyes, baring his teeth. Rosekit made his realization: Oh. This’ll be an act to scare me… maybe? As expected, Raggedear’s throat rumbled with a low growl, and Rosekit simply nodded. Then quietly, he mumbled, “Ain’t gonna scare me, Half-Ear. Don’t get me wrong, you could freak out some small apprentices for sure, but not me!” To add context, he added, “‘Cause I’m realistic. I know you ain’t gonna hurt me, I’ve got no need’a freak out.”

Raggedear leaned back where he stood, yellow eyes remaining on Rosekit. Aloud, the tabby warrior made note of Rosekit’s lean build, before questioning him about what category/athletic area he considered himself most skilled in. Rosekit thought for a moment about it. Hm… strength, speed, stealth… strength? Stealth? It ain’t speed, I guess, I’ve got too much fur… guess I’ve gotta practice that, then… Rosekit opened his maw to make these thoughts verbal, only for Raggedear to get back to moving around too quickly for him to speak. As his mouth fell closed again, squinting in mild confusion, Rosekit watched Raggedear as he hooked a leaf onto his claw, padding a good distance away from Rosekit. He dropped the leaf there.

Upon hearing the warrior’s next instruction, Rosekit felt his amber eyes widen. Raggedear was asking him to show him the skills he thought he had, display them publicly. Rosekit kept his eyes on him, silent as Raggedear fell into a sit beside the leaf-target with his tail wrapping around his paws. Rosekit stared blankly at the leaf for a few awkward moments, thoughts racing. Oh- show him? Well, me, just think of what Spottedfire and Orangeblossom showed you… and… pounce…? I’ve learned this! Now all I have to do is look like more of a fighter, less a hunter! I can do this.

He calmly nodded in response to Raggedear’s, ‘Go on now’ and straightened up in his standing position, letting his tail fall limp. He pictured both warriors, Spottedfire and Orangeblossom, side by side in his mind, each ready in their hunter’s crouches, careful and calculated with their movements. Rosekit briefly went over some of the key features in his head, repeating, Okay… balanced weight… hovering tail… hawk eyes… silence… as he shrank down into the crouch he had been taught twice. He made sure to spread his paws out evenly, keeping his weight divided carefully and evenly onto each one, before letting his tail fall gently to hover just over the ground, parallel to the floor of the nursery entrance. His eyes landed on the leaf, sharp and fading into pure, almost unbreakable focus. Barely loud enough to be heard by Raggedear, he muttered, “I swear to the Stars… if some idiot comes tumbling out of the nursery right now and ruins my position… they’re dead…”

He shut his mouth, clenching his jaw to keep it from burning itself into oblivion as he moved, and started to creep slowly but steadily towards the leaf. It was probably a sad sight to any witnesses, watching Rosekit out so much passion into leaping onto a singular, stray and lonely leaf, but Rosekit didn’t care. Think of Spottedfire and that bird, He told himself, locking the image into his mind. Paw by paw, he stepped forward, low to the ground the ensuring the leaf as silently as he could. It flew away before I could even pounce… but… maybe I could’ve gotten close. I FELT close, at least. He inched forward, hesitating about a tail length and a half away from the target.

“So uh… I’ve learned about huntin’ pounces before, but… yeah, not so sure ‘bout battle ones, but I’ll try,” He explained to Raggedear in a hushed whisper. He came up with the best image of a fighter in his head he could manage, and prepared his pounce. He kept his wide and unblinking eyes centered on the leaf, and braced himself to leap. Then once his heart was pounding with excitement and his breath was still, he shot forward at the leaf with his claws unsheathed.

He landed properly, but recklessly, not quite knowing what was what. Irritated, he called out noisily and stupidly to Raggedear as he tore and bite at the leaf, “Whoa- ay- where’s its face?! It’s shoulders? I was plannin’ on gettin’ onto it’s back and flippin’ in over or something’ gettin’ the belly, but like- THERE AIN’T A BACK OR A BELLY, IT’S A DANG LEAF!” By the same he finished wrestling with and slicing the leaf, whatever was left of the poor thing probably couldn’t even be called a ‘leaf’ anymore at all. Rosekit sheathed his claws and spat out a bit of leaf from his front teeth, recoiling at the bitter taste and backing away from the leaf’s remains. Where the leaf had once rested in peace sat a mount of leaf pieces, tiny and all over the place.

“Well, it would’ve been easier to tell if that thing wasn’t a literal plant, but I’d say I’m doing fine with strength,” He muttered, tasting another tiny bit of leaf as he spoke. He took a second to try and fish it out from in between his teeth, eventually giving up and talking again. “I’m not a very good runner, though. I could practice, I guess, but fightin’s more fun, right?” He stopped talking and used the silence he was given to continue fishing for the leaf but in his teeth, but then his attention was drawn to the sting returning to his jaw. His eyes flashed, and quickly, he added, “Oh- and also, if at bite down to hard, my jaw pops and burns. It’s been gettin’ a whole lot better as I grow, but I’ve still gotta talk real funny and eat kinda weird. I get you can hear it a lil’ even as I talk-talk away right now, can’cha, Half-Ear?”

✽❀✽

// True, true. Mentor’s gonna enjoy the extra help, though. They won’t have to deal with Rosekit’s awkward first experiences… for example, manically demolishing an innocent leaf. Poor guy didn’t know where it’s weak spots were. \\

~ @leopardheart00 ~

[korok]

◢◣ RAGGEDEAR | 28 MOONS | HE/HIM ◢◣
fluffy, russet tom with yellow eyes, torn left ear, & black paw tips

꧁꧂

The warrior watched through slitted eyes as Rosekit began demonstrating his hunter's crouch. The kit was smart, that was for sure. He knew there was no reason to be intimidated by Raggedear's display of bravado as he was his Clanmate. He nodded approvingly as he observed Rosekit's stance. It was practically perfect, he noted. His ears twitched in recognition to the kit mumbling something about someone ruining his position, but he said nothing, focusing solely on the event going on in front of him. "The battle crouches aren't that far off from hunting crouches, you're doing quite well." He murmured in encouragement as Rosekit crept forward. Like a flash, the kit lept forward onto the leaf he had place, and Raggedear sidestepped as to not become a victim to the tiny, sharp claws that now seemed to be flailing everywhere.

He let out a loud purr as Rosekit battled with the imaginary enemy, ripping it to shreds. "You sure showed that leaf. The trees will be holding onto them longer now after that display." He joked, brushing a bit of the leaf "carcass" off of Rosekit's pelt with his tail. "It is a dang leaf, you're right. And yes, I don't think you'll struggle at all with fighting." The large tom mused, glancing at the shredded remains. "Being able to run quickly is also important," Raggedear said, flexing his claws into the ground. "If we're in the heat of battle, and someone tells you to go get reinforcements, you need to be able to run as quickly as you can." He explained.

The warrior blinked sympathetically at the kit as his eyes flashed, clearly displaying discomfort. "Hmm, biting is very important as well..." He said slowly, padding back forward to take a seat in front of Rosekit. He shrugged. "But you seem like a smart kit, I'm sure you'll find a way to make your weakness your strength." He licked his paw and drew it over his ear lazily, yellow eyes seemingly lost in thought. "But if you want some real practice, you can practice on me." He offered, turning his head back down so he could make eye contact. "But claws sheathed, I don't want to end up like that leaf." He purred.

[ @Weekend-Wondering | Sorry for the delay and shortness D: got people visiting right now ]