Greeting Spark (Bolt)

"Thanks again for doing this, Littleflame," the shecat told the Warrior, already easing away toward the camp's entrance. She was running the territory today, trying to build endurance. Her trip to Cedar Clan had showed her she needed to work much harder at her stamina. A Warrior was not tired by a waltz across the plains. She had to work on that.

"It is a pleasure as always," the orange tabby purred politely. Gullkit obediently trotted over to flop down beside his Nanny and promptly fell asleep. Her grey brother was lazier than any cat had a right to be. "No Cherrykit today?"

Patchpaw shook her head. "He's with Eveningblaze again. I'm glad he's made a friend but..." -but she wished he would focus on training and not some silly plants. 7 moons old and not yet apprenticed. The threat of exile pressed down harder and harder on the small calico with each passing hour. For now though, she shrugged the sentence off, unwilling to admit her fears, even to a cat as friendly and trustworthy as Littleflame. 

The shecat waved her tail in fairwell, took three steps and froze as she caught sight of a white fluffy bundle huddled all alone in the corner of the camp. Her ears flattened in irritation and distaste. Foxdung. That was Spark, wasn't it? Duskblaze had told her about the shecat. She was a rogue that had recently joined. He had wanted her to welcome the shecat, since they were similar in age. That had been... three days ago? Or was it seven? It was hard to keep track. There was too much to do and never enough time. Like now. Patchpaw was sure Spark was a very nice cat and all, but the calico needed to be out training, not socializing with others and 'making friends'. She did not have time for such frivolities.

Patchpaw reeled back to catch Littleflame's attention once more.

"Hey, uh, why don't you two go talk to Spark? That rogue that joined a little while ago?" she asked, pointing her tail in the shecat's direction. "Make friends and all that. It would be good for Gullkit, if you have the time."

Littleflame let out a deep, rumbling laugh, his green eyes warm with amusement. "I'm restricted to the camp, remember? I have all the time in the world." 

"Alright. Great. Thanks!"

That problem sufficiently handled, the calico wasted no time in disappearing into the marshes. She started off with a brisk walk, planning to develop it into a steady trot once her limbs had warmed. By sunhigh she wanted to be running full-pace. She doubted she could make even half the stretch of one border at full speed, but she would never improve if she did not push herself. She must work harder if she ever wanted to be a Warrior, and if she ever wanted to protect her family, what little remained.


The orange tabby watched the calico go, his cheerful demenor fading into one of somberness. That little apprentice worked too hard. While her training was not as extreme as his had been, she certainly had faced much controversy in her short life that had left her with a fire-forged will of iron that he respected greatly. She tried to hold the whole world on her tiny little shoulders. It was an impossible task, but those shoulders would getting bigger, tougher, with each day. Maybe, one day, that impossible task would not be impossible any more, for if there was any cat that could break through the bounds of possibility, Littleflame would put his money on young Patchpaw.

A skinned, gnarled creature that could only be called a 'cat' in the loosest sense, came in through the camp entrance to deposit a piece of prey in the pile. Littleflame's ears perked and he sat up immediately. Tornpelt! The small tom had been waiting for the shecat all morning. He really must speak with her, about the shekit Summit and... well... and other things of note.

Littleflame thought back to the large, powerful feline called Stone and his fur tingled. He did not like it. He did not like it at all. Stone was big, powerful, and a danger. That was how the Warrior should see him, how he needed to see him, but then he remembered the look of rapture on the silver tabby's face as he held his daughter in his paws. He remembered the soft tone to the hulking tom's voice. He remembered the warmth as those amber eyes looked at him...

Littleflame forcefully shook off the thought like a cat doused in water. Maybe that was a good idea. He needed to clear out his head. What was wrong with him?! He had to shake this. Somehow. Someway. He needed to shake this -and soon. Or now. Littleflame could decidedly handle getting rid of this feeling as of right this second before it scalded him any further. 

He had no idea how though -and for that he needed to talk to Tornpelt. She could help him, and he knew she would too. The shecat might pretend otherwise, but she was loving and kind in her heart. He knew this, even if she had yet to realize such.

I told Patchpaw Gullkit and I would befriend Spark though, he reminded himself sternly. 

The proud Warrior would never break a promise, but he desperately wanted to talk to Tornpelt. Needed to. Certainly Spark would understand that? Although, he did not fancy dragging Gullkit along for this particular conversation. It was too personal. While he knew the young tom could not hear them... Littleflame's keen green eyes looked down at the sleeping, lazy kit-apprentice. He could not put his paw on it, but the tom made him uneasy. He acted just as clueless as his brother but... the way those forest green eyes looked at him sometimes... Littleflame could not be sure. No. Gullkit was not invited to this particular meeting.

Ah! But he did not have to be! Gullkit could go talk to Spark by himself! Not that the tom was much of a talk but the best way to make friends was to jump in and swim with both feet, right? Er. Maybe he had that Clan expression twisted somehow but Littleflame was sure it still applied. Gullkit would be fine and he needed to talk to Tornpelt. Spark would surely manage. They were almost the same age anyway. They were bound to get along!

Littleflame prodded the slumbering tom awake and pointed over at the white shecat, still huddled away in a corner. Gullkit's deep green eyes blinked sleepily, looking form the orange tabby to the white cat he indicated. He yawned and promptly put his head back down to resume sleeping. Uninterested. Littleflame prodded him again, this time pushing the tom to his paws and shoving him forward. Gullkit's ears shot down and he bared his teeth irritably but the Nanny was stern and he obligingly began plodding over. Littleflame nodded approvingly. Great. Spark was taken care of then. Now - Tornpelt. He truly must talk to her. The small tom hastily padded over, needing advice, or maybe direction, or... maybe... just needing a friend.



Gullkit did not know why Littleflame was badgering him to come over to this shecat. He did not know her. She smelled like a rogue. What was he supposed to do with a female rogue? He couldn't fight her. She was a girl! Oh well. Whatever. Maybe she was just supposed to 'watch' him now. The large grey tom snorted at the very idea. He was bigger than she was! This was getting ridiculous. He was old enough and trained enough not to need a Nanny but far be it from him to dare tell anyone that. They all still thought he was 3 moons old. Again - whatever. It meant he got to lay around all day and get fat on prey so who was he to complain about their methods?

Granted, he did want to do more, like Patchpaw did. He wanted to help his sister, especially after the toll Honeyheart's death had taken on her, and on all of them, but outside of their nightly training sessions there was not much he could do, and even those had stopped for a while after that incident with the coyote. Gullkit turned his head to the side as he walked, stretching and testing the wound that ran down the left side of his throat. It was sore, but he hardly noticed. Hardly cared.

He flopped down next to the white shecat, their fur brushing as he nudged her a bit in greeting. He then promptly closed his eyes and tried to resume sleeping. He had been having this great dream about a giant bird just waiting for him to sink his teeth into it...