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Post by Greymuzzles on Oct 15, 2018 14:07:10 GMT
There was neither complaint nor comment from the smaller tom, and Leopardstrike supposed he ought to take that as something good. He would have preferred the kit to speak, even if it were just a few mumbled words, but he had to admit that it was easier if the little tom didn’t argue with his choice. Dustykit had to be returned to camp regardless of his own preferences in the matter, after all, and the lack of fight meant that there was no delay: that they could simply focus on taking him home. It also meant that there was less noise to attract attention their way—be it from some unseen predator or future prey—and that was definitely something of import.
Not that he was overly concerned on that front.
Although there were plenty of things that might harm a kit, it was rare to encounter a hunter that could harm a warrior – and his sense of security was only enhanced by the fact that they were deep within their territory. That meant that there was little chance of encountering a Rogue, even should some of their number have snuck back in, and whatever small concern he might have had of that was wiped away by Mossypath’s solid presence at their front. He might not know her as well as he ought, and he might not be able to speak to her personal strengths, but she was a Boar – and that was enough. He was confident that the she would see off any threat that might rear its ugly head, and that left him free to concentrate on the kit…not that he needed much focus to track. Though it was obvious that Dustykit was far from thrilled at the prospect of returning to camp, he wasn’t making any effort to break free from their watch, and so Leopardstrike’s jov was easier than he could have dreamed. In fact, it was so easy that he began to worry, again, over what could possibly have driven the small cat from camp…
‘Alriph, I fink thas it’.
And at those muffled words those same thoughts were again driven away. Instead his attention was tugged to Mossypath, and he found himself purring startled amusement at the garbled speech; her full jaws. But he refrained from commenting: focused, instead, on a quick examination of the prey and the area before nodding his agreement of her words. “I hope so. I doubt you could carry more if you tried.”
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Post by Dreamgate on Oct 24, 2018 15:07:43 GMT
The large she-cat nodded in silent reply and continued to pad forward. She wasn’t going to keep the conversation going - not only were her jaws full, but they also needed to get Dustykit back to camp quickly and swiftly. Giving a quick glance up the tree canopies, she guessed it was getting dark as sunlight was no longer pouring in through the leaves, and the light that did seep through was dim and weak.
Mossypath kept glancing back towards Leopardstrike and Dustykit as they got closer to camp. She noticed that Dustykit was beginning to tremble with each step - she guessed that he could tell that camp was only a few more whiskers away, and with that was coming the responsibility of explaining himself.
She wasn’t exactly sure how the small kit will respond to his parent’s presumed shock and outrage, after all, if he could barely mutter a sentence to her and Leopardstrike, how will he be with his parents? Sighing to herself, she paused a couple of tail-lengths away from the camp entrance, waiting for the two to catch up. “We’re here” She mumbled, her words muffled again by the prey.
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Post by Greymuzzles on Nov 9, 2018 9:25:05 GMT
He’d half-hoped, in truth, for some returning quip or grumble—even Tigerheart often gave those—but instead Mossypath remained silent in the face of his partial tease; only nodded her acknowledgement and pressed ever onwards towards camp. He supposed that was to be expected, given that she was carrying their prey, but he sensed a trickle of vague disappointment all the same. The entire tone had changed since they’d found the kit, and though that meant a fading of the awkwardness—though that made sense, given the importance of seeing Dustykit home—the earlier lightness was still something to be missed. Still, he didn’t trouble himself on it overmuch, for the kit remained the centre of his concerns, and there was plenty to worry about just in him.
Dustykit’s nervousness wasn’t fading with the camp’s approach. Positioned as he was it was easy for Leopardstrike to read the little tom’s behaviour as they drew ever closer to home, and he didn’t miss the trembling that claimed him in the later stages of their trip. That, in some ways, was more worrying than finding him wandering the forest alone, and a frown touched the spotted tom as he saw it; as he wondered at the cause. Was this just a kitten dreading their parent’s response to what was, frankly, a gross breach of clan rules? Or was it something else—something worse?
He had no way to know—not with the kit refusing to speak to them—but it was hard to imagine the problem being more than a parent’s ire: and he clung to that, hoping it was so. Telling himself that were there something more someone would have seen it before, for there were many queens; many cats; countless eyes to spot any wrongs. Surely the whole clan could not miss it were there something of true concern…
‘We’re here.’
Leopardstrike flicked his ears, briefly turning his gaze the she-cat’s way as he caught those simple words. A moment later his attention was back on the kit, and he encouraged him onwards with a gentle nudge; hesitated a moment before offering a final murmured “if there’s something bothering you, Dustykit, there are plenty of cats you could talk to…”
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Post by Dreamgate on Nov 10, 2018 21:46:01 GMT
Standing by the camp entrance, Mossypath patiently waited for Dustykit as he was gently nudged and urged on to finally be back home. But once again, the small kit’s moon-like eyes sparked with fear as he realised that there was no way in escaping the upcoming events that were bound to unfold as he stepped paw into camp.
Mossypath’s war flicked towards Leopardstrike as he murmured encouragement to the small tom, but in vain, instead of moving forward and entering camp, Dustykit’s short fur spiked up and he made a small effort to turn back. “No!” he whimpered.
Panicking for a moment, Mossypath dropped her prey and slowly padded beside Leopardstrike and Dustykit, falling down onto her haunches.
“It’s alright, little one, calm down.” She soothed, letting her tail touch the small kit’s back. But Dustykit wouldn’t have it; he squirmed uncomfortably and continued to whimper. “I can’t go to camp - Amberfrost will be mad!”
Stepping back a bit, Mossypath looked at Leopardstrike for assistance. She was very flustered by Dustykit - not only was he far out of camp, but he acted peculiarly when talked to or comforted, and with this, Mossypath had no idea how to act.
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Post by Greymuzzles on Jan 13, 2019 21:43:29 GMT
Ooc: Once again, very sorry for how delayed this is!
Bic: These words, at last, finally prompted a response—but it was not of a kind to make any cat glad; not an answer that could bring triumph, however small, to his form. Instead Leopardstrike stared down at the smaller tom with puzzled, fretful eyes, for Dustykit bristled as if about to be confronted with something from his nightmares: even attempted to turn about and vanish into the forest once more. Indeed, had the spotted warrior not been right behind him, half-incidentally blocking his path, he was almost certain that their hunt would have been shifted to a search: but as it was he was able to bar the kitten’s way. Further prevent his flight by reaching out a paw to fully block his path.
And then Mossypath was there, her voice soothing and her manner gentle: her entire approach so clearly geared towards calming him down. That impressed Leopardstrike—who would have expected such from a Boar—but it had no impact on Dustykit himself: even seemed to make things a little worse. But from that, at least, rouse a clearer indication of what was causing the kit’s distress—and perhaps all the quietness of before—and though the tom was bemused by that, he was also a little glad. They could do nothing before, when they didn’t know the shape of the problem, but perhaps now they could find some small way to put him at ease…
Or rather, perhaps now Leopardstrike himself could find the solution they so clearly needed. The she-cat, again, seemed to be too lost to assist—she was already backing off; casting a pleading look his way—and that as much as the kit’s words drew a sigh from his jaws; threatened to push an exasperated slump into his frame. But he held his stance steady, quietly sitting before them both and setting his eyes back on the kitten’s form – watchful lest he make another attempt to ‘escape’.
“She probably will be,” he agreed, keeping his tone soft: allowing an apology to wrap his words. It likely wasn’t what the kit wanted to hear, but it was the truth, and lying would only make things worse. “But it’s because she cares, Dustykit. She’ll probably be thinking of all the ways you could have gotten hurt—and that kind of thing can make anyone a little sharp.”
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Post by Dreamgate on May 3, 2019 14:21:56 GMT
OOC: Completely fine, I'm doing a terrible job on being active, so I'm no better
Dustykit felt slightly soothed by the silver tom's words, though not enough. Leopardstrike had confirmed the idea that Amberfrost will be upset, if not angry. This made the small kit's anxiety rise and in response he sat onto the ground with a loud thump and closed his eyes shut, focusing on the feeling of being in the nursery, snuggled close to his mother and nest.
“I won't go! I will stay here if I have to...”
He whimpered, almost without a second thought. He didn't want to be out here in the forest, he wanted to be with Amberfrost in the nursery, yet the idea of being confronted by his mother or any other cat made his legs feel weak.
“Come now, little one. Leopardstrike is right, there's no denying that Amberfrost may be slightly heated at the news of you leaving camp, but staying out here in the forest in effort to avoid confronting your mother is no way to go.”
Mossypath commented, lowering herself onto her haunches once more as she comforted the small kit. “The sooner you're safe in your nest, the sooner this'll all be over, and surely you don't wish to stay out here forever?” Smiled the large she-cat, her voice soothing and gaze gentle. Leopardstrike's words had seemed to ease out the small kit, now they just needed to completely relax the kit and go back to camp. And for what feels like the first time ever, Mossypath's words seemed to have helped too. The kit briefly looked back down at the floor and his paws, however nodded loosely marking his agreement. Finally!
The blue-furred she-cat stood up, picking up any dropped prey and smiled at Leopardstrike and the kit. “Let's go then.”
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Post by Greymuzzles on May 6, 2019 18:46:09 GMT
Even as he said them, he wasn’t sure if he’d picked the right words – and that uncertainty only grew at the kit’s response. He would have expected the smaller tom’s reaction to be either positive or negative, but instead it proved a curious mixture of both: a tangible relief tangled with lingering tension; open rebellion. He wasn’t too sure what to do with that, in truth, and as consequence he was left staring a moment as Dustykit flopped to the ground and refused to be moved.
…He couldn’t help but think how pointless that statement was. The kitten might be close to his apprenticeship, but he was still small enough to be picked up should circumstances demand it, and that meant that, in a way, there wasn’t really a choice. If Dustykit didn’t want to walk into camp then he could be carried—but Leopardstrike would much prefer that this problem not be ‘solved’ in that way. It would, he suspected, only make things worse…
And thankfully it didn’t come to that. Mossypath intervened once more, and this time, at last she managed to get the little tom to see sense. Leopardstrike puffed a faint sigh of relief as he spied that change—saw that tiny nod—for whilst it was plain that something still troubled their counterpart this relenting did, at least, mean that he would soon be safe once more. They had managed to whittle down that last and most immediate of issues without resorting to picking him up, and that was good, for it was much better that Dustykit returned of his own free will.
“It’ll be fine—you’ll see,” he got back to his paws as he loosed those last gentle words; gave the kit a careful, encouraging nudge to coax him on. They had won a victory of sorts, but even so Leopardstrike was faintly troubled, for the kit’s earlier behaviour suggested something more. Some bigger, more serious problem still tucked firmly from view…
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Post by Dreamgate on May 28, 2019 23:52:54 GMT
Mossypath smiled encouragingly at the kit as Leopardstrike gently coaxed him with a nudge forwards. Hesitantly, Dustykit placed a paw forward, and then another until he began slowly walking forwards towards the camp entrance. The large she-cat was relieved to have the kit finally cooperating with them and following them back to safety, however the reason why Dustykit was out in the woods in the first place was still unclear and Mossypath knew that something was amiss. A bigger issue was hidden and only the small kit would be able to help uncover it. Making a quick glance towards the petite frame of Dustykit, Mossypath knew that getting anything out of him will be a hard task within itself. She wondered if Leopardstrike was thinking the same thing.
Entering the clearing, Mossypath padded over to the fresh-kill pile and hastily dropped all prey before quickly returning to Leopardstrike and the kit. So far, the clan hasn't noticed that the two warriors arrived in company of a kit, but she was sure someone was bound to realise soon enough. But before any cat started questioning the two, Mossypath came to stand beside Leopardstrike and leaned in, making sure she was out of ear-shot of any cat.
"We should tell Ashstar of Dustykit first thing, then lead him off to his mother" She declared, awaiting the tom's agreement, or disapproval.
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Post by Greymuzzles on Jun 2, 2019 9:58:04 GMT
He wasn’t sure, even in that moment, if the kitten was going to cooperate as he ought. There was still a very real chance that he might decide to rebel still more, despite his apparent relenting, and it was only when Dustykit took his first few tentative step forwards that Leopardstrike began to believe that the problem had been resolved. Only when the kitten walked forwards properly, showing no signs of trying to dart aside, that the tom felt the doubt slide from his form. There was still some underlying problem tangled into the situation, he knew, but at least there would be no need to go chasing after a rebellious Boar.
That was a relief, to say the least. That allowed the tom to re-enter the camp with something like ease once more wound about his frame, but even so the worries still lurked within his brain. Something was wrong here, and his inability to guess just what that something was troubled him, half-distracting him as he padded along in his companion’s wakes.
‘We should tell Ashstar of Dustykit first thing—’
“What?” Leopardstrike blinked, eyes flickering back to Mossypath’s frame as he was drawn from his wayward thoughts. For a moment he merely stared at her, almost at a loss, but then her words sank in and his gaze shifted on across the camp, drawn to the oak that their leader called his own. There was a sense to the Boar’s words, he knew, but even so he hesitated, wondering if Ashstar really needed to be disturbed. Dustykit had been brought back safely, after all, and their leader was a busy cat: surely had countless other concerns…
“Perhaps…we should just take him to Amberfrost,” his words came slowly; betraying his uncertainty. “She must be frantic.”
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Post by Dreamgate on Aug 7, 2019 21:41:28 GMT
Mossypath saw the tom hesitate at her suggestion, but soon nodded as she took in Leopardstrike's concerns and suggestions. Indeed Amberfrost ought to be frantic about the situation, after all, any queen would be if they found out their kit was out in the middle of the woods all on their own. She made a glance around the camp, expecting to spot the queen running around camp in search for her kit, expecting some sort of commotion amongst the clan as the news of a missing kit spreads through camp like a plague. However, to her surprise, all was calm. Not one cat seemed to be concerned about any matter, not one soul could be found to be in dismay.
"Strange to not see Amberfrost yet..." Mumbled Mossypath to herself before realising she spoke aloud.
"Ah, yes. You're right, we should take Dustykit to his mother first, however this must be reported to Ashstar. Anything could've happened to Dustykit if we hadn't come, I'm sure Ashstar would want to enforce the rule of no kits going outside camp to ensure this doesn't happen again. Now that Dustykit has been outside he might gossip of his ventures to the others and so they might feel encouraged to go outside too." Her whiskers twitched, she knew that she may be overshooting things, but its better to be safe than sorry. Even if Dustykit doesn't seem much of a gossiping type. Glancing at Leopardstrike, she wondered if he understood where she was coming from and patiently awaited his opinion on the matter.
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Post by Greymuzzles on Aug 16, 2019 19:13:15 GMT
In truth, it hardly needed saying. Dustykit was far from the only kit to escape their mother’s eye—though few made it beyond the camp’s boundaries—and a queen’s reaction to such events was virtually identical every time. They panicked. They rushed around camp, trying to locate the missing kitten; rousing every other cat in sight. And Leopardstrike couldn’t blame them for that, either, for even in the valley there were any number of things that could claim a young cat’s life—or at the very least injure them. It was lucky they had found Dustykit when they had, really…
But even so, there was a problem with his supposition. Amberfrost should have been frantic, and the clan should have been in uproar, but he realises even as he said it that there was no such chaos in sight. No; the camp was as calm and quiet as could be, and the realisation settled him, for under the circumstances it simply wasn’t right. Where was the queen? Had she not noticed? But they had found Dustykit a good distance from camp—been delayed by his reticence at that—so surely he should have been missed. Surely she should be looking.
Leopardstrike frowned towards the nursery, uncertainty sinking into his fur like rain. The sense that there was something wrong here had been growing since they’d found the little tom, and for a moment he found himself teetering on a ledge, unable to see what should be done. He was only half-listening to his counterpart, twitching vague acknowledgement of her words, for the problem circled closely around his frame, occupying most of his thoughts. Revolving at last into two simple truths: Dustykit was healthy and unharmed, and the nursery was where he belonged.
“Maybe,” it was an unhelpful answer, betraying his lack of attention to her talk, but he trusteed that what they should do second could be faced once they had dealt with the first. It was better to take things one step at a time, sometimes. “Let’s just…get Dustykit back to his mother, for now.” He shifted forwards as he said it, gently nudging the kitten in question: telling himself that if Amberfrost wasn’t frantic, then she simply hadn’t had the time. Perhaps she’d taken a nap. Perhaps it was something else so benign.
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Post by Dreamgate on Feb 7, 2021 20:56:26 GMT
Mossypath had noticed Leopardstrike's eyes drifting towards the direction of the nursery the entire time she was speaking, how he bobbed his head along to her words and finished off with a lacklustre "maybe,". She flicked an ear at that but wasn't about to take it to heart, she could tell something was concerning him and she had a hunch that it was something to do with Amberfrost, perhaps he was also wondering about the she-cat's whereabouts?
"Let's just... get Dustykit back to his mother, for now."
Nodding curtly in approval, Mossypath moved in front of the tom and kit and lead them towards the nursery. Peeking her large nose inside, Mossypath felt the warm scent of milk waft around her. It was always a pleasant and nostalgic smell that brought around precious memories of kithood, a period in her life that was the most peaceful. A time where she was still bright-eyed and hopeful, a time where she was just another happy family. Granted, it's been many moons since her early days and her memories of it are incredibly hazy, but the warm feeling of her mother's fur was ever present. No matter how many moons and seasons pass, no matter how grey Mossypath's muzzle will get, she'll never forget how soft and full of love her mother's touch was.
Mossypath gazed around the nursery, her amber eyes glistening as she tries to remember how her mother looked like sleeping within the nursery. She could almost see the form of the pale grey she-cat before she got interrupted.
"Mossypath? What brings you here?"
She quickly blinks herself back to the present and sees Amberfrost sitting up in her nest, her fur glistening where she had just groomed herself. Mossypath finally entered inside, curiously watching Amberfrost, wondering why she appeared so calm.
"Ah, sorry if I'm interrupting, but we found Dustykit wandering around on his own so we came in to bring him back to the Nursery." Explained Mossypath, leaving out the detail of him being found outside the entire camp. She wasn't going to keep it from Amberfrost, of course, however she wanted to figure out how she hadn't noticed Dustykit's disappearance for the day. With the length of Dustykit's tiny legs and the distance he was from camp meant that he had been outside for a while, enough to make any queen concerned and worried.
"Oh, did you? Sorry about that, he often likes to wander around by himself for a bit, heh. I hope he wasn't causing too much trouble for you, he's usually well behaved and doesn't go anywhere he is isn't supposed to. Where was he?" Amberfrost smiled curiously at Mossypath. Well, this is as good as any time to let out the truth. Just in time, Dustykit also was just shuffling awkwardly into the Nursery, eyes glued to the floor and tail tip quivering. Mossypath sighed to herself, she couldn't help but sympathise with the kit. Though, of course, him venturing out of camp was extremely dangerous and he had to learn that that was not allowed, not even apprentices are allowed to leave camp without permission or supervision. However, Dustykit was just, well... A kit. Though they couldn't get the full truth out of him concerning why he left in the first place, Mossypath had a feeling that Dustykit didn't leave out of sheer curiosity or desire for adventure. He always looked scared and made himself look even smaller than he already is. Something must've pushed him to leave, but what could be troubling a kit so young? They're not yet acquainted with the troubles of apprenticeship or warrior duties, it's not the cold season where he had to worry about whether or not he'll be eating for the day or not.
Suddenly, Mossypath remembered her own kithood once again, except this time her memories weren't filled with the scent of milk and love, instead she remembered how her own parent's relationship began to crumble right before her eyes. How words were spat like venom and fur spiked up like needles, the hatred in her parent's eyes blazing and growing every passing moment. At the time, Mossypath herself felt like she could've ran away too, she definitely thought about it at least. Yet something kept her inside the walls of the Nursery anyways. It's not impossible for Dustykit to be experiencing something similar, or something else that irks him. But what? The little tom refuses to talk or speak on the matter, perhaps Amberfrost will able to soothe him and talk through it all?
"Well, we actually found him quite a distance away from camp, luckily unharmed, however anything could've happened to him if Leopardstrike and I weren't there to find him." Mossypath gave a glance towards Leopardstrike, wondering what her counterpart was thinking of the situation.
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Post by Greymuzzles on Feb 8, 2021 16:09:52 GMT
Leopardstrike truly hoped that there was nothing to worry about, but the doubts and questions circled him like a swarm of bees all the same. No matter how much he tried to reason through it there was no denying that something wasn’t right here, and his pelt prickled with unease as he found that thought impossible to push away. A kit should be bold, and yet Dustykit shook on his own four paws. A queen should be frantic, and yet Amberfrost was still tucked away, the camp as quiet as if her only kit was nestled against her frame.
He didn’t like the inconsistencies—not at all—but there was nothing to be done but to make sure Dustykit was back in the den and safe. It seemed that Mossypath had come to the same conclusion too, for she was already heading that way; soon vanishing in to the nursery’s warm gloom. That really took any lingering debate out of the moment, so with a sigh the spotted tom nudged the kitten forwards; followed in her wake. They, too, were soon pushing into the quiet space – the pair of them arriving even as the she-cat explained.
Staying silent, Leopardstrike sat in the mouth of the den and wrapped his tail around his paws, keeping Dustykit safely in front of him even as he eyed the queen now set before their forms. It was clear at once that she really hadn’t noticed the little tom’s disappearance, for she was as calm as if he had spent the entire day within her sights; hadn’t been roaming far from home. But there could still be reasonable explanation, couldn’t there? He’d only caught the tail of what the two she-cats had been saying in the moments before their arrival, so he merely offered a slow speculative blink in answer to Mossypath’s glance – then set his own gaze firmly on the queen.
“He must have been out there awhile,” he stated carefully, not wanting to accuse and yet struggling to understand how his absence had not even been seen. Surely the queens should be even more cautious then ever, with the Rogues so fresh in their minds?
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Post by Dreamgate on Feb 27, 2021 20:16:29 GMT
The immediate mention of Dustykit's true location clearly stirred something inside the queen as her fur puffed up in shock and disarray, her eyes grew almost fearful, however anger was nowhere to be present. She jumped on her paws and almost launched herself at the small tom-kit, her large paws pulling Dustykit as close to her as she could managed and her tail wrapping tightly around the two.
"Dustykit! You were outside?! You know you're not allowed outside, dear! It's too dangerous, never go outside!"
Mossypath felt her body and muscles relax a bit as she was able to tell that Amberfrost truly did care and worry for Dustykit, it seems that she had just placed too much trust in him, after all, he's still just a small kit. However, even if they were able to confirm that the Queen's calm demeanour from before was likely just cluelessness and a misplacement of trust, there was still an issue of why Dustykit was out there in the forest in the first place. She wanted to wait until Amberfrost finished her mum-overdrive on Dustykit who by now seemed to be feeling better now that he was with his mother, perhaps he was relieved that Amberfrost was less angry and more relieved to have him be safe. However, Amberfrost showed no signs of stopping, so Mossypath interjected with clearing her throat before proceeding.
"Sorry for interrupting, however Leopardstrike and I, Mossypath subtly nodded her head towards her counterpart. "When we found Dustykit, noticed he was very reserved and refused to explain his reasoning for being out in the forest so far from camp. He didn't look to be out exploring out of curiosity. As you're his mother, I'd suggest trying to talk to him about it, it may turn out to be a deeper underlying issue."
The large she-cat looked back down at Dustykit who immediate turned away from her gaze, avoiding any eye contact. Mossypath flicked her tail tip as she wishfully hoped that Amberfrost might get some answers from him. She was his mother, she knew him and he knew her, this should be a much more comfortable environment for him to talk about his woes. That is, whenever she and Leopardstrike leave, she didn't expect to get any results as two intimidating warriors towered over the kit and queen. She once again glanced at her counterpart, wondering if he'd have anything more to add on the matter. She could tell that he was concerned that Amberfrost hadn't noticed the kit's disappearance sooner. However, Mossypath was fairly convinced it was simply a mishap and nothing more, would her counterpart feel the same?
EDIT: Font and text colour fixes
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Post by Greymuzzles on Mar 2, 2021 19:44:05 GMT
Leopardstrike did not, in truth, know much about how a queen’s mind might work. He’d spent relatively little time around them, so he knew that his assumptions were based mainly on casual and oft-incidental observation, rather than the hard facts that others might use. It was for that reason that he clung to the hope that there might be some innocent explanation: that the she-cat had been napping, perhaps, or that his suppositions were based on flighty queens. Maybe most mothers were calmer about these things. Maybe the frantic searchers he’d seen in the past were the exceptions, and not the rules…
Or maybe not.
Amberfrost’s entire demeanour changed abruptly as she absorbed the fact that Dustykit had strayed outside the camp, and in a trice she was exclaiming over the kitten, fear flashing in her gaze. All her earlier calm had melted clean away, dissolving into the panicked attentions of a mother who knew how easily a kitten might be lost; who would never again let him stray. Leopardstrike blinked bemusedly at the scene, befuddled by how quickly the queen’s attitude had changed, but he also relaxed all the same. There was nothing ominous here, he realised now. Amberfrost had simply had too much faith – which perhaps said a lot about her son’s attitude. Clearly, he was not usually one for causing problems.
“I think we can keep this between ourselves,” the Borderline stated slowly, watching as queen and kit huddled together – and not missing how much calmer Dustykit now seemed. If he could usually be relied on to follow the rules—which his mother’s trust supported—then why bring his wanderings to Ashstar? That would only create unneeded stress…and he couldn’t see this nervous kit opening up before their leader. No, better his own mother deal with this. He tracked his gaze to Mossypath as he made the decision, resolving himself to hold his ground on that point should she decide to argue against it.
“I’m sure you can coax him into explaining to you, Amberfrost – and convince him not to go roaming out of camp again.”
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