~ TWISTEDKIT OF WINDCLAN ~
Her tail and jaw were beginning to ache. The cold air and the damp mist made her fur feel wet, but not sodden, as if she'd been rained on and was still in the process of drying off. Twistedkit wiggled her toes and tried to ignore the uncomfortable feeling. Unfortunately, despite her wild medium-length fur, she didn't have enough meat on her bones to keep herself warm, and her pelt had begun to thin because she didn't take adequate care of herself. She fluffed her pelt out, looking like a black puffball, her extremely small ears barely poking out. She was... a little more protected, she guessed. Not perfect, but it was the best she had. Twistedkit tried not to take her eyes off of Twilightstar, whose lilac-gray fur blended with the misty gloom and the great gray rock, yet the noble silhouette and glinting green eye provided a beacon.
I'm scared. It still felt like every cat was looking at her, judging her, hating her. She'd briefly made eye contact with Cinderspirit, but she'd looked away before she could see the emotion in the fluffy gray cat's eyes. Twistedkit didn't want to. She was too scared that it would be full of loathing and hate.
The eyes kept burning into her pelt. She tried not to shake with fear and nerves of being out of the nursery.
Just keep looking at Twilightstar. Just keep looking at Twilightstar... A sudden rough lick to the forehead made Twistedkit squeal and practically jump out of her skin. She was so on edge, she almost fell over, with her mangled tail causing her to lurch to the side, but she caught herself and turned to see who had licked her. It was... Leechscar! Twistedkit remembered him. She'd talked with him and his sister, Dreamlight, back when they'd been apprentices. But why had he licked her? Fireflame did that sometimes to comfort her when she felt sad. A pang of longing for the black-patched queen shook Twistedkit, but she tried not to let it take hold of her as she looked at the massive tabby, whose dark gray fur blended into the mist. He was smiling at her warmly.
Like Fireflame. Feeling a little encouraged, she gave a small smile back, made crooked by her jaw, but the older cat was already turning away and vanishing into the mist. Then he was on the Breezerock, and as Twistedkit angled her head, she noticed another cat up there.
Fallownose. She hadn't noticed the deputy before; he must've been on her blind side.
Twilightstar spoke, and Twistedkit's extremely small ears pricked. Instantly, her heart fluttered.
It's time for me to become an apprentice. And she was going up with another kit... one she hadn't spoken to before. Not that she'd spoken to many cats in a long while.
Butterflykit. The she-kit's working eye flitted to a beautiful fluffy white she-cat who looked old enough to be an apprentice already. Twistedkit wondered why she didn't have her name yet. Had something happened to her? Her pounding heart, the rushing of blood in her ears, and the way her body began to tremble with fear distracted her from her leader's light-hearted tone and the warning not to bump her head on the Breezerock like Badgerpaw, something Twistedkit had not witnessed.
Here I go. Slowly, shakily, the skinny black she-kit lifted a paw, about to move forward.
Suddenly, another voice - heartbreakingly familiar - called her name. Twistedkit turned. At first, she couldn't see the source because of the mist; then an energetic bundle of tan-and-white fur emerged. It was Brightkit. Her foster sister looked so
happy, her brown eyes sparkling, and Twistedkit felt confused. She also felt sad. The last time she'd spoken with Brightkit, she'd been leaving her behind.
But she's happy... she's happy for me. The realization made Twistedkit's heart hurt even more. She'd left Brightkit behind because she'd had to. Because she might've hurt her foster sister because she was bad and naughty and cursed and
different. The friendly lick made her eyes brim, but she forced back the tears and offered the best lopsided smile she could at Brightkit. Was it possible to feel this sad and happy at the same time?
"Th-thank you," Twistedkit mewed. Her voice sounded worse than usual, and her jaw ached; it was not responding well to the cold and wet. But her voice was distinguishable.
"Y-you're a great sister. I-I'm sorry for m-making you sad." The memory hurt so, so much.
But we can be friends again since I'm becoming an apprentice, her mind cried, but the entire Clan was looking at her, expecting her to move, and the pressure was too much. Twistedkit attempted a messy lick on her foster sister's cheek, then turned away, toward the Breezerock.
She felt more confident now, happier, as she stepped up beside Butterflykit. But that didn't stop her insecurities. The mist mostly hid her, but surely all her Clanmates knew that she looked different. Certainly they could see the silhouette of her freakishly long tail, which bent and broke in all sorts of disturbing ways, haloing her body. But she stayed in place and tried not to look at the faces of her Clanmates.
Focus on Twilightstar. Focus on Twilightstar...
@
Moonraven @
Cinderspirit (for the Cinderspirit mention) @
Kat (technically Flutteringkit mention, with the feeling of eyes burning into her; although she's also imagining it with the rest of her Clanmates) @
Undertaker @
Rabbiteye