[iliri]

Kestrelkit
medium-furred, gray-and-orange calico molly with heterochromatic green-and-blue eyes
purrks: n/a
she/her | thc kit | 1 moon

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To be fair, the young feline didn’t understand quite much of what was going on outside of the nursery. Kestrelkit had kept herself nestled against her littermates and Mama Drizzlecloud for most of her short life, tucked away in the warmth of the den. But today, curiosity had pricked at her like a thorn, especially when she heard the muffled hum of commotion outside. Her tiny ears, freshly opened and still adjusting to the overwhelming world of sounds, twitched in confusion as voices blurred together in her mind. Some part of her, instinct perhaps, recognized that something important was happening just beyond the safety of the nursery walls. Despite her natural cautiousness, something else burned brighter in her—a spark of festering determination. Slowly and awkwardly, she stretched her legs, her tiny claws scraping against the cold, frozen ground as she took her first few steps into the outside world. The chill of winter hit her instantly. Snow clung stubbornly to her fur, its cold bite sharp against the warm pads of her untested marbled paws. She hesitated, feeling the icy weight press into her, but her resolve hardened. She was not going to let something as simple as cold stop her. Kestrelkit’s mismatched eyes scanned the scene before her, squinting against the brightness of the snow. There were so many cats, all bustling and shifting with one another, and her attention darted from one to the next. Two figures on a large rock stood out, their positions commanding attention. Were they the most important cats?

She blinked, uncertain, as a surge of unfamiliar anxiety prickled beneath her fur. The sheer scale of the camp felt suffocating, its vastness making her small frame seem even tinier. The voices that had blurred together before now rang sharper in her ears, but their words were still indecipherable, a chaotic symphony of overlapping tones. Her mismatched eyes darted nervously from one unfamiliar face to another, her breath catching as she noticed how large and imposing the warriors seemed. Kestrelkit’s tricolored tail tucked close to her side as she shifted her weight from paw to paw, the icy ground beneath her sending shivers through her unsteady legs. The cold stung worse than she’d expected, its sharp bite seeping through her fur and clinging to her exposed paws. Her resolve wavered for a moment, a voice in her mind urging her to turn back, to retreat to the safety of Drizzlecloud’s warmth. But the spark of determination she’d felt earlier, rather fragile but persistent, flickered again within her ribs. Then she saw her. Rosekit was just ahead, her brown tabby pelt a striking contrast against the pristine snow. Her sister’s tiny form was wobbling unsteadily toward the center of the camp, a curious bundle of fearlessness that Kestrelkit couldn’t help but envy—and worry about, at the same time. A sharp pang of dread twisted in her chest as she watched Rosekit stumble and then flop dramatically into the snow, her little body wriggling as if testing the cold.

Kestrelkit hesitated, her claws kneading nervously into the frozen ground. The world outside the nursery was so much bigger and louder than she’d imagined, and stepping any further felt like crossing an invisible line she wasn’t ready for. But Rosekit was out there, alone and vulnerable, and the thought of her sister getting hurt gnawed at Kestrelkit’s insides. She swallowed hard, her throat dry despite the harsh chill, and forced her trembling legs to move. The snow seemed deeper than it should have been, each step a clumsy struggle as her tiny paws sank into the icy surface. The wind nipped at her fur, both sharp and unrelenting, carrying with it the unfamiliar scents of the camp. Her heart pounded in her chest, her mismatched gaze flickering nervously toward the towering figures of warriors nearby. What if one of them noticed her? What if they thought she was too small and weak to be out here? Ignoring the continuous screaming in her chest, the tiny feline pressed on, her mismatched eyes fixed on Rosekit and another kit she briefly recognized—Oakkit, whose brown fur and striking blue eyes stood out against the white expanse of snow. Kestrelkit’s heart twisted as she saw Oakkit attempting to drag Rosekit back toward the nursery, their small forms dwarfed by the vastness of the camp.

The calico hesitated once more, her paws sinking deeper into the snow as if the icy ground were trying to hold her back. Her breath puffed in small clouds as she steeled herself, swallowing the lump of anxiety in her throat. The logical part of her wanted to retreat, to let someone bigger and stronger handle the situation. But a louder voice—one full of budding courage and determination—pushed her forward. She moved toward them, her paws crunching softly in the snow, trying not to attract attention but unable to stay hidden in the open camp. Her legs quivered, her tail tucked tightly against her flank, but she forced herself onward. When she finally reached the other kits, she stopped a short distance away, her mismatched gaze flicking between them as she struggled to find her voice. “W-what are you doing?” Kestrelkit asked, her tone trembling slightly but edged with concern. She glanced at Rosekit, who was still flopped dramatically in the snow, then at Oakkit, who looked equally determined yet overwhelmed in the younger molly’s eyes. Her question lingered awkwardly in the cold air, and Kestrelkit’s tail flicked nervously as she waited for a response. She wasn’t sure what she could do to help, but she knew one thing for certain: she couldn’t turn back now.

@Dolomedes (children chaos ensues) @burntToast @Weekend-Wondering @c1nder (case you guys wanna join as well <3) @Omari (you as well if you wanna have driz snag the babies) @AnnaPukite