Duskpaw and Hollowkit
Duskpaw encounters Hollowkit on his way back from collecting herbs.
DUSKPAW- dark gray-brown tabby tom with a dark mask, tail, and paws; large golden eyes
HOLLOWKIT- white tom
SANDWING- light brown tabby she-cat with white paws
LITTLEKIT- undersized pale cream tom
GREENFLOWER- very dark brown tabby she-cat with piercing green eyes
HOLLOWKIT- white tom
SANDWING- light brown tabby she-cat with white paws
LITTLEKIT- undersized pale cream tom
GREENFLOWER- very dark brown tabby she-cat with piercing green eyes
Duskpaw quieted his pawsteps when he passed near the nursery entrance, where Littlekit was complaining to Sandwing about something. Hollowkit sat nearby, looking dejected.
"Why don't you go play with Hollowkit?" Sandwing sighed. "I'm getting too old for this rough-and-tumble stuff." She lay on her side and gave her kit a tired shove with her paw.
Littlekit's nose scrunched. He let out a tiny hiss. "Cause Hollowkit's too shtupid to pway that game!"
Sandwing lifted her head, green eyes flaring. "Littlekit, your brother is not stupid," she scolded. "Never let me hear you call him that ever again."
"Sowry," Littlekit muttered, ears back.
Duskpaw tried to sneak past the little white fuzzball before he was heard, but one prick of the ears and turn of the head later, Duskpaw knew he had been noticed.
"Duskpaw!" Like a bolt of lightning, Hollowkit bounded up to the medicine cat apprentice, red eyes wide and tail high with excitement. He nearly careened right into Duskpaw's side before righting himself a half-tail length from the older cat. He began to sniff the air intently.
"H... Hey, Hollowkit," Duskpaw greeted nervously. He was always awkward around kits--- always afraid he was going to step on them and make some queen very angry. He was especially nervous of the kits he had named under such an unfortunate circumstance as a sign of doom from StarClan.
But the kit was unaware of any of the thoughts racing through Duskpaw's mind at that moment. His tiny pink nose crinkled. "Wazzat?" He padded closer, nose twitching at a rapid pace. Then he froze, drawing his head back. "You smell funny."
"It's tansy," Duskpaw replied. He took a few small pawsteps toward the medicine den, hoping to evade the little cat as quickly as possible. "Greenflower needs it for Marshfoot's cough. You know he gets cranky when he's sick. Ha ha..." Hollowkit stared blankly up at him, tilting his head in a silent question. "Er... maybe you don't. You're not even one moon old, after all." Duskpaw picked up his pace and scurried off. "See you later, Hollowkit."
Duskpaw breathed a sigh of relief, feeling as if he'd just avoided potential disaster. But then he heard the patter of tiny paws behind him. He growled softly and turned to see the kit bounding after him, that fluffy snow-white tail held high. He shook his head and slipped down the entrance to Greenflower's den, hoping the nearby thornbush would deter Hollowkit from coming too close. "Watch out, little guy. Don't crash into the thorns."
"OK." Then Hollowkit promptly crashed into the thorns with a mewl of shock.
Duskpaw restrained a chuckle, then immediately felt bad for finding a blind kit getting hurt funny. Guilty, He lay down the tansy and padded back around the thornbush. He peered back down at the mortified kit, who seemed more dazed than in pain. "Are you all right? I told you to watch out."
"I thought they was far away," squeaked Hollowkit, scrambling back to his paws.
Duskpaw nudged the kit away with his paw. "Please. Go back to Sandwing before you really hurt yourself," he mewed gently.
Right on cue, Sandwing called Hollowkit's name. Hollowkit's ears flipped backwards. He padded closer to Duskpaw. "But I wanna be with you. You're nice. Littlekit's mean." He pressed his fuzzy white flank into Duskpaw's leg.
Duskpaw's ears burned. He didn't know what to do now. It wasn't as if he could move. Move and risk hurting the little cat? No. All he could do was stand here, awkwardly, as a little white fuzzball leaned into him.
And then Greenflower came to his rescue. The elderly tabby came up from behind Duskpaw and mrowred a little laugh. "Well who do we have here?" she purred.
Hollowkit squeaked in terror.
"It's OK. It's only Greenflower," purred Duskpaw.
"Oh." Hollowkit seemed embarrassed.
"Come along, Hollowkit," purred Greenflower, nudging him along with her nose. "I think I hear your mother calling you."
"But I wanna be with Duskpaw!" Hollowkit wailed. "Littlekit's mean!"
"Brothers usually are," Greenflower assured the kit, continuing to nudge him along. Finally, Hollowkit relented and scurried off toward the nursery, where Sandwing met him with a stable paw and a loving tongue. Greenflower sighed and padded back toward Duskpaw, her grassy green eyes gleaming with amusement. "Believe me, brothers are mean. I should know. I had Marshfoot growing up." She nodded at Duskpaw. "Speaking of Marshfoot, did you get the tansy?"
"Yes! Yes I did." Duskpaw darted around the corner, picked up the tansy, and hurried back to join Greenflower as she padded toward the elders' den.
"Why don't you go play with Hollowkit?" Sandwing sighed. "I'm getting too old for this rough-and-tumble stuff." She lay on her side and gave her kit a tired shove with her paw.
Littlekit's nose scrunched. He let out a tiny hiss. "Cause Hollowkit's too shtupid to pway that game!"
Sandwing lifted her head, green eyes flaring. "Littlekit, your brother is not stupid," she scolded. "Never let me hear you call him that ever again."
"Sowry," Littlekit muttered, ears back.
Duskpaw tried to sneak past the little white fuzzball before he was heard, but one prick of the ears and turn of the head later, Duskpaw knew he had been noticed.
"Duskpaw!" Like a bolt of lightning, Hollowkit bounded up to the medicine cat apprentice, red eyes wide and tail high with excitement. He nearly careened right into Duskpaw's side before righting himself a half-tail length from the older cat. He began to sniff the air intently.
"H... Hey, Hollowkit," Duskpaw greeted nervously. He was always awkward around kits--- always afraid he was going to step on them and make some queen very angry. He was especially nervous of the kits he had named under such an unfortunate circumstance as a sign of doom from StarClan.
But the kit was unaware of any of the thoughts racing through Duskpaw's mind at that moment. His tiny pink nose crinkled. "Wazzat?" He padded closer, nose twitching at a rapid pace. Then he froze, drawing his head back. "You smell funny."
"It's tansy," Duskpaw replied. He took a few small pawsteps toward the medicine den, hoping to evade the little cat as quickly as possible. "Greenflower needs it for Marshfoot's cough. You know he gets cranky when he's sick. Ha ha..." Hollowkit stared blankly up at him, tilting his head in a silent question. "Er... maybe you don't. You're not even one moon old, after all." Duskpaw picked up his pace and scurried off. "See you later, Hollowkit."
Duskpaw breathed a sigh of relief, feeling as if he'd just avoided potential disaster. But then he heard the patter of tiny paws behind him. He growled softly and turned to see the kit bounding after him, that fluffy snow-white tail held high. He shook his head and slipped down the entrance to Greenflower's den, hoping the nearby thornbush would deter Hollowkit from coming too close. "Watch out, little guy. Don't crash into the thorns."
"OK." Then Hollowkit promptly crashed into the thorns with a mewl of shock.
Duskpaw restrained a chuckle, then immediately felt bad for finding a blind kit getting hurt funny. Guilty, He lay down the tansy and padded back around the thornbush. He peered back down at the mortified kit, who seemed more dazed than in pain. "Are you all right? I told you to watch out."
"I thought they was far away," squeaked Hollowkit, scrambling back to his paws.
Duskpaw nudged the kit away with his paw. "Please. Go back to Sandwing before you really hurt yourself," he mewed gently.
Right on cue, Sandwing called Hollowkit's name. Hollowkit's ears flipped backwards. He padded closer to Duskpaw. "But I wanna be with you. You're nice. Littlekit's mean." He pressed his fuzzy white flank into Duskpaw's leg.
Duskpaw's ears burned. He didn't know what to do now. It wasn't as if he could move. Move and risk hurting the little cat? No. All he could do was stand here, awkwardly, as a little white fuzzball leaned into him.
And then Greenflower came to his rescue. The elderly tabby came up from behind Duskpaw and mrowred a little laugh. "Well who do we have here?" she purred.
Hollowkit squeaked in terror.
"It's OK. It's only Greenflower," purred Duskpaw.
"Oh." Hollowkit seemed embarrassed.
"Come along, Hollowkit," purred Greenflower, nudging him along with her nose. "I think I hear your mother calling you."
"But I wanna be with Duskpaw!" Hollowkit wailed. "Littlekit's mean!"
"Brothers usually are," Greenflower assured the kit, continuing to nudge him along. Finally, Hollowkit relented and scurried off toward the nursery, where Sandwing met him with a stable paw and a loving tongue. Greenflower sighed and padded back toward Duskpaw, her grassy green eyes gleaming with amusement. "Believe me, brothers are mean. I should know. I had Marshfoot growing up." She nodded at Duskpaw. "Speaking of Marshfoot, did you get the tansy?"
"Yes! Yes I did." Duskpaw darted around the corner, picked up the tansy, and hurried back to join Greenflower as she padded toward the elders' den.