Weaver was chatting with Saplingskies in the clearing. Snappingfox, the cat in charge of her until she "proved her worth to the clan" or whatever, was out on patrol, leaving the young she-cat to her own devices until he got back, and she was bored out of her mind. The little brown former healer was blabbering on about something, and she had been interested in what he was saying originally, honest, but something more pressing had caught her attention; a kitten sitting across the clearing all by theirself while other kits played a few feet away. "Hey," the golden she-cat interrupted the brown tomcat, gesturing with her tail vaguely in the direction of the object of her attention as her voice lowered. "What's with little red over there? Why aren't they rolling around with their friends or whatever?" She whispered, raising an eyebrow at the older tom.
Saplingskies' face fell when he registered who exactly Weaver was referring too. His heart ached for the poor kit as he recalled the night her life was changed forever. It was something no kitten should ever have to experience so young. "That's Crimsonkit..." The former medicine cat began, curling his tail around his paws. His voice was soft, trembling slightly as he thought back to the event. "Her parents were slaughtered right outside our walls... and she was the one unfortunate enough to find them. They were the only family she had, and she hasn't been the same since." As the little tom went on, Weaver's heart sank further and further into her stomach. Life could be so completely cruel sometimes, and it wasn't fair. She didn't even want to think about what it would be like if that happened to her family. "Isn't there something that can be done for her?!" She asked, tail fluffing up a bit as she spoke. Why was she just left to sit by herself while other kits played?
Saplingskies raised his tail, motioning for Weaver to keep her voice down. He understood what she was saying, but things weren't that simple. "Her wounds aren't physical, but they're so deep that no medicine cat will ever be able to heal them... I'm one of many cats who wish there was something that could be said or done to take her pain away, and I pray she'll be okay someday, but there is nothing that can be done besides give her time to heal. That grief is a terrible thing to deal with, especially so young. She needs cats to look out for her." Weaver wasn't quiet very often, but she sat silently for a moment. Saplingskies' words seemed to resonate with her.
'Someone to look out for her, huh? Well, I'M someone.' With that thought in mind, Weaver promptly stood up, and started making her way across the clearing without another word to Saplingskies. The brown nursery cat sighed softly, tail twitching with worry. He could only hope Weaver wouldn't be too bad of an influence on Crimsonkit. A bad influence was the last thing she needed right now. As the golden she-cat reached her destination, she slowed down. She wasn't great with kits, but she knew that a stranger coming at you at top speed could be pretty intimidating. When she got close enough, she stooped down to the kitten's level, offering her a mischievous smile "Hey, you look like you need something fun to do," She said, tilting her head in the direction of the medicine cat den before dropping her voice as to not alert the other kits. "Wanna help me steal some honey from Waspsight?"
Crimsonkit ~ Shadowclan Kitten
Immediately the kitten perked up. It had been so long since she had a sweet treat that the mere thought of honey made her mouth drool. Crimsonkit peered to the other kits that played. None of them paid any mind to them as they whispered lowly. She glanced back to the medicine den and then to Weaver. A small smile appeared on her features as the tip of her tail twitched in excitement.
"Yes, I'll be your lookout!" Crimsonkit whispered as quietly as she could manage, but the kitten was too excited to exactly stay quiet.
She followed right beside the older molly and watched closely as she doodled in the dirt. Her head tilted to the side at the sight. Without context, the drawing looked very odd and would be difficult to keep up with. But, the small kitten was determined to follow through with the plan. The sweet reward of honey was well worth the risk. What kitten could say no to a treat? Definitely not Crimsonkit. With every word Weaver spoke, the kit nodded her head along. It seemed simple enough! She would hide in the bush and look for anyone coming near the den.
The noise was slightly difficult for her to make. She furrowed her brows in thought and took a deep breath. The first chirp came out broken and strained. Even Crimsonkit cringed at the sound she made. She huffed through her nose and puckered her chaps in determination. If Weaver could make the noise, so could Crimson! With another deep breath, she finally made the chirp. It was slightly broken in the middle and not carried out well, but it was a victory nonetheless. Her chest puffed out in pride as she looked at Weaver.
"I did it! Did you hear it?" Crimsonkit cheered, the small kitten bouncing in place. With new confidence in her step, she eagerly followed the feline and slipped into the bush.
Crimsonkit swatted away the many cobwebs and stray branches that lingered in the bush. She was quick to make herself comfy, a small enough dent in the bush to fit in. She mentally noted how quiet it was in the bush. Perhaps she would make this a new get-away spot. Not many would know she was in there and that sounded nice to her. Her golden eyes peered from the green of the bush. She sent Weaver a nervous smile and then she disappeared. Crimsonkit huffed slightly through her nose and then turned her gaze to the opening of the medicine den. All seemed fine now, but she was worried if someone did show up.
Weaver couldn't help but chuckle at the kit's question. "Of course you will, but we'll need to be sneaky." She whispered, wrapping an arm around the little kit to gently pull her closer to her. "If you agree to be my lookout, I'll give you the bigger piece of honeycomb. Do we have a deal?" When the kitten confirmed that a deal had been reached, Weaver nudged her so she would turn and follow her a bit away, as to not draw the attention of the other kits while they plotted. She settled down in a shadowy place, hoping to make their mission seem as sneaky as possible for Crimsonkit.
"Okay, here's the plan," She began, using a claw to sketch out a picture of the den in the dirt in front of them. "See this bush here, right beside the den?" She sketched the bush, then used her tail to point out it's real life counterpart. "You'll wait there and keep watch. Mostly you're gonna be on the lookout for Hareflight and Waspsight. They're out collecting herbs, but they could be back any minute, so keep your eyes sharp." She added Crimsonkit to her sketch, sitting inside the bush, then added the two medicine cats. "Once you're settled in the bush, I'll sneak into the medicine den and grab the honey. Once I have what we're after, I'll run out, and all you gotta do is follow me, got it?"
Once the kit confirmed that she understood the plan, Weaver used her paw to swipe away the evidence of their plotting. "Can you make this noise?" She asked before making a chirping noise that almost sounded like a bird. After Crimsonkit made a noise that sounded similar enough, Weaver nodded. "Good, if you see the medicine cats coming, or anybody coming to the den for that matter, make that sound nice and loud so I'll know to hurry up and get outta there. Now, let's get moving." She signaled with her tail for Crimsonkit to follow, leading the kit along the shadowy edges of camp until they reached their objective. She signaled for Crimsonkit to get in the bush, and once that was done, Weaver slunk out of the shadows, crept her way around the den, and slipped inside without a sound.
As expected, no one was there. Honestly, if there had been, she would've taken the honey anyway. Surely the medicine cats would've been willing to spare it to help cheer up a grief-stricken kitten. Weaver began sniffing around and nosing through the herb shelves, looking for where the golden substance was hidden.
Crimsonkit ~ Shadowclan Kitten
It felt like life was moving without Crimsonkit. All she could bring herself to do was watch the others play and chat like nothing was wrong. Of course, nothing was wrong. Their nests were still warm and always had someone waiting for them. Their mother's scent was fresh every night and they didn't have to dig within the moss to just have a whiff of their parents. It felt like a sad existence for the small kit. It made her chest feel tight every time she had to walk to her empty nest and see the others snuggle close with their family.
Crimsonkit decided to spend most of her hours just outside the nursery. She was fearful spending too much time in her nest would decrease the scent of her parents. Watching the other kittens play was an easy way to forget the red images that plagued her mind. She wanted to run out and finally play, but it felt wrong to pretend everything was okay. So instead, Crimsonkit settled herself down on the ground. Her fluffy tail wrapped itself around her paws as a small form of comfort. There were many times the other kits would invite her to play. But they soon learned Crimsonkit wasn't ready for that. They instead minded their own business and kept a side eye on the grieving kitten.
Her gaze snapped from the playful kittens and to the molly that marched across the clearing. Crimsonkit didn't know many warriors, but she had seen her around the clearing sometimes. She always talked loudly and looked like she was moving with a very important purpose. Her ears flattened against her skull as she realized the molly was heading straight for her. Was she in trouble? Was there a need for more questioning? She shrunk into herself and lowered her small body to the ground. Her head tilted at Weaver and then peered into the medicine cat den.
"Will I be able to have some honey too?" She asked softly, finally rising to her feet after hours of sitting.