Post by alee on May 13, 2016 4:22:45 GMT
Tendrils of warm morning sunlight trickled through the bramble opening of the Nursery, fingers of gold stroking at the frost laden floor of the den. A tiny nose twitched under a ball of lumpy fluff, and to an outsider's view, they must've seemed an adorable bundle of fluffy, tangled pelts. There was a small push as hackles shifted beneath the kitten knot, and baby blue optics peered out from beneath the warm mass of bodies.
Hailkit gave one last grunt, and finally he was free; relief washed like a wave over his pelt, and he sucked in a chilled breath, savoring the sting of his lungs at the cold new-leaf air. His fur felt uncomfortably warm, and he had to give himself a firm shake to rid the sticky feeling that was clinging like a mist to his form. The tiny kitten often liked to sleep apart from his litter - although somehow he'd always end up tangled back in their snuggling builds, pressed between two bodies like a compact sandwich. A snort escaped his flared nostrils, kicking up a cold swirl of fog before his very eyes.
He was still very young; it was obvious by the awkward way of which he walked, as if he still hadn't yet mastered full control of his limbs yet, and by his deep and bottomless cerulean optics, a trademark color for kittens just out of their mother's womb. Later on in life they'd mingle and deepen into a striking amber, and his form would lengthen into a lean and lanky shape - though for now, he was practically an adorable ball of fuzz, with oversized ears and long, twitchy whiskers to boot.
Said ball of fuzz glanced back at the forms of his family; without waiting to even ask permission, he turned away and bumbled out of the Nursery. At once he was hit by a blast of refreshing morning wind, carrying with it a tangle of new scents and smells he had yet to learn. ShadowClan camp looked mysteriously beautiful under a coat of heavy hanging fog; it twisted and curled around thick tree trunks, hugged close to the moist and damp earth. Hailkit could capture a few glimpses of other ShadowClan cats as they wandered around; some nestled by the fresh-kill pile, others sharing tongues...they were not what held his interest, however.
A crawling sensation startled the tomcat; immediately he glanced down at a tiny gray paw, only to find a speck of black working its way through his thick baby fluff. An ant! He'd seen a trail of them in the Nursery before, and had badgered at the queens until he'd finally learned of its name. Hailpaw backed up, then with a wriggle of his haunches crouched low; they were almost always traveling in a line - at least, the ones in the Nursery had, and it seemed these were too. "Hello," he breathed, curiosity alighting in his frosted blue gaze; his pupils followed each and every one, and he began to count under his breath. "One ant, two ants...three ants, four ants...and -" The last finally worked its way off his paw. A quiet rumble built in his throat. "Five." They were cute - little black creatures, obviously not prey, and he found himself completely captured by their relentless determination.
He pulled himself up, and began to follow.
Soon the small kitten had reached the very edge of camp. The ants continued on in their formation, rarely breaking ranks, unless something was to startle them. They were moving through the underbrush now. Immediately he made to follow them.
tags;; open!! <3
