&&. d e s t i n e <to> f a i l ;

[kee]

<sub>Why couldn't kits leave camp? That was a good question. Willowkit did it all the time. It was quite easy for her to leave camp without anyone spotting her because no one cared about her since her foster mother died only a moon ago. She had no sibling, her mother was dead and she didn't know who her father was. She was alone in the world.
Willowkit was a cheerful kit around other kits but deep inside she was lonely and empty. She was a very responsible young kit and always knew how to make someone smile but really, she wasn't smiling on the inside. She never was.

The young stone gray she-cat sat down beside the lake, looking at her reflection in the water. Her yellow eyes shined brightly against the dark rippling water. She sat at the very edge of the water, her claws touching the water and making slight ripples.
Getting down to the lake wasn't a problem, it was climbing back up. The ravine wasn't that steep, it was just hard to see what was in front of her at night when she went back to camp. Willowkit never wanted to leave her lake. The trees at the bottom of the ravine provided shade and hiding places from hunting warriors. The lake provided water to drink and swim in. She loved it but that was the only thing she loved about this place...

All she wanted to do, was find her father...</sub>

[SHADE. :D]

Four small paws pattered the springy grass as Hyenapaw trotted in the shade of a path of trees. The light ginger tom bore a newly healed slash on one shoulder, and was missing a fair amount of fur on one flank. The light ginger apprentice pricked up his ears as he picked up the faint plip of the lake. The apprentice ventured towards it, wondering who was there. Not many of the SerenityClanners were well enough to be out of camp after the fight against Chaosfire and her rogues.
Hyenapaw recognized the small frame of Willowkit sat beside the waters edge. The tom padded towards the kit, not making his presence a secret as he did not want to make the young she-cat jump. Sitting beside her, he smiled. "Kits aren't supposed to be out of camp," he told her in a mock stern voice, one Octoberlies used on him all the time. Rolling over onto his back and revelling in the feeling of the grass cool against his fur, he added -
"I'll let you off, this once."

[kee]

<sub>Cat!
Willowkit wanted to run and hide but maybe, just this once, someone should find her, bring her back to camp, and yell at her. She would hide in the lonely nursery. She didn't look behind her nor did she take in his scent. She knew it was a tom by the way he walked. His bulky step could be heard from anywhere. Sighing, she whipped around to face him when kits shouldn't be out. She hated his tone of voice that he used. She glared at him with her piercing yellow orbs. It was Hyenapaw. He wasn't that much older than she was. The light ginger apprentice rolled onto his back and added that he would leave it go. Her glare hardened and she let out a hiss. "For your information, Hyenapaw," she spat his name in disgust, "No one cares if I am out here. Being out of camp in the shade of the ravine is way better then being ignored in camp." She growled, her ears flat on her head. She whipped her head around to face the water. Willowkit dug her sharp claws into the damp ground.

All she was trying to do was keep her tears back.</sub>

[SHADE. :D]

Hyenapaw's eyes narrowed in surprise and anger. The sppprentice rolled onto his paws, ginger fur bristling. "Joking!" he hissed at her. "Can't you take a joke?" Hyenapaw rolled his eyes at her self-pity. "Get used to it!" he hissed. "I never knew my parents either, and my sister died! I'm not moping around feeling sorry for myself, am I?" The apprentice turned his back on Willowkit, his good mood spolied by the kit's unexpected venom. The tom tore at a clump of grass with his claws, frustration bubbling up inside of him.

[kee]

_{Joking? He was joking? Willowkit hated jokers. She hated cats that played stupid tricks on her and treated her like mousedung. How rude he was to her. How rude she had been to him. Though, the she-cat didn't care that much. She felt as though she wanted to claw his eyes out. He wasn't like her. He had friends who cared about him. Willowkit knew of no one who cared for her.
Deep inside, this young cat was an adventurer. She was one that loved to take chances and get in trouble. She just didn't have the excitement in her to do it. All she wanted to do was find someone who cared. Hyenapaw sure didn't. She hissed under her breath, her eyes holding back tears as she tore at the grass.
"You have friends," she breathed softly. It was like her anger was torn from her with her kindness. She had no fury in her heart. She was just so sad that she couldn't hold it back. She had let it out on a cat that barely knew her and she barely knew him. She didn't mean to hurt him or ruin his day.
Willowkit's bright yellow eyes were emotionless as her claws relaxing and her breathing steadied. She stared into the lake. The gray she-kit thought she saw her eyes turn a dark blue, and her pelt turn to an earthy brown color. Her fur had grown but once she blinked again, it was all gone. She looked away and up at Hyenapaw, who had turned his back on her.
"I'm sorry, Hyenapaw," she mewed quietly as she turned her whole body toward him. Her bright yellow eyes full of sadness. She had not known he had never met his parents and she did not know that he had a sister.
"It's just that I know that my father is out there some where out there.... And I feel as though I must find him," she sighed, looking back over the lake.}

[SHADE. :D]

Hyenapaw let out a snort at her mutter of 'you have friends'. He was about to pad away, back to somewhere where he could be alone, when the annoying kit spoke again. He turned around again, surprised. The ginger apprentice remained where he was, but flattened his bristling fur and let his ears prick up again. "I know," he murmured. "My mother's dead, Octoberlies told me that much... But I wonder who my father was, or is, or whatever." The apprentice felt all of his frustration bubble up inside of him. "He could be anyone, but I'd never know." Hyenapaw suddenly let out a hiss of fury and struck a nearby branch, which had fallen from its tree, with his forepaw. It skidded, rolled, then disappeared into the water with a plop. His paw throbbed where he had hit it, but he felt a bit better.

[kee]

<sub>Willowkit's stone gray pelt rippled as a harsh wind blew past, blowing the leaves on the branches far above her head. She shivered and huddled next to a large tree that stood near the edge of the lake. She watched Hyenapaw and listened to him closely. He was looking for his father as well. But he was right. Her father could be anyone. He could be a cat that she knows so well or he could be a loner that ran away a long time ago. He could be in another Clan or even, he could be dead.

What the apprentice did next startled Willowkit. His hiss and the fury that he put into hitting the tree scared her but she didn't know why. She watched with her big yellow orbs as the branch rolled down the bank and into the water with a plop. She looked back up at him and shivered again. Finally, she stood straight and padded over to him. Her small dainty paws barely made a sound as she briskly walked. When she reached the ginger tom, she gentle nuzzled his shoulder.

"Don't worry, Hyenapaw," she mewed softly pressing against him for comfort. "You will find your father some day."</sub>

[SHADE. :D]

Hyenapaw breath came in angry gaspsm but Willowkit's touch on his shoulder seemed to calm him a little. "I wouldn't mind if I'd known them, but they'd died," he said under his breath. "But to never know them. To be honest, I think I'd be pretty angry with my father if I ever met him." The apprentice sighed, then asked; "How old are you anyway? Shouldn't you be an apprentice?" Hyenapaw had never really kept track of the kits' ages.

[kee]

<sub>Willowkit had just realized how small she was compared to Hyenapaw. She couldn't touch him with her muzzle much farther then his shoulder without having to reach. She was wasn't very small compared to the other kits her age. Actually, she was quite normal sized for her age but she ate barely anything making her look skinny. She was born lithe and thin. She would always be that way.

As she listened to him, Willowkit understood what he meant. If her father was a cat in SerenityClan that she had known her whole life and he had never told her that he was her father, she would be mad at him if she found out as well. Her small head slowly bobbed up and down as if to nod but she stared off into the distant of the lake.

What he said next startled her. She didn't care when she got her mentor, just so she did. She had a few more days until she was officially seven moons old so it was a little late for her to get a mentor. Willowkit had no idea if Jasminestar knew this. She was too shy to talk to her Leader about it. Maybe if she told Hyenapaw, he would help. Sighing, she leaned her head against the ginger apprentice. "I'm seven moons old," she muttered softly.</sub>

[SHADE. :D]

Hyenapaw nodded. "I thought so." The light ginger tom sat down, his tense body relaxing somewhat. The apprentice's green eyes skimmed the lake. "I was seven moons when I was made an apprentice," he told Willowkit. He had been irritated that his apprenticeship had been a moon late, but Willowkit did not seem too bothered. "I'm eight, now." Hyenapaw thought for a moment, staying silent, then added; "I could ask Octoberlies to talk to Jasminestar, if you want. Or I could."

[kee]

_{Willowkit sighed softly, sitting down next to the older tom. She listen silently to what he had to say. She realized that they had more in common then what she thought. He was only one moon older then her and he had only been an apprentice for about a moon. She tilted her head to the side as her eyes looked across the lake. Her small lips curled into a slight smiled and she nodded slowly. "That would be really great if either you or Octoberlies could tell Jasminestar," she mewed quietly looking over at the ginger apprentice with a soft gaze but then she sighed. "We probably should get back to camp before they start looking for you and then find me," she murmured and then her smile widened. "Not that it would be your fault."}