[freezing sun] x

[(aurora) of the problematique]

<sub>The wind didn't howl but it was certainly blustery enough for the moment. Cardinals and robins were whistling through the air, but becoming fewer and fewer. Mountains lay in the far distance, mere purple, white, and light blue blots on the horizon. The sun was rising later and setting sooner. Warm days were becoming fewer and fewer as the cats neared the home of their guide.

"My goodness, it's getting colder by the hour, even for it being winter," Aurora commented, the white and black femme's paws deftly traveling the brisk path that laid ahead. She turned her head towards the other, flicking her tail. "How about a hunting lesson to warm ourselves up?" she suggested, sniffing the air. "Anything smell good to you?"

The cold air was nothing she had never experienced before, but it was certainly a chore going back. She had traveled from here with Rowan and Jet after Jonathan had died. She wondered if that village was coming up or if they had passed it.</sub>

[Spice..xx]

<sub>Mottledkit followed Aurora, sticking close to Crystalkit in an effort to keppt them both warm, seeing as Pecankit seemed to want nothing more to do with her. Shivering as the wind whipped around her she drew in her breaths quicker, the cold air hurting her lungs as she breathed it in. She knew it was getting cold. And it was going to get colder, she could feel it in her paws. Fluffing out her pelt she padded on determindly through the wind, still sticking close to Crystalkit.

She looked up as Aurora spoke and nodded her head in agreement to the first comment and again as she mentioned the hunting lesson. "Yes, that should warm us up. And then we wont be totally dependent on you to feed us if we learn how to catch prey ourselves" she said, her voice sounding older and maturer beyond her moons. She looked upwards at the birds flying through the air. "I can smell the birds" she said simply, the scent being wafted into her nostrils by the wind.</sub>[/color]

[SHADE. :D]

It certainly had got colder. The temperature had dropped in a steep slope, and Pecankit now shivered under her thin coat. It had not had time to fully develop into a winter coat yet, and the tabby patterned fur stood up like icicles. Pecankit shuddered, blinking her deep sapphire eyes in the dim light. She heard Aurora speaking, and took a glance around. Aurora strode behind her, Crystalkit was huddled against Mottledkit, and Selenekit and Moonkit were padding side-by-side. Pecankit turned back, feeling very cut off. The she-cat's white paws stung with cold as he walked, though she held her tongue and said nothing. The young cat felt hunger growl in her stomach, but refused to answer Aurora. The stubborn silence stretched on, Pecankit refusing point-blank to end it.

[KURI. (happy birfday to me :D)]

Crystalkit's blue eyes were fixed firmly on the ground as she fluffed out her fur. Not quite long enough to keep her warm, but it would do. She was itching to shed the '-kit' part of her name, because she was certianly not a kit anymore. The white femme had to admit, the moons of travel had made her more ready for anything, but she was still shy by nature. She was like a glass flower: if dropped, she was sure to shatter into a million peices. "I can't smell much of anything," she mewed in her soft voice. Moonkit had always seemed like the best hunter, and Mottledkit didn't have as much training as any of the other kits. In fact, Crystalkit was surprised she could even walk. Crystalkit stopped and looked around, but could smell or hear nothing. "It's really cold," she stated, not really a complaint, more of a fact.

[/blockquote][/color]

[(aurora) of the problematique]

_{Aurora smiled at Mottledkit. "Yes, indeed, there are birds around. Even ground birds, like pheasants and grouses," she said in approval before turning to Crystalkit. "Oh, well, that's okay. We'll try and work on it. You must inhale deep through your nose and mouth to catch the scent so it sticks to your system of smelling." She opened her mouth wide, so wide it scrunched up the scars on her eyes. She chuckled a bit, realizing she looked silly, and closed her mouth. "You try it, Crystalkit." She glanced over at Pecankit and sighed heavily. Twitching her tail towards the she-cat, she nodded her over to the rest of the group. "Come on over here, Pecankit. We're going to try and catch a grouse or pheasant."}

[SHADE. :D]

Pecankit wrinkled up her nose in annoyance as Aurora called her. Stiff-legged, the tabby padded towards the black and white loner. She shot her a glare from narrow blue eyes, before standing a few paces from Selenekit. She half-pricked her ears, though looked the opposite way. She could catch a bird without Aurora's help. Pecankit gave a small sniff, ears flicking. She looked down at her slender white paws, and wondered where they would take her next.

// Crappy post; sorry. Dx

[Spice..xx]

_{Mottledkit glanced over anxiously at Pecankit, not liking seeing the young femme alone and unhappy. She shook her head with a sigh though, knowing she couldnt do anything. She opened her mouth and drew in the scents. She could smell lots of things, but found it difficult to pinpoint what exactly it was that she was smelling. She turned to Aurora, mouth now closed. "What do we do?" she asked seriously, her eyes blurring. She shook her head in annoyance and then looked back up at Aurora.}[/color]

[KURI. (happy birfday to me :D)]

Crystalkit remembered one time when her mother had shared a pheasant with another warrior. "I'd like some, too, Mama!" she had mewed in her small voice. Strangely, her mother seemed to flinch when called 'mama'. "Oh, Crystalkit, you're much too young," she had purred before licking her gently on the head.
Blinking, Crystalkit opened her mouth and drew in scent. She picked up one scent she recognized, but it turned out to be one lone, withered bluebell. "I can't tell one thing from another," she meowed in a monotone way.

[/color][/blockquote]

[FIREH!!]

_{Selenekit was grateful for her companion as they trudged through the cold. She stopped and faced Aurora, Moonkit on one side, Pecankit on the other. Pecankit, She meowed softly, so only the stubborn she-kit's ears could catch her voice, You can walk with me and Moonkit, so you don't freeze. Plus, we both like you, so why don't you stay with us? She suggested. Then she nodded to Aurora and breathed in deeply. She caught the scent of a pheasant. There's a pheasant over there. she meowed softly, flicking her tail in the direction.}

[(aurora) of the problematique]

_{"It's good that you asked, Mottledkit," Aurora said with a small smile. She lowered herself to her belly. "Now, Selenekit just said that there is a pheasant over there." She pointed in the direction that the MoonClanner had pointed out. "We lower ourselves to the ground and follow the scent very carefully and quietly. Then, when we are close on it, we pounce and bite down, aiming for the neck." The grasses separated as Aurora stepped forward, ears perked and tail low. She smelled the pheasant and heard its low warbles from its place on its nest. Solemn breathes exited her twice and then she lunged. The pheasant let out a terrified squawk as Aurora pinned it with some difficulty. Loud snaps resounded twice as the she-cat broke the pheasant's wingbones. The creature squeaked, flapping around uselessly as Aurora let it go. "Allright, we're on even playing ground with the bird. We'll wait until it settles down again before killing it. Selenekit, since you showed us where it was, you can try first. Tail down, quiet steps, lunge to the neck."}

[FIREH!!]

_{Selenekit nodded, lowering herself and her tail to the ground. She crept forward, silently, and lunged. She cracked its neck and backed away sharply. I didn't mean to kill it! You were all supposed to have a try! I'm sorry! I'm so sorry! She scrambled away and hid in some brambles, ashamed.}

[Spice..xx]

Mottledkit looked darkly over at Selenekit. She didnt no why, but she felt hurt and annoyed, like Selenekit was trying to steal her friend. "She was my friend first" she said sullenly, not loud enough for anyone to hear as she glanced towards Pecankit. Deciding to focus on the task at hand rather than the other she watched Aurora carefully as she crept up on the pheasant and broke its wings. Her paws itched for a turn herself but she felt apprehensive too, and was glad Selenekit was going first. She looked over at the coal black she-kit wondering what she would do. She blinked in surprise as Selenekit killed it, not expecting any of them to have killed it first try. She smiled over at the kit as she looked shocked at herself for killing the bird but shook her head to try and show she didnt mind. She did feel a bit downheartened though, she would of liked to have a try.

[/color][/blockquote]

[(aurora) of the problematique]

_{"Nonsense. Nonsense. Selenekit, come back out here. That was an excellent job for your first try," Aurora said, nodding in approval. "Now, I believe your Warrior Code says not to let prey go to waste and thank StarClan for your food." She padded over to the pheasant and pulled it over, the thing twitching slightly in her clutches. She unsheathed her claws and began trying to clear an area out for them to eat besides simply eating feathers. She carved out an area in the stomach region. "We'll have our kill now but for future reference, most kills should be taken back to the group, in case you're hunting alone," she instructed.}

[FIREH!!]

_{Slowly, pawstep by pawstep, the kit returned. Her gaze was downcast as she could tell the kits' disappointment for not being able to have a try. She shook her head when offered the prey, and sniffed the air. She leaped into the branches, and a squeal was heard. she dragged out am ouse that was trying to escape her clutches, and pinned it down. Anyone else want to try? She asked timidly, hoping that they would say yes.}

[Spice..xx]

Mottledkit nodded and dipped her head to Aurora. She stepped forwads and bent her head, taking a small bite of the pheasant. Savouring the delicious taste in her mouth she stepped back to let the other kits in to have some, she wouldnt take any more than one bite until she knew that the others had had some. She watched Selenekit go into the bushes with curious amber orbs, but then shrugged and turned back to the others, giving her face a quick groom form where some of the pheasants blood had got onto her mottled fur.

She jumped as she heard the squeak and whirled round, scared that something had got Selenekit. Her eyes widened in surprise as she saw the mouse and she stepped forward eagerly. "I would like to try, if i may" she said quietly, eyeing the mouse with a mix of apprehension and curiousity.

[/color][/blockquote]

[KURI. (happy birfday to me :D)]

Creeping forward timidly, as if the dead bird could spring back to life at any moment, Crystalkit took the tiniest bite. "It's good," she commented. Why was the only commenting? Where had the outgoing little kitten gone? No, wait -- there never was an outgoing Crystalkit. Only a shy one, as the outgoing Crystalkit was a fake. She had never been very outgoing, and so at one point she decided that she would pretend to be giddy and bright. Why, she never knew. Either way, she seemed to be getting more... dull as the days went on. Swallowing the peice of fresh-kill, she still felt a lump in her throat after it had gone down. Was she going to grow up like this, plain and simple? Not really joining in on anyone's conversations? She envied Pecankit. And Selenekit. And Moonkit. And Mottledkit. But she felt pity for herself. Was self-pity bad? She couldn't tell.

Straitening up, she tried to push it from her mind. "I don't need a turn." Emotionless. Was she masking her feelings? Was she hiding? Or was she just being what she was growing up to be? Crystalkit looked off into the distance and focused on a small aspen tree, trying to force this jumble of thoughts into an orderly list.

[/color][/blockquote]

[FIREH!!]

_{The little kit smiled as Mottledkit walked up to her. Of course you can. She meowed quietly, shifting a bit so Mottledkit could reach the mouse.}

[[xoxo] shard. :)]

<sup>[ooc]:// Oh, I'm sorry guys. I'll try and post more with the plot from now on, I promise. And thank you Aurrie for dealing with my laziness and posting with Moony on the other thread. ^^;

Dreary and frigid came the day. As they journeyed forth, the going only became more difficult. The crisp air drew pain to th youngster's throat and chill to his body. His head felt like it was contracting from the harsh temperature. He surveyed the one beside him-Selenekit. She was shaggy-furred, black in color. Her eyes were silver, bearing an amount of loneliness in their depths that nearly made the silver tabby tom shudder. He felt some kind of need to wipe those despondent feelings away, as if it were his calling. He and the other were much like alike, though she'd faced far more tragedy than he.

The SerenityClanner fell closer in step to her until she invited Pecankit. She said that they were all friends, but Moonkit felt distant from the BrightClan she-kit. He rarely spoke to her. He tried to smile, but it was easy to see through. Knowing this, he quickly focused on the hunting session that had come into order. He couldn't help but notice an expression of jealousy and disappointment upon the newly recovered Mottledkit's face as she gazed toward the trio. He gave her a sympathetic glance, but had no intention of putting Selenekit up as the guilty party, though he knew the glare was directed toward she.

When his friend offered a try at hunting to the others, the silver tabby shook his head. He already had taken to it on his trip with Aurora when he was the one to locate her. He would not take the oppurtunity until all of the other kits had a chance, for where was the fairness in that?</sup>

[Spice..xx]

Mottledkit smiled at Selenekit, much more warmly than before and dropped down into a wobbly sort of hunters crouch. 'Tail down, quiet steps, lunge to the neck' she thought to herself, remembering Auroras words. She crept quietly towards the mouse, licking her lips, her eyes blazing with concentration. At the kast send she lunged, but missed the neck and go the tail, her co-ordination off. She reared on to her back legs and grabbed the mouse in her flailing front paws, gripping it tightly in her unsheathed claws. She bit down firmly on its neck, but it was already half dead from all of her claws being stuck into its side. She looked sheepishly at the other kits and Aurora before dropping the mouse next to the pheasant. "Sorry, i muffed a bit" she said to Aurora, her cheeks tingling as the mottled she-kit blushed.

[/color][/blockquote]

[FIREH!!]

_{Selenekit smiled at Mottledkit, and meowed, It takes practice. She licked her ear and took a nibble from the pheasant. Then she returned to Moonkit's side, and pressed up against him, suddenly cold.}

[SHADE. :D]

Pecankit glared at Selenekit. She had changed in the last moon. That shy, depressed kit was gone, to be replaced by this pigheaded show-off. The slender tabby sniffed, turning and marching away from the group. After a few steps she changed course, her ears pricked forward, her dark sapphire eyes bright and seeking. Pecankit tasted the air, allowing the scents to speak to her as clearly as any voice. She tasted tree and mud and wind and clouds and rain, everything she had ever tasted as a tiny kit. But now she noticed other scents. The warm scent of a rabbit, deep in her burrow. The sharp stench of a fox, the rank odor of an injured weasel. Pecankit picked out the scent of a mouse, and clung to it mentally. The young tabby she-cat dropped into a crouch, stalking to where she thought the creature was. She caught a flash of grey-brown and pounced. Her slender white paws missed the mouse, but a moment later, the rabbit she had scented streaked from the bushes. With a mew of surprise she jumped, not expecting to catch it.

To her shock, her claws snagged in the creature's fur. It was young, but still a decent meal. She killed it quickly, feeling awkward. This was her first kill. Pecankit then carried the fresh kill back to the others, head high, and sat down silently to eat it.

[[xoxo] shard. :)]

^{Moonkit watched the others take their shots at prey, both succeeding in their attempts. He congratulated them with each in turn with a smile and a curt nod. When Selenekit suddenly pressed close to him, the kit became tense. He drew in a quick yet large breath from his chest, causing his shoulders and neck fur to rise. Why did it seem so crazy? It was a bit cold. She was probably looking for warmth. The SerenityClanner calmed down quickly, straightening himself up and curling his tail around his paws in a dignified manner. He smiled to the black she-cat, signaling that it was okay.}

[sorrowfrost]

xxx selenekit
lets search for and gather the shards of our dreams

An odd tingling sensation swept her fragile frame, ears pricked forward slightly, it would seem her close contact with Moonkit had caused a mild disruption, as he tensed she hesitated only slightly, was that to mean go away? Though catching sight of his approval a moment later her muscles relaxed once more. Selenekit would hate to cause him discomfort, she truly cared for him, he was a great friend. When this journey ended she would surely miss him, if only they werent from seperate clans. The cold sensation had caused her to shiver slightly, though the heat coming from Moonkit ceased them, for the most part. Dainty paws shuffled occasionally, the cold ground had numbed them and little feeling was left. Surely she could adapt, eventually? Given time of course, the Mountains would be cold.

(I'll attempt better when I have more time)

[(aurora) of the problematique]

<sub>"Well, practice'll make perfect. You're doing fine," Aurora said softly. She nodded and turned to the group, speaking softly as they hunted around her. "When we enter the mountains, I'm not going to be the one who leads you like some Two-leg and a kittypet. I'm going to step back and let you guys do everything you need to do. You're warriors now--full adults--and you don't need someone to tell you how to do everything. Make no mistake. I will guide you, but I will no longer drag you. You must take turns hunting, keeping watch, patrolling the grounds, and making sure everyone stays together. I want to see you back to your families as much as I want to see my own. You are your own cats but together, we are a phalanx." She nodded to them, tail waving with a smile on the much older she-cat's face.

"If anyone wishes to keep hunting, I will stay out and give pointers, but for the most part, we need to find shelter for the snowstorm that's approaching," Aurora stated. The black and white-pelted femme turned her nose to the sky, eyes darkening when she saw the massive wall of stone-gray clouds rumbling over the mountain tops in the distance.</sub>

[[If anyone wants to do a little mini-plot involving the snowstorm, go for it :} [/sub]

[SHADE. :D]

// this could be interesting. xD

Pecankit ate a little of the rabbit, but then acknowledged that she had not really been hungry in the first place. She stood, shaking out her tabby pelt and white paws to rid them of the cold that burnt them. She blinked at Aurora, dislike in her eyes. She half-pricked her ears, catching only a little of what the black and white loner said. She doesn't half go on... Pecankit shook herself a final time and strolled away from the others, scenting her way. She wanted to explore this new place a bit, so she had some stories to tell when she got home. If she ever got home.

After a long while, Pecankit felt the steady falling of snowflakes on her back increase. She turned, frowning. When she looked back, the world had been swallowed in white. The blizzard had enveloped her in its cold paws, and the bitter chill raked her skin like knives. Her fur was not nearly thick enough to keep it out. Pecankit flattened herself to the snow, thinking about calling for help. After a moment she stood, but did not call out. She was too proud. She'd find her own way out.

[Spice..xx]

Mottledkit bent her head to eat more of the pheasant, as she knew the bigger prey would be difficult to carry if the it wasnt finished, while they could bring the mouse with them if they wanted. She glanced up at the sky as Aurora mentioned the snowstorm, narrowing her eyes to stare at the dark clouds approaching. As she looked hard at the clouds her amber eyes blurred, but Mottledkit shrugged it off, the appraoching snowstrom would make it hard to see anyway.

Turning her head, a flash of colour caught her eye. She strained to see what it was through the bluriness, and she drew in a sharp breath as she saw what she was sure was a tabby tail dissappearing into the snowstorm. "Aurora! Was that Pecankit that just dissappeared into the storm? I might have just been seeing things, my eyes are blurring" she said, the amber depths of her eyes beggining to clear as she continued to gaze worrdily into the storm that was fast appraching, the wind was already swiftly blwoing around her.

[/color][/blockquote]

[sorrowfrost]

{Im away on a cruise for a week starting tomorrow, Aurora can you take Selenekit for me?}

[(aurora) of the problematique]

_{[[Sure. That's fine]]}

[KURI. (happy birfday to me :D)]

Crystalkit came into focus just in time to hear Mottledkit yowl something that she couldn't quite make out. "What is it?" she asked quietly, turning her azure gaze onto what seemed like a wall of snow. A swirling, windblown wall of snow. Crystalkit had seen barely any snow in her few moons of life, and now this mass seemed to both intrigue her and scare her. She put a paw towards the snow, then drew it back. She couldn't take her eyes off it - was it coming closer?

Too late for that thought. Wind buffeted around her, smacking her in the sides and whipping at her face. She shivered as she tried to find a familiar shape, Aurora for instance, but she could barely open her eyes over the cold wind. Slowly, she inched closer to the light form of Mottledkit and hoped for the end of the storm.

[/color][/blockquote]

[Spice..xx]

_{[ooc]o.O is anyone gonna post? Cos me and Kuri cant really, cos we just did ^^.}