We Will Grow | Short Story

Slightly prouder, not a vent tho! Im okay!

Trigger Warning

Mentions of death and a trauma response

Word count

1,135

Characters

Rosekit (She/Her)- Small and soft fragile purple and she-kit with white and features and vibrant purple eyes.

Nightstorm (He/him)- Built, tall and sturdy black tom with white ear, leg and tail with bold amber eyes.

Wishclaw (She/They)- Fluffy and bulky purple she-cat with a sturdy posture and pinkish purple eyes.

#smallwriter

#OpalWrites <-------- Don't use this hashtag please!

New aesthetic images provided through a royalty free app known as pexels!

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“As silly as it seems, we will grow from this young one and become something even better.”

Most of those words ed her, flying past like the winter's chilled breeze, although not intentionally. Youth has a funny way of asking the truth, they see things through different eyes and understandings, they know better than to assume. It was always like memories, curled up beside her mother, her tail always swaying but never so carefully as her mothers. She couldn't quite grasp how one could be so calm.

She had never left the Nursery, she was always warned that the yowls and hisses outside the den were just normal clan reactions in winter, the bitterness often made her reluctant to head outside and greet cats. Well, if her mother didn't make her stick to her as a magnet, she never saw if the world outside this den was anything other than a dream.

See, her mother warned that big scary Warriors kept entering the clan without permission, those from other clans who should be playing with their own Kits. She often grew jealous, she wanted to play but grew so big for the den it was made almost impossible, some days her bones hurt from how squished she would be when the yelling got close.

She ed having multiple siblings, but her mother says during the fighting, when it was close, that Tigerkit had to go. Maybe the lack of room meant he could explore sooner, but she could never quite recall hearing his upbeat and sweet voice ever again, just a dragged on silence that always seemed to engulf the den residents. She ed her mother reminding her more childish siblings that they need to shush more or they will Tigerkit and make her very sad.

Moons past, enough time for her to gather enough courage to ask to explore, the fighting was over but her mother seemed to be against her leaving. She wouldn't abandon them like Tigerkit, she is loyal to her mama and simply wants to explore camp. Inevitably the sweet white she-cat, with some of her legs missing, encouraged the exploration.

“Rosekit be careful though, your mother can't handle you being hurt.” The soft but stern voice reminded her as she ran from the den. She was 3 moons but no Warrior seemed to agree that she and her siblings should start exploring. She did meet her papa though, but he was rather distant and cold-shouldered till she introduced herself, then he eased and seemed oddly surprised. The clan in itself seemed almost reluctant to notice her and her siblings, as if they were shadows waking amongst them, or weird echoes of what was meant to be.

She didn't care though, she paced around and looked in every corner, surprised by the weird red stains everywhere, someone left an annoying mess. However, when her siblings explored this same ess they were met by outrage, cats yowled and their father, a very bulky and looming tom ushered them away.

“You should be Apprentices, well hopefully within three months, instead you are damaged by a conflict you were born into. I am grateful you are all alive though, your brother's ing was much too unfortunate for your mother and I.” His deep gruff voice seemed to through her, what did he mean by ? She couldn't quite understand the word, since she never had heard it before but something about it made her heart drop and shatter in front of her, evident with her teary eyes and lowered ears, accompanied by her once hyper tail now touching the ground.

“What is wrong with Rosekit? Your trouble is noted.” He had caught her by surprise by speaking.

Rosekit couldn't say those words, but the tom was probably too inexperienced with kits to note that explaining how they feel is as easy as getting them to listen. “What does it mean that our brother ed papa? I want my brother! He didn't mean to get scared, let him come home!” The wails broke out and she couldn't quite recall the look on his face, those wails speed time up faster than she could blink. It almost felt like she had fallen deep into the yelling, like she herself had ended up where Tigerkit was.

Isn't it funny how everything overlays and suffocates you? Breathing becomes rough and eyes narrow and many thoughts overrunning the main concept and idea. Where others see you as okay, unless you are younger where the thoughts can overflow, however, now it felt like something that needed to be bidden away. Barricaded with lies of being okay and moving on, its own clanmates life is forgettable, replaceable in the clan even.

So troubling others over it when they are supposed to be growing and evolving is a waste of time. Even as she wailed and time ran away, the truth of her clans' issues only grew stronger with time.

Processing her mothers touch by the time she settled. Her mind was weird, it had blanked and she was confused for comfort.

She could recall the arguments outside, they sounded so familiar but her deep feelings were just as confused as she was.

“Oh goodness Rosekit, you are finally awake! You were meowing and whining and I simply couldn't wake you up.” Her mothers tone seemed chipper, which felt odd but as usual she couldn't tell exactly why. She didn't speak, pressed herself desperately to her mother, shaking and whining all over again as she was swept under by an unexpected and rudely unannounced set of foregin emotions that tackled her.

Her mothers calming licks and soft hums, melodies that signify a sense of safety and reassurance that felt as if it was growing cold and worn. “Mama, why am I so scared? Why do I feel confused?” She didn't get a reply, just a loving smile and weak broken eyes staring straight at her.

When she heard her father enter, he didn't speak at first, simply huffed and laid next to her mother who seemed oddly calmer with his arrival. “I suppose the bad dream was processed really poorly, but you are okay Rosekit and I can assure you we will get past any bad dreams, if you have them, my sweet little kit.” The voice felt sincere, enough that relaxation was greeted with warm and caring emotions, sort of reminded her of the changing weather outside the den. It was nice and warm.

“Are you sure mama?” She squeaked worriedly.

Her mother laughed at her kit, but it was one filled with warm love. “As silly as it seems, we will grow from this young one and become something even better.” Those words felt different now, she actually listened and heard them for once, maybe she will grow.