The drowning Birch (Closed)

Birchkit was very excited as he was going to do something stupid. The young tom was going to sneak out of camp to explore. He was very curious on what the outside looked like that he didnt even notice that it was getting dark. The multi-colored kit looked around before running off through the entrance.

Duckkit lay back his already flattened ears as his brother slipped out of camp. He didn't like this at all. Birchkit could get lost, or kitnapped, or eaten! Licking his lips nervously, he glanced around the clearing. No one had seen him leave. "Biiirch," he mewled plaintively before ducking his head and slipping out after him. Nerves rankled his fur, settling low in his stomach as he went. By the time he'd fully emerged, his tail was quivering from where it had wrapped around his hindleg.

Everything loomed large around Duckkit as he struggled to pursue his wayward brother. "B-Birchkit!" he hissed, fear pitching it high and squeaky as he called while simultaneously trying to not be noticed by any wandering warriors.

Birchkit noticed his brother following after him, scared. Birchkit smirked before hiding in a bush and waited for duckkit to come by. Birchkit pounced on his terrified brother with a hiss to pretend to be a bad guy.


(birch will get duck killed one day lol)

Duckkit's trembling increased the further he crept from the camp. This was bad they were going to get eaten. He all but dragged his belly across the ground for how small he tried to make himself to avoid being noticed by anything. Was he too late? Was Birchkit already gone!? Something burst from the bush beside him with a vicious hiss. Duckkit let out a terrified wail as it knocked him over, paws flailing wildly. Scrambling blindly to try to escape his attacker.

Birchkit smiled down at his brother. "haha you were so scared!" He mewed laughing his tail off. He got off his brother and made sure nothing heard the two before nudging duckkit to his paws, still laughing silently.

Duckkit's throat seized, unable to form any words as Birchkit laughed from his perch on top of him. His entire body shivered from the adrenaline still coursing through him from the 'attack'. "B-Birch-chk-k-kit th-that's n-not funny!" he whined as his brother helped him back to his paws. "W-we should h-head back. I-it's d-danger-dangerous a-and w-we are g-gonna get in-in t-trouble."

Birchkit looked around and then back at his brother. "Nah! I wanna keep exploring, i haven't even been to the river yet!" He mewed before opening his mouth to get the river scent. He got the scent and looked at his brother one more time before pushing him in that direction.

Duckkit whined softly as Birchkit steered him towards the river. This was a bad idea. He wanted to go back to the nursery. But, scenting the air, he wasn't quite sure which way the camp was. And he couldn't leave Birchkit to wander on his own, at least being together was a little safer than both being alone... Still quivering, he reluctantly allowed Birchkit to direct them towards the river.

Birchkit smiled as his brother came with. He knew this was probably very dangerous but his curiosity won over fear. As they neared the river birchkit looked behind at his brother to make sure he was still safe.

Duckkit quietly followed his brother, tail back to curling around one of his hind legs as he crept along. He glanced around nervously, sticking close behind Birchkit as they wove through the grass and reeds towards the river. The reeds rustled in the cool leaffall breeze making Duckkit jump. It felt safer being with Birchki,t but every sound was a predator creeping up on the two wandering kits.

birchkit smiled as they neared the river. It was getting colder so birchkit didnt risk seeing how cold it was. He sat down and waited for his brother to see the river.

Arriving at the river, all Duckkit would do was stare. It was so.... Big. The wide expanse shimmered in the sunlight as it rippled along the riverbank, stretching endlessly in either direction. He flattened himself to the ground next to Birchkit, green eyes wide."It's so... big," he mumbled, burying his muzzle between his white paws.

Birchkit smiled at his brother before inching closer to the river's side. He kept looking at his brother teasing him. Birchkit knew he would never actually get in the river but also knew his brother didnt know that.

"Birchkit don't!" Duckkit whined as his brother edged closer to the river bank. He shifted anxiously, still flattened to the ground, eyes wide. "You're going to fall in!"

birchkit smiled at his brother. "I won't fa- Ahhhhh!" He mewed but while he was talking he slipped and fell into the river. Before he could do anything he felt a sharp pain in his head before darkness came.

Duckkit shrieked, leaping to his paws as, almost in slow motion, Birchkit slipped, tumbling into the late, leaf-fall cold river. His heart pounded in his chest as he frantically scuttled to the river bank where Birchkit had disappeared. "Birchkit!" he yowled, voice shrill with panic. Tail lashing wildly. he rapidly paced the edge of the bank, desperately searching for any sign of his brother's patched fur in the wide expanse of shining water. He had to find Birchkit. Should he jump in? But he couldn't swim.

A flash of white a little ways down the river caught his eye. Duckkit managed to push his shaking legs into a run until he stumbled to a stop a whisker away from the flowing river. He stared at the water. Small form shaking. Paralyzed by fear. But. Birchkit. Letting out a frantic whine, Duckkit threw himself into the river. The icy waters immediately soaked through his fluffy, kit fur, biting at the skin beneath. Mostly blinded by the water in his eyes, he caught a glimpse of white again. Flailing wildly, his paw brushed against fur. Somehow he dragged it closer, grabbing it in his teeth.

The deadweight pulled him down. The tug of water on his fur steadily dragged the pair further down river despite Duckkit's frantically clawing paws. His shoulder slammed into something hard, the precious air in his lungs departed as his squeak of pain released a stream of bubbles. Claws painfully scraped against the smooth object, until, by some miracle, they found purchase. Duckkit hauled himself out of the water onto the large, cold expanse. Somehow his pitiful muscles managed to heave Birchkit up as well.

The chill from the water had numbed him as he shivered violently on the smooth stone. Duckkit's throat seized up, unable to speak as his teeth chattered. He looked around, his surrounding were totally unfamiliar. If he hadn't known where he was before, now he was certainly lost. He huddled next to Birchkit, soaking wet fur clinging to everything. The wind blew, rustling the reeds ominously. Something was there. It felt like they were being watched. Maybe a fox. Or an otter. He shriveled further if that were possible, burying his face into his brother's sodden pelt. Shivering.

Mothheart padded along the riverbank near camp, it was a different area than he'd frequently go fishing, but given the dropping temperatures, his preferred fishing location had been starting to ice over. He didn't relish the thought of diving for fish in the chilly leaffall water, so instead he went in search of a new area where the water followed a little faster and shallower.

Not particularly paying attention to his nose, just enjoying what little warmth the sun was offering as he gazed into the river, the tang of fear-scent on the wind caught him off guard. Immediately on alert, Mothheart looked around, ears pricked. He sniffed, underneath the fear-scent there was another he recognized, definitely Riverclan, though he couldn't fully place it. Bounding further down river, he finally caught sight of the source as he rounded a corner. The black, white, and grey fur stood out from the surroundings. His brow furrowed in confusion. What were Duckkit and Birchkit doing out here all alone?

He raced over to where the two kits trembled on a stone in the water, not but a short hop from shore."Uh, hey, what are you two doing out here?"

The two were soaking wet. Duckkit slowly looked over, tip of his tongue sticking out as he violently shivered though Birchkit didn't respond. "B-B-B-Bir-Birchk-kit f-fell i-i-i-in a-an-and-" The small kit was shivering so hard he could barely speak.

Mothheart took pity on the barely comprehensible kit, "Um, well, it sounds like you've been through a lot so we should probably get you two back to camp." Padding over he gave Duckkit a quick lick on the head before dropping to his belly. "C'mon, just climb on my back, it'll be faster that way, I'll carry Birchkit."

With much shaking, Duckkit slowly crawled his way onto Mothheart's back, though reluctant to leave his brother, sharp claws clutching at his thick fur. Without another word, Mothheart gingerly picked up Birchkit's limp form and walked quickly back to camp, careful to avoid jostling either kit.

Upon arrival, he headed straight to Adderfeather's den, he gently deposited Birchkit on the ground, "Uh, Adderfeather?" he called, "I just found these two at the river..." Duckkit slithered off Mothheart's back. Still drenched and shivering he dragged himself over to Birchkit, planting himself firmly against his brother's still body,.

Silky tendrils of fog had begun to slither across camp, the leaf-fall air crisp and chilly against Adderfeather’s dense black fur. With each exhale a soft cloud billowed into the air as deft paws sorted through mounds of herbs, straightening and adjusting piles with a sense of urgency for reasons unknown. First by use and then by size; leaves, roots, berries and nuts were sorted into a myriad of piles. A stranger might believe that she was preparing for tragedies to come- anyone who knew her well enough was well aware that this was quite common for the fluffy black she-cat. Her perfectionism had proven helpful in far more situations than it hadn’t so far, so she saw no reason to change her ways.

Her ears slicked back when she heard rustling at the camp entrance, with the sound of hefty paws heading straight for her den soon following. Then, Mothheart’s voice piped up and she shut her eyes, hoping it wasn’t something ridiculous this time. At the mention of two young kits her gaze snapped back, and immediately she was on her paws. She made her way towards a shivering Duckkit, wrapping her fluffy tail around the poor tom as she licked his fur backward. ”Take Birchkit and begin licking his fur back the wrong way. Now.” She snapped, tail tip twitching rhythmically.

Birchkit didn't know what was going on. He felt himself moving but had no control of his body. He was freaking out and couldn't even show it. All birchkit could see was darkness and only hear silence. He wanted to know if his brother was safe, if he was alright, what was going to happen to them. When his body was set down he wondered where he was. Like everything else he couldn't use his nose and didn't know anything. He did feel his fur moving though and the coldness going away, the darkness stayed though.

Duckkit whimpered softly as he was shifted slightly away from Birchkit but didn't resist, only shivered from cold and discomfort as Adderfeather licked his fur the wrong direction. His eyes scrunched shut and he buried his nose in the fluffy black tail.

--

Mothheart immediately obeyed the black she-cat's orders. He pulled Birchkit between his paws and quickly began lapping his tongue over the kit's sodden, greyscale coat, sticking it up in ruffled spikes as he went. He'd never spent much time around the nursery to get to know the kits, but, even so, it was eerie how still Birchkit was compared to the few encounters he'd had with the more rambunctious kit.

Once several moments had passed and Duckkit had stopped shivering, Adderfeather picked the kit up gently by the scruff, placing him next to Birchkit by Mothheart's paws. She snapped around and quickly put together two bundles of feverfew, juniper berries, and heather nectar, along with two separate bundles containing lavender, ragweed, thyme, and a drop of honey each. She carried the first two small bundles over to the kits, dropping one in front of Duckkit and another in front of Birchkit. "Mothheart, continue licking Birchkit's fur back for now. The cold likely knocked him out, so once he's warmed up he should wake." Her gaze shifted down to Duckkit, and she pushed the bundle forward with a forepaw. "Eat these. Now." She commanded, beginning to inspect both of them a bit closer to ensure that there were no broken or sprained limbs or open wounds she'd need to dress.

"Had Mothheart not found you two, you'd be dead by now. What in Riverstar's name were you thinking, Duckkit?" She chastised, waiting for them to finish chewing and swallowing the herbs she'd provided.

(even tho birch hit his head and that's the reason he was out, might as well get this done lol)

As Birchkit was getting warm he was able to get out of his werd trance. He could hear muffled noses, smell something he couldn't figure out, and as his eyes started opening he could see. Everything was hazy but when he opened and closed his eyes again he could sorta out everything together. He was in the med den with three other cats. He felt Duckkit next to him and even though it hurt ery badly, he turned his head to look at him. His brother probably looked better than birchkit did but of course birchkit couldn't think straight as moving his head caused him to have a giant headache. He could feel a sharp pain in his head but he didnt have enough strength to open his mouth or talk.

Mothheart obediently continued licking Birchkit.

Adderfeather's ministrations had quickly warmed Duckkit up. Once the worst of the shivering had subsided, he offered no protest as she picked him up by the scruff and put him back next to his brother. He pressed against Birchkit silently. Duckkit stared blankly at the bundle of herbs in front of him for a moment. Cautiously he sniffed at them, only to wrinkle his nose at the generally unappealing scents. But after a glance at Adderfeather, he didn't argue. Just pulled the herbs closer and managed to choke them down with a unhappy sigh.

If Duckkit's ears hadn't already been flattened down, Adderfeather's words would have flattened them. He tried to shrink into the ground, tiny claws gripping anxiously. "B-birchkit sn-snuck out a-and I-I had to-to follow him or he w-was g-gonna get eaten." he mumbled into his paws. He burrowed next to Birchkit, hoping he could just disappear entirely, "B-but then h-he fell-fell in th-the-the river a-and I, di-didn't kn-know wh-where camp w-was."