The Fog Blows In (Open)

Fogkit peered out of the nursery, green eyes wide. It had snowed overnight and great drifts of snow filled the camp, still mostly undisturbed at the early hour from the few patrols that had already headed out. Her long, fluffy coat poofed out around her, making her appear like a grey-scale ball of fluff.

She'd never seen snow before. Cautiously she reached out her paw to bat at the white powder, quickly recoiling at the cold with a squeak. Fogkit stared at her paw for a long moment before reaching out again. And, again, she recoiled; staring at the snow. The next time, she raised her paw and swatted hard at the snow, sending up a plume that sprayed directly up into her face. She let out a sharp yowl, leaping back, paws flailing wildly as she reared back, tripping over herself and tumbling back into the nursery. She desperately pawed at her face to remove the cold, melting flakes. Fogkit shook herself and stared out at the settling snow with a look of confused betrayal. It was cold and it attacked her. Her fluffy tail lashed. How dare it.

Eveningpaw padded out of the apprentices den to see a little fluffy kit inspecting the snow and recoiling from the coldness of it several times before she swatted it into her face. The silver tom couldn’t help himself but laugh quietly at the little she cat. He padded over as she lashed her tail at the snow letting out a chuckle, she looked so cute. The tom flicked some snow off his ears before crouching down towards the kit. “Hello there. Playing in the snow huh?” The large silver tom meowed a happy light in his pale green eyes as he looked down at the young kit.

Having been so preoccupied with the snow, Fogkit didn't hear Eveningpaw's approach. At the sound of his voice, she jumped, coat fluffing up further, if that were possible, as her heart raced, head jerking in his direction. She stared for a long moment, green eyes wide. Finally, Fogkit blinked, and shook herself with a short sniff. "Snow?" she squeaked, looking back to the piles of white powder filling the camp. "It's cold." Her voice clearly conveyed her kit-disdain for that which she was unfamiliar with. As she spoke, she reached out yet again, much more cautiously, to scuff at the little lump of snow that had tumbled closer to her.

Eveningpaw chuckled as the kit once again cautiously swiped her paw at the snow again. “Yes snow. It comes from the clouds during leaf bare. I don’t know why it’s cold either but it’s really pretty don’t you think?” He meowed standing from his crouched position. Snow stuck to his long fluffy pelt as he stood and he tried to shake it off but it was stuck there, he would remove it later. “Im Eveningpaw. What’s your name little one?” He meowed swiping some snow away with his long fluffy tail so he could sit.

Fogkit starred at the snow ponderously for another few moments before looking up to the clear, grey-blue sky. "From the clouds..." she whispered to herself, brow furrowed in confusion. Looking back to the snow once more she thought it over, "Yeah, it is pretty!" she chirped, seeming to have already forgotten her previous distress and confusion.

"I'm Fogkit! Momma says my fur looks like the early morning fog!" The clumps of snow in Eveningpaw's coat suddenly caught her attention. Whiskers flaring, she reached out a paw and swatted one, it tumbled free, scattering into powder as it fell to the ground.

Eveningpaw watched as Fogkit decided to swat the snow from his coat and smiled. “Youre fur does look like the morning fog, it’s quite pretty.” The large tom meowed. “Do you want to play in the snow?” He meowed to the small kit in awe of the size difference between the two, she was so little compared to his large size. He had to protect her at all costs she was way too precious to get hurt. “You’re way too cute I’m adopting you. You’re mine now.

Fogkit purred, lifting her chin proudly at the praise. She blinked at his question, pausing a moment to look back at the snow. "Yeah!" With an excited squeak, she threw herself at a pile of snow taller than she was. Immediately she sank through the snow with a soft crunch, disappearing entirely from view. After a moment she sprang vertically in the air, powder flying off her coat as she just barely cleared the snow with her kit strength, only to disappear again a few pawsteps further. The cold of the snow was entirely forgotten in her excitement.

Eveningpaw purred as Fogkit decided she wanted to play in the snow and had a small moment of panic when she disappeared and it passed when she suddenly reappeared before coming back again when she again disappeared into the snow. She was nearby so he didn’t worry too much but the thought of the little kit freezing to death in the snow was in his mind. He started digging in the snow where she disappeared only to find that she was completely fine and he broke into a grin. “Why don’t we pretend to hunt? I’ll be the prey and you can be the warrior! See if you can find and catch me!” The large fluffy tom meowed. He had hoped that his silver and white pelt would help hide him in the snow, but being a large tom he might also get found easily. Eveningpaw bounded off into the snow, rounding a particularly large snow drift before quickly diving into it and hiding. There were several large piles of snow around them in camp and he hoped he wouldn’t get found too easily. Inside the snow drift his thick pelt and the snow around him kept him warm as he waited for Fogkit to find him.

Fogkit stumbled free of the snow when Eveningpaw dug her out. She shook herself, snow clumping in her long coat. "I'll catch you!" she squealed as the large tom took off, disappearing from view. Whiskers flaring with excitement, Fogkit took off across the clearing, tail sticking out straight behind her. She ran right past the snow drift containing Eveningpaw, not even giving it a second glace, instead charging at a snow pile without a single trail of pawprints around it. Pausing a moment to wriggle her haunches, Fogkit leapt at the pile with a victorious cry, "Gothcha!" The snow tumbled over her as she disappeared inside.

A moment later Fogkit clawed her way free, spluttering and shaking herself. The shaking did little to dispatch the clinging snow. Immediately she looked around and charged headlong into another snowbank, this one even further from Eveningpaw's hiding spot. She continued this haphazard method, seeming to put no thought into where she was going next, or if Eveningpaw could even fit in her chosen snow piles.

Finally she had circled back to near where she'd begun, leaping onto the large pile and landing on Eveningpaw's back. "Caught you!" She cheered breathlessly. The frantic running, jumping, and digging herself free of the snow had rapidly exhausted Fogkit, snowmelt soaked through her fluffy kit-fur, leaving it clinging to her small form.

Eveningpaw could hear Fogkit as she got closer and closer but not quite catching the large tom. Suddenly Fogkit was on his back and Eveningpaw purred and shook his pelt lightly to loosen the snow around him. “Hold on Fogkit!” He meowed standing up and walking towards the nursery seeing how tired Fogkit was. Once they reached the nursery the tom crouched, pulling them into the den before laying down and gently plucking Fogkit off by her scruff and set her down. Seeing she was still covered in snow and the snowmelt the tom quickly started grooming the she cat and rubbing her fur the wrong way to dry her so she wouldn’t get cold before wrapping his tail around her tiny frame to keep her warm. “You did very good for your first hunt.” He purred.

As instructed, Fogkit dug her tiny claws into Eveningpaw's pelt as he gave her a ride back to the nursery. She vaguely squeaked in protest as he lifted her but was too tired to argue, instead simply going limp and allowing the tom to groom her despite the irritating feeling of her fur sticking up. Sighing, Fogkit nestled into his fluffy tail, already dozing off with a content purr rumbling through her entire body.