[W]aking t.h.e. {Dead}

[Undead]

Weary paws drug the small kit into Risingclan territory, once again. Shocky…

She didn’t know what happened to her young companion, what the other tom, the one called Razorblade, had done. Maybe the other kit had escaped as well.

But she returned to the territory she first had ventured into, dead on her little paws, small form battered and wounded as she had tried to defend herself against the more experienced Bonelan cat.

But she was not broken.

No, the tom had only made the kit determined to become stronger, to fight against him and his clan. How could cats be so mean?

She was too young yet to understand the full differences between the clans and their members, too inexperienced. That had been her first actual fight since…

Since…forever, actually. Her mother hadn’t been much of one for actual combat, nor was her only surviving daughter.

But she was a fighter in another since. She was determined to do what her young heart demanded was right.

And if that meant to join Risingclan, she was just as determined to become the best warrior just for them.

[Juniper]

Juniper heard soft footfalls just outside her den from where she had sat joyously taking stock of the herbs she had gotten from the Oasis [again]. For a second, her throat seized up, and a cold terror began in the pit of her stomach. Had BoneClan warriors gotten through the fight to the camp? She hated being at war, with everybody off at the battle. Juney tentatively stuck her head out.

It wasn't any warrior at all; just a kit, and battered and almost dead on her feet at that. Juniper said nothing, merely picked the little she-kit up by the scruff of her neck and deposited her in her den. There she began to tend to her wounds. Most of them weren't serious, but there was a relatively deep scratch on her flank. Juney chewed up some marigold and put it on the wound. Tending to the rest of the injuries, she asked the kit in a gentle but firm voice: Who are you, where do you come from, and what happened to you?

[Undead]

Undead was hardly away she had been picked up, carried into a den she hadn’t see was there. As soon as the other cat, an adult female, treated her wounds, the green-eyed kit merely stared at her for a long moment, having lost her voice.

But then she twitched, returned to life, and light filled those previously darkened green hues.

“M’name’s Undead, ma’am. I come from…”

She paused, head tilted to her side as she tried to remember.

“I don’t know, it was a long way from here. There were dogs, and twolegs, and rats, and and and…my family! Before they died.”

Undead smiled, innocent glittering in those eyes as she rose up a little – not really increasing her stature much, but showing she felt well enough to be more…bold.

“There was another kit, his name was Shocky. He said he came from Risingclan. We went off, adventure!! There was a dead body thingy, with flies and maggots, and other buggies.. We were gonna leave, then another cat appeared! He didn’t seem very old, but the bully was bigger than us! He said something about someone named Heartless, or something, and then he he hurt me…he said that some cat named Bane would add my eyes to a collection or something.”

The she-kit shivered, her eyes large and round as she remembered.

[Juniper]

Juniper felt cold all over. Two kits had wandered on to what had obviously been BoneClan territory. Now only one stood before her. Her heart immediately went out to Undead. Well, Juney said, trying to keep her voice level, you're in the RisingClan camp now. You're safe. She put a comforting tail around around the young kit's shoulders. Do you remember what happened to Shocky?

[Undead]

“I made it?’

The calico she-kit seemed incredulous; stunned that she had actually made it into the Risingclan camp. Undead had been half expecting for that tom or maybe one of his clan mates to catch up and finish her off.

Then the she-cat who had helped her, making her hurts feel better, spoke once more, mentioning Shocky. The she-kit froze, emotional pain wracking her.

“I dunno! The meanie had me pinned, and and Shocky… He…he..”

She shivered, wide green eyes flicking around in search for the tom who had called himself Razorblade.

“I ran. I don’t remember what Shocky did, but the tom lemmie go…and I ran.”

[Juniper]

Juniper fought to remain calm. Well I'm sure he got out all right, she said calmly. Now was not the time to adress the probability of Shocky's death. Undead needed rest. I'm done with your wounds, Juney said, You have to sleep now, alright?

[Undead]

“That’s good.”

The she-kit tried to stifle a yawn, but the motion escaped her anyway. She felt so sleepy…the excitement of the day and the fading pain from her bruised little form drawing her down into the depths of slumber.

“Will Shocky be back when I wake up?”

She blinked, slow and sleepy as those bright green eyes looked to the she-cat who’d helped her.

[Juniper]

Juniper swallowed, hard. Why? Why did BoneClan have to reach out and ruin lives like this? It just wasn't fair. But few things were ever truly fair. Juney sighed. I don't know, she said honestly, But he is a very resourceful little kit. He'll probably be O. K. Not so honest. Her paw came out to steady the little kit that was almost falling over, and carefully lowering her down. Sweet dreams, little kit.

OOC: Oi, my muses, they be dying!

[Undead]

Yawn.

The sleepy little she-kit blinked those green eyes again, before her eyelids drooped and she settled into a curled ball on the ground.

“That’s…good to…hear…”

A little smile crossed her face as her eyes closed completely, and she drifted off…

--

A while later, the slumbering kit thrashed wildly in her sleep, a pained cry of sheer terror escaping her small form. She then lay like a dead cat, shivering fitfully but not waking up.

“Momma...momma why must cats fight? Why can’t we all live peacefully? I don’ understand…”

Undead mumbled softly, speaking outloud what she said in her dream.

“I wanna help. I wanna be useful. But I don’ like fighting…momma, what should I do?”

[Juniper]

Juniper carefully put her tail around Undead's thrashing body, her paw carefully pinning her to keep her still, trying to soothe her. Cats fight because they think they must. Because they are afraid and angry, prideful, or hurt. But sometimes it is because it is right. When the time comes, you will know what you must do.

[Undead]

The slumbering kit breathed painfully, but then the pain died, her form still once more.

“Thank you momma…”

Undead felt soothed by the spoken words, although she didn’t know their real owner. She nuzzled closer to the warmth of the healer’s body, comforted deeply by it.

Where would her place be? She had sworn that she would do her best to join Risingclan…but she’d yet to even meet the leader. It was a difficult choice for the kit to make.

[Juniper]

Juniper nearly giggled (hysterically) at Undead calling her "momma". She'd thought no-one would ever call her that. All this was generally because the Council hadn't wanted her "bad blood" to breed, but she had secretly believed in StarClan and the stories of ThunderClan told on Festival Days, and felt a duty to StarClan.

But Juney decided, right then and there, that she would help the kit any way she could. She pressed the tip of her tail to the top of Undead's head.

You're welcome.

[Undead]

At Juniper’s words, the she-kit breathed a sigh of relief, and fell into a deeper, healing slumber.

--

It was hours passed before she again awoke, bright green eyes flickering and greeting the sights and sounds around her. Undead rose to her paws, rather stiff from the unmatched and unfair ‘fight’ against the Boneclan tom – but none the worse for wear. She was a stubborn little fluffball.