Innocence [o]

[Deleted]

Redkit was prodding a dead mouse with a concerned look on his face. This mouse appeared to have been killed sloppily, blood staining its fur, and several marks covered it. He understood the need for prey but this... This kill seemed needlessly cruel. It disturbed him, and he worried if he'd end up killing a piece of prey once an apprentice in this manner. The idea unnerved him. Then someone tapped him on the shoulder, and he frantically looked over his shoulder, and he swallowed. Did this look weird?

[Squirrelbite]

"You look weird." Squirrelbite mewed, looking down at the kit with medium interest. Her pelt had been itching since she stopped going to see Loki, and she needed something to take her mind off the indescribable feeling.

Kits were always a good distraction, and while Squirrelbite usually kept to watching them instead of talking to them, this was unusual enough for her to intervene. "You aren't playing with that prey, are you? That would be against the warrior code."

[Deleted]

Redkit saw a familiar face: Squirrelbite. He hadn't seen her in a long time, and... She instantly called him weird. He supposed he deserved that, since he didn't see most kits feeling pity for the prey they caught.

He backed away from the mouse he'd been fussing over. "N-No, nothing like that." He said, shaking his head. "It just... Seemed excessively cruel to that mouse. It wasn't clean, it's covered in all these marks."

[Squirrelbite]

"Yeah," Squirrelbite nodded, carefully examining the mouse. It was a sloppy kill, but she didn't actually feel bad for it. "It was probably an apprentice that's just learning to hunt." The only reason Squirrelbite disliked messy kills was that they meant a higher risk at failure. "You'll probably make similar mistakes when you're an apprentice."

[Deleted]

Redkit seemed troubled by Squirrelbite only confirming his fears. He looked down at the ground. "... I know we need to eat... And I need to learn how to catch prey... But I don't want some other creature to suffer for my mistakes..." He murmured. He wanted to be able to avoid such cruelty when the time came.

[Squirrelbite]

"Then don't make mistakes." Squirrelbite answered, unable to feel pity for the small kit. If she was his mentor, then there wouldn't even be the possibility of mistakes. She didn't really want to train someone so soft, though, she would quickly lose her patience for the scrap of fur. 

[Deleted]

Redkit sighed. "Sounds easy when you say it like that..." He murmured. He figured he'd make plenty of mistakes when he was an apprentice... He pretended not at all that he was going to be the best of the best, the perfect warrior. He was going to make mistakes and someone was going to suffer.