Stormkit stopped beside her sister and sat down, her eyes narrowed on Blackkit. "Why is it so far away!?" She shouted, flexing her paws to try and shake the soreness away, she didn't want to walk anymore but was determined to see this waterfall and the flying fish. "You should carry us!" There was now a mischievous smile pulling at her lips and she stood up, it didn't take long before she was climbing onto his back. The tom wasn't much bigger than Stormkit or her sister, but she didn't pay much attention to that as she struggled to stay up.

Mothkit had been amused watching the two other kits playing around - though Blackkit hadn't seemed as happy as her and Stormkit - but that amusement quickly turned to horror. She watched as their new friend slipped into the giant crevice in the earth, mouth opening wide in shock. The she-kit whipped her head toward her sister, a frightened squeak coming out. "Stormkit, what do we DO?"

(sure)

After slipping down that gorge, Luca-tyke was lucky enough to make it back to the Regime. The times listening to the others talk about using the stars as navigation and searching for landmarks undoubtedly saved his life. He had no clue what came of the two kits, the thought only crossing his mind when he was back in his warm nest. But the black kit would shrug it off before falling asleep.

Now moons had passed and Luca was a Scout Cadet now. Winter was strengthening its grip on the Regime, and the prey traps they had out weren't providing enough. So he did what he'd been doing his whole life, venturing out of the territory for the sake of the Regime. The kinds of questions on what could happen didn't cross his mind. He was a cog in the machine. When he broke, he'd be replaced. And Cadet Luca didn't mind. In a strange way, it almost comforted him. Green grey eyes scanned his surroundings, the shuffle of leaves making him drop to a crouch. It was a smooth motion compared to when he was a tyke, the training evident as he slowly approached whatever was making the noise. But Cadet Luca couldn't have predicted what he'd see next.

The scent of her home was long gone, but Cadet Luca recognized her immediately. Even with the mud, the feral look in her eyes. It was the she-kit that haunted his nightmares. Some part of him always felt guilty for his actions, and no matter how many times he forced them out of his mind, they would crawl back. And now she was in front of him. Mothkit never made it home.

The humane side of his brain was shut off as the gears began to spin, working out what to do. The fox would see him too, no doubt. And he didn't really know how to fight. That wasn't his job. His was to hunt. But he couldn't leave Mothkit to fight it by herself. Maybe there were no memories, maybe he could finally fulfill that mission and bring her back to the Regime? The only way to know was to chase this fox off.

So Cadet Luca took a deep breath before bolting forward, tackling the fox straight to the skull. It let out a surprised yelp and let go of the rabbit, swinging violently to try and get Luca off of it's face. Luca could only focus on hanging on and hitting the softer parts of the head when he could.

Cadet Luca guessed on where to hit, mostly from his training to hunt. The most vulnerable parts of prey animals would be shared with predators, right? It was the only idea he had, biting and scratching at the fox's eyes and neck. He didn't even get to see Mothkit attack the back as the fox suddenly slammed it's head into a tree, knocking the wind out of Cadet Luca. He fell to the ground with a thud, the world blurring around him as he tried to force himself to stand up. But the fox was dazed too, and perhaps seeing Luca climb to his feet was enough to make it realize this was a fight not worth fighting.

Maybe that wasn't it. Either way, the fox kicked Mothkit off of it before running away.

Cadet Luca shook his head, trying to slow the torrent in his head but only speeding it up. He blinked a few times, refocusing his gaze to see Moth's pelt puffing up and her hissing at him. She could only be so fearsome when Luca knew her, but he still took a few steps back. "No. Go ahead and eat, Mothkit."

Cadet Luca was still getting his bearings, he almost stumbled back when Mothkit launched herself at him. He had a million questions though. Where was the other kit he lured out here? How had Mothkit manage to survive? And how had Swiftclan not found her? Luca had no clue that Swiftclan had gone off the grid thanks to recent events.

But now he had no doubts. This was Mothkit. Still calling him Blackkit. A name he came up with on the spot just to try and help the Regime. He didn't realize he was playing a long con. "I'll explain while you eat. You'll need your strength."

Cadet Luca would have refused, and he lifted his paw to exemplify the point. But then his stomach growled and ruined any opportunity of him refusing. The Regime was struggling for food in winter, it made his job more important. Some part of him knew he could just steal the rabbit and outrun Moth, bring it back to the Regime and get told he did a good job without getting a bite. And he wouldn't mind, because fulfilling his purpose was better than the simple pleasures in life.

But he resigned himself to sharing, at least turning the rabbit around so Moth would get the meatier parts like the hind legs. Though the instant he tasted the meat, his mouth began to water. "First things first, my name isn't Blackkit. I'm Cadet Luca of the Regime."

He swallowed the piece dryly, trying not to savor it too much. But if she was gonna ask that, he may as well put everything on the table. "I originally met you as Blackkit because my goal was to kidnap you and bring you back to the Regime. As for here, the winter has been especially harsh for us. I came out here in search of food." It sounded simple, but he didn't elaborate on like why he did it. How he made it home. If she wanted to know, she could ask, in his mind.