Seeking Survivors || Ivalene & Open

[Wargrace]

Raccoonheart
In the destroyed territories.
( Open to Group One Scouts )

Scouting for survivors -- it was a difficult task. An unpleasant one. Moving through the rubble of what once was the clan territories. The sight of the territories was horrific to say the least, nothing but a mess of fallen trees and rocks, splitting earth and flooding where water had been made overflow by fallen debris or slides of land that left it an escape. So much destruction, all from the earth shaking furiously. It was strange. So strange how something like trembling could tear apart a world. It wasn't just the destruction to the land, but to the lives, too. Cats.. trapped and killed by the debris. It was painful. But he wasn't one to be torn down by painful situations.

Bold as ever, Raccoonheart moved along, head tilted low, mouth opened a crack, black nose twitching, and fluffy tail waving like a banner behind him. He was focused. Very focused. Following scent trails, searching for life. At any rate, it wouldn't be a shocker if his focus led him straight over the edge of some gaping hole created by the 'quake. The lengthy grayscale warrior was determined. He'd bring back atleast one living cat. Atleast one. There had to be more survivors than already found. There simply.. wasn't enough. The 'quake couldn't have taken so many lives. No, somewhere beneath the rubble, trapped and injured, was atleast one survivor in need of aid. The tom froze, head lifting, green stare skimming. He'd found a scent -- not a good one, though. One twisted with a scent of death. Was it proper to leave the body as it was? No, it should've been dug up, buried properly.. but there was no time for that. Lives were at stake.

Shaking his head, the cat lowered it again, took a sniff, then bolted forward a ways, taking a good, strong leap, up onto a large rock. Was he alone..? No, Fallenstrike had been with him. Was he still..? The warrior took a moment to check, shifting a glance. Then, back to work. Muzzle parted, Raccoonheart took a deep breath, chest puffing out with the effort to find any trace scents. No time to waste, he sprang off the rock again and began moving, weaving along through the destruction with rocksteady focus.

He'd bring back atleast one survivor.

[Iva]

Fallenstrike

Like usual, the long-haired warrior was not far, and bounded near the large rock where Raccoonheart could now be found. He didn’t move quite as fast as the zippy little warrior, but he was far from lagging behind; taking a glance around the landscape, and giving his thick tail a swish. His expression showed nothing. Thoughts, concerns? None. Even now as he picked up the scent of death, he appeared completely unaffected. Was it true..? Possibly, possibly not. Truth was, he was just as focused as Raccoonheart..Maybe this intense focus added to his lack of emotions. Lack of concern, not so much.. He was plenty concerned. What would they do, if they found someone? Drag them back, presumably. But..There was danger in that. There was danger with just travelling the terrain. This was the reason for his concern..The lost cats, the dead cats, that cats waiting to be found..Not so much.

He took a step away from the rock, letting his tail slash back and forth, stirring up any scent that might’ve dwindled and faded. Not entirely intentional. Where to go, from here? It all looked the same. Withered, destroyed, collapsed upon itself.. Could anyone have survived? Well..He survived, hadn’t he? Others might’ve survived, too. That was what they told him, anyway. He didn’t hold much hope, himself. Everyone had gathered- if they hadn’t by now, it probably meant they were dead. Negative, but true. Fallenstrike never really had been a ray of shining positivity. Luckily, he wasn’t one to go on about useless things, either- he would keep his negativeity to himself, unless asked. Good, because someone may actually feel emotionally affected by it..Unlike himself. “Smell anything.?” He turned to Racoonheart, bright blue eyes narrowed slightly against the sun. Apart from the dead thing, he could smell very little.. Or, could he? Had there been something, stirred up by the dust..? He turned around, and sniffed the area again. Leaves. Smelled of leave..And Freshness. Strange?

[Wargrace]

Yes. His Fallenstrike was nearby! Just a bit behind him, and soon enough beside the rock he'd leapt onto. He gave an affectionate blink to the other tom, then returned to scanning; carefully taking in every detail. Searching. One never knew when a survivor would've crawled into the open, but been too damaged or weak to make it further. He took another deep, searching breath. Which direction, now? There was so much ground to be covered. Even with two scout groups, would they ever cover it all..? It was hard to say. Unlikely, really. No, if there were survivors.. there was a good chance they'd die without ever being found. It was a.. painful thought. Fallenstrike.. was he phased by this situation..? Raccoonheart was, really. He was a friendly cat, with a good amount of care for most, clanmate or otherwise. He wanted to find as many alive as possible, even if it was dangerous. He'd make sure Fallenstrike was safe, and any survivors.

Smell anything? He made no reply, just stared off, skimming over and over, breathing. The wind shifted just a bit. Or maybe the wind stirred. Yes, it stirred. It was still before; so he took another deep taste of the air, holding the breath for a moment, analyzing. There was something there. What was it? He took another hurried breath, mouth opening wider, body turning a bit. Trying to find the direction. Yes, a scent! He could smell it. Clear as day. Well, not really. Difficult, but there. Definitely there. Fallenstrike..? Ignored for a moment, bright green eyes widened with focus. Scent. Scent, he had to follow it! Off the rock the sleek tom went, pausing a moment again to sniff. Which way? Twitch, twitch -- tail flicking behind him, he was a statue; and then.. into motion. Bolting off. With little wariness for where he was going. The scent was priority. Gone! He froze abruptly to breath again, searching. Where was it..? Ah-ha! Off.. again.

[Iva]

No reply. Instead, the grey warrior started sniffing. Fallenstrike stared for a moment.. Really, ‘Coon was quite focused, was he not? Fallen was too, but not quite..So intensely. Almost, but..Really, he just focused differently. Not so.. Spirited.. But that was Fallenstrike for you. Off went Raccoonheart, and off went Fallen.. Fallowing with a few pawsteps, then stopping, as ‘Coon stopped. Did he smell it, too..? The hint of..Something? Was it a cat? Sort of smelled like a cat.. Only vaguely. Mostly just a freshness, and a forestyness..Strange, on It’s own, because there wasn’t a lot of fresh or foresty things around Hollow Lake anymore.

But..Was it cat? Fallen had a difficult time trying to decide from the small bit of scent he had taken in. If it was, or if it wasn’t, it definitely didn’t carry any of the clan’s scent. He would’ve recognized any of those right away. It was probably just a patch of grass, or something.. Grass that.. Had somehow left it scents..Where there was no grass. Okay, it wasn’t grass. “What is it?” No response to his previous question..Normally, this would’ve angered the relatively ill-tempered warrior, but it was ‘Coon. He rarely got mad at ‘Coon..Aside from when he decided to randomly disappear, then everything from Starclan to poor innocent rocks would feel his fury. Was the streamlined warrior moving again? If he was, the larger warrior would hop to follow. He had more endurance then his shape let on; no matter the length of his fur, no matter the thickness of his limbs, he was able to keep going for a while. Even to keep up Raccoonheart..Sometimes it seemed that warrior never stopped moving.

Ah, scent..Right. Where had it gone? Bending a bit, he started sniffing himself; circling around the area he had first seen it. Unfortunately, he didn’t catch the scent again..
Did ‘Coon? Off to a different area to search. This time, behind a small rock, a foxlength away. There was an almost dampness to the ground here, and it smelled different to the rest. Not, however, like the fresh foresty scent. Hnph. Was there even any vegetation that let that smell off around? Sniff, sniff. Every various areas where searched, but he found no match. Strange, strange indeed.

[Wargrace]

That scent. There was something definite about it. It was strange. The scent had a familiarity. Foresty. It hadn't grown stale, either. No tinge of death, not old. It was.. definite. Life. It was a scent of something alive -- not prey or predator, though. He was positive of that. It lacked those certain little signs that would mark it as such. It had to be a cat. His paw pads were tingling with excitement. Yes, somewhere in this area, a living cat had passed -- a survivor. Perhaps not from the clans, perhaps a loner or something along those lines.. but it was a survivor, no matter it's roots.. a cat who would need aid, now, more likely than not, a cat who would also be of help to the clans, if willing. His whiskers gave a twitch of excitement at the prospect, bright eyes shining with recognition. Starclan was leading them -- him and Fally -- wasn't it? Inside, something had sparked. In his chest.. an intense warmth and a bunch of flaming little butterflies. "Fallenstrike," His tone, it reflected this. Light and happy.

Nothing more said, he was moving, head close to the ground so his nose nearly brushed the ground beneath it. Sniffing. Like a bloodhound on the trail -- with a lot less wrinkle and excess skin. What is it? He paused at this, looking towards the bigger warrior for a moment. "It's a survivor. I know it is~!" Oh no, 'Coony did stop moving sometimes. Just not often. He was energetic. Very energetic. An energetic, happy-go-lucky cat. Well, most of the time. There were times, rare, rare times, when happy was.. a horrifyingly improper description of how he was. Not now, of course. Now he was in a pleasant mood, focused on the intense drive to follow the scent they had stumbled upon. Off he went, now, to where Fallenstrike was investigating, sniffing at the area for a moment then.. taking off again. Around the area too-rapidly, hunting the scents then taking off on what he mentally deemed as a trail. Wait, dead-end, it seemed. Pause.

"Mmmmrreow?" ..Meowing? Yes. Because.. that might get the survivor's attention! Ears perked, twitching, listening -- he focused on any sort of response. Another meow, a cry for help.. something. Because.. somewhere.. there was a survivor. He had to find the survivor.

[Petalpaw]

Petalpaw trailed slowly after her two teammates. She was the only apprentice in the group and was determined to do some good and prove that she deserved to be on the mission. This is what our old home looked like? she thought bleakly as she slipped over and underneath the fallen debris of the clans' old home. Her green eyes clouded with confusion as she heard the older, bigger, and wiser warrior started meowing "Wha-" Then she stopped herself and coughed quietly "Nevermind..."

[Iva]

The area was pretty rough around here..Unlike the flats that seemed to overtake most of the land after the earthquake, this place was home to jutting rocks and dips and splinters of earth. There was even a few patches of trees and vegetation..Mind you, they were very brown, and what little grass and plant remained where either dead or dying. Drought. Plants really were such resistant creatures.. Maybe, if the water came back, they would come out of their dormant state and live once more. Sadly..That was a little too much to ask for. This place was inhospitable. For plants, and doubtly for cats..Even if the vegetation returned eventually, the prey would take moons, or even seasons. The clans couldn’t last long. Ontop of that, there was no guarantee it even really would get better..The best option was to hurry and find survivors, then set off. Enough waiting around.

“We can smell something, Petalpaw. Can you smell it, too?” Tipping his tail toward the dusted-up rock area, the strong-boned warrior indicated where he had last spotted the freshness. Fallenstrike might’ve not been the nicest cat around, but he wasn’t the meanest, either..And he really wasn’t rude. Just sort of..Irritable. He wouldn’t ignore the other cat’s existence, as some seemed all too keen to do with apprentices. He didn’t pause to talk for long.. As soon as the words where said, he went back to sniffing around. Like Coon, his chest puffed in and out with the deepness of breathes. Freshness, freshness, where are you? No where. Gone.. Wait, what was that? He froze. There it was. The scent. Lifted on the breeze.. Without hesitation, he went after it. It seemed Coon was close to here, too- had they both smelled it? It was this way, then? Survivor..Well, that was Raccoonheart thought. Him? He wasn’t so sure. It seemed a tad hopeful, really..It didn’t even smell like a clan cat, if a cat at all. What were the chances of a non-clan cat lurking around in time for the disaster? Slim, he figured.

Onward. Pading forward. Weaving between the rocks, and into a little clump of dead trees. The scent got even stronger..Rather, it get less..Invisible. It was far from strong. “’Coon? I think it’s this way..” With that, he padded forward a bit, tilting his head in every direction. It didn’t look much better in here than out in the flats, despite the trees.. Disturbing, almost. It looked even more.. Dead. Why would freshness be here? “Oh..Dear..” He stopped. This time, not because he had caught a scent, but because he came across something disturbing. A large tree, broken and almost in pieces on the ground. Near it’s roots, a large gaping hole opened into..Darkness. He couldn’t see through it, or into it. He could only see the endless black. How..disturbing.

[Petalpaw]

Opening her mouth and breathing in to grab the scent to the glands at the top of her mouth "Barely..." She muttered following him. "But yea I can" Clambering over top of large rocks and mounds of debris. The orange she-cat trotted over to the blackened and dead tree and pressed herself to one of the roots. Flicking her ear behind her she flicked her tail. "I'm not going in. My parents tortured me enough with stories about how cats stick their heads in holes and never come out again. I think I am cautious enough now not to go anywhere alone" she muttered as she slowly pricked her ears and meowed into the darkness of the hole "Hello?" she looked back at the tom and slipped back to him to await a reply. If there was even one.

[Wargrace]

(( Posting order: Me, Iva, Petal? To keep things organized and what-not. ))

Sniffing, tracking. He had a sort of tunnel vision going on right now. He didn't ignore apprentices -- but at the moment, Petalpaw was entirely unnoticed. Really, he was clearly focused if even Fallenstrike was shunned more-or-less. There could be lives at stake! That took priority. "Petalpaw~" It was.. some sort of greeting. Vague, distant -- very focused. He'd almost forgot the orange apprentice was present. She wasn't saying much. Nothing meowed back. Hm. Scent tracking it was! Taking in every bit of scent he could find -- soil, dead foliage, and whatever else happened to tinge the air -- hunting out that little, faint scent. Seeking it. He needed to find the source, he needed to. Fallenstrike said something. That way? He twisted himself just a bit, a little more on course, and got moving, long tail swishing behind him quickly. The scent. He'd refound it. It was leading to the base of a tree, into a dark hole beneath the roots. Creepy? Nope! He didn't see it as creepy. It was hope. A dark gaping space.. that meant hope. Could a cat fit into it? Yes. Definitely. So could.. a less desirable creature, though.

The apprentice, Petalpaw, she had went over to the area, perched on a a root, saying she wouldn't go in there. A warm purr was given at this. "Nonsense, Petalpaw. I wouldn't ask you to go crawling into some unknown hole, and I know grumpybutt over there wouldn't, either." Because he'd get lectured by the high-energy grayscale cat if he did. Forward 'Coony went, to the hole, taking a sniff near it. Yes, there was the scent! Strong and fresh! So, he moved in a bit closer, eyeing the space. Caution? No, caution was for.. cats who weren't Raccoonheart. He was bold and confident -- no, not a mousebrain, though. Even as a kit he'd been quite intelligent, full of wise-beyond-his-years logic. His brain currently told him this scent was another cat. Not a clanner, maybe a loner? Hopefully a friendly cat! Because.. well.. caution to the wind, darnit! He was on a mission! With a final glance to the other two, he moved forward to jam his head in.

Or maybe not just his head.

In the warrior would go, crouching low and creeping forward into the space with little hesitation. Or warning that he had been.. planning to go diving into large, unknown, gaping holes that could contain anything. "Hello~? Anyone in here~?" Didn't matter if he got a reply, the grayscale tom would keep right on going until he found something, or came to the end of the tunnel -- or.. came to a part too small for him to fit. He wasn't a very big cat, really -- slim built, but sort of long. Like a weasel, almost -- only less awkward in proportion. His limbs weren't short; they were average, he was just a bit longer than average.. with a tail that was also.. quite long. Heh.

[Iva]

The large, gaping hole..It gave Fallenstrike a bad feeling. “No, Petalpaw, don’t go anywhere near tha-“ Really, Raccoonheart? Bouncing right up to it? It looked the divide between tise world and the Dark Forest, for Starclan’s sake. He let out a hiss..For now, though, ‘Coon didn’t step in side, so he did little more than that. Then..Coon poked his head in. Instantly, ever fur on the tomcat’s coat skyrocked, and he looked atleast twice the size. “Raccoonheart!” But..He was gone. The large warrior couldn’t move fast enough to snap at him and catch. Instead, his teeth met eachother with a loud click.

Fool! “What are doing? Get out of there!” Hiss, hiss.. Was Petalpaw trying to go in there, too? Like hell she was. Fallen was in the way- and looked about ready to maul even a dog, honestly. Or a Lionclan cat. Or Starclan itself. Rage? Yes. “Mousebrain! What are you doing? Get out, out!” He took a step in, but, unlike ‘Coon, didn’t go much farther. It was..A rather large, hole, but not an especially large one. It would be quite awkward for him to squeeze.. And, really, he wasn’t that impulsive. Both of them in the hole would not make the situation any better. Damn, Raccoon! What in Starclan’s name!

--

Movement. Deep, deep down within the hole, something stirred; feeling vibrations coming, steadfast. It did not how to react, but to let out a petrified squeak; feeling the movement coming closer, body wheeling around and pressing itself toward the other end of the tunnel. Or what it thought was..Down, beneath the tree, there was no light. The exit was visible, but bearly- unnounced to it, even the smallest light made it shimmer a bright silver-hinted-blue.

What was this creature? A kit. And now, it was a kit scared senseless; short hair fluffed as far as it could, body tense and ears flat against his head. Like large, green-shining moons, his eyes were wide; pupils not constricted into slits, but full circles in the darkness. Ohno, oh no, something was coming! What to do, where to run? Definitely not out.. Whatever was coming this way, was coming through the only exit. This was..The end. “Meeooooo, meeeoooooo!” Help, help? No one was there to help.. He was going to be eaten alive!

[Petalpaw]

Petalpaw snickered "And apparently I'm the apprentice!" She looked toward Fallenstrike "You can't fit down there would you like me to go after him? It would be a lot easier for me to do that" she said flicking her tail as she heard something muffled down the tunnel. "Fallenstrike..." she muttered as she flicked her white ears toward the black abyss of a tunnel. "There seem to be something down there" she cautiously took a step toward the tunnel. Looking back at Fallenstrike then sighed as she took another step towards the tree before hopping after Raccoonheart. "There's something else down here is you didn't notice!" she mewed as she stepped over rocks as the darkness enclosed around her orange colored body. "Oof!" she mewed as she bumped into the fur of the tom ahead of her "Sorry!" she muttered blinking her green eyes as a bit of dirt fell on her head. As her eyes adjusted to the darkness around her she could tell that the walls might be making it a bit cramped for Raccoonheart.

[Wargrace]

Fallenstrike was unamused. He.. wasn't too concerned! Didn't matter, he was starting in, now. He heard the jaws click behind him as he went; pulling his tail in close least it get bitten by the less-than-happy warrior. "Oh stop, Fallenstrike. You know I know what I'm doing." He called this back, eyerolling. Knew what he was doing..? Yes, he felt confident it was another cat. Perhaps it wouldn't be a friendly cat, but it was a cat. He was outgoing, not mousebrained. Sniff, sniff! The scent was stronger in the little tunnel. Tangled with the earthy soil-scent. He ignored the demand to come out, creeping forward steadily. It was.. a fairly tight squeeze. Not uncomfortable; but by no means did he feel like he was out in the open. No, infact, it was a good thing he wasn't claustrophobic. But.. he wasn't. He'd jammed himself through some tight spaces as a kit!

He could see something. Something silvery. Small, silvery. It caught the light slightly. The very, very little amount of light that flickered past him. Not much.. but it was something. The scent, the glimmer. Something tiny. Not a threat. 'Meo, meo'. A.. kitten? It was a kitten! Living, lone kitten! He felt a surge of warmth through him. Fondness, excitement, joy. Something bumped him. Petalpaw? "S'alright, Petalpaw.. everything's fine, I found it! Go back out and tell grumpy a bear ate me, please?" Amused purr. He edged forward a bit more, head tilting. "Shhh, little one.. it's alright. I won't hurt you.. m'rreow?" See, I'm a kitty too! He'd edge in more, purring warmly at the little ball. Trying to slowly get closer.. hopefully without scaring it into a heart attack. A kitten! Raccoonheart reached out, trying to give it a reassuring lick. "I'm going to make sure you're alright, little one~ make sure you're nice and safe. Don't worry, I won't hurt you. You can call me Mommy 'Coony." ..Mommy? Yes. Probably best not to judge him.

Ohh, little kitten! Was it calmed yet..? Hopefully. He really hoped it was calm, now. Because if it was, he'd lean gently to try to get ahold of it's scruff. If he was let do so, backwards he'd go; scooting for the exit. No room to turn around in here. Hopefully, he'd be allowed to carry the little thing on out. ..And.. hopefully Petalpaw had went out, so he wouldn't back into her. No need to step on apprentices.

[Iva]

"Two mousbrains do not make a smart move!" Bristling. Anger..It was an understatement. If the two cats weren't already stuffed under the root, he probably would've bolted under and dragged 'Coon out, regardless of the lack of space. But..He had failed at keeping Petal back, and it was too late. What was there for Fallen to do? Well, he was much to horrified and an furious to stand there.. So he moved toward the hole, hissing into it. Was..that an echo? Maybe it wasn't so deep, then.. And maybe there wasn't something terrible lurking. Yeah, right, no guarentees. "I know you're being a mousebrain." Mumbles. Fallen..He didn't enjoy these moves. Worry. He did terrible with it. Dissapearing into a deep dark hole.. Worrying.

--

The kit was sure he would die then and there. Not from any jaws crushing him, but from fright. The noises..They were louder, and there were more of them. He could almost feel the ground shake under him from the movement.. He would be eaten any moment, now. Close, closer..He would've backed away more, but he was already pressed against the wall. Eyes.. They were upon him. Green eyes, familiar eyes..Cat eyes? His own got no less round, but he didn't quite pass out; puffing up with a few frantic breaths. There was meowing, which he deemed familiar..But he did not understand. Too young, yet. He did, however, get the tone. No angery. Did that mean..They weren't going to eat him? Why would a cat eat him? After a second, the kit's mood turned. The larger grey cat had purred..So he started purring, too. There was no worry about him fighting off the lift, as he pretty much threw himself at 'Coon, cuddling in close. A cat! He wasn't alone anymore! He was saved! Oh.. Now he was being picked up. The movement was odd, and made him stop purring a bit; eyes widening again, and remaining that way as he swayed a bit. Ehhh movement. Butbut.. The grey cat had saved him. His hero! The purring returned.

[Petalpaw]

Petalpaw smilied. Good everything was fine. As the she rolled her eyes at the tom she turned in the cramped space, hoping not to get stuck. "If 'Grumpy' couldn't fit in here I'm betting that a bear couldn't fit either. So that's out. What about a badger?" she asked a bit of teasing tinting her voice. "Wait wait wait. You're a 'Mommy' now?" she mewed snickering as she entered into the light and out of the dark abyss. "Raccoonheart was eaten by a badger" She mewed nonchalantly to Fallenstrike then started to giggle behind a root of a tree. She never was really good at acting or keeping secrets. She coughed slightly "Erm so yea..." She mewed shuffling her paws "He has the kit"

[Wargrace]

The warrior pretty much grinned, ears flicking back to catch the apprentice's words. "Ya'never know, Petalpaw, you really never know. Bears these days. They'll squeeze their stumpy tails wherever they please. The element of surprise! ..Badger works." A mommy now? He puffed proudly at this -- even.. if it'd go unseen in the dark little tunnel. "Of course. Mommy 'Coony. It sounds perfect, no? Grumpy can be Daddy Grumpy, and you can be big Sister Petal." An amused purring from the perky gray cat. He sort of missed being an apprentice. Or maybe being a kit, more-so. Spending all his time with Fallenkit, going off on adventures out of camp, talking to Tricklestar.. good times. But.. being a warrior was a great thing, too. He'd declared himself and Fally warriors.. when they were just kits, afterall! ..No one seemed to believe he was just a very small warrior, sadly. Hehe.

Ohh, the warm! He felt all warm and fluttery at the kit. It had been afraid, but now it was purring, too -- and cuddling him! He felt happy, very happy. What condition was the little thing in? Hopefully good enough to grow big and strong. There was always that horrific chance the little one had spent too long alone. Was it a clan-kit? Didn't smell it. A loner kit? Yes, maybe that. Or maybe he was wrong altogether. But that didn't matter for now; collecting the kit, and leaving the cramped tunnel did. He'd better be able to examine the kit outside the tunnel, and decide if it was an emergency. Would they need to race back to the group right away, or would they be able to search around some more? Of course, the whole group didn't need to run back if the kit needed care -- but they were supposed to stay in groups, no? Eh.

Kitten in jaws, he purred louder, affectionately, at it, scooting backwards through the tunnel. Petalpaw seemed to have exited already, as he found the surrounding darkness growing slightly less, and the feeling of fresh air, unlike the still air of the tunnel, brushing his fur. Then.. soon enough.. out he'd pop, stepping backward a couple pawsteps from the tunnel, then turning to look at the others. Still.. practicly grinning.. despite the little bundle of fur in his mouth. "LoofIahgofahnkittuhns!" ..What? Look, I got a kitten. Yeah, not the clearest statement ever, really. The kitten would be set down as gingerly as possible at his paws, warrior sitting and trying to curl his tail around it protectively. "Look! I knew we'd find a survivor. Even if it's just one little kit, it's a survivor. A little miracle, surviving all by itself.." Forward he'd bend, trying to give the kit a head-lick. ..Or.. just.. outright start grooming it, really. "Kittennnn. Isn't he precious? Oh, and the badger.. he didn't like the taste of Raccoon, so he didn't eat me, afterall."