The bare tree branches gently clicked together, swayed by the icy leaf-bare wind. Sunspiderkit sat on his favorite rock by the nursey, his fur fluffed out to protect against the chilly weather. The small boulder offered a great view over the camp below, but for once, Sunspiderkit's attention wasn't on the cats milling about. He heard their laughs and playful growls, but he wasn't truly listening. Instead, he found himself absentmindedly fidgeting with his flower bracelet, passing it back and forth between his paws. It didn't quite fit him anymore. It was strange, to think that it had been sized perfectly just a few weeks ago, but now, it felt tight around his ankle. /I suppose I've grown,/ he realized with a quiet sigh. The thought reminded him of what had happened earlier that morning. He had woken with the sunrise, and after a few stretches and yawns, he had padded to the corner of the nursery, where Sunshine, his sunspider, slept. To his horror, he had found her perfectly still, her skin split open. For a few awful heartbeats, he'd been terrified she was dying, but once his panicked thoughts began to slow, he'd noticed the small, pale sunspider slowly pulling herself free from the split skin. After making sure Sunshine was okay, he'd trotted around the camp, asking other kits if their pet insects had ever done anything like that. Many of them nodded, and after a few different explanations, Sunspiderkit had learned that Sunshine wasn't hurt at all. She was molting. To his understanding, as some insects grew, they became too big for their old skin, so they had to leave it behind. It was a bit strange to think about. The idea that something could feel so perfect for a while, and then suddenly not fit anymore. Sunspiderkit looked back down at the bracelet, tracing a claw over the small red flowers woven into it. For some reason, he suddenly remembered things that other kits had said, things that at the time had felt normal, but that now made him strangely uncomfortable. "He's my older brother," he'd heard Harvesterkit say. "Nice to meet you, Mister Sunspider!" Yellowjacketkit had chirped. /He./ Sunspiderkit suddenly realized. That must have been what felt off. But...why? He, him, his, those were just words, pronouns he'd used his whole life. But now, he felt a bit like Sunshine, felt as if the pronouns were his skin, and they were just a little too tight. Sunspiderkit stared down at the bracelet, tail curled around his paws. The bracelet was simple, he knew exactly why it was uncomfortable. He had made it to fit him while he was small, and now he was bigger, so it was too small. But words were different. You couldn't get too big for words, could you? He frowned, listening to the rattling of the branches overhead. /This doesn't make any sense,/ Sunspiderkit thought, getting to his paws and trying his best to ignore the strange too-tight feeling. He was probably just overthinking it. He had a habit of doing that. Shaking his head, he turned his attention back to the camp below. He was supposed to be aware of what was happening around him, not sitting on a rock worrying about a strange feeling he couldn't even explain. He gave his flower bracelet one last glance before looking away. Whatever this was, he couldn't waste time thinking about it, especially not when there were cats around who might need him. ____________________________________________ Sunspiderkit is now questioning his identity. Sunspiderkit continues to use he/him pronouns for now.
I'm tired lol, hope this is good enough I'm not the best at SRPs :')
