[Deleted]

M O O N K I T

Ever since the NightClan camp flooded and everyone had to evacuate camp, one little white and black kit had gotten a taste for the outdoors. The days spent in the makeshift camp had been the best time of her life, and since the return into the tunnels and the nursery, a dissatisfied itch had developed in her short fur, and it wasn’t just from the remaining floodwater still in camp. Moonkit wanted the outdoors, she wanted the fresh pine-scented air and leaves crunching underfoot and adventure, not dusty air that smelled of dirt and just dirt and moss everywhere with no adventure to be had. Since returning, the little kit had made plans to return to the world outside the tunnel, no matter what the “warrior code” had to say about it.

Finally, with her mother and brother distracted, it was Moonkit’s chance to put her plan into action. The first problem was encountered after just taking a few steps towards the exit: her fur. She was far too visible against the dark colors of the tunnel. Bright yellow eyes glanced around, trying to find a way… there! In one of the lower points of camp, away from most of the other cats, some of the muddy floodwater still remained. Casually, the kit strolled over to said mud puddle and began playing around, trying to get mud over all the white parts of her fur and ending up with some on the black parts as well. Engrossed in her goal, the kit failed to notice a blue-eyed apprentice watching her in puzzlement, but as this apprentice merely walked away with a shake of his head, it ended up of little consequence.

Thoroughly covered in mud, the formally white-and-black kit was now a uniformly satisfying shade of brown, and since Dappleshade and her littermate were still occupied, Moonkit resumed her plan. Getting to the exit was the easy part, but she wasn’t quite sure about the climb up… Yellow eyes stared up at the slope, ears tilted back as she tried to figure out how to climb it. After two heartbeats, however, the kit metaphorically shrugged her shoulders and simply ran full speed up the mountain. Fortunately, said slope was nowhere near as slippery as it had been the night of the flood, and she was able to reach the top.

Surprisingly, stopping proved to be a much harder task, and it was a few tail-lengths before she managed to stop moving. Once she did, yellow eyes glanced back at the camp entrance to see if anycat had followed her. All clear. Moonkit quickly slunk away from the entrance to camp, just to make sure that she wouldn’t be spotted, but quickly the kit found herself safely outside the camp, with her goal complete. What now? The air was nicer, true, but she could still smell dirt, and her fur was starting to itch- Oh, right. With the mud in her fur’s work complete, the kit could wash it off. Pink nose attempted to sniff out water, and was surprised to find it close by. Moonkit looked around, but couldn’t see any of it… The four-moon-old kit continued to sniff around, now intent on hunting this mystery water down.

[Deleted]

POISONLEAF

Poisonleaf trotted through the pine forest back toward the NightClan camp, jaws laden with her soon to be new additions to the fresh-kill pile. Two sparrows caught along the branch trail, and one mouse caught between there and here. The pretty calico trotted carefully over the semi-damp ground, being careful not to kick up mud onto her long fur.

She swerved around the ambush pond, slowing to a walk. Poisonleaf paused and took a moment to admire the strange plant that floated upon the still waters. The warrior lowered her prey to the ground and stepped forward, lowering her jaws to lap at the cool liquid. Venomous green eyes searched around her, ever alert.

A pawstep caught the she-cat's attention, and Poisonleaf lifted her head, still crouched low. Green eyes narrowed as she caught a peculiar sight, edging toward the pond. A smirk crossed the warrior's face and she stood, tiptoeing over to where stood a mud-covered kit. "Well, well, well, would you look at that. You're mighty small for an apprentice, aren't you?" Poisonleaf's voice dripped with a venomous mirth, a dangerous laughter hiding behind her eyes. Oh, she wouldn't hurt a kit, but perhaps she could have a bit of...fun.

[BlooRey DVD]

[smear:ff0000]Sunkit[/smear:ffff00]
~~~~~~~~

Admittedly, it had taken the tom a little longer than usual to figure out that his sister had somehow managed to slip away unseen by himself, and the watchful eyes of their mother Dappleshade. Sunkit's greenish eyes flicked over to the she-cat in question, and he hesitated for a moment. Perhaps they weren't so watchful. At least not today. Her eyes were shut tight, and she appeared to be drifting off to sleep. He thought about prodding her, to ask her if she knew where Moonkit had gotten off to, but in the end, he decided it might just be easier for him to go fetch her by himself. She couldn't be far, could she?

As he padded out of the nursery, a moving figure, too small to be that of an apprentice, make a rapid dart for the tunnel that led out of the NightClan camp. With a clear narrowing of his eyes, the ginger kit took off after his sister, too quickly to allow anyone to question him on the way out. He pondered for a moment as he ran, the reason behind his actions as he chased after the mud caked form of who he decided was more than likely Moonkit. All she ever seemed to do was get herself in trouble. And he chased after her, ultimately getting himself in trouble too. With a roll of his eyes, however, he pushed on until he crested the rise.

Eyes darting to and fro, he managed to pick out his sister. For a moment, he froze, however, alarm crossing his features as he watched a warrior approach his sister. With a surge of energy, the tom moved forward. If his sister was going to be berated, he would be there to take some of it as well. It might seem nonsensical, as it wasn't his idea in the first place, but he didn't care.

"Covered with muddy ground, master of trouble you should be crowned. Though in patience you may lack, for adventure you have a knack. You may think it swell, but in the future bid me farewell for you make me worry, when you leave in a flurry. You've found Poisonleaf, are you causing her grief? Do share what's on your mind, if you could only be so kind. I know for a fact, I'd like to know your act. I have the slightest of feeling, your master plan's revealing is something rather appealing, so don't keep us waiting."

To his dismay, the last of his words was not quite the best pick he could have ever made in his rhyming career. You had to give him some credit though. This was, after all, completely on the fly.

[Deleted]

M O O N K I T

A feeling of being watched made even mud-coated fur bristle, and the kit stopped her search for water and looked up. Yellow eyes stared back at her from behind a bush, and for a heartbeat, Moonkit’s usually brave heart flooded with fear. The other kits told stories of- Another cat, much more close by, spoke up and distracted the currently mud-colored she-kit from the yellow-eyed thing. She didn’t know the speaker’s name, but the kit had seen her on (rare) occasion. When her own yellow-ish eyes glanced back, all she saw was the bush…

Finally, the older she-cat’s words reached the kit, and her ears flattened and her chest poofed up. Moonkit was one of the smaller kits in the nursery, excluding the newborns, and she didn’t appreciate being reminded of such by some stranger. “Is Ravenstar too small to be a leader?” she challenged, yellow eyes staring determinedly at Poisonleaf. The small tremor of fear she had felt earlier completely dissipated, and staring down this warrior caused no such fear. Instead, she only felt annoyance that her adventure was ruined.

Her annoyance only increased when a second voice spoke up. In rhyme. Of course. Of course her brother followed her; why wouldn’t he? And why can’t he talk normal? Moonkit turned from the warrior to better glare at her annoying brother. “On my mind is why you insist in speaking in rhyme all the time!” Oh no, now she was doing it. “You may be fine with just lying about the nursery, playing your games, but I want out of camp! It’s so boring in there!” The four-moon-old kit was adamant about exploring the NightClan territory more. After all, they said she and Sunkit were born outside of camp, and then during the flood they had also been taken out of camp. What was the point of being forced to stay there?

[Deleted]

POISONLEAF

They say pride comes before the fall...

The calico warrior twitched her whiskers in amusement at the kit's retort. She was a spicy one, that much was obvious. Before she could reply to Moonkit's question, another kit burst forward, the patterns of his tongue identifying him as Sunkit, Moonkit's rhyming brother.

In silence she watched the interaction between littermates, listening as they countered back and forth. Once Sunkit had finished his chant-like rhymes, and Moonkit countered in much shorter words, Poisonleaf got a crazy idea. "Well, if you're so determined to get out of camp, then why not?" Venom green eyes flitted around, making sure they truly were alone. Once certain no one else was there, Poisonleaf turned back to the pair of kits.

"Why don't we go on an adventure? I can take you to see the burned trees of the Black Wood, if you like?" Poisonleaf watched the kits for their reaction with a mischievous glint in her eye. No outward signs of malice were visible, but the she-cat's mind swirled with any number of things that could happen. She wouldn't directly try to harm the kits, but if something were to happen, then it would happen. But Poisonleaf kept her darker thoughts to herself, showing only a mischievous warrior willing to bend the code and allow two kits to explore outside the camp before their apprenticeship.

...but I am pride, and I am the fall