[Fawn]

Lionstar

54 Moons || Tom || TreeClan

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        The valley had seen its first snowfall of leafbare; a light, powdery mix that was easily flattened under paw, and did little to hinder the cats of TreeClan beyond inspiring the occasional bout of mischief. Kits were frolicking and rolling around in it, and the apprentices quickly gave in to the temptation to do the same, flicking clumps of it at their Clanmates as they passed by.

Lionstar swept snow away from the entrance to his den, pushing it aside with oversized front paws. A golden ear swiveled to catch wind of Skyfall taking another hunting patrol out into the gloomy leafbare morning. The stores were still full, but he had advised his deputy to be vigilant about bringing in prey whenever the chance presented itself; couldn't be too careful, could they?

Preparing to take a cardinal for himself, the pungent odor of NightClan invaded his senses in such a way that his whiskers twitched, posture leaning away as though to spare himself any more assault. Egh, disgusting. Somecat smelled like fetid swampland, and he whirled around, golden eyes narrowing to pinpoint a black-and-white tom, Magpiewing, and his accomplice—a charcoal gray she-cat of unnerving similarity to her father.

"Did you go hunting in NightClan territory?" he hissed at the pair, crossing the camp in a few great strides to halt them near the entrance. "What in StarClan's name were you thinking?" He refused to believe it was simply a lapse in memory in two young warriors; neither cat had been prone to mistakes of this magnitude when they were apprentices. Of course, gaining a warrior name could sometimes boost the ego past a healthy size.

"We were thinking we could help feed the Clan," scoffed Magpiewing, tail twitching in irritation. "No one saw us! It was just the other side of the deer path, anyway."

"You don't feed the Clan by breaking the rules," snapped Lionstar, feeling the irritation gather in his front limbs, his paws aching to cuff the both of them around the ears. They weren't in desperate times yet. "StarClan only knows if you two will smarten up by the time Dunekit and Dusk-kit are ready to be apprenticed—though I have a few other cats to choose from." Choices that followed the warrior code.

Magpiewing's eyes widened, and then the young warrior picked up his squirrel and stomped out of camp, obviously planning to return it—not that it would do much good. Lionstar's whiskers twitched. Little mousebrain hadn't stuck around long enough to hear his punishment; oh well, he was going the same way as Skyfall's hunting party, and would no doubt attract the deputy's attention.

With the black-and-white tom's disappearance, that left TreeClan's leader standing near the tiny female replicated of his most hated former Clanmate.

"We were only trying to help," she said simply, infernal golden eyes boring into him. Lionstar watched as she excused herself politely and went to find her mother. Mockingbird and Magpiewing. He had a gut feeling he ought to keep an eye on those two.

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Word Count: 500 Words
Tags: None