[Deleted]

Am I coming out of left field?

---

The leader's den was something of a climb for a kit as young as Mink-kit, but she was determined. No one was ever going to tell her that she couldn't do anything she put her mind to. A few slips were going to result in some bruising, but such wounds were nothing to Mink-kit, nothing I tell you! Frozenrain had been engrossed in grooming Snowkit last she'd seen the two and Mink-kit had announced that she was going to wait for Snowkit outside so they could play once their mother had finished with her. But waiting had gotten boring real quick.

So she had torn off toward her father's den, which included a slight climb up the rocks. She had vague memories of the den. She and Snowkit had lived there with her mother and father for a time, but the memories were already starting to fade. Since their move to the nursery, she hadn't been back. Time to change that! Panting, she finally reached the top, tail raised proudly at her accomplishment, and strode inside. It was empty. She sniffed around a bit; the scent of her father dominated everything, but there were faint other scents too, ones she couldn't place, not yet.

Spotting his nest, she bounded over and pounced into it, kneading the moss and purring. His scent was strongest here. She felt wreathed in it, almost like he was there, and curled up briefly, purring satisfaction. She would wait for him to come back. Then a better idea occurred to her. Waiting was boring, but hiding? Hiding was fun. She tore up some of his nest, because that wouldn't be obvious at all, and carefully buried herself in the moss, bright blue eyes standing out against the dull green that now covered her, bits of her pale creamy pelt poking out. It was hardly a thorough job, but Mink-kit was convinced she was invisible. When Hawkstar returned to his den, she would jump out and scare him, and he'd be impressed by her amazing ambush abilities.

---

I'm a rebel just for kicks now.

BlooRey DVD Fawn @kahani williams just in case we want to turn it into a family thread 8D Bloo first though lol

[BlooRey DVD]

Hawkstar

may your dreams be larger than mountains

The big tom returned from a hunting trip, single bird in his jaws. Although Leafbare was drawing to a close, his luck had not been as strong on this particular trip. Other patrol members, however, carried with them extra prey, and in Hawkstar's mind that was blessing from StarClan enough. Seeing as he'd only managed to catch the one bird, the StoneClan figurehead had planned to deliver it to the nursery, to share with Frozenrain and perhaps their two kits if they proved themselves curious enough. As he directed himself toward the nursery, however, he caught a familiar scent in an unfamiliar setting.

Mink-kit's scent seemed to dart straight passed him, away from the nursery. A flicker of concern and confusion lit up his features as he dropped the prey to better identify the scent's age. It was fairly recent, meaning she'd passed by not long ago. Rather than needlessly worry Frozenrain, the StoneClan leader stooped to pick up the bird and began following the trail. Pale amber eyes glowed in mild surprise when he identified that Mink-kit had apparently scaled the rocks leading to his den. He also felt a sense of relief (and even a little pride) upon noticing she'd made it to the top.

At least she is somewhere safe. He thought to himself, shaking his head in amusement. Padding forward with only a fraction of stiffness in his usual lumbering gait, Hawkstar ducked into the den he'd once shared with his mate and kits. Perhaps this is what had brought Mink-kit back here, memories of a time not so long ago.

It didn't take long for Hawkstar's amber gaze to find Mink-kit. The brilliant blue eyes, inherited from Frozenrain, were what gave her away, though upon further inspection (making sure not to let his eyes linger lest she figure out he'd spotted her.), he could see bits of her pelt, as well as where the moss had been shredded to create a sort of blanket for herself. Depositing the bird near the front of the den, Hawkstar stretched his big frame, before directing himself to the nest.

"StarClan above." He drawled, pretending as though he were talking to himself. "What a day, what a day. I could certainly use a nap right now! I think I might just collapse into my nest and get some rest!" With each declaration, he move closer and closer to his nest. By the time he reached it, the tom wobbled on his paws as though he might just sprawl straight out onto the moss. To someone hiding amongst the material, it would look as though he were about to collapse right on top of them.

leader of stoneclan

and may you have the courage
to scale their summits

background image | harley king | @zen Fawn @kahani williams | table by phoenix

Note: 93 moons

[Deleted]

Am I coming out of left field?

---

She was starting to get restless. Hiding was only marginally more fun than waiting. By the time the huge form of Hawkstar finally appeared at his den entrance, Mink-kit had fidgeted about, causing bits of her moss blanket to fall away and reveal even more of her fur, not that she had noticed. She had almost decided to do something else when her father arrived and stilled her fidgeting instantly. She hunkered down as the tom came into the den, setting down some prey, and headed toward the nest. There was no way he'd seen her, nope. Everything was going perfect!

As he got closer, however, he seemed intent on napping, and just as he seemed about to fall right into his nest Mink-kit squeaked in alarm and popped up, “Wait, daddy, wait! You're gonna crush me!” Wait that wasn't what she had meant to say. “I mean, SURPRISE!” She darted forward, careless of the moss still clinging to her pelt, and weaved through his legs with a purr, declaring proudly “I'm a better ambusher than NightClan!” She only knew about the other Clan from stories of course, but they always seemed to talk about how sneaky NightClan was. Mink-kit was confident she was far superior. She had, after all, just successfully ambushed the leader of StoneClan. You couldn't do much better than that.

Spotting the prey he had dropped, she bounded over to it and shoved her nose into the feathers, causing her to sneeze from the tickling sensation. Shaking her head in offense, she pounced on the dead creature, forgetting the lesson Frozenrain had already tried many times to instill in both her and Snowkit about respecting prey, “I'll show you!” She tumbled over one side of it and kicked it away from her, bright blue eyes alight with the embers of kit-battle.

---

I'm a rebel just for kicks now.

BlooRey DVD

[BlooRey DVD]

Hawkstar

may your dreams be larger than mountains

As Mink-kit's voice burst into existence, the little kit 'revealing' herself by leaping out of what little moss remained covering her, the big StoneClan tom called out in a rather convincing display of surprise. "Great StarClan! Mink-kit, surely that can't be you! Where in the valley did you come from?" He questioned, staggering back (but being careful not to come close to crushing her for real) as his daughter declared herself more talented than NightClan at the art of ambushing. She proceeded to turn her attention to the bird he'd brought in from his hunt, and the StoneClan figurehead's pale amber eyes followed her movements there.

As she body-slammed the bird, Hawkstar knew he should probably remind her of what Frozenrain would say to such a treatment of prey. His mate was teaching both their newest kits the importance of respecting prey, and yet... Seeing the carefree joy, the innocence and energy that radiated from Mink-kit in this moment... He couldn't bring himself to say anything. He chuckled warmly, a purr vibrating in his throat as the little she-cat kicked out with her hind legs and sent the bird skittering away. As Mink-kit righted herself, surely to try again, the big tom beckoned with his tail, voice dropping as though he had a secret to tell her.

"Mink-kit." He rumbled, pale amber eyes focused on the motionless form of the bird. "Come closer." Hawkstar waited until the kitten gave into her curiosity and bounded over, before continued to whisper conspiratorially to her. "Let me teach you something super secret. The perfect sneak." Rolling his large frame into a more mobile position, the StoneClan figurehead crouched down so his muzzle rested on the ground between his forepaws. "To begin, you must get as low as you can. Be one with the ground."

His voice was dead serious, as though what he was sharing with her was a family secret passed on for generations. "When you're low enough, when you feel one with the earth beneath you... Move slowly. Shuffle, like a leaf carried along the wind." If he'd been small and young, the way he shuffled along the ground would have passed as adorable. Considering Hawkstar was a mountain of a cat, with age prickling a reminder throughout his joints on a daily basis, any warrior would have asked him what in the name of StarClan he was doing.

But for a kit? You wouldn't question the leader of StoneClan, would you? Glancing over his shoulder, he motioned with his muzzle for her to follow suit. "Be quiet. Get that bird."

leader of stoneclan

and may you have the courage
to scale their summits

background image | harley king | @zen | table by phoenix

Note: 93 moons

[Fawn]

Frozenrain
80 Moons // Warrior-Queen // StoneClan

Mink-kit was clever enough to sneak out of the nursery during a delay in the guards' change. After the fox incident, upon Frozenrain's personal request, tough StoneClan warriors of all stripes and sizes had been given the extra task of safeguarding the nursery - at least until the frazzled queens inside could regain a sense of calm.

For Frozenrain, her sense of calm hinged upon knowing where her little ones were at all times. Snowkit was easy to keep an eye on, and Frozenrain, though guilty of doting extra time and care upon the weaker of the sisters, still wholeheartedly loved Mink-kit. Notice of her disappearance was hindered only by Frozenrain's conversation with Skunkspots; the younger, less experienced queen was always a step away from depression.

And who could blame her? Beetlekit had been maimed, something that would break any mother's heart.

"He's strong, Skunkspots. Cats have endured worse injuries than his, and gone on to become full fledged warriors." She'd seen cats with many ailments over the many, many moons. Missing ears. Damaged legs. Blindness. Deafness. Their greatest advantage of all, was being part of this Clan - where assistance and support were never difficult to find.

The black and white queen nodded, but did not meet her gaze. Frozenrain let it go, watching Skunkspots return to a sleeping Cicadakit.

"Come along, Snowkit. Let's see where Mink-kit's gone." Frozenrain purred to the small light-hued kit tucked against her flank. Leading the way out of the nursery, she gave an inquiring look at one of the stationed guards - who had the good sense to look a bit guilty. "She went into Hawkstar's den," said Graniteclaw.

Ah, and that's why there was no rush to return her. With a forgiving nod, Frozenrain went in pursuit of her missing kit, the fresh scent of Hawkstar overlapping with Mink-kit's.

The last thing she'd expected to see was her mate crawling across the floor of his den, with Mink-kit eagerly copying his every move. Their target seemed to be a newly deceased (and ruffled-looking) bird near the entrance. Frozenrain smothered a mrrow. "Ah, StoneClan's most secret technique. The caterpillar shuffle." Any experienced hunter could see that Hawkstar was not at all stalking correctly - so he must have been playing. A little known fact, which Frozenrain knew quite well, was that there wasn't anything Hawkstar wouldn't do for his kits.

Even if it meant ignoring aches and pains to crawl around like a caterpillar to keep them entertained.

402 Words // @zen BlooRey DVD @kahani (Snowkit mention) // Notes