Inside the Den

Shadowpaw waited to learn who her mentor would be.

Birdkit and Snakekit were playing about near the den. Smokeshadow glared at them from where he was near the elders den, and Rippleheart was inside, looking out quietly from where he was. Ensuring Smokeshadow didn't attack them unnecessarily.

"Birdkit, Snakekit, come here." called Shadowpaw.

Snakekit hadn't heard Shadowpaw, instead he began to attack Smokeshadow's tail, whom quickly grasped him by the scruff and carried him to the leaders den. Birdkit hadn't seen this as she made her way towards the apprentice, trembling and head low. "Y- Yes?" Birdkit stammered nervously.

Poppykit walked over to the apprentice den where Birdkit and Snakekit were, "Hey!" she called. "Are you s-supposed to be in there?" she asked quietly

Snakekit was no where to be found, and Birdkit spun around, startled with Poppykit's sudden approach. Birdkit crouched to the ground, staring wide eyed at the other kit. Her body was trembling, "I- I don't know." Birdkit's whisper was quiet, she didn't feel very comfortable without her brother.

"I was wondering, should you guys be here right now. Shouldn't your mother know where you are?" mewed Shadowpaw with concern in her voice.

"M- mother?" Birdkit stammered.
Snakekit finally joined his sister, Smokeshadow had to leave for the gathering, and let him loose with a warning. Not like it would do anything.
Spotting his sister, crouched and afraid, Snakekit stormed over, growling, "What's going on here?"
Birdkit whispered, "Where's our mother?"
Snakekit stopped, he turned to Birdkit, then faced the other two clan cats, then back to her. "Let's play tag away from here, you go, I'll go see you."
Birdkit left, Snakekit turned on the caln cats, despite Shadowpaw being older, and he wasn't so sure about Poppykit. "Our mother is dead!" he spat before turning and racing off, leaving the cats to meet with his sister.

"Oh no, what have I done?" she asked herself when the kit left.

" Children?" Called Monarchleaf from afar, her paws slipping under the crushed grass. As usual, she was a bit jittery, but what would you expect from a cat who has had more time inside then ever in the wild. Her fur was amazingly long, and slightly curly near the end of her tail and cheekbones. " Shadowpaw? Did you see Birdkit and Snakekit?"

hearing their caretaker of a mother, both Birdkit and Snakekit decided to play a game. He meowed quietly to his sister, "I know of a game, it's called hide from Monarchleaf. If you get spotted you have to miss out on supper, OK?"
Birdkit nodded before the two scampered away and hid.
Snakekit wasn't that good in hiding, so he followed his sister, who had hidded herself expertly in the barrier of the camp.
She was small, and kept backing until she felt her tail poke through. Snakekit mnaged to squeeze in, and the two waited, holding their breath and making no sound.

Poppykit still sat by the apprentice, "But that doesn't sound too fun" she protested

Monarchleaf sighed quickly, lifting her slightly dragging tail, and softly licking her chest. Raising her head to smell the rambunctious kids, she picked up the slight tang of milk nearby, but that might had been her. Either way, she wanted to get this over with. " I see how it is, Hide and seek? Well ready or not, here I come!" She called, trotting softly around the outlining of the clearing.

In the barrier, Birdkit quietly began to move through, along where the border was. leaves and twigs scratched her nose, her fur got a bit tangled. She tugged backwards, and finally fell through. Looking around, Birdkit noticed how big outside the camp was. deciding to explore, she left Snakekit and the camp behind.

((I'll continue this on this topic, even though Birdkit isn't in camp, simply because she will return, anyway, Snakekit is still hiding.))

Snakekit almost cried out after his sister, but dared not move in case he got caught out.

Poppykit scrambled into Splattertop's den and hid in a pile of herbs, putting her paws over her nose

OOC: DAWW! Poppykit is so cute! Hiding under herbs of her soon-to-be mentor.. SO CUTE!

IC: Monarchleaf turned her ears, hearing the small rustling of the brambles and other bushes, " Come out, come out wherever you are!" she purred tauntingly, squinting her eyes and swishing her tail from side to side.

Splattertop padded to his den, the reeking scent of mousebile still tangentially strong against his paws. Before entering, he turned to the side of the den, and dabbed his reeking paws into the clear, but slightly muddy water. He turned warily from side to side after drying his paws on the grass. With hesitation, he took a small nibble of the wild garlic near him, smiling happily to the little tang that hit his dry tongue. With the small feeling of guilt, eating a remedy, he picked up the rest of the garlic and walked into his den, trying to ignore the snappiness of Monarchleaf from afar.

OOC: Yes, Splattertop like Wild Garlic, the question is.. WHO DOESN'T?!

Birdkit ventured out further, pausing to look back. Snakekit'll be fine without me. A wash of bravery took the young kit as she turned and raced off, further away from the camp. Her paws quietly thudding the ground as she ran deeper into the forest. She looked around, suddenly, things were a little frightening.

Deciding she wanted to head back, Birdkit turned to walk home, but couldn't remember which way home was. Her heart racing and the pound of blood in her ears, Birdkit fled, skidding and tripping over dead twigs and even a fallen log that she couldn't scale straight away. There was no scents Birdkit could recognize, no landmarks and her hope was rapidly fading.

Hearing the sounds of a river nearby and her mouth dry with thirst, Birdkit was drawn towards a flowing River. There was a cat standing by the river on their own. A rather large cat, Birdkit slowly made her way towards them.
"E- Excuse me?" She meowed shyly as she approached the large, tiger striped tom, whom was now turned to face her.
He didn't say anything, just stare at her with eyes that frightened Birdkit.
"Go away!" The tom finally hissed.
"B- but I need help to get home." Birdkit almost wailed.
The large tom got up quickly after the sounds of a rustling, sympathetic towards the she- kit, the tom nudged and forced Birdkit into a bramble bush, which scratched her.
"Keep down, and don't make a sound until I tell you." he hissed to her, before another two cats emerged.
The stranger dipped his head slowly as he adressed the two cats, "Stone, Ginger."
The female cat replied bitterly, "Tiger."

Birdkit only just noticed that the two cats weren't alone, but had a few captured also, their scents were unfamiliar to her, but Birdkit was too frightenened to move.
"Have you found the border of Leafclan?" Ginger asked Tiger, who sighed.
"No. You told me to search and I have, but the only clan here is Riverclan."
"Then we must search the other way."
"Towards Windclan?" The young tom, who Birdkit guessed was Stone meowed.
"Whatever, if we can't find the clan this way, then we should search the other way."
"Or we could just attack Eclipseclan. All the leaders are out now for the gathering, if we strike the nearest clan now our chances of capturing and killing would be better. At this time, the leaders, deputies and medicine cats are gone. Not to mention a selection of warriors, Stay here Ginger." He purred to the female, who appeared frustrated, but accepted with a purr in reply.

Birdkit, frightened of what could happen to home, raced off, tugging out of the brambles, sending her flying out with a few tendrils still clung to her coat and fur was left behind. Her escape made such a racket that it alerted all three cats, Stone took off after the kit, shouting behind him, "Tiger! Follow this kit, it will lead us home!"
Tiger hesitated before racing after the tom.

Fear was shown clearly on Birdkit's face. Her pelt was sratched and stung, she was lost, dehydrated and now exhausted from running. Her paw pads weren't liking the extensive running she had been doing lately and she tried to head where she thought Eclipseclan was. Suddenly, something Birdkit remembered came into view. The camp! She easily recognized the tall grass like barrier that hid the camp from veiw. Birdkit opened her jaws to yowl out, but she tripped and yowled out in a high pitched squeal from the fright of her fall.

Hearing his sister, Snakekit broke out of hiding and raced to where he had heard her alarming call. He reached his sister and followed her frightened eyes to see two rogue looking cats racing towards them.
Staring down at his paws and thinking fast, Snakekit closed his eyes to concentrate.
Images of how badly Smokeshadow was towards him sprung to mind, and Snakekit couldn't recall Smokeshadow having any problem with his sister.
His eyes snapped open as Birdkit meowed quietly, "M- My paw's stuck!"
He saw that Birdkit had landed awkwardly on her paw and it had been lodged in a hollow log.

Without thinking, Snakekit grasped his sister's scruff and yanked her out. He was always larger and stronger then his sister, and with a squeak from his sister from shock more then pain, Snakekit had freed Birdkit's paw and threw her towards camp.
"Run Birdkit!" He yowled out, "Go and tell everyone, they'll send cats to help! Run!"

Birdkit turned and soon disappeared behind the tall grass, she paused to look back as she watched Snakekit try to fight, but his paw was sore, and the young Stone easily captured him. The strangers crowded around him, before leading him away like a patrol.
Birdkit felt tears fill her eyes as she watched Snakekit, his tail dragging and head held low, he turned his head as he walked to watch his sister, who was staring back, tears flowing down her cheeks and her ears flat against her head in dispair.

The tiger striped tom seemed to lean in to whisper something, but Snakekit jerked his head away and walked in silence.

Birdkit raced into the clearing, the scratches she bore were bleeding rather badly, but she ignored the pain she felt, "Help! Help!" She yowled out.
"Snakekit's been kitnapped!"

((XD I wanna draw this scene... it's real sad and I wanted this to happen.))

Poppykit only poked her head out, "K-kitnapped?" she echoed

Frostbite ran up to the tiger-striped tom and clawed his muzzle. The elder had been there the whole time. And just because she was an elder, she wasn't going to let this kit get captured

OOC: Isn't Tiger and the others Outside of camp? Frostbite wouldn't be there at all, or even know who stole the warrior.


IC: Monarchleaf's head sprung forward, " Kidnapped?!" She paused a moment, understanding that it was her role of the clan to protect these dear kits. Her tone grew more resentful and less of desperate concern, " Birdkit, you have to show me where you last saw Snakekit. Smokeshadow!" she added, calling the warrior who had the best tracking out of all the warriors she knew.

Splattertop jumped to both reactions of the queen and the kit unexpectedly in his den, " Poppykit! Get out of my den!" he rasped under the wild garlic he held in his mouth. He immediately dropped them to his side, and picked up the kit by her scruff, gently throwing her out only a tail-length away.
A few moments later, Splattertop came dashing towards Birdkit, analyzing anything that she could have injured. She's going into shock, Poppy seeds would do, but it should wait, the adrenaline should get into action before giving her any dose.

Birdkit began to wail, "Smokeshadow's at the gathering! Who's going to get Sakekit back?"

"I'll go Birdkit." Shadowpaw offered.

Monarchleaf brought her attention to Shadowpaw, The apprentice has had moons of experience. " That'll just have to do! Come on Birdkit lead the way!" She snapped, stretching her haunches after seasons of rest. She can finally do something good for the clan!

A glimmer of hope shone in Birdkit's eyes, and determination kept the pain away. She turned and raced ahead, disappearing through the barrier where she had raced inside before.

Poppykit quietly followed Monarchleaf, wanting to see what would happen

Splattertop softly grabbed Poppykit by her scruff. " Nope. You can't leave the camp. Having one kit out is bad enough," He mewed briskly, hoping Poppykit has understood the warrior code for the time being here.

Monarchleaf followed Birdkit, scenting the stale scent of Snakekit, So this is where they were hiding. she thought, slowing down her pace for the kit and Shadowpaw, who was right behind her.