A Night in the Shadows

A sleek shadow moved across the forest floor, her eyes narrowed as she tasted the air for fresh prey. A small movement caught her sight, and she turned her head slightly to find a fat toad sitting on the marsh floor of the territory. The mighty warrior grinned as she slowly started to move toward it, her tail moving back and forth without making a sound. Her teeth gleamed in the faint sunlight that sparkled from the tree-tops as she pressed herself to the ground, getting ready for her leap. With a frog like this she would be able to feed all the kits in the nursery! With a yowl, she leaped toward the unmoving toad. "DIE!"

Nightkit landed on the leaf with a hiss, rolling across the camp clearing as she tore at the leaf. The toad was hers! Rolling to her paws, she pinned the leaf under her as she bit down onto it, as if it was a toad. With a gasp and a sputter at the taste of the leaf, she leaped backwards. A soft wind picked up and took her leaf away, frowning as she watched her 'prey' get away. "Oh come on!"

Sagestar had walking into camp at that moment, having taking it upon himself to go out and hunt for the clan - he himself having to frequently go on patrols in order to make up for those who were sick and now elderly. The tom carried two plump frogs and a lizard in his jaw, dropping them off in the fresh-kill pile. Admittedly, it was nice to be able to just hunt again, like he used too. He had been afraid his skills might've gotten rusty over the moons.

His emerald gaze flickered over at one of the newest kits, near wailing over a lost leaf that flew his way. Quickly, before it could get away, the leader unsheathed a single claw and pinned it down to the ground. "You almost let it get away," The tom said, looking at Nightkit. While his face was serious, amusement was shining in his eyes.

Nightkit was following the leaf with her gaze when she saw Sagestar pin it down. Her eyes grew wide as she scampered over to get her piece of 'prey' from the leader. "O-Oh, thank you, Sagestar!" she said as she glanced at the leaf that had almost escaped her. She sat down as she placed one of her small paws on the tip of the leaf so when Sagestar let it go it wouldn't escape her again. She watched the leader with shining eyes; excited that the leader had saved her 'hunting,' also the fact that she had never really seen Sagestar up close before as her mother had always told her to not to bother the leader because he was always so busy.

The gray and white tabby nodded at the little kit, letting the leaf go and unsheathing his claw, he watched Nightkit curiously. Most kits he got the chance to see play would always defeat a Faux-ThunderClan patrol or recreate other battles that they had heard stories. After all, through their hardships and triumphs, ShadowClan was built for war. Maybe it was because he was practically the only one who truly enjoyed hunting, he hoped that this little one did as well. The tom glanced up at the sky. The sun would be setting soon. The clan would start awakening. This kit was up awful early. "What did you catch?" Sagestar asked her light-heartedly.

Nightkit watched her leaf with interest as if she was sure it would somehow escape her paws again; but when she heard Sagestar spoke she glanced up at him. "Oh; I got a nice fat toad so I can feed the others kits!" she said with a touch of pride in her voice. Sh fight. She was sure that hunting would be more her speed; she wouldn't have to worry about shedding unwanted blood and with a large piece of prey she could feed the younger cats with easy!

A gray fuzz stirred in the nursery from all the noise outside. The gray fuzz happened to be Smokekit, a sorta new edition to Shadowclan. The she-kit slowly sat up tiredness still apparent in her amber eyes, but as soon as she saw Nightkit, and Sagestar her eyes brightened. She stood trying not to make a sound and slowly made it to the exit of the nursery before, rushing over to Nightkit, and tackling her. "I got you! She squeaked in her kit like voice.

Ooc:Its great to be a kit again ;u;

Nightkit was still waiting for Sagestar to say something when she let out a loud gasp as she was tackled by a small grey bundle. She rolled across the ground, sadly ending on the bottom of the two cats. She glanced up at Smokekit with a small grin. "So you did, Smokekit!" she giggled, her tail brushing against the ground as she watched the young kit that was 'pinning' her down.

Limping over to the group, Rustfang sat down.
"It's nice to see the kits out and playing." her said dimly, eyes glittering with sadness.
"I wish I still could..." he whispered. Shaking his head, he forced a smile.
"I see you caught a new addition to the fresh-kill pile. What is it?" he asked curiously, tipping his head.

Ooc: Mind if I pop in? There are so many new topics I'd rather not make yet another one.
Dang...Gonna be hard playing a playful kitten after playing such a serious leader the rest of the time xP

Ic: A stone-grey kit with rather broad shoulders was the next to arrive to this little 'kit meeting' for play-time. Shadekit scampered out of the nursery, excited to be outside. The first thing he saw, and what excited him the most, was seeing his friendly denmates play-fighting nearby. He was about to run and go join them, even more excited to see Sagestar over there, when he spotted a small, round rock on the ground. Plucking it up in his jaws, he skipped over to the group. "I caught something too! But it was too stupid to move, unlike that le- I mean toad!" He laughed, as if he was already part of the game. But to him, every kit was part of whatever game was going on at the moment.

Ooc: Anyone want to be Shade's sibling? Just because there are several new kits now that the Life Passes were created.

The tom sat down and watched with amusement as Smokekit came out of seemingly nowhere, a little surprised he hadn't seen her stumble out of the nursery before. His green eyes flickering over to the approaching body of Rustfang, the leader said nothing and avoided the disappointing flinch that always tried to come when he saw the old warriors limp and twisted leg. A name change might've been in order. "A toad, apparently." The leader relayed to the other tom, his whiskers twitching in amusement. It only grew when Shadekit waddled over, his weight crooked from the rock in his jaws. "Food is food. Prey doesn't have to be smart to keep our bellies full." He mused to the tom kit, gently batting Smokekit off Nightkit as he did so. A strange playfulness shining in his green eyes as he stood up and bent down again, his gaze level with the three kits. "Catching prey is one thing, but what would you do if a mean 'ol ThunderClan cat tried to catch you?" He meowed, teasingly challenging the three kits.

Smokekit the gray fuzz had returned. She gave out a growl as she thought of Thunderclan attacking her camp, and her clanmates. Her puffed up pelt in turn made almost double in size, but then again she was very small. "As long as I am around Thunderclan wouldn't mess with us! She mewed as she puffed out her chest in pride. "When I am a warrior, all the other clans will be scared of me! She squeaked.

Shadekit stood as tall as he could, straightening his tail in the air and lifting his muzzle. "Yeah, no one will mess with Shadowclan!" He growled playfully, narrowing his eyes. "Look out! Thunderclan is attacking!" He yelped suddenly, leaping on Sagestar and happily nipping at his paws as if he were a Thunderclan warrior.

Rustfang purred, then decided to join the fight.
"What if they have back-up?" he declared, batting Smokekit's ears gently.

Nightkit just pulled herself to her paws as she thought. "I would fight back, of course! Not to hurt them...But to scare them away! If there was more of them, then I would race to the camp to get backup!" she finished with a grin on her face, watching as Shadekit called Sagestar a ThunderClan warrior and attacked him. She smiled, bearing her small little teeth as she quickly moved to the side of Sagestar before tackling him, climbing up his back the best she could as she started to playfully 'gnaw' on his ear.

"Well their backup would be a waste!" Smokekit declared. The small kit rushed forward, and started attacking Rustfang. The gray fuzz nipped at the warriors paws that were available her to attack