Back in my day... (Open for SC)

Shimmerheart sat in the elders' den, watching all the apprentices run around with their mentors. Her raggedy black fur sat thin on her aching bones, worn out from the battle at the Gathering. A flea bit at her ear and she flicked it off irritably, wishing the apprentices would come keep her and Dawnflower company. Gazing at all the young cats, she wished she were therir age again... On midnight hunts with Leopardfang, just the two of them, the moonlight and chilly air, the silent companionship, the longing... Shimmerheart shook her head. Ah, who was she kidding?

Hailkit was  b o r e d. There was not a thing to do that day, and the sun was hot against her fur. She started circling the camp for shade and found it beside Shimmerheart. The tortoiseshell looked up at the thin, old she-cat. "Gosh, I didn't think cats could get as old as elders do without dying! A bunch of cats went to... uh..." She was still learning what cats had bought back one morning after the Gathering. They said that the cats running the clans weren't doing it right. They were supposed to worship a different bunch of cats... Oh! "A bunch of them went to StarClan after the full moon. I didn't think anyone could live until they couldn't hunt anymore." She thought about something for a second. "Oh, you're Webtail's mother, right? That makes you my great-grandma!"

Ferretshine watched the pair from afar. That was her kin... Hailkit had her eyes. Lightningstorm seemed like he was still a kit himself, and he had children? She swore it was just yesterday that he was an apprentice... She smiled softly.

Shimmerheart nodded, chuckling at the young kit. "Yes, I am. And even though Webtail made some bad choices, I am glad he is my son. And if you think I'm old, just look at Thrushstar- he's almost as old as ShadowClan himself! Come in here and I'll tell you a story about when I was an apprentice. Uh, what's your name?"

Hailkit's chest puffed out. "Why, I am Hailstorm the Great! Daughter of Lightningstrike the Fierce! I know he's fierce because he's always got this one face... He looks like this!" She pulled her face into an obnoxious grimace before snorting with laughter. "He's my dad, so I'm allowed to pick on him."

Sitting across the camp, Mudfoot kept his eyes open just enough to see what was going on. A small kit had scampered into the elder's den, and he could just make out the dark shapes of the two cats. For the most part, kits only had good intentions and it wasn't his place to intervene, but the tom was becoming more curious by spending more time sitting there. Walking towards the den, he walked up behind his mate, Ferretshine, and rubbed his head gently against the side of her muzzle.

So many cats had lost loved ones, and he was so relieved that she wasn't permanently hurt or taken from him. In his opinion, the DarkForest cats that everyone fought just a little while ago shouldn't be called cats, but bloodthirsty monsters. Then again, where ever there's light, darkness will always follow close behind; it was just a part of life. A horrible part of life, he thought to himself, but kept a smile on his face. No matter what mood he was in, it was his job to keep his family and clanmates happy, there was no time for them to be worrying about him, he'd just have to hold in his feelings for later.

Staying silent, he gave a nod to Ferretshine and made his way towards the den where Hailkit and Shimmerheart sat. Reaching the cool darkness, he sat down a few paw steps away from the two and gave a respectful nod to the older cat. Looking to Hailkit, he tilted his head in a stern, yet playful way. "Are you bothering Shimmerheart? Or is she telling you one of her amazing stories?" He meowed softly, assuming that everything was okay since the elder seemed to be in a decent mood and not annoyed at the young cat.

"I was about to tell 'Hailstorm' a story about when I was an apprentice," purred Shimmerheart. "I don't think you've heard this one, Mudfoot old boy, so you're welcome to stay and listen." She turned her attention back to Hailkit. "Did you know that, even though I'm older than him, Leopardfang was my mentor?"