Story Time With the Elders [open!]

Times had been tough lately for the old cat. As Thrushstripe padded out of the elder's den, he looked around the camp. Everyone was already moving around staying productive as a chill grew in the air from the changing weather. It was a nice change of scenery from the sameness of his den, and he needed to get his mind off of things. Lying down with a bit of trouble closer to the edge of the clearing, the tip of the elder's tail flicked up and down as he continued to watch the bustle of the camp.

Greykit's eyes widened as she watched the elder move out into the clearing, her paws twitching with excitement. She had always wanted to pounce on Thrushstripe but with him always being in his den she couldn't get a good position on him, until now. Staying flush with the ground, claws unsheathed she crept forwards steadily, her tail lashing with excitement as she got into position. Bringing up her butt with a wiggle she launched forwards with a squeal. "Thrushstripe!" Colliding with his neck she starting chewing on his ear. "Tell me a story Thrushstripe or lose an ear!" She meowed demandingly.

"Tell us a story!" Wolfkit squalled in agreement, his little head bobbing frantically in agreement, his wide amber eyes filled with excitement. Once he had spotted the other kit leaving the nursery, he had quickly followed after her without a second thought. Following suit in Greykit's 'attack' mere heartbeats after the little she-kit, Wolfkit fell upon Thrushstripe's tail with an equally loud yowl. Using his needle-sharp claws to prick at the elderly tom's tail in an attempt to hold it down, the spotted tom began to wrestle with Thrushstripe's poor tail.

Lilacpaw made her way to the elder's den to fill her duties as an apprentice, but saw Thrushstripe not far from it. She dropped a frog before Thrushstripe, and noticed the kits. "I hope this is alright, Thrushstripe-- Oh, hello there," she said to the kits, saving her 'don't bother the elders' lecture for another time. She supposed she could use some elder's story time herself, after all, and hoped Thrushstripe wouldn't mind her hanging around for it.

Patchkit led Russetkit to where Greykit went. The multi-colored she-kit bounded up th Thrushstripe. "Yes! Please tell us a story!" the little kit squeaked. She sat down with an excited look on her face.
~~~~~~~~~
Russetkit nodded silently in agreement. She curled her ginger tail around her white paws and began to wait patiently.

Willowheart found herself shadowing Lilacpaw, and today was no exception.
She padded close behind her, giving the small kits a reproving yet playful look before turning to Thrushstripe.

The clumsy she-cat, although a warrior in rank, was still young. Her features were softer and blurrier, and fur was unkempt.
"I wouldn't mind a story!" She purred, keeping one amber eye on the rambunctious kits.

OOC: sorry for jumping in~
this is crap and stuff but ugh crippling depression is crippling

Gingerstripe had just returned from a hunting patrol, a piece of prey in his mouth. The fat squirrel he'd found had been a lucky catch, and he was going to bring it to the elders. To his father. He still couldn't get over the fact that his father, the best warrior in all the Clans, had retired after a hunting injury. Everything had happened too fast this past moon- Flamestrike's retirement, Leopardstar's death, his mother's promotion to deputy. He needed some time to slow down. As he walked into the elders' den, a smile crossed his face. A crowd of kits surrounded Thrushstripe, the former leader, now one of the oldest cats- if not the oldest cat- in the forest, begging for a story. It brought back memories of when he had been a kit. The ginger tabby tom set down his piece of prey in front of the elders and watched with interested green eyes. A tale of times long gone, ShadowClan's glory days, from the tom who had been leader as long as anyone could remember would definitely take his mind off of things.

Mottleclaw had awoken from his nap to find a whole crowd in the den with the other elders. Most of them being kits demanding a story. "I'm sure our local grump has plenty of stories for you young ones." The spotted warrior said. Even if he was a good deal younger than Thrushstripe, he was still a good deal older than the rest of the cats in Shadowclan.

Ebonykit had managed to sneak away from her mother long enough to follow the crowd trampling into the elder's den. "Are we going to hear a story?" she gasped in excitement, throwing herself inside and plopping on top of Greykit's back in an oh-so-elegant manner, staring up at Thrushstripe with wide-eyes. He had to have been the oldest of old cats in the forest. Imagine the things he'd seen!

OOC: THIS TOPIC IS TOO CUTE FOR WORDS ;A;

Before Thrushstripe could even comprehend what happened, the old coot suddenly had not one, but two kits pouncing on him, one chewing his one good ear and the other clamoring all over his tail. A grumble escaped his throat as they quickly demanded a story from him as if that's all he was good for, but soon he was surrounded by all sorts of cats. Lilacpaw was quick to join, followed shortly after by three more kits, two warriors, and his old friend Mottleclaw. As the other elder joined him, he looked at Mottleclaw with pleading eyes. Of all things, he was not expecting this today, but what could he do now? "No, no. I'm... sure that Mottleclaw has far more exciting stories... than I do," he meowed, but already his brain started to think. There were so many things that came flooding back to him, but what could he tell? Everything seemed especially... morbid. "What do you want... to hear?" He asked, glancing between the kits. "I can tell you great stories of previous... leaders, or even the great battle of Shadowclan... versus Riverclan, Windclan, and Thunderclan. Maybe of Skyclan's revival? What... do you think, Mottleclaw?" After the attention was off of him for a moment, the elder very quickly took a small bite of the frog that Lilacpaw had given him. Even though he still hated getting fed all of the time, he was relieved that he didn't have to move for a little while.

"How about the battle? OH Or a story about villains!" Greykit chirped, her tail lashing excitedly as she practically yelled into the old toms ear. Jumping off the she-cat skittered around, tripping over Elmkit and Ebonykit in her desperate scramble for a good seat. "It's gotta be a good story or I'll put mud in your nests!" Greykit huffed, nodding like it was an acceptable thing to say and do.

"The battle!" Wolfkit heartily agreed through a mouthful of Thrushstripe's tail, his little face screwed up slightly as he inhaled a few strands of the elderly tom's fur, before spitting out the unfortunate and abused tail. Sneezing sharply several times to clear his mouth and nose of Thrushstripe's fur, the young tom merely blinked at the other cats who had chosen to join them, his attention briefly waning for several heartbeats. Scrambling up Thrushstripe's flank and likely shredding the fur and skin that laid within his path, Wolfkit promptly draped himself awkwardly across the tom's flank as he made himself comfortable before loudly crowing, "The other Clans wouldn't dare mess with Shadowclan- not while I'm around! I'd shred any cat that so much as sniffed at the borders."

Willowheart chuckled slightly. Greykit would certainly be a handful.
"The battle would be cool, but I was thinking a story about Skyclan. I barely know anything about them."

She moved forward slightly, clearly intent on pulling Wolfkit off of poor Thrushstripe, but decided against it and instead settled down, purring. Trying to move Wolfkit would probably just result in a few trips to the Medicine Den.

"I'm up for anything, though." She mewed good-naturedly. "It's been a while since Silentstorm told me any story."

Ebonykit flicked her ear, shoving Greykit with her shoulder as she barreled into her again and leaned up on her hind paws, resting her head on top of the other she-kits. "Why would we wanna hear about SkyClan?" she asked, wrinkling her nose. "What was it like when you weren't old?" It must have been like... FOREVER ago.

Lilacpaw's ears perked up. "SkyClan's... Revival?" She had never heard of such a thing. "Does that mean at one point there wasn't a SkyClan in the forest?" Her mind was suddenly racing. How could there be less Clans in the forest? What about their camp - their territory? What would happen to it if the Clan it belonged to just... Vanished?