The Adventure Begins (Closed)

Blue. The sky shone it's crystilline blue over the emerald green treetops that swayed in the familiar breeze that rustled them above. Dark brown and heavy branches supported the vast boughs that had the face of a small kit staring up at them. Her soft white, grey and lilac pelt well-groomed, but her hazel eyes stared longingly towards the clear blue sky. There was so much more to the world than the walls of her familiar camp. Her siblings and herself had romped about the camp for a couple moons.

The familiar bramble woven structures were fascinating in their build... but she was bored. The feeling nagged in the back of her skull like an itch that was unscratchable, a flea that would never go away. Words drifted to her ears from distant cats in conversation. Sunningrocks. Her mother had mentioned those rocks. It sounded fascinating. The scene of a bloody battle between ThunderClan and RiverClan.

Her gaze turned to the camp entrance, then back towards her siblings as they played. With so many of them, Blizzardshine surely wouldn't miss one kit. Her gaze fell to Hailkit. She would want to see the place too she was sure. She flicked her tail and padded slowly towards the back of the nursery. A small sliver of bracken had unwoven at some point, leaving a tiny hole that she slowly squeezed through. The braken scraping beneath her pelt with an unfamiliar sensation, but it didn't stop her. She stared at the braken from the other side briefly before her gaze turned to the wide world outside of the camp.

The forest.

Hazel eyes widened as the view was unhindered. Soft sand littered the ground, a large cliff above them that she heard apprentices mope about climbing, but no walls. No restriction. This was freedom they weren't normally allowed to experience until they were apprentices. Yet the pathway was empty of cats, the forest whispered softly, and this was a chance too good for any kit of Blizzardshine's to resist.

"Where are we going?" A cheerful voice piped up from behind Ridgekit, and Hailkit stepped into view.

The fluffy white kit had caught sight of her older sister leaving the camp. It was a total coincidence, of course. Hailkit had tired of play wrestling her littermates. Instead, she had been planning to find a warrior to ambush. Their long tails made great toys to shre-- uh, play with. It was even better when the unfortunate warrior had long fur, for that meant their tails were really fluffy. Only when she had broken away from the other kits did the thought of Ridgekit pop into her mind. Come to think of it, where was the calico she-kit? A quick glance around had been enough to confirm Ridgekit's absence. Curiously, she had ventured back into the nursery only to see a familiar-looking rear end disappear through the bracken wall. Huh... And that was how Hailkit had ended up following her sibling into the forest. Wasn't that the natural choice of action, after all? The hole had been a bit of a tight squeeze for the large kit. Nevertheless, Hailkit had kicked and wriggled until she made it through. As expected, Ridgekit was on the other side.

She felt the sand beneath her paws, the cool breeze in her fur. With one paw, she flicked off the bracken scrap that was stuck to her pelt. Hailkit followed her sister's line of sight, and her eyes grew wide as she took in the new scenery around them. Woah...

Hailkit's gasp eluded Ridgekit's hearing as she padded forward. Onwards to a place she had no personal memory of, but one relayed through tales of bravery and sacrifice. The wind shifted slightly, and her eyes caught a tuft of white fur behind her as she turned suddenly. Her sister's eyes met hers and she felt a rush of relief. Hailkit. The brave she-kit was unlikely to be one to insist they go back in. She turned back towards the path and stepped onto it abruptly.

The forbidden act of it felt like the opening to a whole new world. Why shouldn't they be able to walk about? Why couldn't they see the place that made their parents meet. She blinked, determination in her gaze as she began the slow and steady climb up the path. Her paws filled with energy that had been gathered over time spent watching instead of playing. Even as her little muscles burned from the sudden exertion, it felt right to reach the top. To turn back to her sister with a smile and a twitch of her tail.

"Come on! I wanna see the sunningrocks!" She squeaked down to her sister. Her eyes suddenly distracted by the shape of camp. How wierd it was to see the place from up here. The bracken and gorse barriers looked smaller somehow, even though they weren't really that high, being above them. It felt odd. She shouldered off the feeling and turned to the forest. The scents of ThunderClan cats lay heavily before them. Both a blessing and a curse as she realised any warrior might pick up their scents.

Warm pelts full of the scent of milk and fresh-kill... that was bound to get attention. Still, she leapt on fearlessly. Every bush, every tree seemed to call to her as she bounced along a path made recently by a patrol. The strands of grasses, taller than her seemed to grab her, but she pelted through them with a cheerful mew to Hailkit to make sure her sister knew where she was. Grass and bushes only thinning out as they reached the destination.

A large landscape, filled with slate grey stones that looked warm and comfortable in the sun. The sound of a gentle river flowing nearby, more water than Ridgekit had ever seen before! Her hazel eyes couldn't help but try and take in everything as she stumbled out of the bushes into the sun.
"W-woah. Hailkit... look." She whispered in awe. "Is this it? "

At first, Ridgekit didn't seem to hear her. The calico she-kit was captivated by her surroundings. As Hailkit watched, her sister padded away, drawn by an unseen force. Then Ridgekit suddenly whipped around, and the two kits locked eyes. Hailkit grinned a lopsided grin, amusement bubbling up from within. A silent agreement seemed to pass between the two. When Ridgekit began to move further away from camp, Hailkit didn't stop her. So what if they weren't supposed to leave camp? It was their clanmates' fault for not noticing their escape in time. Knowing that Blizzardshine might get worried, she felt a slight twinge of guilt. However, she was quick to shove it down. Blizzardshine would understand. This was too good a chance to miss.

The two of them were free, and the thought caused excitement to rush through Hailkit. As Ridgekit climbed up the path, the white she-kit found her gaze drawn back to the camp's bramble barriers. For moons, the walls of the camp had hemmed them in. Now they were beyond it. It felt as if they could do anything they wanted now. Not wanting to linger around for too long, she scampered after the other kit. Already, Ridgekit had reached the top of the path. "I'm coming!" Hailkit exclaimed. The sunningrocks! The site of the fierce battle between ThunderClan and RiverClan. It was the site of a ThunderClan apprentice's murder, and also a reminder of their father. New energy filled her paws, and she had dashed up the path in a moment. "Well, what are we waiting for then?" She asked Ridgekit, bouncing up and down. Glancing in the direction her sister was looking in, she caught sight of the camp they had left. She soon turned away, uninterested. There were more interesting things to see, like the sunningrocks!

Following Ridgekit through the forest, Hailkit was easily distracted. The forest was a new world to them, something Hailkit had only experienced in stories. She barreled cheerfully through the bushes and shouldered past the long grass. Apart from the scents of other cats, there were other scents--scents that she had only detected faintly on returning warriors and were vaguely familiar. A rustle in the trees above caught her attention. A squirrel yanked his tail out of her field of vision just as she looked up. Prey! What would Blizzardshine say if they managed to catch prey when they weren't even apprentices yet? Tempted, she was staring up into the trees when Ridgekit's mew reminded her of their true goal. Right. Food could wait.

Eventually, Hailkit found herself emerging from the forest. The first thing to catch her notice was the river. It could only have been the river, with all the tales she had been told. Almost forgetting Ridgekit's existence, she bounded forward. Gravel crunched beneath her small paws. It reminded of her sand, but was much coarser with waaay larger grains. Was it made of tiny rocks? She drew nearer to the river, fascinated by the sound of flowing water. Cautiously, she batted at the water. When her paw got wet in return, she yelped and backed away. If this was the river, then that huge pile of rocks over there which she had just casually ignored was... "It must be!" She gave a delayed response to Ridgekit's question. Dashing over to the sunningrocks, she leaped unto one of the smooth stones. "Ooooh. It's really warm, Ridgekit!"

The pale calico watched in delight as her sister dipped her paws in the water. Eagerly, she followed her down onto the bank. The hard pebbly stones felt strange against her pawpads as she poked and prodded at a couple brightly coloured once. Then she approached the flowing water. It felt strange to see it in such abundance. It was far different from the moss balls of water their mother recieved in the nursery, and a world different than the puddles that had formed in camp on rainy days. She dipped her paw in, then bodly strode into it a tiny step.

Her little body shifted in the pebbles, but the flow at the shore was merciful this day. The water allowed her to leave it after the cold sank into her pelt. Her forelegs stiff and wet as she padded along to where Hailkit was laying with a smirk.
"Hey Hailkit, want some water?" She asked playfully as she rubbed her forelegs on Hailkit's shoulder during a playful tackle. Hailkit was right though, the stone was warm. If it had been just a bit softer... no... it was perfect for sunning as she stumbled onto a different rock with a shallow scoop in it. Maybe it was from cats wearing the stone down in their sunning.

"I wonder what makes them so warm?" She mewed curiously. Her paw prodded a slate rock from where she sprawled out on her side. Her little body relaxed and comfortable. As if they weren't even on enemy territory at all even though it did reek of an unfamiliar smell. "What do you think that smell is?" She mused as she lifted her head and scanned the shoreline.

The surface of the sunningrocks was relatively smooth. Hailkit stood still, feeling the warmth seep through her paw pads and into her feet. It was quite unlike anything she had ever felt before. Gingerly, she stretched herself out on the rocks. On her face, a blissful expression appeared. She could sort of see why RiverClan would fight ThunderClan over these rocks. She didn't know much about it being a source of prey or whatever, but it definitely made a good sunning spot. It was comfortable lying there. The sunningrocks actually looked relatively peaceful. There was no one else around, and the sun was shining brightly. The flowing of the river made good background music. It was almost hard to believe that this place had been the site of a bloody, violent battle.

Hailkit was careless. She had been so distracted by the sunningrocks that she had failed to notice Ridgekit's approach in time. At the close pattering of pawsteps, she turned. Ridgekit's two forelegs were dripping wet from the river. Hailkit's yellow eyes widened at her sister's words. In the next moment, the white she-kit had been tackled by the pale calico. Hailkit let out an unintelligible squeak of indignation as water from the other kit wet her pelt. The scuffle didn't last long, for Ridgekit's interest was soon drawn away.

When the warmth of the rocks was mentioned, Hailkit shrugged in an 'it's none of my business' manner. "I dunno. The sun, maybe?" Ridgekit had a great curiosity for the world they lived in. Hailkit was different; most of the time, she couldn't be bothered to think about those things. She glared at her sister, who was now sprawled out on the rocks. "Don't change the subject. You didn't actually think I would let you off, right?" Taking advantage of the fact that Ridgekit had turned her back, she pounced upon her littermate. "Let's see who the better fighter is?" She asked with a playful smirk.

The river seemed so peaceful. Did it know that this had once been the spot of a battle? Ridgekit mused, her tail twitching. All of this was pretty, and it was on ThunderClan's side of the river. Why was it even something to fight about... why not just let it be ThunderClan? As she thought this, she shook her head. Surely the leaders had talked about it before, her own mother had led the initial battle. She wondered briefly what RiverClan cats were like. Were they part fish? How did they swim so well? Was there ever a RiverClan cat that didn't swim? Why swim anywas, it was so cold and wet.

The small calico was lost in her musings as she heard her sister get up, but the words were enough of a warning. She blinked and turned just in time to see Hailkit's white pelt crashing into hers. A joyful smile on her face as she playfully growled back at her sister. Curious as she was, she was still going to be a warrior, a fighter for her clan. She leapt at her sibling with a playful battlecry. Her little lunge attempting to pin Hailkit.
"You're on!" She squeaked her declaration.

Hailkit's yellow eyes lit up with excitement. She stepped back, narrowly avoiding Ridgekit's lunge. "Okay then. I'll be a ThunderClan warrior, while you can be a RiverClan warrior." Shifting her weight unto her back legs, she reared up and struck out with her front paws. "The sunningrocks are ours, fishface!" As she made her declaration, a grin spread across her face. Without taking her gaze off Ridgekit, she was roughly aware of the edge of the rock they were on. The gears spun in her mind. While she hadn't bothered to answer the other kit before, there was one major possibility for the sharp foreign scent that coated the area. Sunningrocks was currently RiverClan's territory, so it had to be RiverClan scent. Hopefully a RiverClan patrol didn't think that this was a good time to patrol the sunningrocks.



Unfortunately for the two kits, that was exactly how things turned out. Greenleaf was already drawing to a close, and the days were steadily growing cooler. Before too long, leaf fall would arrive. The weather that day was relatively pleasant. It was sunny, but not too hot. Scorchclaw walked along in silence at the head of the patrol. The RiverClan deputy was mildly aware of Flurryshine's presence behind him, but he wasn't interested in making conversation (as usual). The incident with Dewshine's code breaking had occurred towards the end of the warrior's apprenticehood and didn't seem to have much of an effect on her. Unlike what had happened between him and Sweet, Flurryshine still seemed to be on good terms with her former mentor. Somehow, he couldn't say that he was displeased with that, although he wasn't exactly pleased either.

As they approached the sunningrocks, the sound of the flowing river grew louder. Ever since Adderpaw, now Adderfeather, had been injured there, Scorchclaw had been unwilling to allow apprentices to head to the place alone. While the tension with ThunderClan seemed to have eased a little over the moons, sunningrocks still held the considerable threat of danger. It was almost amusing that a pile of rocks would have caused so much bloodshed, but the large tabby knew their value. Although they were called the "sunningrocks," they were also an important fishing spot for RiverClan. Through the undergrowth, the outline of the rocks were coming into view. Scorchclaw pushed unnecessary thoughts to the back of his mind. They were here to remark borders and ensure that no intruders had-- The grass beneath his paws transitioned into gravel. He blinked, momentarily stunned at the sight of two unfamiliar kits on the territory.



The rustling of the bushes across the river caught Hailkit's notice. Her attention broke away from Ridgekit, and she turned curiously towards the source of the sound. "Uh-oh." Alarm tinged her voice.

Flurryshine followed close behind Scorchclaw. The tension felt so thick, and it made her feel really uneasy. Which didn't feel like it was a good thing to be uneasy around her own deputy. She wanted to break the ice and say something to him, but she didn't know if he'd appreciate it -- that, and she didn't know what to say. She barely knew anything about him other than his first mentor was Shade's mother Sweet. Was that why he always acted so distant, because his first mentor broke the warrior code and gave birth to a serial killer on the loose in the forest?

Little squeaks and purrs of laughter were heard up ahead in the direction of Sunningrocks, and she quickened her pace to investigate, making sure to stay behind Scorchclaw of course; he probably wouldn't appreciate a younger warrior going ahead of him. She stopped by his side at the other side of the river to see two kits smelling of ThunderClan playing on RiverClan territory.

Instantly, she felt heavily conflicted. How dare those two kits played on RiverClan territory that they had fought so hard to keep? But at the same time... they're kits! They didn't know any better. The should've known better than to trespass out into the dangerous world beyond their camp, however. She turned to Scorchclaw, opened her mouth, closed it again, and averted her gaze. Did she really have a place to say anything? He was RiverClan's deputy, and if she said or did anything that he disapproved of for whatever reason he had the power to punish or even demote her.

...No. She had to say something. She shouldn't be intimidated by her own deputy. She looked back up at him, but when she spoke her voice was soft and meek, as if she weren't confident at all of the next words coming out of her mouth. "We-We can't just leave them out here. Should... Should we bring them back to camp until a ThunderClan patrol can retrieve them again? ...Or something?"

"I'll show you, mousebrain!" Ridgekit yowled back, her fierce snarl was betrayed by the hint of smiles in her expression as she playfully took the blow and charged in with a swipe at her sister's paws. Her teeth bit harmlessly into kit scruff as she attempted to wrestle her younger sister down to the rocks beneath them, all the while unaware of the figures watching. At least, until Hailkit broke herself away.

Ridgekit frowned in the sudden stopping of play when a large tom and she-cat stepped out of the bushes. Her sister's alarmed voice barely noticed as Ridgekit walked up to the strange cats with a curious and somewhat awe'd expression on her face.
"Ooooooh! Who are you?" She asked curiously. Her nose caught the scent of fish that lingered on the rocks more strongly from their pelts now. It almost made her sneeze as she padded around to Scorchclaw's side with wide eyes. "Why do you both smell so strange, oo! Wait! Are you RiverClan? That's so cool, I've never seen a cat from another clan before!" Her little mind raced with conclusions. Hazel eyes narrowing in on the white pelt of Flurryshine. The she-cat didn't seem terribly intimidating as she walked up to her and poked at her soft fur. "OOOoooooooh you're like a cloooud." She mewled cheerfully as she poked the soft fur again.

The two kits frolicked cheerfully on Sunningrocks. One had white fur, while the other was a pale calico. At first, they didn't seem to notice the company they now had. It was a startlingly familiar scene. Scorchclaw had seen many RiverClan kits tussle in such a manner, and ThunderClan kits seemed to be no different. Flurryshine's words caught his attention, and the fluffy deputy turned to meet her gaze. Her voice was unusually meek, which he noted. As much as he didn't want to admit it, she was right. ThunderClan or not, trespassing or not, the outside world was a dangerous one for kits. No warrior may neglect a kit in pain or in danger, even if that kit is from a different Clan. The twelfth rule of the Warrior Code flashed through his mind, practically ingrained in his memory from the time he had spent memorizing it as an apprentice. "You're right." He mewed grudgingly, "We can't leave them here. We won't bring them back to camp, however."

By now, both kits had caught sight of the RiverClanners and stopped their playing. Scorchclaw opened his mouth to address them, but before he could say anything, something completely unexpected happened. They didn't need to approach the kits, because the kits approached them. To be more precise, the calico kit did. Her words threw him off guard, and for a second he struggled to find words. She didn't seem intimidated or wary in the least. Rather, she seemed to be enthusiastically analyzing both of them. As she prodded Flurryshine's pelt, Scorchclaw finally snapped out of his surprise. The second kit had raced over as well, equally as fearless. This one wanted to know why he smelled so bad. He twitched an invisible eyebrow. "We are indeed RiverClan cats," He growled, "and you are trespassing on our territory." Reaching down, he seized Ridgekit by the scruff and deposited her before him. "While you may be kits, you've broken the code by your actions. Care to explain what the two of you are doing here?" He had always been a cat with a short fuse, and that fuse was dwindling right now. Just like Flurryshine did, he felt a sense of anger at seeing the kits play on Sunningrocks. So much blood had been shed in the battle to claim Sunningrocks. Now they were trespassing in such an innocent manner.

It was unthinkable to hurt a kit. It was against the Warrior Code, and also against Scorchclaw's own morals. Nevertheless, he had never been fond of them, let alone ThunderClan's.



They were caught. What should the choice of action be now? Run for it, or stay behind to face the RiverClan warriors? The two strangers were undoubtedly from RiverClan. Hailkit and Ridgekit were trespassing on their territory, and the RiverClan warriors were surely angry. If the two kits were to get caught, they would end up in a world of trouble with Blizzardshine. The smarter option would definitely be to run. Hailkit wasn't sure how fast her little legs could carry her, but if they reached ThunderClan territory before the RiverClanners caught up to them, it should be fine. With such a thought in mind, she turned to her sister, only to find the pale calico bounding up to the strangers. "Wait, Ridgekit!" She exclaimed. But the other kit was already engaging in conversation. "Ah." That was all she could say. She should have known that Ridgekit would do such a thing. With her sister over there, she couldn't possibly run away alone. Hailkit didn't quite like the idea of fleeing anyway. It seemed cowardly, and Hailkit was no coward. So what if they were going to get into trouble later? This was a chance to see their fearsome enemies up close! Thus, throwing all thought of escaping to the wind, she ran over to join Ridgekit.

Ridgekit was in the middle of examining the RiverClan warriors. As always, she was full of curiosity. Up close, the two RiverClan cats towered over the kits. Hailkit was reminded of her own clanmates back at camp. They didn't actually seem that different; they were all cats, after all. The fluffy brown tom was large, but she was sure that there were a few ThunderClan cats of that size and height. Bearpaw would easily grow that big. However, there were some visible differences. While well-muscled, the RiverClan cats had sleeker features and appeared more graceful. Their pelts had a shine to them that ThunderClan cats did not have. Also, there was the foul stench that clung to them. Ugh. Hailkit wrinkled her nose at the last part. "Hey, why do your scents smell so bad? I know you're supposed to smell different, but isn't hard to go through life stinking like that?" She asked the tom. He appeared the scarier of the two, so she chose to talk to him. When she was ignored, she frowned. All of a sudden, he picked Ridgekit up. Hailkit's eyes flew wide. "Hey!" She protested. Fortunately, he swiftly put Ridgekit down again. Had he just wanted to get her away from his clanmate? Hailkit flattened her ears in annoyance as he growled at them. Wow. Not very friendly, was he? "We're just exploring." She protested. "It's too boring to stay in camp."

Flurryshine’s green eyes widened in absolute astonishment as one of the kits approached her and began to prod at her fluffy fur, and she had to force herself not to purr. Even for ThunderClan, these kits were just so precious! But she couldn’t bear to let Scorchclaw suspect that she would turn soft on enemy cats, no matter what their age. She silently waited as the RiverClan deputy challenged the pair of rebellious kits, and then listened to their response.

She knew Scorchclaw, and she also knew that his patience was beginning to run thin. Thinking quickly, she took initiative, taking a step towards the kits. ”I know how boring camp can be sometimes, but we have the warrior code to keep ourselves and our Clanmates safe. Say you ran into... a fox. You’d have no way of defending yourselves, and your mother would be sick with worry. A search party would be sent out to find you, but you’d never be found, and your family would be completely heartbroken. You wouldn’t wish that upon your Clanmates, would you?” She truly hoped they would listen to reason. Even as curious and adventurous as kits could be, she knew that they also cared about their mother at the very least.

Ridgekit's little nose wrinkled at the tense tone Scorchclaw used. Her little paw still prodding at Flurryshine's soft white coat until he reached down and pulled her away. She looked at him curiously as she was dropped at his paws, then stood and looked at him with pleading wide eyes.
"We just wanted to see it." She mewed, her tone calm but also somewhat pleading as she looked at him hopefully. "We're not hunting your prey or anything. It's on our side of the river anyways." She mewed innocently, then blinked as a question occurred to her. Suddenly, she was up on her hind paws, her forepaws on his leg as she looked at him with hopeful curiousity. "So how do you swim? Do you get cold in the water? What about fishing? If the water is cold, is your prey cold? What about those big things sticking out of the river over there, what are they?" Her tail flicked, gesturing towards some cattails that swayed peacefully.

The questions only seemed to increase the more Ridgekit thought about things. Her little mind spinning in a whirl of thoughts.
"Do you guys have a bramble camp too? Is it always wet and soggy? What about those trees over there with the looooong leaves, what is that?" Her gaze turned towards Flurryshine, who seemed the more accomidating of the pair. "What about you? Does mud ever stick to your fur? How do you get your coat so clean? Can I tag along someday when you swim? Please! I'll be good! "

Hailkit's curious gaze swung to Flurryshine as the white warrior spoke. The mention of her mother cast a small shadow across the fluffy she-kit. She didn't want to stay confined in camp; she wanted to explore with Ridgekit, to see the world! However, she didn't really want to make Blizzardshine sad either. For a few seconds, she wavered in vague uncertainty. It only lasted for a few seconds, because Ridgekit piped up. Not bothered by the fierce RiverClanner, the pale calico used her ultimate attack--unleashing a torrent of questions that stemmed from her curiosity. Hailkit snickered softly with an amused smirk. "Slow down, Ridgekit. He won't be able to remember all your questions. See? He's confused." She jabbed a tiny paw in Scorchclaw's direction. Being Ridgekit's littermate, she was somewhat used to her sister's tendency to churn out questions. At Ridgekit's last request, her yellow eyes flew wide. "You want to swim?" She spluttered in bewilderment, "In the w-water?" Why would any cat want such a thing? Except RiverClanners, of course. They were known to be weird.



What in StarClan's name...? Scorchclaw stared wide-eyed at Ridgekit. Without any hesitation whatsoever, the tiny kit had propped herself up against his forelegs. Her hazel eyes as she gazed up at him shone with innocence. She seemed completely unfazed by his anger. One after another, she shot out questions. Before he could fully register what she was talking about, the calico had already moved on to her next question. It was enough to throw him off guard again. "Enough!" He finally declared forcefully. Hailkit's remark had reached his ears. Trying to hide the fact that he was indeed flustered, he regathered his composure. "Swimming is a skill only RiverClanners are permitted to learn." With a hard gaze, he thus coldly informed Ridgekit. "We're taking you back to ThunderClan territory now, so do me a favor and stop asking questions." The last part contained a hint of exasperation. Was this kit the incarnation of pure evil or something? "I'd really like to know who your parents are." He grumbled under his breath. Glancing at Flurryshine, he nodded to Hailkit, "You take that one."

Once again, Scorchclaw found himself carrying Ridgekit. He would rather have put her down, but he didn't want to risk her running away. Who knew what would happen to her if she did? He didn't want the tension between RiverClan and ThunderClan to get even higher. This whole situation was why he disliked kits. They were selfish and mousebrained, thinking only of themselves. He felt an appreciation for Flurryshine. His clanmate had been able to sense his annoyance towards the two kits and had stepped in to help. In a way, she had shown a better response than he had. He was ashamed of that realization.

A ThunderClan patrol had better show up soon.

With a soft sigh, disappointed that the kits didn't listen to reason when she was trying to keep them out of trouble and bring them home, Flurryshine nodded at the demand and bent down to pick up Hailkit by the scruff. She followed after the RiverClan deputy deeper into ThunderClan territory, and her fur began to prickle uncomfortably. She had never been this deep in another Clan's territory before, and she couldn't help but feel a sense of foreboding; the two Clans that scuffled over Sunningrocks constantly were still very tense with each other, and she wouldn't be surprised if the ThunderClan patrol that did find them carrying their two kits would try to accuse them of stealing them. It's just what those fish-hearts would do after all.