The Mighty Hunters [Closed]

Basilkit was happy to be allowed more free reign as she grew in moons. She still had yet to learn much of the territory but Leaftwirl promised her that would come along with an apprentice name and a mentor to guide her in such lofty pursuits. With a quick exchange of words, begging permission, the dark grey and pale tan coated kit bounded from the confines of the nursery. Her vibrant green gaze darted around seeking out a mission. For the most part, the camp was sparsely populated. It was midday and plenty of cats were entrenched in patrols and training and hunting. With a glance towards the entrance, she longed to take part in one of those many tasks. Leaves had begun to fall, coating the camp in dappled orange, brown, and yellow hues. It seemed now more than ever they needed all the paws they had. Just as she thought of it, the kit took a step, stirring up a couple of the leaves. A haphazard pounce followed in an attempt to pin them down. Between her own movements and the dancing breeze, Basilkit had found herself quite the entertaining game. It wasn't long before some cat had stopped to watch her erratic games. She paused and glanced up at where the shadow had fallen from. A grin crossed her maw as she recognized the russet coat. It was her self-proclaimed best friend, an apprentice she had met in her kithood, "Hi there! Have you come to hunt with me? There's s'many leaves in camp right now. We might drown in them!"

Thing was something awe-inspiring watching the leaves change color to so many different dull yet still somehow vibrate hues. He had always heard how the leaves would change color with the coming of Leaffall but...Honestly Foxpaw hadn't believed in how fitting the name truly was. He sat outside of the apprentice den, his gaze stuck firmly on the tree branches. He could feel the rumble of fear in his chest as he focused on the branches that loomed high above him, raking at the sky... His ears slicked back slightly only for his attention to be stolen as a lone leaf managed to drift gently right on his muzzle, blocking some of his vision.

"Gah!" he jumped with a shake of his head, sending the leaf back into the air before it joined the rest of its kind on the camp floor to be trotted upon. He stared at where the leaf at landed, cheeks hot with embarrassment that he had been startled by a leaf. Then something else caught his eye, leaves being scattered as a dark grey tiny coat bounded between them. A pelt he recognized rather well. And so he padded his way over to where Basilkit was playing in the leaves, carefree with the glimmer in her eyes. Then her gaze turned onto him with a large smile.

"Hey there, Bug," he greeted back in a warm tone, smiling at his little nickname for her. He had referred to her and her siblings as bugs once more, if only because he had heard of how much they liked looking for bugs and it just seemed to fit with her as she seemed to be the most fond of bugs... To be fair, she was almost small enough to count as a bug herself. He glanced around at the many leaves at littered the ground before he dropped into a loose hunting crouch next to her. "Of course I have! We gotta show the leaves that this is our camp after all, don't we?" he added, although he waited for her to make the first move against their collective prey.

Happiness seemed to blossom in her chest as he called her Bug. Bugs were wonderful and the fact she could be compared to one was even more wonderful. That was why Foxpaw was her best friend; because he too was wonderful. She had missed in its entirely the tom being spooked by a leaf. But had she noticed, she would have giggled and compared him to Sunflower. Instead, her eyes narrowed on the foes that drifted about their paws. Foxpaw was right, this was their camp, not some big den for leaves to swallow up everything, "We've gotta chase them away! They're as bad as Thunderclan cats. I'm sure of it." She let out a playful growl and darted forward, scattering the leaves in the elder cat's direction. A couple battered Foxpaw's nose and she swiped her little paws at them, struggling to pin those ones to the ground. Once she did, the kit took a few between her teeth, gripping them tightly so they couldn't run away. There was an attempt at speech but it came out muffled, "Wef gofta taf dees ouft oft campf."

He grinned as his words seemed to spark a little playful fire in Basilkit, determined to protect their camp from the dreaded leaves. Suddenly the leaves were scattered as she darted forward into the growing piles, sending them every which way. He couldn't help but laugh, a rich and happy sound as he bounded off into another nearby pile, sending up leaves much the same way as he twisted on his paws and swiped at them as he turned, a few actually getting hooked on his claws.

He paused, staring at the leaves as he tried to shake them free as he was reminded of when he would hunt leaves when he was a kit...And he couldn't help but feel happy and carefree, all of his worries being so far behind him.  He dropped into a crouch, focusing on where Basilkit was locked in a fearsome battle with a couple leaves, muffled threats escaping her maw. With a small shake of his rump, he slide forward with his paws sprayed out - sending many leaves flying...Straight toward the kit. Battling the leaves was one thing, but to use them to properly play with Basilkit? Well, he couldn't pass up that opportunity.

"Ack!" The kit cried in surprise as she dropped her catch of leaves onto the camp floor once again. She stumbled back and pressed herself to the ground as Foxpaw's leaf attack scattered over her maw. After only a moment, he head popped up once more, throwing them to the side, "They're too strong! I don't know that we can take them!" Basilkit let out a dramatic, soft yowl as she rolled onto her back and batted them into the air. What once had been a light pile was dispersed fallen soldiers that coated both the kit, her companion, and the camp. So much for getting them out of camp. Bubbling laughter rose up from her throat as she rolled back and forth, half-hooking leaf-fall colored leaves onto her claws and tossing them back in the russet tom's direction. This went on for a moment before she stopped and sat up rather quickly. Eyes were wide and she glanced around as if some other cat might overhear her soft words.

"Do you think there's more outside of camp? They might have us surrounded. We gotta go check, Foxpaw. For the safety of Skyclan!"

Foxpaw couldn't help but howl with laughter at Basilkit's playfully overreaction to the storm of leaves, sitting up as he raised a paw to stifle the laugh. "We can't give up yet, Bug!" he called only for a wave of leaves to be tossed his way from his companion. He jumped backwards as he swatted at them, making to pin a fair bit of them while the rest harmlessly glanced off of his pelt. He started to crunch the leaves he had captured with his paws, enjoying the thick noise that broke from them with every pawstep...Even if it was a tad uncomfortable for his paw pads as a couple edges attempted to piece the skin. His eyes flickered up from the dead leaves he was brutally murdering when Basilkit padded up with a hushed tone.

His whiskers twitched, remembering how adventures he had been as a kit but he have her a shake of his head. "We can't head out there! We need to focus on fighting the ones already in the camp," he said with a soft smile. He knew how much she wanted to get out - enough to make...Rather clever excuses to have to leave the camp walls but he wasn't planning on getting in trouble with Leaftwirl for letting Basilkit wander further that she was suppose to. "We may be surrounded, but if we move to take on the ones outside, that leaves the ones already in the camp open to attack!" He paused as he glanced around the camp, before his eyes landed on the nursery. "We gotta be brave warriors and protect your mother and siblings, right?" he added.

Basilkit sighed almost inaudibly, realizing her attempt to bring their play outside of her limited world had been thwarted by Foxpaw's quick thinking. Her ears dropped for a moment before she recovered. He was right; there were still plenty of leaves in camp that they needed to be rid of first. Grabbing as many as she could in her maw, the she-kit scampered tlwards the entrance and spat them out, starting a pile right where warriors would undoubtedly come traipsing through in the future. She did not think of such a thing and continued in her pursuit. Dashing back and forth, the overjoyed grin reappeared and after only a couple short sprints back and forth, her slender sides were heaving and she dropped into a pile at Foxpaw's russet paws. Her eyes look up at him innocently as she let out an exhausted sigh.

"I, I think they won this time." Around the pair was devoid of leaves. Basilkit smiled at the realization her efforts had been somewhat fruitful, although it escaped her that some cat may be forced to trudge through the new blockade she had collected. As she glanced up at the apprentice once more, tongue lolling out of the side of her maw, Basilkit chirped up once again, "Do you think thas enough? I'm real tired, Foxpaw. Being a warrior is hard work. You'll have to show me how to be as big and strong as you some day! And when I get my warrior name we will climb all the trees in the forest and scatter the leaves from branches." Currently, tapping into her Skyclan heritage had meant scrabbling briefly up the side of one of the tree that helped to comprise camp. Leaftwirl never let her go far. But soaring through the trees like a bird sounded incredible to her, unimaginably so.

Foxpaw watched carefully as she started to pick up the leaves, seeming to give into his point as she started to create a pile at the entrance. He sat down, watching as she went back and forth, back and forth...Before she collapsed at his paws. "It sure can be tiring, huh? Don't worry, we can show the leaves that we are a threat to be messed with later," he added as he laid down next to her. He closed his eyes, enjoying the small moment of relaxation...

And then she mentioned climbing trees.

His eyes snapped open as suddenly felt uneasy, barely keeping his fur from prickling as he glanced back at her. "Ah...Yeah. I have no doubt that you will be an amazing warrior like I will...Well, maybe not as amazing but close to be sure," he teased with a smile, although it was somewhat forced as he continued on. "And..." He couldn't tell her the truth, he couldn't break her heart, he couldn't disappoint her - she couldn't know that he was terrified of heights...He... He forced his smile to be a bit bigger. "And we will climb all of the trees to your heart content!...You know, I used to climb on top of the medicine cat den when I was your age," he added as he spared a glance toward Mintwhisker's den. "...Not sure she would appreciate it if I did it now thought."

The little kit rolled to his side, relishing in the warmth of the tom's fur with a soft purr as she listened to his kind and inviting voice. She had chosen well in her desire for a friend. Not only did Foxpaw like bugs, but he was fun, and gentle. As he spoke of their future conquest to remove all leaves from Skyclan territory she nodded fervently in agreement. Her gaze drifted to the treetops above. Already they looked sparser than before but not yet quite barren as the coming leaf-bare would eventually bring. Basilkit was lost in her thoughts of leaping from branch to branch when Foxpaw spoke up. Immediately, he had her attention. In her kit-like ignorance, she hardly caught the stumbling of his speech. But something still seemed off so she cocked her head ever so slightly as she listened with those broad ears of hers.

"I couldn't be better than you. I'm sure you're the bestest apprentice in the whole forest. Thas why you need to teach me everything you know. And," Her eyes flickered in the direction of the medicine cat den. Climbing on Mintwhisker's den? Now that was an interesting prospect, "you should show me how to climb that. Yes! I'm small enough. The medicine cats won't mind. Please, Foxpaw. I need to learn now so I can climb as well as you!" The excitable kit only grew in her joy as she shook herself and stood up at his side, meeting the tom's gaze with pleading eyes. He'd done it before so it couldn't be too bad. Besides, Basilkit needed more climbing to be the true Skyclan cat she was meant to be. Her paws threatened to scamper off of their own accord but instead she waited for a signal from the russet cat before turning.

There was something so sweet and pure of Basilkit's lavish praise, his forced smile melting away into something much more honest. There was no way he could break her heart, he would hold onto his secret for as long as he had to if it meant he got to see her excitement. As she turned and bounded away, excited at the idea of climbing the medicine cat den he sighed as he got to his paws. Okay, so maybe telling her that wasn't the best idea. He padded after her, glancing around as he hoped that nobody was paying attention to the playful pair.

"Okay, okay, I'll teach you," he told her as he caught up, staring at the light incline of the rock. It had been his favorite spot, nobody thought to look up there and he could see so much of the camp...But it hurt, the once loving memories stabbed at his heart with the reminder of how much he loved to climb, only for it to be his greatest fear. A shaky sigh escaped him, even thought the rock didn't seem as high as it used to be when he was so much younger... "It can be a bit of a leap to get onto it - you want to focus all of your weight onto your back legs before you spring off with all that you got. With trees, you can hook your claws for better grip but I wouldn't recommend doing that with the rock," he added as he crouched down beside her, ready to push her up onto the rock if she didn't make the jump.

She held on to every word with a surprising amount of attention for a kit. But those broad ears were perked and there were slight nods as she glanced at Foxpaw out of the corner of her eye. For a young kit like Basilkit, the rocky face seemed as if a mountain. Her eyes glistened at the prospect. If Foxpaw had done this when he was young, she could too. After he finished speaking, she hardly waited, bunching her hindlegs immediately. And then, the little grey and tan kit sprang. Her claws extended in an effort to cling to the rather smooth stone. Almost instantly she remembered Foxpaw's words and her claws retracted, causing her to slip back down some of the distance she had managed to overcome. But being the hopeful soul she was, her slender legs still scrabbled at the rock face with effort. Not quite there. But almost! Basilkit was determined. If she showed Leaftwirl what a great climber she was, then perhaps her mother would let her climb all the trees in the territory with Foxpaw. There was a soft growl of effort as she continued on. And then a light prodding from her companion to get her up the final distance. Her smaller and slender stature would be good for leaping someday but made it rather difficult to stretch herself up the rock. Yet, she had made it. As she finally perched atop the medicine cat den, a loud purr broke from the kit's maw, "Foxpaw, I did it! I did it just like you!"

Other than for the tiny nudge he had to give her, Foxpaw couldn't help but he proud with how well she did as she scampered up to the top of the den. He smiled as he sat down, watching her stand proudly up there like she was a leader on the so-called Great Rock - He had never seen it himself, having yet to be to a Gathering but had heard all about the rock that the leaders stood on. "Of course you did, Basilkit! You are going to be a great warrior yet," he added with a purr on his own, although seeing her up there made his stomach flip in worry and he felt his fur prickle with fear. "But...You should come down," he meowed quickly as he tried to swallow the fear.

He couldn't get the idea of her making a misstep and falling from the rock out of his head...He didn't want her to get hurt up there, mostly because it would be his fault for encouraging her to climb up there in the first place and didn't want to face the wrath of Leaftwirl for getting her little bug badly hurt with such a stupid idea. They were SkyClan cats, yes, but they were meant to climb trees, not rocks... "A-After all, we can't really continue to play together if you are all the way up there," he added, hoping the idea of playing together some more would entice her to come back to the ground.

Basking in the glow of her accomplishment, the she-kit missed most of his words but her head finally tilted at his suggestion. Come down? It was far too enjoyable to gaze upon the whole camp to simply give up. And especially after such an effort too. Foxpaw was silly. Hardly a heartbeat passed before Basilkit was mounting a protest, "I just got here, its too soon to come down! I can see the whole camp from up here too. All the patrols will come back with all their prey and the patrols who fought all the bad cats away... everything!" There was a joyous grin across her maw as she pondered over it. Her vibrant green gaze sought Foxpaw's, seeking out the approval of the older cat. She longed him to feel as magnificent as she did in the moment, for him to enjoy the absolute joy she felt standing over the clan. It had been his suggestion after all. Feeling the cool embrace of the stone on her pads, the kit teetered over the edges of the den of the medicine cat den. Little, contented chirps, like that of a bird, escaped her maw.

At his plea, over their play time, she stopped and fixed him with a broad grin, "Come on, Foxpaw! There is plenty of room!" While she should have bounded back to allow a space for him, her youth lacked such a brilliant move and instead she worked her way back to the edge just above his head. And then, she slipped. Basilkit tumbled down in a mess of gray fur. A brief look of shock overcame her maw as she collided with the russet apprentice before toppling to the ground. She lay on her side for a moment before rolling over. Recovering from the surprise wasn't too bad, given the short distance she had fallen. There was a thoughtful look over her maw before she gave her friend a cheeky grin, "Well, I guess I'm down now. So we still get to play, huh?"

His ear twitched with worry at her refusal, barley containing himself from pacing nervously as he watched her. He did understand her, he truly did - he had coveted his spot up there and had only ever shown it to Flowerpaw - and now Basilkit...But the longer she stayed up there, the more the fear blossomed in his chest and he bit down on his tongue. It was stupid, he knew she was much better suited to be up there - she had a tail after all, she had better balance than he would ever had but...

"Basilkit, I can't go up there!" he stressed, even as his heart warmed at her excited chitting, nervously watching as she padded toward the edge to look up at him. There was no telling how the rock would hold his weight -  it was solid under a young kit's paws but he was nearly fully grown at this point, even if he didn't feel like he was anywhere close to becoming a warrior. Not only did he not want to go up there in general due to the fear, but he also really didn't want to be the one behind the medicine cat den collapsing and robbing them of all of their herbs.

But then there was a sudden movement from above him that caused him to focus back on the kit...To see her tumbling from the rock. His heart jumped into his throat as the scene of when he had fallen from the tree repeated in his head, worrying much the same fate for Basilkit despite the fact that she wasn't even a third of the height that he had been when he had taken his tumble. Being caught in the memory lasted only for a heartbeat as he was ripped from it with the sudden pain of Basilkit landed on him, causing his legs to collapse from under him as she rolled to the ground.

It took a few seconds for Foxpaw to gather his head, turning to where he had felt her weight disappear from his body. "Basilkit! Are you ok-" the question died in his throat as he found her giving him a large smile, not even phased by her tumble. His mouth closed, ears slicking back for a second. Stupid, stupid, stupid. She was a proper SkyClan cat, unlike him. She wasn't afraid of heights, she wasn't afraid of taking a tumble. His tail-nub twitched as he pushed himself to his paws, quickly putting on a soft smile. "Ah...Yeah, back to playing it is." Only he wasn't quite sure of what they would play...

Once again there was uncertainty, hesitation in her playmate's gaze. She hardly dwelled on it but cocked her head curiously at Foxpaw. Basilkit hadn't fallen too far and she wasn't sure why Foxpaw seemed to concerned. It wasn't like she had tumbled from a tree, which would be utterly impossible anyways since she was a Skyclan cat. When Foxpaw mentioned they should continue playing, she hopped back onto her paws with a broad smile. Although before she could even consider what they would do next, she thought she heard Leaftwirl calling faintly in the background. She scampered away a few pawsteps before remembering her companion and bounding back. While she longed to simply continue her playtime with the tom, it appeared her mother had other plans. The gray and tan pelted kit stretched forward to nuzzle Foxpaw under the chin and let out a soft purr before pulling back to look up at him with shining eyes once more, "I gotta go, Foxpaw, but we will play together another time. And hunt all the bugs!" And with that, she dashed away.