stolen season [open!]

Sunlight filtered through the trees, creating dapples of light across the forest floor. Batbite was lying in the camp, directly in the path of said sunlight, feeling far more tired than she cared to. Perhaps it was just the stress of recent moons, or the life she had lived thus far catching up to her, or simply a newfound appreciation for the simple things. Her kits were growing older now, and they wouldn't need her quite so much - fear and relief mixed in the same breath, the knowledge that they would live their lives without her and the lingering fear that they wouldn't want her to be a part of it all.

She wondered if she was doing well so far, because she had so very little to compare to. She loved them, fierce and proud, she would fight every cat in all the clans if it meant she could keep them safe. But all the love in the world could only do so much.

She latched on to the things she knew, the things she loved - ThunderClan's camp, the dappling sunlight, the gentle breeze that washed over her. The simple joy in lying still, not quite awake but not entirely asleep, watching in silence as the world passed her by. The rest of ThunderClan came and went, more familiar now than they had been when she first came home - she could pick out, over the general bustle of an average day, the familiar sounds of certain voices.

Perhaps, as the day carried on, she would go on a second patrol; or perhaps she would try to play some pranks on her denmates. It was a calm and peaceful day, after all - far too much so, as far as she was concerned, when the greenleaf bugs had come out of hiding and were ripe for slipping into others' nests.

It was a beautiful sunny morning, and there were a couple of butterflies fluttering through camp. Burningkit was determined to catch one, although she hadn't had any success so far. She leapt up towards one with open paws, but it was just a little too high in the air.

Burningkit didn't let that discourage her. I'll get you next time! She chased after the butterfly as it flapped towards the nursery. If only it would fly a little closer to the ground!

As if it heard her thought, the butterfly flew down slightly, and she thought she might be able to reach it. Burningkit sprung towards it with all her might, but at the last second, it drifted up again and she couldn't reach it.

In her excitement, she'd forgotten to consider what she would land on. She came down right on top of another cat. "Oh! I'm so sorry!" She squeaked, rolling away.

Pinekit was an easy kit to rear, and as he was weaned off of Ferretnose's milk, his reliance on her was dwindling. Most kits vied for independence at his age, and she didn't mind a break from his boyish scampering. She was just as happy to let some poor warrior deal with him. She left the nursery, her belly brushing the ground as she stretched (how queenhood rounded out a she-cat!), and collected two mice from the freshkill pile.

Ferretnose found Batbite, being playfully harassed by a little cream she-kit. Squinting with her good eye, she recognized the small creature as Burningkit... the poor dear. It had been a sad day when Burningkit was orphaned, but she was getting along well so far. The tabby-and-white queen laughed as she set one of the mice in front of Batbite. "Hope you're hungry," she chirped. "Pinekit's out of my fur for a while. I hope he doesn't mind me having a social life."

She tapped her nose to Batbite's shoulder. It had been a very long time since things felt normal, since they could sit and chat without the threat of war shadowing their every movement. Ferretnose pushed her own mouse toward Burningkit. "If you'd like, we can share!"

Hickorypaw was just leaving the elder's den after collecting fresh moss for them when she spotted her mother's black pelt across camp, as well as the plump figure of Ferretnose and the cream fur of Burningkit. She picked up her pace, trotting over to join the little group. As far as she knew, she didn't have anything else to do at the moment, so she could afford to relax a little. "Hi, mom. Hi, Ferretnose, and Burningkit." she mewed in a quiet greeting, circling around to rub her cheek against her mother's head with a gentle purr. "Having fun over here?" She eyed Burningkit with a soft, amused smile; she had noticed how the kit jumped straight onto Batbite before rolling off. Settling down beside Batbite, brushing her pelt against hers, Hickorypaw stretched out her front paws, flexing her claws to get the little scraps of moss out of them. She was content to just listen to the conversation that ensued, but if she felt like she needed to butt in, she would.

Burningkit was excited to eat with so many older cats. She hadn't even been weaned that long ago, and normally she ate with the other kits. So she was pretty excited to be invited. "Thank you!" She meowed to Ferretnose, and took a shy bite of the mouse.

Settling down near the mouse as she chewed, she looked around at the other cats. She didn't really know what older cats talked about, although she assumed it was something cool. She was ready to sit and listen quietly.

Batbite's wish for excitement, it seemed, was instantly granted - a kit pounced on top of her, and she laughed. "There's nothing for you to apologize for," she assured Burningkit - that was the right name, she was pretty sure. "I wasn't paying attention. Mind you, I didn't expect an attack in the comfort of camp," she teased.

Ferretnose's approach was welcome, as well as she mouse she'd brought. "Thank you," she nodded, taking a grateful bite. "I think becoming a mother has made me lazy," she muttered as she took another. "Even the fresh-kill pile seems so far away on a day like this." The truth was it was most likely the stress of the past moons, of caring for her kits and of the star-sent plague, that weighed on her now - but she was also starting to feel better, and she thought of it as a positive sign. Truth be told, she simply enjoyed complaining, whether it was about herself or someone else.

The last to approach was one of her kits, as her youngest daughter settled at her side. "Well, I suppose that depends on what you lot consider fun these days, Dock," she said lightly, slipping with ease into her daughter's second name. She liked to use their nicknames more often than not, just as she did with their father. Her own trickster habits were no secret, of course - and as her kits left the nursery she'd fallen back into planning her own escapades - but she did wonder if apprentices now occupied themselves some other way. Being pointlessly reckless sometimes seemed like a rite of passage. With a mischievous twinkle in her eye, she purred. "Personally, I think a well-placed beetle in the right cat's nest is a wonderful source of entertainment. But that would require getting up and catching one."

Ferretnose chirped lightly at Hickorypaw's approach. These youngsters got bigger every time she saw them... she didn't doubt the possibility that the ginger she-cat would pass her in height. Probably soon. She leaned down to take a few nibbles of mouse when Batbite's mischievous purrs caught her ear. The queen felt the sudden sensation of things crawling up her belly and she leered at her friend, the faintest laugh bubbling up from her throat in spite of it. "You did that to me when we were apprentices, and to this day I check the moss in my nest before I sit down!" she groaned. "Sure was a while ago... we might've been lost in the mountains still, with the tribe cats."

In those days, it seemed there was a lot less to worry about. The warriors handled everything. She was more optimistic. Now, as a senior warrior, she felt the burden of responsibility on her shoulders. Whatever the clan needed, she wouldn't hesitate to provide... but for now, she definitely enjoyed the idle life of the nursery. Ferretnose returned her good eye to Hickorypaw. "You have my full permission to pick on my son. I intend on this friendship being multi-generational," she teased, lifting a paw to her face to lap at the ruffled fur.

Burningkit listened as the older cats chatted with each other. She was surprised at how casual their conversation was. She'd assumed that they'd all be talking about invasions and predators and danger. But this was a lot like how she talked to her kit friends.

Something Ferretnose had said lingered in her mind - something about mountains, and "tribe" cats. Burningkit vaguely knew what a mountain was. It was a big hill and you could only jump over it if you were really big and good at jumping, she was pretty sure. She'd definitely never seen one. But Burningkit certainly didn't know what a "tribe" was. "Mountains? And what's a tribe?" She asked quietly, almost speaking to herself. She didn't want to bother the older cats.