Kestrelpaw looked a little sleepy, but that didn't stop his dad's enthusiasm. Minkstream was almost bouncing from paw to paw, no hint of early-morning grogginess in his sparkling clear green eyes as he waited for his son to wake up fully, paws kneading slightly against the ground. It almost felt like he was the apprentice, not Kerath, he noted with a mental snort. He could clearly remember Mottledspark's reprimand when he'd corrected him for this same eagerness as an apprentice, the tom's voice ringing through his mind sharply. Stop being such a kit!
Kerath straightened, his eyes expectantly meeting Minkstream's, and the older tom let a smile pull at the corner of his maw. "First thing we're doing is getting out of camp." He turned and led the way out of the apprentice den, whispering over his shoulder, "Believe me, it's a lot harder to do than you'd think - I nearly fell off the trail my first time."
______________________________________