family hunting [closed for the TC swanfam✨]

Mintpaw stepped easily over the snow, eyes blinking against the early morning light. So bright! She felt a rare joy in her heart as she glanced back at her family, though.

They were here, together. And it wasn’t perfect, but... she felt good, now.

And it was starting to feel… normal.

Is it weird to feel so tall, though? In her heart, nothing had changed — her family was her family, and always would be — but now she felt like a tree walking beside her mother. Having reached what was maybe her full height, there weren’t many who reached her eyes. With an amused flick of her tail, she supposed it was fitting: they were Thunderclan cats now, after all. All trees and squirrels.

She felt like a confident tree, at least. Grinning, Mintpaw couldn’t resist a shiver of mischief — valiantly resisting the desire to tackle her brother into the leaves and snow. It’s just us, but it’s not the time… Ah, fox it! Why not?

Pivoting suddenly, she bowled him over with a playful shove. Gentle but with all the force of her excitement, like they were kits! Perhaps unfairly using what Minnowfin taught her — but then, she was just stronger and more fluid than before. Wasn’t Pebblepaw?

She gave a mirthful huff on top of him, smiling widely. She glanced at her mother and sister with sheepish apology, “Sorry, sorry. I know we’re hunting. But I couldn’t help it!” It felt so unlike her and so like her, too...

Hadn’t they been serious long enough?

The excitement inside her whipped like a frosty flurry of snow, fueling her pawsteps bounding ahead. Observing her family as they padded through the snowy forest. Together. As usual, Mintpaw had a thoughtful look in her eyes though Flurrypaw could only guess what she was thinking about. A surprised giggle escaped from her maw when her sister swiveled and tackled Pebble. Someone certainly was in a playful mood today."Not too loud! You'll scare all the prey away! " she scolded good-naturedly, a grin not absent from her expression. This was to be a good day and she wasn't going to let herself be one to ruin it.

Pebblepaw breathed deeply, the cold air stinging his lungs and filling him with a joy that reached into his bones. Behind him was his family, healthier and happier than they had ever been in RiverClan. Never in a million moons would he have imagined that any of it would have been possible.
While he was caught up in his reminiscing, Pebblepaw hadn’t noticed the glint in Mintpaw’s eyes. When her paws made contact with him, his wobble aided her in pushing him into a snowbank. The cold fluff washed over him and he let out a surprised yowl that quickly devolved into a chuckle.
“Minty!” He crowed, rolling onto his back to paw at her. “I know I hop around like a blind rabbit but you can’t put me on the freshkill pile!” He joked. When Flurrypaw spoke up, he turned to her with narrowed eyes, a spark of mischief lighting up within him. With a surprisingly deft kick of a back leg, he sent a small shower of snow towards her. “No shame in keeping everyone on their toes, huh, Flurry?”