Jailhouse Rock [o]

Mintheart was going to pull every whisker off at this rate. It was hot, there was constant guard outside the elder’s den, the most variety she had in her day was the color pelt on the rabbits. She closed her eyes and growled. What a complete joke. She didn’t do anything wrong other than make sure her denmate wasn’t murdered. Stumpytoad, stars bless him, thought it was seven leaf-falls ago and was protecting kits.

She spotted a bright orange tuft of fur walking towards the den, weaving between the legs of elders. The scrap of fur was so short…

“Hey darlin’, what’cha up to?”
“Oh! Hi! I was gonna meet my grandpa.”
“Yo’… grandpa?”
“Yeah! My daddy’s daddy’s daddy.”
Mintheart blinked at the kit in front of her. Her ear turned to the side as she mentally worked through the genealogy.
“I was told he was short like me, had red like me…”
“Great StarClan, you’s kin ta Stumpytoad,” Mintheart meowed weakly.
“Yeah! That’s his name. I wanna meet Stumpytoad!”
Mintheart cackled. “Ah, darlin’, you’ll meet ‘im alright. Wut’s yo’ name?”
“Honeykit!”
“STUMPYTOAD!” Mintheart hissed. “Git’cho tail up, you got’sa visitor.”
“YAY!”
StarClan help us if she gots her brains from him…

The elder made a weak smile at the kit then turned her head and glared at Stumpytoad.

Stumpytoad lifted his head. Seeing as he was being kept an eye on, there was not much else to do than doze off, so he spent a lot of time doing that. He was still upset that he had not so much as gotten thanks from any cat. Stars, those kits would have been crowfood if not for him!

And looking at Mintheart, he could have sworn he was in trouble again.

[color:071c=e0561b]"Mintheart, whatever it is ya think I did, I didn't do it. You've been watchin' me this whole time, I ain't moved a pawlength from my nest."

Stretching, he made his way over, seeing a kit speaking to his companion. She sure was a tiny thing. And supposedly here for him....

"Aye, ya makin' fun on me Mintheart? Ah may be small, but I can guarantee I've still got quite a bit o' fight in me. Tell the darn kit whatever story she wants ta here. Say the shorty's here for me, Ah don't even know the foxing kit. Not even right."

He turned away, muttering under his breath, although not necessarily inaudible. He still wanted Mintheart to hear, after all. Let her hear all the protests he has for her.

“FOXING? What’s that? I like it! Foxing, foxing, foxing!” Honeykit sang the word foxing over and over again, small giddy giggles interrupting her chorus.
Mintheart groaned. Fox tails, she did get his sense.
“I don’t wanna fight’cho, ya birdbrain. The kit says she’s kin ta ya.”
“What’s birdbrain? Tweet-tweet?”
Mintheart shook her head. WindClan was doomed.
“What other words do you guys know? Lots of cool ones, right?”
“I know uh bunch,” Mintheart purred with a devious grin. “But I’ll let’cho papa’s papa’s papa tell ya his first.”
“The baby want’sa know ya favorite words. She’s kin ta ya. Still can’t believe you gots kin, StarClan help us—”
“I heard StarClan’s helpful and nice.”
Mintheart blinked. “Well, uh, yeah. I’ll let’cho grandpappy’s pappy tell ya all about it.”
“You gonna tell me a story? Really?”
Mintheart chuckled. “Bless my fluffy ears, she’s almost cute.”
Honeykit locked eyes with Stumpytoad. “Hi! Do you want anything? Can I do anything? I’m glad to meet you!”

"Stars, my kin? I ain't even known I had kin. These seasons really be flyin' by, I'm getting a memory as bad as Moorbite's now. Alright kit, get yo tail over here, I betcha I can come up with somethin' for ya. But first ya gots to stop sayin' them words, alright? You ain't Mintheart, those are bad words that don't need to be comin' outta your mouth, ya hear?"

Stumpytoad sat down, letting himself get lost in thought.

"So it's a story ya wanna hear, huh? Well, I can't say my memory's as good as it once was, but I think I got somethin' for ya. You're interested in StarClan, well, ah can tell ya they ain't no joke. Seen them with mah own eyes, came down from the stars themselves. Your ma and pa probably know this better than ah do. It weren't all that long ago. The dark forest, the place where all these bad, nasty cats go, rose up from the dead, all muddy and gross, and they practically held us hostage. But the stars weren't havin' that, and they came down and helped us fight em off. Lost some mighty fine warriors, but we won out in the end. And now we get ta have kits like you scurrying around. Ya know, when you're an apprentice, you'll get ta meet StarClan yourself. Every apprentice does. Got any ideas who you will want ta meet?"

Mintheart rolled her eyes. Words were just that, words. If a particularly fun bunch of words made her laugh for a bit, there was no harm in it. Though, she did have to hand it to him, at least he was trying to be a good influence. She had no idea how long that would last, but she bit her tongue on that.

“OH, they’re bad words? Oops. Sorry!”

Honeykit sat in front of Stumpytoad, her eyes as big as saucers. “Whoa… you saw StarClan? I’ll get to see StarClan?!”

“I dunno who I’ll meet, I just hope they’re a good cat. I wanna meet a really good WindClan warrior.”

“So… what do you want me to call you? Stumpytoad? Or something else?”

"Bah, just call me ole' Papa! Ain't that what I am? I won't hide the fact I'm old! Ain't got many moons left in me, might even be the cat ya get to see at your moonstone. But I's still tryin' to outlive these two fools at least. Show them what us shorties got."

He winked, gesturing to Mintheart and Moorbite. Maybe he would like having this kit around. It was nice knowing there was someone willing to respect her elders.

"Say, what's your papa's name? I ain't been able to keep track of all these cats, names and faces get all jumbled in mah mind. Stars know I can't even remember who mah mate was. She's long gone now, that's all I know. Mintheart's the one that remembers things. I'm lucky to even remember her. Hey Mintheart, who was mah mate again? The purdy ginger? Come to think of it, don't ya think this one's got 'er eyes? Blessed young scrap."

“You don’t remember ya own mate’s name? Boy what is wrong wit’cho—”

Mintheart stopped in her tracks. Even if she was the only one with half a brain left over, she owed it to the pipsqueak to let her know about her own family. Even when Stumpytoad was too addled to do it himself.

“Fireflower,” Mintheart replied. “Only she-cat that could put up wit’ ya that long.”

Mintheart thought briefly about the fallen queen. Looking at Honeykit, even though it had been many seasons since Fireflower walked the moors, the eyes were definitely similar. She half-smiled at the kit. Perhaps they would always have a legacy in WindClan, seasons after they left, just like Fireflower did.

“Papa, of course! Dad’s name is Tigerfang.”

Her dad was a ginger tom himself, kind of like Stumpytoad. He was short as well, at least for WindClan standards. Honeykit smiled back at the elder.

“You’ll see me be a warrior! I’m gonna do my best, Papa. Even if I’m short.”

"Fireflower. Yes, mah precious flower. I'll tell ya, kit, I may not remember her name, but I could tell ya that molly was my world. Stubborn one, she was. Always knew how ta put me in mah place. Stars knows I needed it sometimes. You'll never find a cat as perfect as she was, but maybe ya might come close ta being as good, kit. I's gonna hold ya to that promise o' bein' a warrior now, ya hear? Even if I have ta watch from the stars, I want ta see it happen. We got ourselves a deal?"

He gave another wink.

"And Tigerfang? He's...oh star what was he, Bramblepatch's boy? Ah no, that don't sound right. Cottonswirl? Honeydew? Help an old tom out a bit here before I work mah brain ta death. Quailheart?"

Mintheart smiled as she saw Stumpytoad with his great grandkit. Perhaps there was hope for him yet. He might be dumber than a rabbit but he loves that kit.

“I’ll be the best warrior ever! For Dad and you, Papa.”

“Cottonswirl,” Honeykit chirped. She must have been named after Honeydew, she reasoned, though she never got to meet them.

“What was Cottonswirl and Tigerfang like when they were my age?”

"Cottonswirl, ah, he was trouble, that one. Got into all sorts of fights with his sister, Quailheart. Always seemed to be split in half, them four, girls against boys. Course Honeydew weren't exactly one ta stick up fer herself, and Bramblepatch, bless the boy, just loved showin' off. At least I think them was their names, I hardly remember anymore. Can't say I ever saw your pa much. I loved mah kits, sure, but ah was a warrior. Ain't never had much time for them family things. I raised em kits, they raised their own. They ain't needin' me no more once theys all grown. Suhprised they even pass mah name around. Say, what has your daddy said bout me, anyway, hm? He best not be lyin' and throwin' dirt on my name, I worked hard for this family, even if I ain't showed it much."

Maybe he would need time to speak with his kits sometime. No use being that big, tough warrior when he is just lying around the elder's den.

"Say, why don't ya show me your huntin' crouch? You been practicin', right girly? Ain't gonna be much of a warrior if ya don't take the time ta learn. Come on, let me see what ya can do."