where did the sun go? [c]

Honeypaw

Honeypaw felt like the clans had been traveling for moons. Her paws were sore and she felt frozen to her core. The only way she had been able to keep warm was by continuing to trudge on through the deep snow.

At Mallowkit's request, Honeypaw halted. Both kits must be starving by now. She looked over at Paledove and the rest of the patrol. "We're gonna stop here and take a short break," she called to them. "We won't be long!"

Honeypaw veered off towards the shelter of an overhanging pine tree. It held up most of the snow so that there was a relatively dry shelter just beneath its boughs. Honeypaw nosed her way in between them and sat the two kits down gently.

"This is a nice place," she told them, her eyes sparkling. "Look how dry it is here, and you can stay out of the wind." She clawed together some of the loose pine needles into a small makeshift nest and beckoned Yewkit and Mallowkit toward it. "I'm going to go find something we can eat, but I need you both to promise me to stay right here, okay?" A pit of anxiety gnawed at her stomach. What if the kits wandered off, she fretted, but then noticed the dense branches and the high snow would probably be nearly impossible for a kit to break through. They probably wouldn't even be able to. "Promise?" she repeated, her expression stern.

Yewkit shifted as Honeypaw settled them down under the overhanging pine tree, his eyes wide. It snapped him back into the moment. The rest of the patrol was going to leave them! It felt urgent. "They're going to leave us!" He exclaimed, completely convinced they would. "We can't stop!"

Though, upon being reassured that it'll be fine, he didn't protest. The dry shelter was a contrast against the elements out in the open. The pine needles were an oddly familiar smell. Honeypaw spoke of a high bargain - food. He had been food averse since the event in the clearing, but he could not ignore the desperate growls of his stomach. He nodded in response to Honeypaw's instructions, nestling closer to Mallowkit to share warmth.

"We promise," He mewed confidently, subconsciously speaking for Mallowkit too. "I'll make sure we are safe. I'll kill anything that dares comes near!" He spoke as though he wasn't just a little kitten who didn't know how to do a proper crouch - but instead a battle scarred warrior. His eyes glimmered with that familiar mischievous glint, the first since they've started their journey back to the forest. He felt anxiety about them being left alone, but he had not-so-silently vowed that he would never let a single thing hurt Mallowkit. He was basically a brother to him, more than his actual brother, even.

Honeypaw

Honeypaw's whiskers twitched in amusement at the two kits before her.
"Okay, I'll trust you. I'll be back shortly, no worries." She pushed her face through through the protection of the branches and leaped out from the cover of the tree. It was so white and cold here, everywhere. How can prey even exist, she wondered? Where do they all go? She hesitated for a moment, parting her jaws to taste the air. If I were prey, I'd find shelter, she decided, and made her way towards the cliffside. There must be some kind of den or tracks around here.

Once Honeypaw disappeared, Yewkit turned his attention to their surroundings and puffed out his chest as though he was preparing for a fierce battle. You never know when a fierce monster may attempt to sneak up on us! He thought - accidentally reminding himself about the wolves that attacked their camp.  What if they attack here, too? Could he really defend Mallowkit?

"Um, we could practice or something?" He shuffled his paws, trying to sound more confident than he felt - an attempt to distract himself from the building anxiety. "Do you know how to do a crouch?"

Honeypaw

Honeypaw had finally picked up the scent of prey, and had been following it for some time. It led her to the base of a huge pine tree. She stopped at the base and looked up. Above her head, the branches were swaying from the weight of a couple of bickering squirrels. Not a great time to be distracted, she thought, bunching her muscles to spring.

Honeypaw attempted to catch the squirrel and rolled a 3. She catches the squirrel!

She leaped high into the tree on her first try, sinking her claws into the branch as she landed. The squirrels stopped, hesitating a heartbeat too long before scrabbling for safety. Honeypaw's jaws clamped shut on one, dragging its struggling body closer to give it the killing bite. Her teeth met in its neck as its friend escaped up the tree and out of sight. Honeypaw swayed, holding on tight to the squirrel as her head became light, she lost her paw hold, and fell heavily to the ground below, disappearing in a puff of white snow.

Honeypaw gagged on the blood taste that filled her mouth, tossed her prey aside and writhed in the snow, heaving up nothing but stomach bile. The apprentice took a moment to catch her breath, trying not to drown in the scent of death and blood. Her head spun. This reminded her exactly of Brackenpaw on their first night out after they brought down the ow. It occured to her that her brother must have a similar problem. She had never considered it before, and it made her miss her brother's comfort now. Honeypaw collapsed where she was, taking long, deep breaths. I can't afford to let this beat me, whatever it is. I have kits to feed. But she felt like if she moved even slightly, she would fall down again. For now, Honeypaw stayed still, trying not to think about anything but the sweet scent of the kits that were waiting for her.

The member 'uwubers' has done the following action : Dice roll

---

'Hunting Dice' : 3

Yewkit observed Mallowkit's attempts at a crouch with a mixture of amusement and encouragement. His whiskers twitched - the poor kit looked more like a squirrel instead of a fearsome SkyClan warrior. "That's a good start!" Yewkit laughed, demostrating a crouch of his own that probably didn't look any better. "But... You have to look more like a fierce LionClan warrior!"

As Mallowkit rolled onto his side, Yewkit stood up from his crouch. He initially curtly nodded in agreement. Yes, Honeypaw will see our fight and think we're the bravest kits in the all of the clans! "Yeah!" He mewed in excitement. But, his eyes widened in surprise when the tone shifted drastically and Mallowkit stumbled over his words. He's lying. I can't believe it. He could feel his heart break. His brows furrowed and his eyes flashed with rage. "What do you mean, 'weren't brave before'? I've always been brave!" He shouted at Mallowkit, his tone harsh and accusatory as he lashed his tail. How could he imply otherwise? What an awful cat Mallowkit was to put his best friend down. I hate him! Tears immediately welled in his eyes, more from frustration than sadness.

His fur bristled as he stood over the small tom, his jaw clenched and his ears flattened against his face. "I don't need you or any other cat telling me I'm not brave! You're not my mom!" He loudly hissed. His vision was blurred by unshed tears that threatened to spill. The promise he had made to Honeypaw about protecting this kit was now obsolete. "You're just... Some kit!"

Yewkit impulsively lunged at Mallowkit with a swipe, claws unsheathed, in his fit of fury. He was going to get what he deserved.

Yewkit used Front Paw Blow! It did 2 damage and costed 5 stamina.

Yewkit
10/10 HP
25/30 SP (-5)

Mallowkit
8/10 HP (-2)
30/30 SP

Mallowkit used Front Paw Blow on Yewkit!

Yewkit
8/10 HP (-2)
25/30 SP

Mallowkit
8/10 HP
25/30 SP (-5)

Honeypaw

Honeypaw had managed to get the strength to pick herself up and trudge back to the tree with her squirrel. After recovering, the freshkill scent wafted up into her mouth and made her stomach growl. I haven't eaten in what feels like a whole moon, she whined inwardly. Claws of hunger gripped her stomach, but all hunger was forgotten when she heard the sound of squaling kits in the distance. The voices were unmistakeable - it was Yewkit and Mallowkit for sure!

Oh no, the kits are in danger! Honeypaw dashed forward, spraying snow up in her wake as she followed the voices. Luckily, they hadn't left the tree. What if a predator has found them? Oh, StarClan, no! She burst through the branches, claws extended, and dropped her squirrel. The battle-ready apprentice looked around wildly, but there were no predators in sight, just two very upset kits. Honeypaw felt her heart beating hard in her chest. Thank you StarClan, she silently prayed.

"What is going on?" she demanded, looking from Mallowkit to Yewkit and back. The two tiny toms had seemingly had some kind of argument, and there was the faintest scent of blood. Honeypaw nosed herself between the squabbling kits and sniffed each in turn, noting a tiny bead of blood welling on Mallowkit's muzzle. What happened? she wondered as she turned her icy blue gaze on Yewkit.

She sat down, curling her tail over her paws, as her heart slowed and her fur lay flat. "Kits," she mewed, her usually gentle voice stern, "What happened here?" Her tail twitched, the only telling sign that the she-cat might be irritated. "Why are you two fighting? Why is Mallowkit bleeding?" Her icy gaze swept over the two kits, who had been almost as close as brothers since the start of their journey. What could have possibly come between them, I wonder?

Yewkit's soft fur stood on end with anger, and his ears were pressed tightly against his head. The accusation hung in the air - he couldn't fathom how Mallowkit dared to accuse him as mean. He's the one who called me a coward! His tail lashed wildly behind him, and his entire stance radiated offense as he fixed a stare of narrowed, slitted eyes on Mallowkit. The audacity of this liar to say he's not my friend. He did this! A low growl rumbled from the depths of Yewkit's chest as the other tom-kit spoke.

"Don't twist everything, Mallowkit! I don't need a friend who lies about me, anyway!" Yewkit spat, his voice dripping with disdain. His heart hurt, but it only fueled his rage.

His anger only flared even more when Mallowkit dared to strike back. His eyes widened momentarily in surprise, but the shock gave away quickly into an intensified fury. The only thing that saved Mallowkit from his retaliation was Honeypaw's soft voice. The tension in the air was almost suffocating. Yewkit's ears remained flattened and he dropped onto his haunches. His still unsheathed claws dug into the earth. "He started it." Yewkit muttered, casting a resentful glare at Mallowkit before returning to the ground in front of him. "He called me a coward and that we weren't friends."

His gaze remained on the ground - a combination of shame and stubbornness in his mismatched eyes. Mallowkit deserved what he got - and saying sorry would feel like ripping his claws out one-by-one.

Honeypaw

Honeypaw couldn't believe what she was witnessing right now. She looked from kit to kit as they argued about who started it, and wondered what Paledove would do in this kind of situation. But she couldn't be Paledove, no matter how she faced it. Her tail thumped thoughtfully against the pine needles.

"It sounds like," Honeypaw began, choosing her words slowly and carefully, "there was a misunderstanding here. These things do happen sometimes. But misunderstandings, or even disagreements," she looked carefully at Yewkit, who looked shameful, "should never end with hurting your clanmates." Honeypaw lowered herself to a squat and pulled each kit closer to her in turn. "Mallowkit says he's sorry, Yewkit. He didn't mean to hurt your feelings. And I think you should apologize for scratching Mallowkit. Clanmates aren't supposed to use claws on each other, got it?" Honeypaw wrinkled her nose before swiftly but gently leaning down to lick the tiny droplet of blood from Mallowkit's nose, and then briefly touched her nose to Yewkit's.