A Much Needed Break [Open]

It had started out as busy work. With the patrols assigned for the day - to remark the border and start tracking down any predators that got into the territory along with general hunting, Acornstem had taken to starting to clear snow that was building up around the den entrances to make sure everybody had an easier time going in and out. It wasn't exciting work for sure, shoving snow around...Until one of her paw swipes at the snow was a bit harder than she had meant to, sending a flurry of snow into the air instead of just shoving it a few whiskers to the side like she had meant to.  She came to a stop as she watched it sparkle in the air for a heartbeat before it landed with a soft thump. Her tail swished, raising her head to check over her work so far... Before she turned and jumped - front paws sinking into the snow before she lifted them up to throw a solid clump of snow into the air.

...When was the last time she had gotten a break? She wasn't sure - the last few moons had been stress upon stress and...It still wasn't over. There had been some highlights - her relationship with Firefly for example - but... She swiped at the snow, a soft giggle escaping her as she spun to start pouncing from snow pile to snow pile. Perhaps it wasn't the most noble thing, playing like a kit when she was deputy but... Well, she honestly felt like she needed it - it wouldn't hurt to have a little fun after all!

Sageroot padded, tentatively at first, to join the frolicking cats. Flopping into the snow, she relished its coolness against her fur and the way it crunched beneath her. “Finally home,” she mewed dreamily, eyes shut and her whole body vibrating with purrs.

Acornstem paused briefly in her snow-flinging and frolicking as more cats joined her, watching in amusement as Thrushnose managed to bury himself in snow before breaking free to send it scattering, while Sageroot simply was basking in the snow and being back in the camp. A joyous purr escaped the deputy as she started to turn, ready to go back to pouncing her way through the snow when a familiar voice of her friend caught her ear.

She turned to face Echosong just for a ball of snow to crash across her face, her eyes squeezing shut at the cold bite of the unexpected snowball laced across her muzzle. There was no sound as the remains of the shattered snowball cascaded from her face and into the snow beneath her, eyes flickering open to stare at the medicine cat as he darted away. A long moment of silence, before a laugh tore its way out of the deputy's throat as she suddenly broke into a run after him.

"Oh, is that how you want to do this, Echosong?" she called out after her kithood friend, tail puffed as she moved to chase him down. "Don't think I'm going to go easy on you just because you are a medicine cat - you want a fight, you'll get one!" Her 'threats' were lessened by the laughing she could barely suppress between the words, before she made a leap at the medicine cat to knock him down into the snow.

Having medicine cats around has allowed Sleepycloud the strength to move around much better than when before the clan returned. She hadn't realized she was running on fumes until she had the support of a clan around her. Stars, it was nice not to immediately worry if she, her mate, or her unborn kits would make it through the day. Not to say the worst wasn't over, but at least. Sleepycloud still had to have the kits, but she'd take what she could get.

It was time for her to return to the medicine cat den to get what herbs she needed for the day. On the way there, however, a flurry of activity in the snow caused her to pause. Wide green eyes observed her new clanmates bounding around. A quirk of a smile played on her muzzle. That seemed like fun. With a shake of her legs, she bounded towards them. "Hey!" She laughed, "I need him alive, thank you!" She wiped her paw swiftly against the powdery snow - similar to how she sprayed water on her siblings when she was a kit in RiverClan. Sleepycloud caught Acornstem in the wave of snow but also Sageroot and Thrushnose unintentionally. She blanched for a moment, then purred with amusement and embarrassment.