Practising: Swanfeather and Rockclaw.

[Mousy]

Rockclaw liked many things. He liked darkness. He liked rain. He liked storms. He liked his sister. He liked kits (sometimes). He also liked Swanfeather. She was beautiful, and he really thought very highly of her, although he would never admit it. He heard a quiet rustling behind, and Tigerkit emerged from the bushes. Swanfeather turned and looked at him and Rockclaw just ignored him. Swanfeather looked at the little russet-brown tabby who sat down, tail twitching.

"Tigerkit? You shouldn't be out of camp," mewed Swanfeather. She picked Tigerkit up in her jaws and put him somewhere safe near a tree. "You stay there, OK? Firecloud isn't going to be pleased, little one," she scolded. Rockclaw watched. He couldn't quite understand the appeal of kits himself, but every cat to their own.

Tigerkit was an interesting little creature. He looked precious little like the rest of his family, but he still carried the same determined expression that his father once had. It was interesting, the family resemblance. He looked like Silver-river while Foxfire was like Goldenclaw through and through, even down to her determined personality. Swanfeather looked very little like her sibling, but was a perfect copy of Whitetail, while Redtail had never looked like any of her family. Families were interesting, but he hated them at the same time.

"What say we begin training?" he growled in his grainy voice.

Swanfeather nodded and threw herself at Rockclaw, who dodged out of the way. He chuckled and ducked as Swanfeather launched herself at him, then, while she was still in the air, launched himself and threw her down. Swanfeather gasped as all the breath was pushed out of her and Rockclaw took his paws off her chest, breathing heavily, sides aching. He reared up on to his hind legs then landed and practically flew at Swanfeather. She gasped, breathing slightly shallower now as Rockclaw flew at her again. This time, she stood in his path, and, as he jumped, she shoved him forward with her paws so that he fell heavily.

"Now are you so sure you can beat me? she mewed. Rockclaw nodded. He threw himself forwards, but found himself flying at open ground. He quickly dug his claws in to the earth and stopped just short of a tree. Swanfeather ran in to his side and knocked him to the ground. He shook dust out of his thin fur. "I think training is over for now..." Swanfeather mewed, picking Tigerkit up. Rockclaw followed her at a distance, listening to her talk to the little kit. He didn't seem to be listening.

[☆ Y e l l o w ☆]

Breezeclaw padded through SkyClan's territory, senses alert for prey. The sun was rising higher and prey was becoming more active. With SkyClan's increasing size more prey had to be caught, so the gray tabby warrior had left camp earlier that morning to go hunting by himself. So far he hadn't caught anything so he was wandering around near the training hollow where he hoped he would be able to find something.

He pricked his ears when he heard some noise a little further away. Someone was there, that was for sure. Perhaps training with their apprentices? He moved further through the underbrush and emerged near the hollow. Cocking his head, he wondered why two warriors were practice fighting. It wasn't something he had never heard of but it seemed strange to him. And then he saw Tigerkit. "What's he doing out of camp?" he mewed to Swanfeather, who was closer to the kit. "You know you're not allowed out until you're an apprentice." And he was sure any queen, especially the worrisome Firecloud, would be worried sick.

[Mousy]

Swanfeather felt herself go hot under her pelt. She was in trouble, for sure. So, she decided to cover her tracks. She dipped her head, feigning confusion, and signaled to Tigerkit and Rockclaw to be quiet. Both took the hint and shut up.

"He must have snuck in while we were training, Breezeclaw. I would say we're done, so we'll take him back. Come, Tigerkit," she mewed. She suddenly remembered: she'd come out with the intention to hunt. She cursed her memory under her breath and padded back towards camp. Rockclaw lifted his head and padded after her, meaning to hunt while he was following. He ended up following silently and glancing thoughtfully at Breezeclaw every so often. Swanfeather didn't seem to notice. She was silently walking with Tigerkit in her mouth.

Rockclaw had never known Swanfeather to have any interest in kits, so this surprised him. He ran back through his life, right down to being yelled at by his mentor for not being able to hit exactly the right mark. He found that this mentor had been in the nursery at the same time as mother had been. He made a mental note to ask an older cat when he returned, and carried on following the relaxed Swanfeather. It was amazing, how convincingly she'd been able to cover her tracks.

[☆ Y e l l o w ☆]

Breezeclaw nodded, watching Swanfeather and his gaze then switching to Rockclaw. Deciding not to say anything, he still wondered why two warriors would be training on their own. They said they were going back to camp, and just to make sure, he mentally shrugged and figured he might as well go with. He hadn't caught any prey and should be going back to camp soon. "I'll go with," he said, catching up to the two warriors. Better for him to go with and make sure Tigerkit made it safely back to camp.

[Mousy]

Swanfeather nodded. Rockclaw was now walking alongside Breezeclaw, and he edged up a little way so that he was walking alongside Swanfeather, who was carrying Tigerkit. She thought that he wouldn't know about Dovetail's kits. She wondered how they were. She decided to tell him and Breezeclaw, in case they didn't know.

"Did you hear that Dovetail's kits have been born? Two of them, I think. Tigerkit ran out of the nursery announcing it," she mewed through a mouthful of Tigerkit's fur. Rockclaw looked slightly surprised.

"Obviously, I'm going deaf, because I didn't hear anything. But, I'd probably not got up by then, or I'd set off to hunt," the scrawny tom replied. He didn't look at Swanfeather to see her expression; he didn't need to. It would be the same as when first her sister's, then Firecloud's kits had been born: a mixture of excitement and worry. I'm always the last to find out... SGreat StarClan, if we were at war, I wouldn't find out until the end of the war... he thought as they got in to camp.

[☆ Y e l l o w ☆]

Breezeclaw occasionaly let his gaze slide to Tigerkit as if he had to make sure the kit wouldn't try to struggle free. He looked to be content enough. Dovetail's kits? Breezeclaw thought back to when he had left camp. He knew they were due in the next few days but he hadn't known this morning. She must have had them when he was gone. He made a note to himself to go and see the kits sometime today. "I didn't know," he mewed, seeing they were gettng closer to camp. "Tigerkit will soon have some new playmates, though. When they're old enough."