Little Rabbit at Dusk

[Yoko]

"Rabbitheart, you promised!" Ravenkit whined.

They had agreed to collect Borage Leaves for Earthfoot ages ago. Yet Rabbitheart had immediately dragged the only ThunderClan kit here. Needless to say, Ravenkit was not pleased!

"She's not coming. We've been waiting here forever...And these leaves are itchy!"

"Shush," Rabbitheart mewed softly, brushing Ravenkit's ears back with his thick golden tail. He had insisted that they hide in the bushes soother RiverClan cats would not get suspicious of two ThunderClan cats hanging around the border.

The sky was a harsh orange now, with streaks of pink and purple softening it. All around cricket songs could be heard. Ravenkit could hear every brush of the grass around him and he was becoming more and more frightened of it. The warm smells of greenleaf night should have soothed him but instead they reminded him that he could have been safe and asleep in his empty nursery. The tom pressed against Rabbitheart's flank with a shiver. Rabbitheart sighed.

"Okay...she's not coming...let's go," the golden tom mewed, crestfallen, but he did not move just yet. Maybe if he gave her a moment more...

[spike]

What in great StarClan's name was she doing? No way should she have been out here. No, no, just no. Willowstar had brought back two kits today. Lots of problems had happened. She should've just stayed in camp to help out with this stress. She should've stayed back and waited for permission. But there was a strange urge in her. The urge to patrol the ThunderClan border was tickling her paws. When she bounded out of camp to cure it, she realized what problems she had just made for herself.

Littlestream was a warrior! She was so sure that going out like this was not right. Sure, she was a warrior and could handle herself but wouldn't somebody suspect she was up to no good? Get a hold of yourself, the she-cat told herself. You're getting yourself stressed over nothing. The Clan is worked up over those two kits, right? It should've been okay. With this renewed confidence, she picked up her speed. Small, snow-colored paws crossed over the rocky banks of the river. The lithe gray tabby was making good time. She didn't understand why the ThunderClan border was the strongest point of interest. It just was.

She slowed as the border came near. She parted her jaw, breathing in the scent of the air. There was a ThunderClan warrior near. No approaching. No fighting. It wasn't that she wanted to fight anyways. She closed in and tried to find the source. "Okay... she's not coming... let's go." Littlestream knew that voice from anywhere! Rabbitheart!

"My, my, my," she called out. "Waiting around the border again, boys? I didn't think I'd catch the two of you hanging around, especially waiting for somebody. May I ask why you are waiting?" She leapt over to a small rock, tiny paws easily grasping it. Then she bounced across again. She landed on the edge of the slippery rocks, hind right paw slipping out from under her. She leaned forward and caught herself just on time but it didn't mean it hadn't given her a fright. She was across at least. "Hi Ravenkit, hi Rabbitheart," she said in a more formal greeting.

[Yoko]

Busted! Ravenkit slunk guiltily out of the bushes. Littlestream looked pretty across the river in this light. The kit hung his head guiltily. Were he and Rabbitheart breaking the Warrior Code in hanging around the border this way?

"We were...uh..."

Rabbitheart gave Littlestream a bright grin as he padded out behind his little brother. He sat at the very edge of the Sunning Rocks so that his whole reflection looked up from the water. His tan pelt shone with health from the plentiful prey in ThunderClan. And Littlestream looked well as well.

"Actually," he mewed coolly. "You're just the cat we wanted to see. You see, Ravenkit and I were having an argument earlier, and we were wondering if you might help us resolve it."

It was true enough. He and Ravenkit had argued just yesterday, though admittedly...It was a pretty small reason to confront a RiverClan cat over. In truth, he had been dying to see her all morning.

[spike]

The she-cat tilted her head slightly at the request her ThunderClan foe had asked of her. She was RiverClan. He was ThunderClan. Though they stayed where the borders claimed they had to, this meeting was probably going to be looked down upon. Especially since he had left with his brother again. Ravenkit was a strong one but ask any other warrior and they'd say it wasn't right to let the kit out in the territory with only one warrior. Rabbitheart didn't seemed concerned, however, about the concequences that could follow this little trip.

"Looking for me to help you two settle an arguement?" she asked with a small laugh to the end of her words. "I'd be glad to help." Secretly, she was admiring the way Rabbitheart looked from up there. He was like a great, tan lion rather than a cat. His sky blue eyes made her ogle slightly. Too bad he wasn't in RiverClan. This meeting would feel so much easier if it had been only little more concious of the Warrior Code.

[Yoko]

Rabbitheart watched her from across the river, feeling perfectly safe with his paws grounded on the ThunderClan side. It all seemed so easy from over here, meeting her beautiful blue eyes with his own. Far in the back of his mind, in a voice startlingly similar to Ravenkit's, he was being told that she was of an enemy Clan. But how could she possibly be his enemy when he felt this way.

He twitched his tail, "Ravenkit says that RiverClan cats cannot climb trees. But I say, if you can do amazing things like fish and swim, then surely you do something as simple as tree-climbing."

There was a playful challenge in his gaze. He honestly did not know if she could or not. For all the Gatherings he had gone to, he had not wanted to be this close to a RiverClan Cat. To ask them the simplest of questions.