CrestClan | Camp

"I'll go with you," Talonstorm mewed, whiskers twitched, "Show those old rabbit-chasers who's who, eh?"

Kestrelthorn scoffed softly. "Something tells me they don't do much more than groom their own pelts."

"Who else is coming with us?" Talonstorm asked, in a tone as if he were testing an apprentice.

Coldscar groomed his paw in a patch of sun, glancing up as Dovepetal weaved her way between cats. The blue grey shecat paused when she spotted her brother and father, continuing over after a moment of hesitation.

Willowpaw crouched and batted gently at Hopekit and Mumblekit, puffing out her chest while she told them all about what being an apprentice was like, over exaggerating it for effect. Hollycrest was nearby, watching with an amused expression.

Inkpaw simply rolled his eyes at the other apprentice, scoffing and grooming one of his black paws. 

Frostedstep tugged herself into camp, dragging her paws as she padded to the prey pile. Her left hind paw ached from the climb and the rat bite, and she winced slightly each time it touched the ground.

Skystreak twitched his ears at the sound of cats entering camp and leaped down from his overhead perch where he'd been sitting watch. "Oh StarClan, what happened?" he yelped, seeing Frostedstep's injury.

"We were overwhelmed by rats. Good news though, the both of us brought back a total of nine rats." Frostedstep smiled gently at the tom, setting the rats on the low prey pile. "I just have a bite or two. I'm not sure about Foresthowl," she mewed.

"Sure showed them!" Skystreak scoffed, "Nothing beats CrestClan! What were a couple rodents thinking."

Peachwhisker trotted out of the medicine den. "I smelled rat bites, what happened?" she announced.

"Rats." Frostedstep replied evenly to the medicine cat and turned so Peachwhisker could see the two bite. One on her paw, and one on her lower leg. "We didn't think there'd be so many."

"Oh dear!" Peachwhisker mewed, standing next to Frostedstep. "Lean on me, I'll take you to the medicine den and get those treated straightaway!"

Frostedstep parted her jaws to argue, to insist that they should wait, but her ears flattened a moment later and she nodded, leaning against the medicine cat.

Peachwhisker led the she-cat into her den to a freshly made bed of moss. "Lay down here, I'll get some marigold for that." she mewed gently.

Skystreak stuck out his tongue. "You aren't expecting me to eat those are you?" he grumbled as the scent wafted over him.

Frostedstep laid down gingerly and stretched out her leg, flattening her ears. "I'll still be able to run and hunt right?" She mewed jokingly, resting her head on her front paws. 

"Don't complain, Skystreak." Hollycrest sighed, rasping her tongue over her paw and dragging it over her ear.

"Oh, of course little dove," she mewed sweetly, spreading a poultice of marigold and chervil on the bites, "Just make sure to get some rest and come to me if you feel a fever starting."

"Next you tell me we'll be eating raccoons." Skystreak grumbled.

Frostedstep nodded and purred. "I'm guessing I should opt out of patrolling until it starts to heal?" She meowed lightly, waving her spotted tail along the ground. "I'll grab you some food after this is on," she added. 

"Or maybe it'll be you if you don't learn to be grateful." Hollycrest giggled and padded back to her kits after picking up a rat. The smell didn't bother her. Food was food.

Peachwhisker purred, carefully swabbing the edges with cobweb to ensure the pulp stayed in place. "Alright, you're free to go!" she mewed sweetly.

"Odd featherbrain," Skystreak muttered, then hopped back onto his perch.

"Thanks Peachwhisker! I'll be back in a second with a rat for you." Frostedstep purred and leaned forward, whispering, "You don't mind them like Skystreak does, right?" Her tail waved happily behind her.

Peachwhisker chuckled, "Don't worry, I like them fine, he's just picky."

"He really is." Frostedstep giggled and padded out, being careful of her paw. She snatched a rat from the pile and trotted back, setting it by Peachwhisker. "Thanks again," she mewed before retreating.

"We should probably ask her if any of the rats got away," Talonstorm mewed to Kestrelthorn, "Just in case they're a problem in the future."

Frostedstep glanced back over her shoulder to Peachwhisker before she wandered too far away. "I think Foresthowl is injured as well, but I wasn't able to see completely," she mewed before continuing to walk away.

"Foresthowl?" Peachwhisker chirped, "Could you come in for a moment dear?"

Foresthowl looked up from the fresh-kill pile, spitting out a mouthful of rat fur before he replied. "One second, I want to get something for my mate."

Peachwhisker tucked her paws and waited patiently.

"Did any rats get away?" Talonstorm asked gruffly.

"Quite a few. We couldn't get all of them without risk of harming ourselves further." Frostedstep curled her tail nervously. "We thought it was just adolescents, but it turned out to be a whole nest."

Foresthowl padded over to his mate, purring softly. "Morning."
"DAD!" Twilightkit screeched, stumbling through the snow that almost reached his belly now and slamming into his father's leg.

Hollycrest lifted her head and laughed at the antics of Twilightkit, watching as Hopekit darted to do the same. "Good morning," she purred.

"If I were you I'd have killed all the kits," Skystreak hissed, "That way they'd find some other place to nest, maybe bother our enemies instead of us."
Talonstorm looked to Kestrelthorn. You can handle this, son. Order patrols, make your Clan proud. He thought to himself.

Foresthowl let out an oof, stumbling a little. "Careful, guys, I got attacked by rats."
"Rats?! Can we help!?" Twilightkit bounced around gleefully.

Kestrelthorn gulped, then narrowed his eyes. "Well, if you're so keen, Skystreak, you wouldn't mind going on a patrol with me later to investigate? Maybe bring back some prey for once?"

Frostedstep resisted laughing, looking instead at Skystreak with a smug smirk. Her spotted tail waved across the floor, and she shook the snow from her pelt. 

Hollycrest's eyes widened with concern. She rose to her paws and padded over. "What? Are you alright? Go to Peachwhisker," she mewed and inspected him, Hopekit doing the same while she pretended to be the medicine cat.

Skystreak bounded towards Kestrelthorn, a sneer on his face. "Are you accusing me of something?" he snarled challengingly, "I'll have you know I passed my hunting assessments first try. My mentor said I caught more prey than any cat he'd ever seen."

Peachwhisker shot a grin at Hollycrest from across camp.

"Doesn't mean you can catch a rat," Kestrelthorn snorted softly. "Look at Frostedstep. She's fought them, and still got injured."

Frostedstep blinked at the possible slight compliment, turning her gaze to the deputy. She twitched her ears. "They're feisty things. And the bites hurt a lot," she mewed and licked a paw.

Skystreak let out a forced, hearty laugh. "Oh Kestrelthorn," he mewed, "If you're trying to set me up for failure you'll be so disappointed. I bet you I can lead the patrol, drive the rats to RushClan, and keep every cat with me unharmed."

Frostedstep scoffed and narrowed her eyes at the younger tom's disrespect. Man, how I wish I could show him a thing or two. "You actually think you can do better at hunting rats without getting bit than Foresthowl and I? Insane. You don't have the experience." She curled a lip in disgust.

"Real warriors don't get hurt by prey." Skystreak responded, the hair along his spine raised.
Talonstorm twitched and ear and curled his lip at the young tom's disrespect.

"Real warriors don't disrespect their deputy." Frostedstep hissed, her fur spiking. "Real warriors don't act like entitled brats, like naughty kits," she spat and stood up straight, puffing out her fur. "You're undeserving of your name, especially with such an attitude," she snapped and sat down once she ended her small rant, pulling on a cool air of indifference. "I'd like to see you try and do better, and it'll be quite a sight when you fail."

Skysteak growled, lashing his tail and spitting at the older warrior. "I won't fail because I'm not like you." he snarled, "I'll go right now. Kestrelthorn, assign some cats to come with me."

OOC: "I'd go out on my own but I can't double post." he added.

Kestrelthorn scoffed softly. "Not until you knock yourself down a few pegs, otherwise I'll let Frostedstep lead."

Frostedstep smirked. "Even with my bites, I'm pretty sure I'm more capable," she purred.

Skystreak bared his teeth and lashed his tail. "So she can watch me upstage her? Good idea." he mewed.

Frostedstep bristled and but only smirked. "I'll be surprised if you even manage to kill a single rat," she purred and rose to her paws, flicking her tail over the tom's nose as she passed.

Skysteak snapped at her tail.

Kestrelthorn snapped. "Enough!" he growled at Skystreak, getting into the tom's face. "You do not attack Clanmates!"

Frostedstep yelped at the sharp pain and yanked her tail away with a hiss toward the tom. Her eyes narrowed into a glare, but she stayed quiet to let Kestrelthorn deal with him.

"She touched me!" he whined, "I don't want her gross rat-bitten fur giving me bloodcough."

"That is still no reason to attack a Clanmate!" Kestrelthorn's tail flicked. "I have half a mind to turn you back into an apprentice, you still don't seem to understand authority."

Skystreak opened his mouth agape, trying to force words out. "Please don't," he whispered, "I-I can't be an apprentice again I was an apprentice for so long..."

"Foresthowl?" Peachwhisker called again.

Bumblestar was actually for once having some good moments to herself in a tree branch, but of course someone had to ruin it! She leaped down from her spot and approached Skystreak, and even though she looked bored and a bit irritated, her tail was angrily flicking every so often. 
"Skystreak? Are you actually being serious?" She said, disappointment and anger filling her voice. She was definitely irritated by this, why was this cat being so darn stupid??
"We do not attack out clanmates, every well-trained cat knows this." She said, narrowing her eyes. She really wanted to see if Frostedstep was alright, but it would be a bit awkward to ask at the moment. "Do you have anything to say in your defense? Not that it would help, you are still getting a punishment." She said and scoffed. honestly? she couldn't believe Skystreak's stupidity.

Foresthowl licked Hollycrest's cheek and slipped away from the tussling kits, skirting around the tension bubble in the middle of the camp and padding up to Peachwhisker. "Yes?"

"You're acting like I tried to tear her ears off!" Skystreak growled, "She put her tail in my face so I bit it."

"I need to check up on your bites, make sure they don't get infected and all." Peachwhisker chirped.