Once upon a nursery rhyme(Storm/open)

[starstruck]

With a flick of her ears, the small kit looked at her sleeping siblings. She wasn't one to wake them. Being so young she wasn't aloud out of the nursery just yet but with a litter of seven boisterous kits she was sure her mother Fawnstep was looking forward to the next moon where they could burn all of their energy outside by playing with leaves or stomping on the warriors tails. There was always that one kit that would try and get out but with a quick snap from Fawnstep they all quickly learned that sneaking out would not be a good idea. Poppykit tried to be quiet but couldn't help but let out a squeaky purr. She didn't understand why there were so many rules couldn't they just be aloud to roam around? Was the forest really that dangerous?

Poppykit's tail twitched impatiently as she looked outside. She ended up rested her chin on her paws as she let out a loud exasperated sigh. There was nothing to do. Being a care free kit she liked to socialize as much as she could but that didn't seem to happen everyday. Especially around Sunhigh when it was nap time. She looked at Fawnsteps nest and noticed it was a bit tattered. Tilting her head to the side she snagged a small piece and started batting it around to keep herself entertained. Without realizing it she hit it to hard and sent it flying out of the nursery. She ran to go chase it and with a quick halt stopped. If she left she would get in so much trouble!

Poppykit frowned as she looked at the piece of moss. It was so close but what if her mother woke up? She would get in so much trouble! She watched the apprentices running around the camp and let out a mischevious grin. Part of being an apprentice meant changing the nests for the queens and elders. One of them would have to peacefully bring in moss for Fawnsteps new nest. Perhaps Poppykit could get said apprentice to get her mossball back! Puffing out her chest and fluffing out her fur to make her look bigger, she stood on the top of her paws and stormed to the edge of the nursery walls. She wanted to impress after all, whoever brought in the new bedding.

[♦ stormeh ♦]

Thornpaw bounded into camp with a massive bundle of fresh moss in his jaws. He couldn't help but grin as other warriors rolled their eyes at him as he walked past, or how the apprentices giggled and stared at him. While he was out with his mentor to collect new bedding for the nursery, he found a place near the woodands where there were loads of moss. He didn't want to waste it, so he attempted to carry back as much as he could.

Being a young apprentice meant that you had to do the best that you possibly could, so you can make a good impression on the warriors, and most of all, your mentor. To Thornpaw, that simply was meaningless. To him, it meant that he had to try to be the best that he could be, and strive to become a respected and loyal warrior to WindClan. The tabby apprentice might've seemed like he had a big ego, but really, it was just determination and tons of thinking about his future.

As Thornpaw neared the nursery, he noticed Poppykit and was somewhat surprised that she wasn't taking her nap like the rest of her littermates. The Clan had been shocked when they head Fawnstep gave birth to a litter of seven, which was more than the average queen could produce, but they were as happy as ever to know that they had plently of strong warriors along the way. The tom usually had his mind wander off, so when he suddenly stepped on something stringy and soft. Looking down, he lifted a paw and saw that he had accidentally stepped on someone's mossball. With a hint of amusement gleaming in his bright green eyes, he had a feeling that it belonged to Poppykit.

Resting his bundle of moss on the ground, he flashed an apoligetic look toward Poppykit. "Oh, was that yours? I'm sorry if it was," he meowed, embarrassed that he had ruined the kit's fun. An idea suddenly appeareed in his mind, and he ripped out a chunk of moss from his own and pressed on it until he shaped into a ball. With a purr, he passed it lightly toward the calico she-kitten. "Here you go; this one's better." Dipping his head to Poppykit, Thornpaw picked up his moss again and vanished into the nursery, hoping that he could drop it off without waking any of the kits.

[starstruck]

Poppykit spotted Thornpaw with a large wad of moss and knew it wasn't for the elders. She suddenly had a mischevious look in her eyes when the older tom started to walk towards her. She let out a purr but it was cut short when she saw that Thornpaw stepped on her moss ball. "That was mine....." She let out a pout. How dare that tom ruin her moss ball! She took that from her own mothers nest just to play she let a loud HMPH as she looked at the tom with angry eyes. She would never forgive him ever! Poppykit was about to turn back around when the apprentice apologized. Having a small attention span she beamed."It's okay Thornpaw!" She squeaked. Her tone was very high pitched and at this point she didn't care whether or not her litter mates woke up.

When Thornpaw made her another moss ball she imediately chased after it. She lost her footing and slid into Foxkit but she didn't care. Jumping over him she started batting her moss ball around again as Thornpaw dropped off her bedding. However, now she had someone to annoy with her random questions, she also had someone to talk to. Thinking she was being sneaky, she pounced on Thornpaw's tail batting it gently with her paws. She certainly wasn't being stealthy, however in her mind she was. The chance that Thornpaw saw her was 100%."I bet you didn't see me coming Thornpaw I'm so sneaky!" The care free kit mewed. She wasn't one to boast but she thought she did pretty good. "Being an apprentice must be so much fun! I can't wait until I can leave the nursery! Then cats better watch out! my mom says I'm a handful sometimes!" She boasted.

[♦ stormeh ♦]

Thornpaw was about to turn and make his way out of the nursery, when he felt a heavy weight land on his tail. He grinned and quickly bounced out of Poppykit's reach, a playful expression on his face. "Oh, yeah? Well, I bet I can be so fast that I don't have to be sneaky!" he teased, quickly lashing out with a sheathed paw and gently batting the little calico kitten's ear. His tail was lashing as if he were challenging her to retaliate - which he was.

Along with Poppykit's view on being an apprentice, he completely agreed. It was so fun! Even if he had to do chores sometimes, hunting and fighting for his Clan was the absolute best. Well, he hadn't been in any battles yet, but training with his mentors was fun; especially when other apprentices joined in! Thornpaw wondered if he had enough time to play with Poppykit, since he promised his mentor he would go on a one-on-one hunting patrol with him later.

Aw, who cares? Playing with kits are so much fun! he thought to himself with a soft mrrow of laughter. Even if he would never miss his training for anything in the world, he didn't want to leave Poppykit alone when she was bored. Playing with her for a little while wouldn't hurt anyone. Suddenly he remembered his mentor telling him to always focus on his opponent, and he instantly trained his amused gaze on Poppykit again. Seeing that she wasn't making any move, he stuck his tongue out at her and then bared his teeth as if he was an angry fox.

[starstruck]

Poppykit let out a high pitched and loud squeal as she ran around in a circle. Her tail was flailing over the place and she was honestly grateful she had someone to play with. Sometimes being in the nursery was rather boring. She had to admit that Thornpaw was the only apprentice willing to play with her. Tansypaw had been in doing bedding a week or so ago and she came in and out without even wanting to play or even noticing the kit was bored. When she saw Thornpaw stick out his tongue she wailed before rearing on her hind paws. The kit being a big bundle of fur lost her balance and toppled over backwards. She was innocent to say the least when she came back up with a cute grin.

Trying again, she didn't rear up so high. Instead she got on her hind paws just a little so her balance wasn't thrown off. The she-kit leaped forward with a mighty squeak. She fluffed up her fur trying to make herself look bigger and more threatening but how could a kit like her look scary? If anything she just looked like a big fluff of fur. Poppykit loved the faces he was making and she had to say that they entertained her. She tried to copy Thornpaw by sticking out her tongue as well. It didn't work as well. She bared her teeth as well."I'm a big scary fox Thornpaw RAWR!!!" she squeaked. The young apprentice imediately forgot about what it was like to be an apprentice and was more amused pouncing on Thornpaw's tail than anything else.

[♦ stormeh ♦]

Foxkit was dreaming, a pretty butterfly fluttering just out of his reach. Suddenly, a loud squeal woke him and he wrinkled his nose as the high-pitched noise cut into his ears. His eyelids cracked open, and for a moment, he could only see Poppykit. He rolled his eyes. Does she have to be so loud? he thought with a grumble.

"Poppykit, can you - " he froze when he saw that Poppykit wasn't alone. He didn't recognize this tabby tom, seeing that he always kept close to Fawnstep. The tom looked like an apprentice, but he wasn't that big, so he must've been younger. Even still, the ginger tom-kit's eyes widened and he scrambled toward his mother, crawling underneath her paw for protection.

Thornpaw noticed Foxkit, and was about to greet him with a friendly hello, but the little kit suddenly tensed and retreated back to Fawnstep's side. The tabby tom became disappointed. Did he do something wrong? A worried expression made its home on Thornpaw's face. "Hold on, Poppykit," he told her gently before padding toward the ginger kitten. Foxkit squeaked and tried to press further into Fawnstep's safe fur.

Thornpaw smiled and tried to approach him slowly. "Hi, Foxkit. I'm Thornpaw!" he mewed. "You wanna play with us?" he offered. Foxkit said nothing for a few heartbeats. Should he? Would he get in trouble? Wht would Gingerkit say about this? Seeing that his brother was sleeping, he relaxed a bit. Not replying to the apprentice, he tentatively took a pawstep forward, the another, and another one, until he was standing before Thornpaw with a shy smile.

[starstruck]

Poppykit looked at Foxkit with an irritated glare in her pale blue eyes. The calico simply stuck out her tongue but then Thornpaw told her to hold on. The she-cat flattened her ears and looked at Foxkit. Why did he have to wake up. She waited and waited. It wasn't to much longer before Thornpaw greeted Foxkit. The shy tom seemed to realize that he was okay. That being said, Poppykit noticed that Foxkit was ready to play. With a mischevious grin on the kits face the she-kit pounced on her brother and started biting his ear. Purrs were rumbling her throat as she also batted him with sheathed paws. When these 7 kits were made apprentices they would certainly be a riot to Windclan. Each of them had great personalities to add.

"Isn't this better than nap time?" Poppykit mewed. The kits weren't allowed out of the nursery on their own but Fawnstep took the kits out in two groups for walks every day after nap time to let them wake up. Perhaps Poppykit would finally take her nap after the walk around camp. After all she would be tired after playing with this apprentice. However, she quickly thought of something. She got off her brother and retrieved her moss ball and dropped it near Thornpaw's paws."Lets play with this, I don't want to wake Gingerkit or Ravenkit up. Fawnstep and Leafstorm say they always get grumpy." The calico fluffed up her fur again to make herself look bigger."You can bat it to Foxkit first since, he just woke up and hasn't gotten to play yet." The she-cat mewed. She would be upset once Thornpaw had to go. He was so much fun to play with.

[♦ stormeh ♦]

Foxkit let out a squeal when his siter suddenly pounced on him, and he couldn't help but giggle. Maybe playing with Poppykit and Thornpaw wasn't so bad, after all. Grinning, he battered at Poppkit's belly with sheathed paws while she nipped at his ears. After a few moments of wrestling, her weight lifted from his body and he scrambled to his paws, his poofy fur ruffled and sticking out in every direction. He knew he looked goofy, but that just added to the fun.

"Y-yeah, I guess it is!" he mewled to Poppykit, excited. Thornpaw grinned at Foxkit. So maybe he was just a bit shy, that's all. When Poppykit suggested playing with the mossball, Foxkit simply nodded and let out a giggle at the mention of Gingerkit and Ravenkit. It was true, actually. One time, someone came into the nursery to drop off bedding, and they had accidentally woken up Gingerkit. The little tom-kit was so angry that Foxkit had to cover his ears to block out the sound of his brother snapping at the warrior for waking him up.

Meanwhile, Thornpaw nodded and hooked one of his claws into the mossball. Lifting it into the air, he batted it toward Foxkit. The bundle of moss flew through the air and when it reached him, Foxkit jumped up and catched it with both his claws. Grinning, he attempted to throw it at Poppykit, but it got stuck on his tiny claws. He tried to shake it off by jumping around and waving his paw in the air. Thornpaw let out a quiet mrrow of laughter at the sight of Foxkit.

[starstruck]

Poppykit let out mrowwww of laughter as well except for her pitch was much much higher. She knew that Foxkit was a goofy bundle of fur. Poppykit enjoyed the sight of her brother and it honestly kept her entertained. The she-kit's whiskers twitched with amusement as her brother attempted to shake the moss ball from his little paws. Poppykit walked over to the ginger and white tom and bit the other end of the moss ball with her teeth. With a quick tug she pulled it free."I couldn't let you keep shaking that around. I was afraid it would fly off and his Gingerkit!" She mewed. That would be a sight to see. She could only imagine the older ginger and white tom getting angry. She giggled before tossing the moss ball at Thornpaw.

"Try not to get it caught again Foxkit!" Oh that bundle of fur was keeping her amused. She was happy that Foxkit woke up. Normally the tom wouldn't play so this was all new to her. Poppkit then looked at Thornpaw."Your mentor won't be angry with you will they?" Poppykit squeaked.

[♦ stormeh ♦]

Foxkit let out a giggle as Poppykit tugged the mossball free from his tiny claws. Thornpaw watched in amusement, a wide grin stretched across his face. Kits were so fun. Was he like that when he was their age? He hoped so. The tabby apprentice barely had time to catch the bundle of moss that flew into his direction. As he prepared to toss it back to Poppykit, he stopped at her question.

Hm. Now, that was a tough one. Would he get in trouble? His mentor was nice, and she never pushed him over his limits. Thornpaw loved his mentor, she really was the best there could be. But sometimes, when he overslept, she snapped at him for being late to battle training. But surely, if he explained himself, he wouldn't get in that much trouble? Deciding that he'd play with Foxkit and Poppykit for a little longer, he just shook his head and meowed with a grin, "I don't think so."

After tossing it back to Poppykit, Foxkit wiggled his haunches and flung himself at his sister, snatching the mossball out of her claws. "Gotcha!" he squealed as he scrambled out of her reach, holding the scrap of moss in his jaws. His fluffy pelt was fluffed out and he really did look like a small, yet poofy bundle of fur. Thornpaw let out a warm-hearted purr. How adorable kits were.

[starstruck]

Poppykit let out a purr which was followed by a goofy grin. Thornpaw had done his job anyways, He dropped off the bedding like he was supposed to. It's not like he was slacking. That means She and Foxkit could play with him all day. Sadly, the queens nest only needed to be done once a week and Thornpaw probably wasn't going to do it everytime. Things got passed on to each apprentice so not just one apprentice was doing one job, Thinking about that however was too much for Poppykit's growing brain to comprehend. With a wriggle she was about to jump in the air but Foxkit snatched the ball first.That means we can play all day!" she squealed.

As nice as playing all day would be, Poppykit would have to nap eventually and doing all this running around would make her tired. She even noticed that she accidently let go of a yawn. With a quick stretch her pale eyes fell on Foxkit. He still had her moss ball. With a low growl, she waved her tail back and forth and bared her teeth. Foxkit wouldn't be able to run very fast with all that weight dangling from his jaws.With a bunch of her hind legs, Poppykit jumped forward soaring towards Foxkit with her paws outstretched. With a loud THUMP she landed next to Foxkit."Im gonna get you Foxkit!" she squealed.

[♦ stormeh ♦]

Thornpaw purred in amusement. "Yeah, I guess it does," he grinned, his eyes bright with amusement. That is, until my mentor finds me. But the tabby apprentice figured he wouldn't get in that much trouble, anyway. He already did chores and went on an extra patrol pretty often, so it wouldn't hurt anyone if he goofed off for a little while.

Besides, Foxkit and Poppykit would have to take their naps sooner or later. Occupying himself with the moss ball, he made sure not to step on anyone's tail as he jumped around with the little bundle of moss. Foxkit let out a squeal as his sister jumped and landed a hair away from him. He giggled and before she could do a thing, the poofy ginger kit tackled his siter to the ground, battering at her ears with sheathed paws.

Thornpaw noticed how Foxkit was battering at Poppykit, and he meowed, "You get 'em, Foxkit!" The ginger kit flicked an ear at Thornpaw's encouraging comment, and he even stopped what he was doing to look up at the apprentice with a bright expression on his face. "Thanks, Thornpaw!" he squeaked cheerfully, a wide grin spread across his face. Foxkit had never felt so valued before, like he was in charge instead of his other brothers.

[starstruck]

Poppykit looked at Thornpaw with admirable eyes. The she-cat liked how he treated her younger brother Foxkit. Foxkit was the runt of the litter and got beaten up on by his older siblings, of course Poppykit did it in a playful matter. Poppykit bit down on Foxkits scruff nibbling it and of course came back up with a mouthful of fur. She was just playing hopefully not to rough. Poppykit stiffeled a yawn and stretched. She wriggled her nose before circling around Foxkit and laying down. She yawned once more and rested her chin on her paws. Her eyes fell on Thornpaw and she couldn't help but let out a high pitched purrr."Tell us about your training Thornpaw. The elder stories get boring after awhile. Have you been in a battle before? whats training like?"