Play, what's life without it? ((All Welcome!))

[Shadepelt]

A quick flash of black and white fur raced out of the apprentice's den, and screeched to a grinding halt in the center of camp. Twilightpaw had pawfuls of energy today, and she needed to spend it. Ice blue eyes scanning the camp, searching for a playmate, her heart sank. No cats were in view. Tail lowering, the young she-cat let her golden paws drag her towards the fresh-kill pile. If somecat were to come, this is where they would probably be first.

Lowing her haunches into a sitting position, the apprentice began to groom herself, she wanted to make a good impression for her next playmate. Small pink tounge rasping over black and white hairs, she licked vigerously until she was shining like a star in SilverPelt.
The sun was beginning to get higher in the sky, Most cats should be waking up soon! Figeting on the spot, blue eyes bright and alert.
I can practise my listening skills, Moonpelt will be impressed!
Tucking her sun-coloured paws neatly under herself, Twilightpaw strained to hear, so she could distinguish the first cat to wake.

[Fernpaw]

((Since we have a lot of threads together, if you want someone else to post, tell me and I'll delete this post.))

Rays of sunbeams poked in the Warrior's Den. They filtered like golden dust into the tunnel, landing on one speckled she-cat. Hope offered a muted meow of protest as she blinked open yellow orbs.

Rising, the speckled she-cat picked her way around nests and cats. She stepped out into the sunlight, large ears pricked. Hindquarters and tail rising in the air, the she-cat's front half bent down and stretched. Rising again, Hope looked out over the camp, bathed in early morning sunlight. Her large ears distinguished the sound of a small tongue rasping over kitten fur. Hope looked around and spotted the newly made apprentice, Twilightpaw. The she-cat was filled with enthusiasm as she laid eyes on this apprentice. She had hoped that Twilightpaw would be hers, but was happy for the new mentor. The sight of the apprentice sent energy through her paws.

Bounding over to the young cat, Hope mewed, "Hi! What are you doing?"

[Shadepelt]

((No, it's fine!))

The apprentice turned to face Hope, a huge, kit-like smile set on her face.
"Hi! You're the first one up, but you probably knew that. I was waiting for someone to come out and play!"
The odd coloured young she-cat span in circles a few times, then sat down again, tail twitching.
Without warning, Twilightpaw leaped into the air, and caught a leaf that was drifting along with the soft, morning breeze. Once she had landed, leaf in paw, she batted it around a few times, then looked back up at the warrior.
But soon the leaf became boring, so she started to chase her tail, like a yappy little dog. She was spinning around so fast, she slipped on the rejected leaf.
Legs sprawled out, she skidded to the ground, purring with amusment as the leaf floated onto her head.

Blue eyes like the clear sky, the young she-cat looked up hopefully at the older she-cat,
"So, what do you wanna do?"

[Fernpaw]

Hope's whiskers twitched and her eyes glittered in amusement as the apprentice chased her tail, batted at a leaf and ran around. The black tip on her tail twitched in eagerness, her abnormally large ears pricked. When the kit collapsed on the ground and asked, "What do you wanna do?" Hope sprang away as if fired by a spring.

"Can't catch me!" she yowled, darting away. As she was running, Hope looked over her shoulder to see if the young apprentice was coming. When she looked ahead of her again, she swerved sharply to avoid a oncoming tree trunk. Skidding to a halt, the speckled she-cat waited for Twilightpaw to catch up.

[Shadepelt]

A large grin spread over Twilightpaw's face! Hearing the challenge, she burst after the warrior. Gold paws churning up the soft earth, she pelted after the speckled she-cat.
"Oh yes I can!"
Putting herself into overdrive, she lengthened her stride as long as her little legs would let her, and she ran in long, bouncy steps.

Dodging the same tree Hope had, she skimmed her side on the tree, messing up her nicely, groomed fur. Who am I to care? the apprentice thought giddily, she was in the zone.
Taking advantage of when Hope stopped, she did a hop-skip, and hurtled towards the she-cat.
As she got closer, her blue eyes sparkled and she let out a meow,
"Ready or not, here I come!"

[Fernpaw]

(("Paws pumping in overdrive?" That sounds like something I said. Lol. Maybe not. Anyway, back to the main point of the story. Also, did you receive Chaos' pm about Feroux and Mystery?))

Hope's tail switched in excitement, eyes gleaming as she kneaded the ground with eagery paws. As the distance between herself and the apprentice diminished, Hope loped away from Twilightpaw, laughing. At first Hope looked startled, then pleased. The speckled she-cat had never had any reason to laugh before now, and the feeling was wonderful. The laugh bubbled up inside of her like a brook, bursting through her lips despite all attempts to hold it back. The she-cat giggled, picking up speed.

"Come on, Twilightpaw!" she called. "I know you can run faster than that!"

[Shadepelt]

((I don't recall you saying that, but I dunno Ya, I did get that pm, you got it too?))

Eyes narrowing with determination, Twilightpaw let out a meow,
"You're right! I've been letting you off easy!"
The lean, young she-cat tried to lengthen her swift stride even more, trying not to trip. Unsheathing her claws so she could grip the earth beneath her, she re-gained her sure-footedness.
She lowered her head, and lowered her tail, so the apprentice was like an arrow flying through the air.
Her sides went in and out with the heavy breathing, but Twilightpaw was used to that. She often raced with her sister, Winterpaw.
Where is Winterpaw anyways?
She blinked to erase the thought, it was her own lazy sister's fault she wasn't having fun now!
Returning to the task at hand, the apprentice was now almost flying over the ground, as she reached her top speed. Swiftly approaching the older she-cat, she had to swurve around a set of reeds, and her hips rolled with the movement.

"I'm coming to get you!"

[Fernpaw]

((Yeah. Are you kiddin' me? What do you think of it?))

Hope mewed teasingly, "Really? I had no idea!" She wheeled on her paw and began darting in and out of cats. She weaved her way through the ferns lining the camp, and slunk around rocks. The she-cat lengthened her stride, easily eating up the ground. Hope slowed down, waiting for Twilightpaw to approach. How Hope envied her mentor! How wonderful it must be to have an apprentice like her!

Hope shook all thoughts of envy from her mind and concentrated on knowing where the apprentice was and where she was going at the same time. "Faster!" she called back over her shoulder.

[Shadepelt]

((Talk about jumping to conclusions! Where'd she get that idea?))

Nothing more then a white black and gold blur outrunning the wind, the young apprentice let out a loud meow, she didn't care if she woke somecat up.
"No fair! You've got longer legs!" Short legs made for choppy strides, not long, smooth ones. When I get older... But that is not what Twilightpaw wanted to do. Yes, she wanted to go on hunting patrols, and fight in battles, but she loved the carefree life of an apprentice. She didn't have to take care of kits, she didn't have to do work all day. Apprentices were free to play when they wern't busy, and they got to do training! But, the young she-cat knew her time to get old would come, and she would just have to accept it.
A discontorted facial expression came apon the RiverClan cat's face, and she yowled out a question to Hope.
"Er, Hope? When I'm a warrior, can we still play like this?"
Legs continued to pound the earth with powerful paws, but slightly less loud. Twilightpaw wanted to hear Hope's answer.

[Fernpaw]

((No idea. Speaking of Mystery and Feroux, will you post on that thread? It's kinda been abandoned.))

Hope slowed, surprised by this question. She turned, regarding the apprentice with amused yet serious eyes. Abnormally large eyes tilted, giving the speckled she-cat an endearing look. She mewed, "Of course! Look at me, do you think I'm stiff and boring now that I'm a warrior?"

She grinned, revealing gleaming white fangs.

[Shadepelt]

A warm smile drifted onto the apprentice's jaw,
"Naw, you'll always be fun!"
Quick as black lightning, the young she-cat, leaped into the air, in a leap of pure joy. She wanted to become a warrior, but she would miss working for the elders, and playing all day. Blue eyes wide, and head tilted, Twilightpaw meowed quietly to Hope.
"Hope, what's it like being a warrior? I mean, like battles, and patrols, and getting an apprentice. I'm gonna miss being annoying little Twilightpaw."
The last words were crowned with a smile, as the RiverClan apprentice sat down, for once without fidgiting, and pricked her black ears. She was ready to listen, because she wanted to know.

[Fernpaw]

Hope paused, forelegs frozen midstep as she considered the question.

"Well, on one paw, it's amazing!" she mewed. "I get to go where I want, protect the Clan, hunt and patrol. But on the other paw, it can be scary. I look at all the queens with kits and think that they're all counting on me to protect them." The speckled she-cat grinned, "But being a warrior is incredible!"

She bounced away, grinning cheerfully.

[Shadepelt]

Soaking in all of Hope's words like moss to water, the young she-cat's blue eyes widened with amazment.
"Wow, I never thought of that, I guess a lot of cats do count on you." The mew came out slowly, she was trying to savor the lesson as long as she could, as not to forget it.

Shaking her small head and blinking twice, she hop-skipped after Hope, tiny legs springing like a rabbit's. She stopped suddenly, a questioning look masking her pretty face.
"Where is Moonpelt?" Looking around camp, she saw no trace of her mentor. Turning back to her friend, she shrugged, icy blue orbs slightly worried, but mostly cheerful.
"Hmm, I can't find him anywhere! Well, now we can play for longer!"

Crouching down into a perfectly trained hunting crouch, she growled playfully. But in the back of her mind, she was becoming impatient.
Where is Moonpelt?

[Aleen]

((I hope it's okay I joined))

Sunlight flooded into the Warrior's Den, awakening Ashfur from sleep. After blinking a few times, the gray warrior stretched, her maw opened into a wide yawn. Straightening up, she made her way over to the Den's entrance. She looked up at the sky and located the sun's position. If you're going to sleep in this long you might as well join the elders! she thought angrily. Not that she had anything against the elders, of course. The constant reminders of how much she had aged, on the other hand, were something she could do without. Her eyes wandered away from the bright sky to the scene around her. Her bright optics paused on two young she-cats playing with each other. One, a black and white apprentice, what was her name? Twilightpaw, that was it! She was in a hunter's crouch, growling in a way that sounded almost like purring. The other she-cat, a warrior with a gray pelt speckled with white and black whose name Ashfur couldn't recall, was bouncing around like the rabbit's seen on Windclan Territory. Amusement filled the old she-cat as she padded forward. Pausing beside the fresh-kill pile she called out "Haven't you something better to do than imitate a rabbit?" Her voice sounded slightly irritated while still holding a dash of amusement and her sky blue eyes were dancing with laughter as she waited for the two she-cats to react.

[Shadepelt]

[No, that's fine! I think we needed another cat to get in here! xD]

Silent thoughts shattered as the young apprentice's ears were filled with the sound of another cat's voice, the old she-cat Ashfur. Twilightpaw's smile grew in cheerful amusment at the elderly cat's good-natured ridicule.
"I would be out training, but I can't see Moonpelt anywhere! I've been playing with Hope," she swept her black and white tail toward her playmate as a gesture, "Just the general mayhem and mishap."
The end of that statement ended with a cheeky smile, and a the RiverClan cat preformed a flourishing bow with a sweep of a golden paw.

As she returned to her sitting position, icy blue orbs sparkled energeticly at the two females beside her, she loved associating with her clanmates, it made her feel more at home then she did already.