Here I go...
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Back at RiverClan camp-
Spottedbelly paced about silently in the RiverClan camp. The crickets chirped softly across the ravine nearby as she walked. The humid dark of the night worried her. Her leader and chosen warriors had already gone to the gathering. Spottedbelly had insisted that she stay at camp. Some of her fellow Clan members frowned upon her for wanting to stay. She was deputy after all.
*first person*
"Oh well," I thought sullenly. I glanced periodically at the nursery. Wolfkit and Sunkit were hopefully still asleep. Them, Tallowsong, Swiftclaw, Foxfire, Wailheart, and me were the only ones left. Looking at the warrior's den, I saw a shifting of ginger fur. "Wailheart sleeping near the entrance again," I whispered in a hushed breath. I purred as I remembered the time when I had gone back to RainClan. He had insisted on going back with me to RiverClan. He has suited himself well to the Clans' ways. With an unsheathing of claws, I stiffened at the sound of rustling nearby. I padded foreward slowly and hissed, "who's there?" A small brown kit scrambled out of the grass and looked at me. "Wolfkit," I meowed. I calmed down slightly. "You should be asleep." Wofkit hunched up his shoulders in the way that he did to look big in a way. "You weren't there, and Sunkit kicked me in the belly," he mewed. "Shh," I meowed apprehensively, Go back to-" A tan colored kit charged Wolfkit out of no where and hissed, "did not!" "Not you too," I meowed with a sigh. "Yes," Sunkit exclaimed while getting off of her brother, "It tis meh, Sunkit!" Wolfkit screached and they both scrambled about laughing. "Hush now," I growled sternly. I lashed my tail and placed a gentle paw on Sunkit's back. "Be sane child," I meowed with a smile. Wolfkit mrowed giggles as I continued. "Breathe," I meowed, "breathe." We both took deep breaths. Wolfkit gulped and held his breath. "Don't be silly," I whispered as I bowled him over with a paw. Wolfkit screached again as he toppled backward. Sunkit scrambled on top of him and yelled, "breathe, brother, breathe!" "Quiet now, how many times must I say it?" I snapped. The two kits stopped and came to sit side by side before me. "Go back to the nursery now, the both of you," I whispered sharply. They nodded sullenly. Sunkit turned toward the nursery but Wolfkit still looked at me expectantly. "Go," I meowed with a lash of my tail. Sunkit took it for herself and ran clumsily into the entrance of the den. Wolfkit still sat there. "Why can't you be obediant like your sister?" I meowed. Wolfkit looked mischeviously away. I sighed deeper as he finnaly turned and padded away. Looking around, I turned myself to face the perimeter of the camp. I padded carefully to the entrance and slinked out into the territory. I took only a very limited amount of paw steps before I heard a squeak behind me. "Ah-ha!" Wolfkit butted my back leg and made me stumble foreward. "Little one!" I hissed. Wolfkit looked innocently at me as I turned to face him. "I knew it, mother! I knew you were up to something," he meowed with a squeal. I growled slightly and meowed, "Is that any way to talk to your deputy, little one?" "But you're my mother. I don't have to be respectful to you." I cuffed him lightly on the ear, "Exactly," I meowed, "You'd think that would make you respect me even more, but no." Wolfkit laughed as I rested my tail on his back, "You may be my son, but that doesn't give you any special privledges." I paused. "I must go somewhere, Wolfkit," I meowed. Wolfkit twitched his little tail and meowed, "Can I-" "No," I interrupted, "You most certainly may not come." "But I'm almost an apprentice!" He objected. "You've got a few more moons left," I meowed, "As we speak though you are a kit." "But I'm strong," he continued, "I have even caught my first prey already!" "Don't remind me," I growled. The little kit had gone out with Sunkit not to long ago and worried the heck out of me. Sweetdreams had finnaly found them by the river with a dead water vole inbetween them. Ever since then Wolfkit always used his triumph in conversation. I shook the memory out of my head. "Go back to the den," I meowed, "or Purestar will have to chat with you if you won't listen to me."
Wolfkit looked frightened for a moment but then he puffed out his chest and meowed fiercely, "One day I'll be leader!" "If so then listen to me and the other warriors. Disrespect will catch you no fish." The kit sighed, "That's what Purestar says..." he paused and shifted his weight, "...and Sweetdreams. And Sandclaw. And-" "Just go back to bed," I meowed. That list could go on forever. "No," he meowed. "Excuse me?" I meowed. "As a respecting future warrior I must say that you are being mighty suspicious," Wolfkit meowed cockily. A loud rustling came from the entance behind us. Wolfkit turned as I looked up and saw ginger fur come out of the entrance. Wailheart stood there, his size blocking the whole opening. "What's going on?" He meowed with a yawn, "I heard squealing." I gave Wolfkit a look as I meowed formaly, "Nothing is going on, I'm sorry my son has wakened you." Wailheart nodded groggily and turned to leave. He stopped and reeled around again, "but why are you two out here?" "'Cuz we are," Wofkit mumbled with distain. I ignored him and meowed to the warrior, "I was just talking to my son about the importance of respect." "Ah, yes," Wailheart nodded, "again?" I surpassed a slight chuckle, "again." "May I add something?" the ginger warrior meowed. "Yes, yes you may," I purred. "Respect and listen to the warriors. Their respect for you will only be gained if you respect them. Then you can be truly strong and learn to have a wise heart. Disrespect catches no water voles," Wailheart stated with a proud nod. He immediately turned and dissapeared back into camp. Wolfkit turned to face me and yelled, "Oh. My. Starclan." I laughed as he continued, "How many times must I hear that?" "Many a time, little one, until you actually learn it," I placed my paw once more on his triangular head, "Until you use it and put it into action," I meowed. I looked at the sky through the openings in the leafy canopy. Stars littered the sky in a late night. "I must go now," I meowed, "go back to the nursery, Wolfkit." "No!" He whined, "I want to bother you while you go." "Really funny," I meowed. "No fair," he squealed as I nudged him back to the entrance, "You get to go on an adventure!" I sighed. "I'll just follow you, Spottedbelly." I shivered. The thought of him trailing behind me without my immediate protection was horrible. He was persistant too. "Fine," I growled. Wolfkit jumped frantically and ran in circles around my long legs as I stood. I stopped him with my tail and bent down to pick him up by his scruff. He squirmed as I hopped over a log. I held him still as I crossed the stream that surrounded the camp. I put him down once I reached the other side. He ruffled his mane and twitched his stubby tail when his paws hit ground. I licked his back soothingly. Wolfkit shivered and hopped foreward. "Where are we going?" He mewed excitedly. "We are going to the river, and then down river to where the water leads," I meowed curtly. "Why?" He meowed curiously. "Well, you remember the great blood battle right?" "Of course!" He meowed in reply, "everyone was coming in all bloody and torn up, including you! Sunkit was scared half to death, but I was brave, right?" "You both were really," I meowed while still padding foreward, "Your father got thrown into the river and...if I'm correct, is still down there somewhere." "Wow." "Wow is right," I meowed. Wolfkit leaped foreward and meowed with a chirp, "I can't wait to be an apprentice. For then when I get chosen to go to the gathering I might see my other brother and sister." "Yes, so be respectful so you can go," I meowed. "Yes mother," he meowed. "I'm serious, Wolfkit," I growled. "I know mother," he countered. The journey to the river which divided ThunderClan and RiverClan territory was a short one. We breached the drop and looked into the water's churning wake. Wolfkit was round-eyed as he squeaked, "Woah." "The drop becomes less steep down river," I meowed, "Come now." Wolfkit followed me carefully as I walked along the edge. I noticed Wolfkit taking nervous glances over the edge. He looked up at me and meowed hastily, "Spottedbelly, if I fell...would you rescue me?" I stopped and turned to face him. I licked him on the forehead and meowed, "Of course." The kit calmed at that. As they progressed the river's lapping waves were able to hit the shore as the drop vanished. Now the water was equal to the the ground. Wolfkit became braver and let a paw sink into the water. "You'll learn how to swim in that soon," I purred while watching him. "Really?" He chirped, "I bet you can like a fish already." His accusation was about to be tested. A rock wall blocked further movement on land. I surveyed it as Wolfkit mewed, "Mother, we're not in Kansas RiverClan anymore." I walked up to the water's edge and looked down river. Twoleg nests lined the area further down. "No, we're just near the edges. The river almost dissapears here but does form a pool down yonder." "Stay here," I meowed sternly. I lept into the river and swam around the boulders to the other shore. Not taking the time to shake the water off my fur, I looked around. I nodded and plunged back into the water. I arrived back on Wolfkit's side and saw him open-mouthed. "It's safe," I meowed. "I can't wait to learn how to swim," he mewed as I grabbed him by the scruff. I went back into the river and swam with my head held high above the water so Wolfkit wouldn't go under. Breaching the shore again, I set the kit down on the hard soil. Wolfkit immediately wretched and meowed, "What's that smell?" I instantly regretted sniffing myself. I recoiled and hissed, "It's of sickness, greencough to be precise. It's breeding down here." I instantly centered my attention on Wolfkit. I grabbed him by the scruff once more and sent him into the trees. She placed him a ways in by a clump of ferns. "Stay here," I meowed. "No problem," he chirped, "I can't smell that stench down here." I raced back to the river's shore and walked further down until reeds began to line the shallow water edges. A familiar scent lined the shallow area. Following it, I cam across what I was looking for. "Oh StarClan," I meowed, "Icestorm are you okay?"