Walking { Open }

[Dreamkit]

Dreamkits lithe body slunk through the camp. She had recently decided it was time to go out and explore the camp for the first time since her sisters death two months ago.

Her soft green eyes fixed on the Medicine Cat den, where her dreams would hopefully some day lead her..

Making a small, sad noise she straightened her tail and stretched her body, paws going forward as well as her body as her rear end stayed in the air. "Good morning.." She whispered to no one in particular. It was common of her just to say something to no one, hoping someone around would hear and reply with a smile or a nod.

The kit watched one of the other WindClan kits tumble by, fighting with his siblings just as she used to do with Breathkit.. "Oh..Breathkit..I'm so sorry.." She whispered so softly not many would be able to hear her gently spoken words.

Gasping in a tad bit of shock, the kit looked around. She did not know she had wandered towards the medicine cats den. It was a shock to find herself dreaming as she stared, facing the gaping mouth of the den.

[HAREPAW]

Harepaw's ears twitched in his sleep, catching the voices of romping kits nearby. After a few long minutes of squealing, his pale green eyes blinked open, flashing with annoyance. He wrinkled his nose in silent annoyance and groaned loudly, waking up two of the apprentices beside him and earning dirty looks from around the den. Harepaw exhaled loudly, returning the ugly stares of the apprentices around him, and pulled himself to his paws. He patiently stretched his body out to its maximum length, clenching his eyes shut as his jaws parted in a wide, silent yawn. The tabby flexed his claws in the grass where the apprentices slept for a moment more, and then walked groggily towards the fresh kill pile.

It was no surprise to him when two kits, locked together as if in combat, rolled by. They were giggling and yipping like dogs, and Harepaw found it hard to believe that only sunrises before he had been doing the same. He was an apprentice now, and he needed to act like one. A small part of him was anxious to start training, but the tabby apprentice was still weary from his rude wake up call. Harepaw glanced casually at the prey pile, which consisted of several mice, and even a few of his namesake. He chose a young rabbit out of the pile and grasped it in his teeth, moving towards the edge of the camp to eat.

It was then that Harepaw noticed Dreamkit. He remembered her from when he was a kit- she was one of his littermates, though slightly younger than him. She seemed intently focused on the gaping mouth of the medicine cat's den. He assumed the strange smells of the herbs attracted her- he used to be like that, too. "Hey, Dreamkit!" He called out. "What'cha doing by the medicine cat's den?"

[Dreamkit]

The orange tabby gasped as she was snapped out of her trance. Scared to find an angered WindClanner, she turned slightly to see Harepaw. One of the cats she had played with when he was just a kit like herself, but he was now an apprentice, as she would be in a moons time.

She trotted over to Harepaw, sitting just a tails-length from him. "Hello, Harekit..er..Harepaw!" She mewed, a smile on her face as she made a goof on her wording, calling him his old name. "Uh, sorry. I've yet to become used to calling you Harepaw." She finished,
enunciating the word paw.

An expression that only cats who knew Dreamkit began to dance across her features, her mind dancing off into another of her many, many daydreams. She had been smiling ever since she had come across Harepaw, but the smile seemed to grow as her daydreams showed everything she wanted. Her sister, a brother..and the position of Medicine Cat Apprentice.

The growing kittens body slowly shifted from a standing position to a comfortable sitting position which than turned to a laying position as a sigh escaped her maw, pink nose giving a twitch.

[HAREPAW]

Harepaw flicked his tail calmly at her naming error."You better get used to it. I'm a 'paw now." His pale green eyes shone with pride at the words, and a half-smile found its way across his short muzzle. He sat down and wrapped his long tail around his paws, glancing back to the discarded rabbit lying on the ground. "Wanna share?" Harepaw looked up towards Dreamkit, only to realize she was back in one of her trance-like dreams. He was used to them- he had enjoyed teasing her about them when they were younger. Now, he was an apprentice. He had to act like one.

As Dreamkit sank from standing to sitting to laying down, Harepaw twitched an ear curiously. 'I wonder what she daydreams about when she gets like this.' He pondered. 'I know what I'd dream of. I'd dream of being the best warrior ever! I'd defeat all the other Clans, and show them that WindClan's the best!' As his train of thought ended, Harepaw glanced from his prey to Dreamkit again. "Dreamkit? Wanna share?" He repeated, hoping to draw her attention to the rabbit in front of him. Absentmindedly, the apprentice swished his tail back and forth in wait.

[Dreamkit]

Dreamkits green eyes flashed as her entranced state was broken by her closest friends words. She looked up at him, a bit confused. She was in camp? She thought she was at the thunderpath where her sister ad met death..'I must have gone off in a daydream again..' She thought to herself, eyes still locked on the green eyes that belonged to a handsome brown tabby tom named Harepaw. Observing his tail, she witnessed his tail moving back and forth, back and forth, to and fro, to and fro. She smiled, focusing on the tail and pounced, hoping to grab up his tail and pull him into a tumble of a play fight.

Her orange pelt flashed through the air as her paws flew towards his tail, a loud purr bursting from her throat. Suddenly, the apprentice realized that she wasn't doing as she felt or thought, but instead of playing with Harepaws tail she was sitting next to him, sharing the rabbit carcass that he had fetched from the Fresh-kill pile. "What the..?" She mewed n a soft whisper. It would be a shock to her if anyone heard the two, confusing sounds that were words that came from her orange maw.

[HAREPAW]

Harepaw noticed Dreamkit's eyes flash as she transferred from daydreams to the real world, brought back by his voice. In a few silent moments, she was sitting by his side, sharing the rabbit he had pulled off the fresh kill pile. He noticed her tense for a second, and for a moment he thought he heard her speak, but the apprentice shook it off as the wind.

He crouched forward and took a small bite of the prey. A seeping warmth spread through his body, and continued down his throat as he swallowed. He could still taste the warm blood of the rabbit as the last of the piece disappeared into his stomach. It was probably caught in the most recent hunting patrol- no wonder it was so fresh! Harepaw dipped his head to take another bite, a larger one this time. His teeth broke the soft, velvety skin of the rabbit and his head returned upright as he swallowed his next bit of rabbit.

"This is a pretty good rabbit," he observed, mostly to himself. Harepaw imagined the few vivid moments before the prey's death- the chase of a warrior, reaching with unsheathed claws and clashing teeth, the brave lunge knocking the prey to the ground, the quick killing bite that would later feed the Clan... "One day, I'm gonna hunt big, juicy rabbits like this." He spoke less personally this time, grinning as he sat back on his haunches. "What about you, Dreamkit?"

[Dreamkit]

Dreamkit smiled. It would be quite fun to hunt, but she had other things on her mind. She took another bite of the warm carcass, savoring her bite as it moved its way through her bodies organs. She gave a purr of delight as she was able to speak and turned to stare into Harepaws eyes. "It sounds fun but..I want to be the Medicine Cats Apprentice.." She mewed, more of a loud whisper than just a few normally spoken words. The she-kit had a tendency to speak in a soft voice unlike most cats. She had developed a shy, curious nature. Of course, being a kit, curiosity came with the package.

She flicked her ear and than flung her head back to bite at an itch on her hind leg before grooming where she had bitten that lead to a full fledged bath.

[HAREPAW]

Harepaw pricked his ears with curiosity at his littermate's words. 'A medicine cat apprentice? We don't see those a lot. He thought, blinking a few times as Dreamkit turned to scratch an itchy spot on her leg. For a moment, Harepaw allowed himself to imagine the future. He saw himself, a full fledged warrior with a torn claw, going to the medicine cat's den. Out came Dreamkit, but all grown up- 'She's pretty,' he thought- with a bundle of smelly herbs.

Shaking the thought from his mind, Harepaw leaned forward and grabbed another bite of prey, wondering what to say next. As he gulped down the fresh kill, he made his decision. "You'd make a great medicine cat 'paw, Dreamkit." The tabby apprentice turned to scratch an itch on his shoulder, raking his teeth through the thick fur as he scratched. "Maybe one day, when I'm a warrior, you'll be the one helping me when I get a scratch or step on a thorn." The thought amused him. It was hard to imagine a grown up Dreamkit.

Harepaw turned back to the prey, which was starting to show a decline in size. It had been a small rabbit, but he and Dreamkit were making quite the meal of it. He took another bite and swallowed calmly. He didn't mind Dreamkit as much as he did the other kits. His littermates had mostly been immature and annoying, whereas Dreamkit was- well, Dreamkit. He felt bad about her sister- he recalled her dying a few moons ago. Harepaw craned his neck and licked at his ruffled chest fur. He had to say, Dreamkit was probably one of his best friends.

[Dreamkit]

Dreamkit finished her grooming and gingerly prodded the rabbit. Her hunger had been satisfied after eating a good portion of the hare, and she felt as though an explosion was not so far away if she continued eating. "You can have the rest, I'm full." She mewed, smiling at him. "So how goes apprentice training?" She asked, trying to make conversation.

Something shimmered in the green eyes that were the only colour other than ginger on her body. She imagined Harepaw, all grown up an strong and even more handsome than he was at the distinct moment. She gave a small purr and than quickly looked away, a rad embarrassed with herself. She looked at the two kits that had earlier been fooling around, squealing and giggling as there mother scolded them as they entered the nursery. The only words she caught were 'do not bug the warriors' before her voice became muddled. She sighed. If she became what she dreamed of, she would have to give up her dream of becoming a mother when she was older..and she would just have to live with it.

"Uh.." She went to speak again but words did not come as she realized the question she was about to speak she had said just seconds before tried to sneak out for the second time.

[HAREPAW]

Harepaw's belly had stopped growling, but his mother was constantly scolding him to put on weight, so he nodded gratefully to Dreamkit and swooped his head lower to take another bite of the rabbit, gulping it down in time to answer her question. "We haven't done much yet. A little bit of hunting stuff. The basics, mostly." He shrugged.

A silence hung in the air for a few moments, and for a second Harepaw thought Dreamkit seemed a bit upset- but he shook it off. In the distance, he heard the kits that had woken him up as they were scolded. He had to withhold a snicker- serves them right, disturbing his sleep. As Dreamkit stuttered the start of another sentence, the tabby tom spoke for her. "What interests you about medicine cats so much?" He asked, curiously tilting his head to one side. Harepaw wasn't sure why a cat would want to be a medicine cat- the smelly herbs and sick cats were disgusting. They can't hunt or fight or mate or lead or anything remotely interesting! The apprentice thought with a shudder. If Dreamkit wanted to be one, though, he wouldn't try and stop her.

[Dreamkit]

Dreamkit gave a shrug. She wasn't exactly sure what drew her interest towards being a medicine cat. "I guess, I like the smell of the herbs.." She replied, shrugging. She did not know how to word her answer, but she knew it was what she wanted to do more than anything. Closing her eyes she lay down to rest, boredom setting in. "I'm thinking of heading back to the nursery soon, to yea know, sleep." She mewed with a chuckle. Unlike Harepaw, she was still allowed to nap during the day for as long as she wanted.

[HAREPAW]

At Dreamkit's comment about the smell of the herbs, Harepaw gave a small shiver. "They smell kind of funny- but if that's what you want to do, go right ahead." He flicked his tongue along his nose, and then lifted a paw to begin grooming. His tongue rubbed in long strokes down his foreleg, and then he lapped at his paw for a moment before switching to the other leg. The apprentice started to give himself a thorough grooming- he'd have to look nice for his mentor, wouldn't he?

Harepaw's precise cleaning paused for a moment as Dreamkit spoke up again, this time a joke about heading to the nursery. He twitched a black-tipped ear thoughtfully, then ran his tongue along his shoulder one last time. "You're pretty lucky, being a kit still. I have to wake up at sunrise to the squeals of these," The tabby motioned with his tail towards the two kits, which were now fast asleep curled by their mother's paws. "And then patrol, hunt, or train for the rest of the day. I almost, almost, miss being able to sleep whenever I want." Harepaw flicked his ear again, and glanced at the brightening sky. "It'll be worth it, to be a warrior one day, though."

[Dreamkit]

Dreamkit smiled. Harepaw had always been an ambitious male. "So who is your mentor?" She asked before opening her mouth for a loud yawn. Her body positioned itself into a curled position, her tail tip touching her nose and her back pressed to Harepaws. Her soft snores began to drift from her, the sound echoing through camp. Every so often she would twitch and wiggle as she dreamed of the future and the past, chasing butterflies and playing with Breathkit, while healing sick cats and helping queens give birth. She began to sigh ever so often, content with the way her dream life was. Her father, mother, sister, her and her best friend Harepaw all in one place, laughing and smiling.

Dreamkit began to trash around as her dream world fell apart, her sisters death replaying in her mind, Harepaw running off because he no longer wanted to spend time with a kit, her mother and father running off just to leave Dreamkit in a world of endless terror. A black wall met her vision and she began falling into an endless black pit, falling, endless falling..

"Harepaw!" She screamed, bolting awake. She began shivering in terror as her eyes began to focus on her surroundings.

[HAREPAW]

Harepaw's golden brown pelt had started to fluff up as he proudly proclaimed his excitement to be a warrior, so he took a moment to press the fur down with his tongue, thoroughly grooming his downy chest fur. Dreamkit's question caused him to glance upward casually. Before he could answer, he noticed the ginger tabby kitten yawning before curling up beside him and falling asleep. Harepaw flicked an ear, frowning slightly. "Dreamkit? Are you okay?" He knew she often sunk into hypnotic states, ever since her sister's untimely death, but he hadn't heard of her to fall asleep like this.

The brown tabby didn't expect to hear his name screamed with such fear, as if Dreamkit had seen something bad happening to him. Harepaw turned quickly to the kit, who was now awake and shivering. "Dreamkit! Are you okay?" He repeated his statement again, this time with more urgency. Her rapid shaking was scaring him. "Are you cold? Or did you see something..?" Harepaw's voice trailed off anxiously. He pressed his brown tabby coat against her orange pelt, trying to transfer some of his warmth to her shivering body. What had come over her? This was unusual. Could whatever she saw be a threat to WindClan? A threat to Dreamkit?

[Dreamkit]

Dreamkit looked up immediately at Harepaw, her green eyes fastened on him as though they would not ever leave his. "Harepaw. I need you to promise you will stay with me until the time comes for your death. Promise me.." She said in a tone that was not rare. A mature one. She would not bare losing Harepaw, especially only two moons after losing her only sister.

Her shivering sufficed as his brown pelt pressed to her orange, his body heat shooting through hers, warming her just a little more than seconds ago when she felt as though she had been stuck into a block of frozen rain, which some called ice, and was not able to move or make a sound. Dreamkit began to realize something, a warm fuzzy feeling coming over her as she continued to stare into Harepaws beautiful green eyes. She gave a soft purr, not knowing why she felt so safe in her best friends present. Maybe it was friendship, or maybe something more than that. Maybe it was something her parents shared. Love. A chill ran through the kits bones as she noticed she may be falling for her best friend. 'I can't fall for him. I'm going to become a Medicine Cat, and Medicine Cats can't have mates..' She thought to herself, hearing her soft voice echo throughout her head.