Kits Will Be Kits

[Shinko]

Blazetail hissed crossly as he began to rearrange the leaves that were now scattered haphazardly about his den. They hadn't been such a mess this morning. No, the youngest of the Clan's kits had taken their first forray out of the nursery, and of course nothing would do but for them to go exactly where they weren't wanted. "I aught to be able to leave my den for a while to go collect more tansy, but no. Apparently if I'm not in my den at all times, I have to accept the fact that I'm going to come back to find that kits have thrown my herbs about. Bah!"

At the sound of pawsteps outside of his den, the medicine cat looked up, a sharp reprimand on the tip of his tongue for whatever mouse-brain was getting ready to interrupt him.

[::Key::Lime/\RainyC::]

Flamestar padded about camp, watching his cats go about their day with interest. He needed to stretch his paws after sitting around all morning when he heard a grumble from the Medicine Den. Curiosity guided his paws into the den. The ginger tom pressed through in through. Flamestar glanced around himself. Sprawled about the den were various herbs. Then he noticed the irritated air of his medicine cat.
"Kits" He meowed gruffly, scooping up some catmint and pawing it to Blazetail. A smile spread across his face. "Do you need help?" He asked, voice briming with good humor yet trying not to provoke the short-tempered medicine cat.

[Shinko]

The ginger and black tom bit down on his tongue, swallowing the sarcasm that was about to escape. While he certainly wasn't at all loath to give his leader a good verbal lashing when the occasion warranted it, he respected the tom enough to reign in his temper most of the time. "Thank you," he meowed gruffly, "Honestly, I don't know what the queens were doing, letting those hooligans romp around the camp unsupervised. They're just lucky they had the good sense not to try eating anything! A few nibbles on one of my yarrow leaves and they'd have been retching up breakfast, lunch, and even the memory of food."

[alkaryco]

Falconbite was bored. He was sitting listlessly near the full-stocked fresh-kill pile, knowing that another hunting trip was unnecessary and that the next patrol didn't go out until the sun dipped far below it was now. Plus, even his sister wasn't here to annoy him. He was just about to forgo his warm spot when he saw his leader wandering off towards the medicine cat's den. Knowing that whatever impelled Flamestar to visit the medicine cat must be something entertaining, he followed and caught the end of Blazetail's rant. Deciding to try his luck at humor, he mewed good-humoredly: "Kits will be kits!" His eyes travelled over the cave and past some of the ruined herbs. "Honestly, this doesn't look like kits' work, more like LeafClan's up and invaded," he joked, shaking his head almost immediately afterwards. "Okay, maybe not, but still..."

[Shinko]

Blazetail glared at Falconbite, his ears flattened with annoyance, "'Kits will be kits is what their mother said right before she led them back to the nursery, cooing like a twitterepated turtledove. I guarantee they'll be right back in here tomorrow." He shoved a the pile of marigold leaves he'd been organizing into the corner with more energy that was strictly necessary. "It's about time we stopped dismissing their behavior because of their age. They'll never learn proper respect for their clanmates at this rate!"

[::Key::Lime/\RainyC::]

Flamestar couldn't help but let a chuckle spill out as he placed the yarrow where it's designated spot was. "Don't worry Blazetail, Faconbite and I will keep an eye on the nursery for any hooligan-like actions." He nodded at the sleek black deputy. Then he searched for something to soothe Blazetail's temper just a bit but his tongue found nothing that the Medicine cat could not find a stinging retort to match. "And If the kits even think about doing this again I'll give then a good talk about personal space" The ginger leader swirled his tail around as if showing the 'personal space.'

[Shinko]

Blazetail sighed, "You have the entire Clan to run, Flamestar. You and our most esteemed deputy have more important things to be concerned with than the misbehavior of a few kits." The medicine cat suddenly gave a snarl of fury, "I was wrong; they did eat something. My entire store of juniper berries is gone!"

[::Key::Lime/\RainyC::]

Flamestar's eyes widened a bit. "But those kits are our future DarkClan and must be raised as such. They must know right from wrong!" He sniffed. "What do juniper berries do again? Will they be injured?" He exchanged an anxious glance with Falconbite, hoping the kits would not be hurt.

[Shinko]

"No," Blazetail sniffed, "The precious future of DarkClan won't be harmed. Juniper berries are for strength, and they're also used to cure bellyaches. The kit's won't take any harm from them. But," the orange and black tom added, "That doesn't mean they're safe. I may just rip their fur off!"

[::Key::Lime/\RainyC::]

Flamestar let out a mrrow of amusement and turned to the entrance. "See you later Blazetail. I'm going to do..leader stuff." He turned around and padded slowly out of the den. "Anything you need, I could get some apprentices on? They look bored."

[Shinko]

"Yes." He growled. He gestured with his tail at the empty crevice in his herb stores and glared pointedly at the nursery, "I need more juniper berries!"

[alkaryco]

Falconbite flicked his tail at the medicine cat. "Can't have them go out alone, Flamestar. The Clans've been particularly hostile lately-- not that we're not hostile right back. Shall I get a warrior to go with them?"

[::Key::Lime/\RainyC::]

Flamestar nodded. "Right, maybe you could just ask those cats going out to practice if they could pick up some" He looked at Blazetail and nodded.

[Shinko]

The medicine cat gave a curt nod in reply and turned his attention back to the herbs. "Falconbite, show them these leaves," he meowed, shoving a few under the deputy's nose. "They're from the bush where the juniper berries grow. And for StarClan's sake, make sure none of them bring back any deathberries!"

[alkaryco]

"What have the Clans come to, not trusting deputies to know the difference between juniper and deathberries?" Falconbite sighed long-sufferingly. He grabbed the leaves and hurried over to the apprentices, who were currently being regaled with a tale of an adventure to fight a falcon when he had been a kit-- which was completely untrue, mind, but the black-furred deputy wasn't about to say that he was blessed with it by his own sister. "Here, 'paws. Look lively, you're going on a mission!" He puffed up his chest fur comically and amended, "Well, a juniper mission, but hey, don't want Blazetail in a bad mood next time you've ripped out a claw, eh? Anyhow, I'm sure your mentors have told you already, but STAY AWAY from the deathberries. Seriously, they're bright red... and beyond that, silent killers. Take the leaves and for StarClan's sake, don't dare Hollyheart to eat one-- you know she can't tell a mouse from a pigeon."
From beside the apprentices, Hollyheart flicked an ear. "It's true, you know. Brought back a pigeon first day of training and told the elders it was a mouse! Mind you, their eyesight's so bad they probably thought I was right..." she trailed off and looked at Falconbite piercingly. "Wait, I'm going with these mousebrains?"
The black-and-white she-cat heaved herself to her paws. "Alright, but don't think you won't have brambles in your nest tonight," she muttered half-jokingly.

Falconbite would check his nest for thorns that night.