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Windypaw carried 5 plants in his jaws, his ears drooping slightly. Windclan, the fastest and most powerful, number-wise, clan, had been too slow to get to the Star Rock. He glanced up from his paws, spotting the mountains in the distance. Windypaw groaned, his legs tired just from running back and forth to get the plant himself. Now he would have to travel miles back to the moors!

Lightningstorm nodded politely and cuffed Windystorm over the head on the way by. "You shouldn't be so careless...it makes others worry." She had growled it, but a hint of warmth found its way in. "Oh, and real warriors don't act like kits, Windy." She winked teasingly, herding the apprentices away. "Come on now. Let's leave this fool to his punishment and learn something about fighting, shall we?" Lightningstorm had a smile on her maw.

Windystorm rubbed his head with a paw, glancing over at Lightningstorm. "Point taken," He meowed, looking over at Birdflight and shuffling his paws. "Uh, well, it was sunhigh though... Early, since you were asleep. I smelled Viper's scent leading out of camp and was curious, so I went off after her. I'd thought that my vigil was over because some cats were starting to wake up, so I went after her to be dismissed, too... I didn't wake you because, uh, the thought didn't come to me at the time. You need sleep, though..."

She sighed exasperated. "Next time, wait until you've been dismissed. You should never walk out of camp like that. Even though your a warrior now doesn't mean your free to do whatever you want. Your punishment is to keep up on a couple of your apprentice chores such as, checking the elders for ticks, changing their bedding for them and the kits, and collecting moss. You'll also be keeping up on your warrior duties but I want you to do a couple of those chores. Don't disappoint me again, I know your smarter then that." Birdflight gave a low warning growl although there was a hint of warmth. "Also your punishment will last about a moon or a half a moon. Now go to Sagedapple for some mousebile and check the elders for ticks please." Before she turned to go find Viper she smiled. "And thanks for worrying about my sleep Windystorm." She rolled her eyes and went to search for Viper.

Windystorm shrugged, smiling. "Fair enough. I did all of those things for all my life anyway." He purred, "Don't worry about me. I learn quickly." Windystorm stretched out, flexing his short claws. "Get some sleep!" He added teasingly, a bit worried about the health of his deputy. After the journey, Windystorm became much more observant. Birdflight's eyes weren't usually tired, and she didn't usually stress about him that much. He made his way to Sagedapple's den and took a bit of mouse bile, having already memorized where it was stored. "Thanks again," He meowed, his voice muffled as he left to go treat the elder's den.

Sparkpaw looked at Rockpaw "Get some sleep? You slept a quarter of the journey!" She mewed "Windystorm kept waking me up all night." She mewed though only ambition and energy showed in her yellow eyes.

Lightningstorm sighed and stalked to the elders den. When she saw her uncle, Burningpath,she grinned. "Hey, you old badger!" She chirped with a purr. The massive tom chuckled and sighed. "What took you so long? I've been waiting for you to see me, Lightningkit!" His dark ginger tabby pelt was firey as ever. A snort came from Lightningstorm. "I've been a warrior for moons now, mouse-brain." A sad look passed over her kin's gaze. "I know....you'll have to find yourself a good mate to keep up with ya! Maybe the Windy character." He nodded toward the entering Windystorm. This made the she-cat hot under her pelt. "S-shut your trap...." she stuttered with embarrassment. Hopefully Windystorm hadn't heard her uncle...

"Oh! You have 'paw duties again for punishment? Maybe I could help out. I have to visit my uncle if I don't want him tearing ears off anyway." The tabby warrior offered, leaving her still teasing family member after cuffing his muzzle.

Viper padded past a few gathered cats, and looked at Birdflight. "I suppose you are going to tell me to stop wandering around at night, and getting Windystorm in trouble?" Viper asked, staring at Birdflight. Her grey eyes were light with amsument. "I'm guessing I'm going to be in trouble, aren't I?" she sighed, and looked at the deputy.

Windystorm padded in, grinning. "Hiya," He meowed, his voice muffled by the stick he was carrying the mouse bile with. It smelled foul, but he had gotten used to it over the moons. "So, any ticks bothering you lately, Burningpath?"

Burningpath shrugged. "On my right shoulder, but only two." He grunted as he sat up. And pointed with his nose where they were.

Birdflight turned to Viper and rolled her eyes. "How'd you know?" She retorted amusement in her voice. "Why do you keep walking out at night? I've already told you Viper and you totally ignored what I said." Birdflight sighed. "I'm telling you this because you still have your injuries and you could get hurt at night. For all I know there could be a badger or a dog." Worry prickled over her pelt. She cared about her clan like her family and she couldn't stand to imagine them getting hurt.

"Because I can never sleep. It's like I can never close my eyes without fearing something is going to happen. So I've just started walking around at night. It eases my fears." Viper mewed simply, staring at the amber-eyed she-cat with glinting grey eyes. "It's just like acting alone helps my fears every once in a while, and it just calms me down. But Windystorm shouldn't have to be in trouble, he was just worried, and I did release him from his Vigil! I don't think having that punishment is good for him, he has just become a warrior and he should be treated like a warrior! maybe you could change his punishment? Like a more warrior related punishment?" Viper mewed.

Sparkpaw looked up at the sun and looked away quickly. She was in need of a good story so she trotted of to the elders' den and sat down to her favorite elder, Brokenleaves. Brokenleaves fixed her eyes on the two small figures entering the den. She spotted the two tabby apprentices and then recifnized her favorite apprentice, Sparkpaw. "Hello Sparkpaw." She mewed. "Hello Brokenleaves." Sparklaw grinned "Hello Windypaw." Brokenleaves mewed to the tom (Yes I did that on purpose.)

Birdflight sat down wrapping her tail around her petite paws. "Viper if it makes you feel any better I'll stay guard at night. I promise you as long as I'm alive you will be safe along with everyone else in this clan. Yes things will go wrong I understand that. Things happen but we must learn to overcome it. Now about Windystorm, it is against the rules entirely to walk out of camp before being dismissed. If it makes you feel any better I'll shorten the punishment to half a moon. The whole reason he is doing apprentice duties still is because he needs to learn a couple things before jumping straight into warriors duties." She turned her gaze to the elders den where the young warrior was now. Her eyes softened slightly and Birdflight turned back to Viper. "Oh I just remembered, I need to announce one more ceremony for the clan." She smiled dipping her head to Viper and padding over to the HighRock. Birdflight bunched up her muscles as leaped onto the HighRock landing gracefully.

Lightningstorm wrote:Burningpath shrugged. "On my right shoulder, but only two." He grunted as he sat up. And pointed with his nose where they were.

Windystorm nodded and padded over. He started to search through the fur on the elder's shoulders, smirking when he spotted the two ticks. It looked like they were there for quite some time. "Alright, found them. Hold still for a moment," He meowed, taking a bit of mouse bile and applying it to the fur around Burningpath's shoulder. He found the ticks again and easily plucked them off, killing them by stepping on them and covering the mess with dirt. "Done with the ticks, but i'd suggest not grooming your shoulder until you wash that bile off. It reeks even after days!" He meowed, wrinkling his nose slightly.

Burningpath chuckled. "Made a mistake of doing so once. Had a belly ache for days....Lightningstorm! Dont sneak away!" He growled as he caught Loghtning trying to slink away. Wincing, she went to the tom with a hiss. "Ya know, Windy...storm, she could really use you as a ma-" lightningstorm cut him off with a snarl. "Shuddup, you old flea." She hissed again. The elder shrugged. "I had to try."

Birdflight raised her muzzle to the sky and let out a loud yowl that echoed around the camp. She puffed her chest out slightly and waited patiently. Birdflight chanted the ceremony words in her head. She didn't want to mess up in front of the whole clan. She felt nervous put pushed it away waiting for the clan to come together.

Viper turned and padded into the crowded elders den. Everyone was talking, and enjoying time with their kin.."Too bad I don't have any kin.." Viper thought bitterly, then she cleared her throat, and mewed trying to hide her slightly upset tone, "I think Birdflight would like to make an announcement. I also think she would like you to hear it." she purred.

Burningpath stood and padded over to the meeting. Lightningstorm flattened her ears and peered sheepishly at Windystorm. "Sorry about him.....he yaps a lot." She smiled. "Let's go see what Birdflight has to say."

Viper looked at Windystorm and mewed shyly "Wanna sit together at the meeting?" she asked, looking at the tom, blushing under her fur. "I-i thought it would be a nice way of aplogizing for getting you in trouble this morning.." she mewed feeling more confident. Her grey-hazel eyes were staring beamingly at his green eyes.

Windystorm put on a small smile, slightly confused. "No worries, I bet he's just looking out for you." He meowed, grinning. Windystorm's ears flicked back towards Viper and he turned, curious. "Sure, but I don't hold grudges anymore." He sat near the middle of the group where they could see Birdflight on the Highrock and motioned over to Viper with his tail. "C'mon, the announcements are starting!" He meowed, grinning, and turned his attention back onto Birdflight. I wonder what she has to say that she didn't before...

Lightningstorm smiled and nodded warmly at Viper. She then went to regretfully sit by her uncle whom was chattering about with a fellow elder. Lightningstorm felt kind of lonely and just allowed herself to space out, looking at her paws.

~Time to break out Brokenleaves!~

Sparkpaw's amber eyes were filled with worry. She wasn't sure why. Was it because all the she-cats in WindClan were getting close to Windystorm? Or because she was afraid that Brokenleaves wouldn't be there for her that long? She looked at Viper sitting with Windystorm, then Brokenleaves chatting with Burningpath. She looked up at Birdflight calling the Clan and walked over to the meeting. She sat next to Viper.

Lightningstorm scuffed the ground with a frown and silent hiss. "Idiot. Don't get all gloomy for no reason. You're about to get an apprentice!" She muttered to herself sternly. Looking over at Windystorm and Viper, she saw Sparkpaw sit next to them and swiftly looked away. 'Yeah...an apprentice who would rather not sit with you' a little voice inside her head spat. Shaking her head angrily, the she-cat tried to focus on what Birdflight was saying.

"I've been trying to get ol Lightning here a mate outta that Windystorm kid, but she refuses my help!" He sighed then continued to complain and talk nonsense (in Lightningstorm's opinion) to Brokenleaves.

Viper sat down next to Windystorm, her fur was still ruffled from their eariler adventure. Suddenly she realized how close she was sitting to Windystorm, she looked down at her paws, and saw that they were nearly touching. She was slightly embarassed, but she didn't move, even though their shoulders were slightly brushing, and their feet were almost touching, and how their tails were also nearly touching. " I've never been this...close to Windystorm. What if he freaks out and think's I'm a creeper?! Viper calm down. It's Windystorm, he's like your best friend, he won't mind..." but the last part kept Viper wondering.

Windystorm glanced over at Viper, noticing that she was tensing up. "Hey, relax, it's just an announcement." He teased, flicking his tail.