like|an|eagle|i{Robbi&Kessi}will|catch|that|fish

[Moony~!]

”Hey Kestrelkit! Come look at this!” Robinkit’s mewl rang through the small area. “You’ll never guess what I caught!” Her eyes shone brightly, and her tail was puffed up in excitement. “Hurry up! I caught a minnow and it’s huge!” Her small body was in a cringed position, and her eyes were narrowed as a fish flapped in her mouth wildly, sending sprays of water onto her face. Her ears twitched back and forth and she waited impatiently. Could she eat this all on her own? It looked humongous. Obviously nearly as big as her. Could that possibly be a minnow? She stared at it through still slitted eyes. It… looked odd. She bounded into the water and let out a sigh as the cool substance seeped through her fur and touched her bare skin. She let out a contented purr before creating a small whirlpool with her tail.

Robinkit’s eyes fluttered upward to look at her companion, Robin, who was chirping nonsense to the she-cat at the moment. “Hooooonestly, Robin, you have to slow down,” Robinkit’s voice was testy but still filled with love and excitement as she mumbled through the fish. Robin gave the kit a stern look before letting out one last annoyed sounding chirp and landing grudgingly on Robinkit’s shoulder. Robinkit let out an exasperated sigh before padding farther into the pool, trying her best to keep the fish above water level. If the fish entered the water, it could easily break free and swim away. She took her tail out of the water; shaking it quickly to rid it of the droplets of water.

Robin, who had been watching her intently, chirped in a matter-of-factly sort of way, as if he he was trying to say, 'That's what you get!' Robinkit, who enjoyed just over all talking to her companion, replied in a knowing tone, "I heard that Robin." Her eyes twinkled with mischief, "A wet tail is certainly a punishment." Her mew was sarcastic and a bit airy in its own way. Robin bit the she-cat's ear playfully in response, apparently the bird had learned that she would always get a smart-alac-y retort with Robinkit at her side. "Come on already Kestrelkit!" Robinkit growled impatiently through the fish. How long did that senseless tom insist on making her wait? Crossly she waded into the shallower water and sat down, purring once again as the water seeped through her fur and touched bare skin.

Robinkit felt the cool breeze ruffle her fur that had been slickened by water and she shivered as it sent a chill down her spine. This fish would go stale if Kestrelkit didn't hurry up. Before it went stale though, it had to die, which it surely would at this rate. She glanced down at the now not struggling fish, it was barely breathing. Knowing Kestrelkit and his clumsiness, he'd probably fallen into a ditch. Robinkit rolled her eyes out of exasperation and put the fish lightly in the water, before letting it go. She would've let it go anyway, could always catch it later when it was even bigger!

"Well Robin, I guess we'd better go find Kestrelkit." The she-cat bounded out of the water, shook her pelt violently, and then padded toward the other side of the pool Robin following closely after.

{Done! I'm very dissatisfied with this post T.T"}

[Shadow]

Green eyes reflected on the surface of the water, causing them, on a mirror image of Kestrelkit's face, to stand out among the ripples. He squinted, trying to see past himself to the life that was surely happening below the surface. He crouched down lower, muscles tense, as he tried to spot even a single fish. "Come on," he muttered, sighing and flicking his tail back and forth across the smooth rock he was crouching on. "Stupid water.. let me see the fish!" He growled low in his throat for a second, then stopped himself. This was silly. Instead of complaining, he should be actually trying to catch the fish. However, he found himself hesitant to put his paw in the water.

It wasn't that he was afraid of water. Quite the contrary, He loved to sift through any stream he could find. His long legs enabled him to keep his head above water most of the time, for he didn't like to get his whiskers wet. For some reason, they got itchy that way.

Flint, his companion, seemed to loathe his love of water. The little woodpecker got annoyed whenever water touched his feathers or scaly feet. Kestrelkit could never understand why, water was so much fun to play with and be in.

No, it wasn't fear of water that kept Kestrelkit from leaping in to catch his fish. It was fear of failure. He hated to fail, especially in front of his sister Robinkit. He had made it all the way out here without tripping, which made him feel unusually successful. He wasn't about to let that streak end now. He had to wait until the perfect moment. Hesitantly he stuck his paw forward, slowing it down and finally coming to a stop as he let it hover over the shadow of a small fish in the water. "Now?" he whispered, feeling Flint tense up on his shoulder.

"Now," Flint whispered back, folding his wings tighter against his body. "It's now or never."

"Hey, Kestrelkit, come look at this!"

His sister's voice rang out clearly in the air, causing Kestrelkit to startle. The fish started to swim away, but Kestrelkit was quick. With a battle cry, he leaped into the water, ducking his head under as he landed on the fish with both front paws. He opened his jaws and grasped the slippery minnow before leaping back out onto the riverbank, shaking droplets of water from his fur. "Wha?!" he cried back to his sister, voice muffled by the thrashing fish.

With a sigh, he bounded back towards the direction of where he had seen Robinkit last. He gasped as he tripped over a rock. "Fox dung," he muttered, shaking his sore paw.

Flint burst into a fit of giggles. "You were so close," he laughed quietly.

"Shut up.." Kestrelkit mewed, but a smile pulled at his lips. "Robinkit!" he yowled. "I caught one too! Let's see whose is bigger!" He didn't see his sister yet, but he knew he would catch sight of her soon.

[Moony~!]

Robinkit’s ears perked as she heard her brother’s voice. “I knew it.” She muttered lowly to Robin, “He’s way over there.” She narrowed her eyes momentarily, then she leapt forward shaking all her resentment away. “I’m comin’ Kestrelkit!” She yowled in reply. She slowed a bit though, she had let her fish go already, what if Kestrelkit’s was bigger? Or what if he didn’t believe she’d caught a fish bigger than his? Her mind flowed with questions, but when Robin chirped a few words of encouragement she lengthened her steps. “Kestrelkit will believe me!” She muttered to herself, “He /has/ to believe me!” She kept repeating these words as she approached her brother.

To Robinkit, nothing mattered as much as a good ol’ competition. If she was accused of cheating she would be heartbroken, if she didn’t win.. that was even worse. Her long lithe legs carried her quickly along the strangely dry bank until she caught sight of her brother. Had he hurt himself AGAIN? She rolled her eyes then bounded toward him, “Hurt your paw Kessi?” She mewed tauntingly, he always got mad when she called him that.. even though she thought it was the /cutest/ thing ever. She took a few kitsteps toward him before licking his ear affectionately. He did have a fish. And it was HUGE! She estimated it was almost as big as hers. Although she felt sad about nearly losing, her chest swelled with pride. Her brother was brilliant!

She felt a purr rise from deep inside her. “That sure is a big minnow!” Her meow was filled with surprise and admiration, and her eyes matched just like a twin. She had completely forgotten her comment from before and fallen into that daze of amazement that only her brother could send her into. Her tail lashed from side to side as she stared at it, her mouth watering at the same time. Was food always this good looking? The scales seemed to gleam in the sunlight like a rainbow, making it seem prettier than it was appetizing. She licked her lips innocently, they couldn't take it back to the clan.. they had snuck out of camp without supervision so if their mother found out.. they'd be a mouse in Creamwhisker's claws!

Unlike the clan across the lake, as she was VERY thankful for, kits in Lakeclan could go out of camp as long as they had a warrior or queen with them. How the kits over there survived, Robinkit could only guess with all her heart. He pitied them in truth, poor fellows caught in camp all day long. How did she know this? Kestrelkit and her had spied a couple of times, they'd come really close to being caught too. The clan didn't even know Lakeclan was across the lake, otherwise the strange cats would have confronted them already.

She didn't know all the details, but she knew that the other clan in many ways was like them. They believed in these ancestors called 'Starclan.' She wondered if they were the same as their own Starclan. Could they be distantly related? Her eyes glimmered with anticipation of learning more about the odd clan. She also knew though, that Lakeclan and the other clan had MANY differences in traditions. Lakeclan's apprentices must make a journey before being made warriors. In this weird new place, they had the climb the cliffs that lay right to the right side of her. Not all of their territory had been explored, but she knew there was a cave behind the waterfall that was pounding only a few fox lengths away from her. She had heard the warriors talking about water flowing in, but not having a way out. She wondered if maybe she and Kestrelkit could explore, and maybe find the answer to the mystery?

Robinkit had nearly forgotten that her brother was there, and though all these things went throug her head only a few heartbeats had passed. Such a small amount of time, and so many thoughts, so many feelings, so many changes. It was all so amazing! She turned to look at her companion, smile weakly, then she turned back toward her brother. This place.. was.. so.. cool!

{Done!}

[Shadow]

Kestrelkit nearly fell over backwards as the form of his sister popped up right in front of his nose. He shook his head, water droplets flying from the minnow's body and spraying them both. She could still manage to sneak up on them, which had always surprised Kestrelkit. Of course, he knew that twins couldn't share everything, but that didn't stop him from being jealous of her gracefulness. Why did she get that, when he had to deal with being as clumsy as a three-legged badger?

He blinked, staring at Robinkit for a moment but not saying a word. Where was her minnow? Wasn't the whole reason that he had leaped in the water for his almost lost fish because she was alerting him of her catch? Confused, he blinked again and startled as the seemingly calm minnow suddenly burst into a flurry of motion, trying one last time to escape the grip of Kestrelkit. Not knowing exactly how to kill it, Kestrelkit let it go and put a paw on top of it to keep it from flopping away. Before he could open his mouth to speak, however, Flint did it for him.

"Where's your minnow, Robinkit?" The little woodpecker fluttered up to perch on top of Kestrelkit's head, cocking his head at Robinkit and Robin.

Kestrelkit nodded. It also still surprised him how accurately Flint could read his thoughts. He grinned at Robinkit, having to speak louder than usual over the pound of the waterfall that was right behind them. "Yeah, Robbi!" he mewed, smiling as he used his sister's little nickname. He knew she was annoyed by it when he used it after she used that ridiculous one, Kessi. Getting back at her this was easy. In his opinion, Robbi sounded even funnier than Kessi. "Did you let it go, you little softy?" He play batted her with a front paw in the side. That was just like his sister- kind as she was, she probably let it go because she didn't know how to kill it, either. He himself was still puzzling over that fact, but wondering how long the little fish could last out of water. It was still struggling.

"Nevermind that," the energetic tom brushed his question aside with a flick of his tail. "You've gotta help me kill this thing. I mean, we can't exactly bring it back to camp, right? We might as well eat it here, it looks delicious anyways." He looked down at his catch. How did warriors kill their prey? All the food he'd ever seen had already been killed by other warriors. He'd never seen his parents hunt. Maybe that could be an adventure for them both, someday. Sneaking out to spy on Creamwhisker while she hunted.

The sudden idea had Kestrelkit even more eager to dispose of the minnow's life properly. It couldn't be that hard, could it? Impatient as he was, however, he waited for Robinkit's answer. She was often the brains of the both of them, and he trusted that her answer would be good. Great, even.

His attention span was thinning again, and he felt his thoughts shifting to the waterfall. Its mist felt so good collecting on his fur.. maybe they could go play in it next. After all, they had plenty of time before Creamwhisker even realized that they were gone. And the water looked so inviting.. being that it moved so fast, and was right in the path of the sun's rays, it was probably warmer than the stream had been on his long legs. He shivered as the wind ruffled his fur, bringing about a new chill in his soaked legs.

Suddenly, a playful spark lit up in his eyes and he crouched down. "Robbi Robbi Robinkit.." he sang, jumping back and forth. "Wanna play?" His train of thought was lost, and he had completely forgotten about the minnow which lay dying on the ground. Playing was his favorite thing, especially with his sister. They were evenly matched, and though wrestling always left him tired, it was so much fun.

Flint sighed, for the woodpecker still remembered about their kill. He smiled at Robin and Robinkit, hoping that the girls would end its misery before jumping into a wrestle with Kestrelkit- though he knew how much fun that would be.

[Moony~!]

Robinkit’s twiskers twitched with amusement as her brother continued to change topic. Her eyes fluttered from her brother’s enthusiastic face to his companion’s slightly exasperated one. This was so like her brother to forget so many important things. He’d probably be hurt if she pointed out this major defect in is oh so perfect personality. Though that may seem as if it’s a very big exaggeration, really, it isn’t. At least not in Robinkit’s mind. She glanced warily at the minnow. Should she remind her brother.. or… She took in a deep breath many decisions flowing through her befuddled mind. The minnow was /much/ too pretty to waste and just let die without them eating it. On the other hand.. they weren’t exactly quite sure HOW in fact to kill it. She felt Robin move uneasily from one of her shoulders to the other. She curved her lip and blew upward as if to get a piece of long fur out of her eyes. So many decisions…

Kestrelkit was a tough tom. Even if he was hurt he wouldn’t admit it, show defeat, or even hint that what he felt was what he felt. He could swallow just about anything. YES! Just about anything. She opened her mouth to mention the poor dying minnow, but clamped her muzzle shut rapidly. What was she thinking? Could Kestrelkit really swallow his major defect!? Robinkit shook her head, Holy mouse-dung am I crazy? I’m acting like Kestrelkit is self-obsorbed and is hurt by just about everything! He doesn’t even have any pride to protect.. or swallow.. or feel damaged.. he’s just a kit! There. The decision was made. She would officially mention the poor dying minnow to her brother, but first she would have to make another decision. How in the world to bring it up?

Her tail flicked from side to side nervously as pressure began to build. “I’d /love/ to play Kestrelkit.. but.. uh..” She shifted from her left paw to her right, “What about that minnow?” She flicked her tail at it shyly but quickly gained confidence. “If you don’t put it back in the water soon, it’ll be dead and so will you!” The last line came out in a playful teasing hiss, but she knew it’d be enough to get him fired up. He hated it when Robinkit boasted about how she was “stronger” than he. She fluffed out her fur sub-consciously to make herself look bigger. The only advantage Kestrelkit had was how much bigger than her he was, which was truthfully not much, still he could accidentally trip and just pin her down with his size and weight. This, to Robinkit’s dismay, happened quite often.

Excitement bolted up and down her pelt as she took a threatening step forward. Her eyes flashed with hostility and Robin let out and encouraging twit before narrowing her eyes and getting ready for flight. Today Robinkit and Robin would win. Kestrelkit would taste the oh so bitter taste of defeat, and dust!
{done}

[Shadow]

Kestrelkit blinked, then looked down at his catch. It looked like the life was draining out of it, bit by bit, taking its spirit with it. The tom's whiskers twitched as the minnow flopped pathetically on the cold floor. Oh, how he wanted to taste its warm flesh inside his mouth. Why did he have to be so clueless?! Having no idea how to kill the poor thing, he had a tough decision to make. One, he could potentially humiliate himself by trying to kill it himself, or two, he could push it back into the stream before it died. He didn't want to do the latter, but.... it was problematic.

He turned to Robinkit with a huff. "Oh," he squeaked, trying to hide his embarrassment, though he knew nothing would be lost on his dear sister. "Oops." He looked down at the minnow once again, then quickly back to Robinkit and Robin. "Well, I..." he mumbled, shifting his paws. He could also ask Robinkit if she knew how to kill the minnow, of course, but he wasn't about to do that. Robinkit was always looking for ways to make herself stronger than him.

"Kestrelkit." Kestrelkit jumped as the voice of his companion hissed in his ear. "Just bite hard on its neck. When I was flying once I saw Swiftpath do it." Kestrelkit winced at the mention of his father. He hadn't even gotten a chance to know the to before he disappeared. Wanting desperately to rid his mind of any memories he might have, the kit nodded vigorously. "Thank you, Flint," he whispered back, before confidently looking up. "I'm going to kill it, and we're going to eat it, before anyone can know!" he told her. "Just a little secret between you and me.. it won't hurt anyone."

With a nod, he bent down to the minnow and put his mouth over its small head. He bit down, and heard a crunch as its neck snapped. He took care not to bite down too hard, for a beheaded minnow, was, frankly, quite disgusting. Kestrelkit waited with his mouth still on the minnow until the poor thing stopped flopping. Sure that it was dead, he looked back up, an excited expression clear on his face. "It's dead!" he declared, hopping a little.

With a smile, he pushed the minnow aside. "Now, I think that we shouldn't play on a full belly.. wasn't that what Creamwhisker was telling us?" a glint in his eye, he resumed his playful position, tail flicking back and forth. "So why don't we leave it for a little later... Robbi?" With a snarl, he leaped forward and tackled his sister. With a chirp, Flint flew off his shoulder and fluttered in midair.

[Moony~!]

Robinkit watched her brother with total and utmost admiration as he killed the fish with expert skill. Though, she knew she could do the same- or better, yes, that’s right. She could easily do better. Her eyes glimmered at the thought of proving to her brother how much she was progressing compared to him. In her mind, she was always progressing faster. She glanced at the fish, then at her brother, ideas flying through her mind. Should she attack and hope to have the advantage of surprise while he had the power to pin her down if he caught /her/ off guard? Or should she wait, and place her hopes on a counter attack?

She and Kestrelkit were just kits, but there are, as mentioned before, very intelligent, nosy, and quick learning kits. They knew more than some of the starting apprentices.. most of them really. Pride swelled in her chest as different moves she could choose from flew across her mind, there were so many! Much to her surprise though, she never had a chance to figure out which one she should use for within a few heartbeats her brother had let out a playful snarl and leapt forward with paws outstretched. Panic swept over Robinkit and she stood there, frozen with shock and fear. It was as if she’d expected her brother to wait for her to say, ‘I’m ready.’ Of course, there wasn’t a single chance in this whole world and in the power of Starclan that that was going to happen, especially with a brother such as hers. Robin tugged at her fur, bringing her back to reality.

A newfound strength began to warm her and that strength spread from limb to limb, giving her speed and bringing her to attention. Quick as a cat of Starclan she slid to the side, barely avoiding her brother’s blow. She could feel the wind from the force of his attack sweep past her. She narrowed her eyes and let out a low battle cry before leaping high at her brother so to land on his back and aimed for his ear for a playful nip. Robin dashed forward in the skies and pecked Flint daringly before twittering a small insult not to be named. Robinkit, slightly appalled let out a low growl and before she knew it, something solid approached her.

(Trying to make it so that he could dodge if he wanted to, yet make it so that you know what would happen if she successfully landed.. *points nip* The solidness.. could be Kessi or the ground xD I have a little twist for both outcomes planned out. Boo ya! Short reply, sorry, but that's how I do my roleplay when I'm in a fight. Not much you can do without powerplaying... )

[Shadow]

((XD I know what you mean, and shorter posts are perfectly okay for fighting, in my opinion. :3)

Kestrelkit let out a little squeak of surprise as he flew past his sister. He landed in a soft ball of fur on the ground behind her, long limbs splayed. Blinking, he scrambled to his paws, sharp claws making scraping noises on the stones below them. He hadn't believed his sister had been able to move that quickly, but there it was- Robinkit was always surprising him. He silently cursed himself for not being more away, but stopped, mid-thought. He and his sister were just kits, after all, and as evenly matched as they could be. He had nothing to be ashamed of. Or did he?

Shaking his head as if to clear the thoughts from it, Kestrelkit gave his tail a flick and pricked his ears, watching his sister. It was only a split second before she turned and ran towards him. With a purr of amusement, Kestrelkit stepped to the side, as he had seen her do earlier. However, he had misjudged what she was going to do. With a 'mrrowl' of surprise, he looked up as the she-kit hurled herself into the air. Time seemed to freeze as Kestrelkit watched her, sailing through the air, with a paw outstretched to claw at his ear.

It wasn't until she was almost on top of him that Kestrelkit had the sense to move. Gasping, he tried to run out of the way, but he slipped on the wet stones. Robinkit hit him halfway, sort of sliding off his lanky frame. With a playful hiss, the tom used all his strength to slide himself out from under her, and he stuck out his paw to bat at her. He stopped, though, as he saw that she wasn't even watching her. Robinkit was looking up at the sky, disapprovingly glancing at her companion. Kestrelkit lifted his head to watch.

Flint mock gasped, winking at Robin. "Seems as if Robinkit does not approve of your dirty beak, Robin," he teased, diving at the other bird. He had the advantage of size, but he was not a very muscled little woodpecker. The force of his own attack surprised him, and he had to quickly pull back from the other bird to avoid falling from the sky. Flapping hard, he glanced at her, relieved when he saw that he had not knocked her out of the air. "Sorry!" he whispered. Yes, Flint was very different from Kestrelkit. He didn't enjoy fighting nearly as much as his other half.

Kestrelkit wasn't watching them anymore. He was looking at Robinkit, a malicious grin spreading across his face. He creeped closer, the only movement aside from his slow pawsteps being the twitch of his tail, back and forth, faster and faster. Robinkit was still looking at the sky, so, taking advantage, Kestrelkit once again lunged towards her. Oh, how surprised she would be when felt the cold stone up against her fur- again!

[Moony~!]

Her nose scrunched up in frustration as her clumsy brother avoided her blow partially. She would've had him if he hadn't had the sense to try to avoid her. That little step that he had taken gave him the advantage he needed. She scrambled to her paws, her fur bristling. Though she made sure that she kept her claws sheathed.. she wanted to beat her brother at all costs- except hurting him physically.

Robinkit let out a snicker as she heard Flint's remark, what the woodpecker said was true, all too true actually. Robin, however, didn't seem as lighthearted about the matter. As Flint rammed into her with much force, it left her breathless and for a moment she began to fall at a nervewrackingly quick rate. But to Robinkit and Flint's relief the robin's wide eyes closed and opened into a blink just before she made one great flap pushing herself upward into a steady beat. Robin narrowed her eyes at Flint before dipping her head to the side in acknowledgement. "I've known you too long not to forgive you. But if you were any other bird!" Her twitter was high pitched with the stress of almost falling out of the air, but amusement glimmered in her eyes.

Robinkit smiled slightly, partially out of relief but mainly out of how much her and her brother's companions got into a spar when one occured. Robin glanced downward before her eyes widened with fear and she let out a hoarse twit of warning. Robinkit looked up at her companion only to let out a yowl of surprise as she felt a blow that knocked her mercilessly to the ground. The smooth stones allowed her to slide for a few foxlengths on the shore and into a shallower part of the small lake.

She lay there shocked for a few heartbeats before the pounding of the waterfall brought her to her senses. In one fluent movement she was up on her paws hissing furiously. Her brother had caught her off guard. That wasn't going to happen again. Robin stared down at Robinkit, her feathers puffed out in fury. "Go Robinkit, go!" She chirped as loudly as her small voice would allow. "Use the landscape to your advantage!"

Robinkit blinked up at her companion. Use the landscape to her advantage? She stared at the stones, then suddenly it struck her.. It was pretty risky and the chances of it working were low. Still.. it was possible. She flicked her tail in thanks to Robin before wading out of the water. Her fur was heavy with water.. it would weigh her down. Another odd against the attack working properly. She paused, rethinking it once again before shrugging off her doubts. Not like she would die if this failed.

A wide grin spread across her face before she shook her coat free of most of the water that she suspected would slow her down. Then she lowered her head and charged. The stones were slippery so she unsheathed her claws to grip them better.. no use. She sheathed them once again and her grin grew even wider as she gained speed. Soon, she felt as if she was flying over the pebbles. Abruptly she stopped, to anyone but Robin it would look as if she was falling. She slid on her side as she had done earlier when her brother hit her.

Robin let out a chirp of admiration as she quickly processed what Robinkit was trying to do. "Kessi! Look up here!" She called down to the tom. Maybe her destraction would only work for a few heartbeats, but that's all Robinkit needed to slide into Kestrelkit's long and clumsy legs and knock him over. Then what Robinkit did after that was a total mystery to the bird, but it was a pretty good plan judging by the young she-cat's large grin.

[Shadow]

Flint chirped with amusement, glad that the other bird wasn't hurt or angry with him. He hated anger. He panted slightly as he flapped in the air, not used to being off Kestrelkit's shoulder and using his own muscles for this long. To ease the strain on his muscles, he flew circles around Robinkit, stretching his wings, legs, chest, anything he could manage. His bright eyes flitted between her, the sky, the forest, and the fighting kits below. Ah, how he was enjoying this. Why didn't Creamwhisker just let them out of camp more often so they could have fun like this?

Kestrelkit grinned at his success. It had been such a blunt move, yet Robin had allowed it to work on his sister. He made a mental note to tease the bird about it later- teasing was fun. However, having the attention span of a gnat, he quickly forgot all about his sister's companion as he watched her. Robinkit looked like she was about to go for a swim, wading so deep in the lake. What in StarClan's name was she doing?

The tom watched longer, crouching down into a playful position once again. He opened his mouth in a wider smile, panting as his tongue rolled over his small white teeth. He flicked his scrawny tail back and forth, while his gleaming eyes fixed on his sister and his claws sheathed and unsheathed on the hard rock below them. He had no idea what she was trying to do, but she obviously had some sort of plan. Robinkit always had a plan. The problem was just trying to figure out what the plan was.

Soon she was charging towards him with so much speed Kestrelkit had barely any time to think about it. He heard Robin's faint chirp from above, calling him. Kessi. She must be in on this plan too. Like Flint and him, it seemed like Robin and Robinkit could almost read each other's minds. Well, he would win. Again. "My name.. is not.. Kessi!" he screeched, splaying his legs in an attempt to make enough room for his sister to harmlessly slide right under him.

Once again, though, his moves were not good enough. His long legs slipped, and he had to desperately heave himself up to stop himself from crashing all the way to the ground. As he did, Robinkit slammed into him, knocking him over anyway. The two lay in a jumbled heap for a few heartbeats, until Kestrelkit managed to get up and stand over her. There he stood, panting, for a few more moments before he collapsed, paws covering his face. The waterfall muted the sounds the little tom was making, but one could just make out the faint giggle of laughter. It grew louder, and Soon Kestrelkit was rolling around on the ground and shaking, mewling his happiness in chortling snorts.

[Moony~!]

"Oof!" Robinkit squealed as the wind was knocked out of her. Since when was her brother so hard? He needed to gain a little fat. That hurt her, she was sure, more than it had hurt him. She let out another faint squeal as he toppled on top of her, but let out a sigh of relief soon afterward. She's actually hit him! It'd actually worked! Her eyes shone with accomplishment, even though her left one was nearly closed because of the weight of her brother on that side.

When he finally got off, she sighed with relief. It felt good to lose a few pounds. She lay in one spot deciding to give up. It'd worked, yeah. But only because her brother was so clumsy and only even though she'd hit him right on mark he got right off her with ease. She glanced to her side at her brother. There was an odd look on his face, as if something was funny or along those lines at least. She swiveled her ears toward him, but she only heard the thunderous sound of the waterfall. Then she heard a sound. "Mousebrain," she muttered as a smile tugged at her mouth. The tom was out right laughing at her. She looked away angrily as she could feel the skin under her pelt burning with a bright red.

Robin was still hovering in the air, chirping angrily about Flint. "Why are you so carefree?" The she-bird muttered, "You could hurt a delicate beauty like me." Robinkit snorted.

"And I suppose that Kessi over here is a beauty too, then," Robinkit chimed in. Robin just gave her companion a mild glare before landing on one of the larger pebbles near the shore, her back to Robinkit. Robinkit heard Kestrelkit's laughter grow even louder, how funny Robbi must have looked when she crashed into her brother. Just imagining it made the she-kit giggle, and soon Robinkit was laughing as hard as the tom beside her.

[Shadow]

"Beauty? Oh yes, Kestrelkit here is the picture of elegance and grace," Flint snorted, flitting down to sit between the little tom's ears. He smiled and playfully pecked each one of them once, making them twitch. "Kestrelkit, the beauty, Kessi, the handsome," he chimed, as hyper as the kit he was sitting on top of. "I'm sorry, Kessi. I don't mean to tease. I guess all this pouncing just got me excited."

Kestrelkit had stopped laughing by now and was halfheartedly trying to bat Flint off of his ears. He smiled broadly, rolling over so that the woodpecker was forced to fly away. He lay there in the dirt for a few more moments, giggling a bit more, until he could calm himself. "Why don't Creamwhisker and Swiftpath let us out like this without us having to be sneaky? It's not like we get in any trouble," he scoffed, heaving himself to his paws once more. Tail flicking in annoyance, he padded closer to his sister, sitting next to her so that their pelts meshed. They looked like perfect copies of each other, save their eyes. His warm green looked muted next to her stunning blue.

After a few seconds of silence, rare for Kestrelkit, the little tom pricked his ears. Was that a twig snapping, that he heard? A shoulder, pushing past a bush or something similar? He lifted his nose to the air and took a big sniff- he could smell cat, specifically himself, Robinkit, and his parents, but which scent was recent? He silently cursed himself, wishing that he had his apprentice skills already. "Robinkit," he whispered, nudging her quickly. "Are you good with smelling?"

He lifted his head higher and sniffed again, his eyes widening and his ears pricking. They couldn't be caught- not now, not after such a successful trip. Had their mother, or father come to find them? Was it just a passing LakeClan Warrior? Was it a rogue, a loner, or a HorizonClan warrior? Oh, that would just be the worst. He wasn't ready to face an enemy cat, especially one older and more experienced than himself. He would rather have it be Swiftpath or Creamwhisker, scolding them for being out by themselves.

But maybe he was just being silly. Maybe no one was near them. He blinked, realizing that he had to finish what he was saying to his sister. "Can you tell if scents are fresh or not?" he asked her in a whisper. "And.. did you hear something? Do you think someone's near?"

[kei]

The sounds of his kits' mews made the long-furred white-and-black tom smile. It was a shame that as strong as he was, his kits probably couldn't fight off a HorizonClan warrior. At least they were practicing from the sounds that he heard. Flicking an ear, heard Kestrelkit becoming anxious. In his amusement, Swiftpath hadn't realized that he'd snapped a twig.
"Hey, Swiftpath! What are we doing?" the whisper of his Companion surprise. At least the dumb bird had the sense to keep that annoying little chirp he had quiet. Swiftpath's captivating hazel eyes flicked upward, although he couldn't see the red-and-green parrot.
"Silence, Aero. We're here to scold my lovely offspring for sneaking off. They should know that I only want to make them powerful. Almost as powerful as I!" his voice rose to a loud whisper by the last sentence, and he immediately regretted the action.

Swiftpath bit his tongue, and the scent and taste of blood began to flood his mouth. Alright, if his kits couldn't scent that, they had some work to do.
"They're weak." he whispered to Aero, hazel eyes dancing with amusement at their game.
"Aren't they just kits?" Aero whispered into Swiftpath's ear. The aggressive tom shook his ear, feeling his fur flap around. He heard the frantic flapping of Aero's wings as his Companion tried to get back on his ear.
"They may be kits, but they're my kits." he hissed, swishing his tail angrily. Aero found it best to stay silent, and so he was.

The gentle breeze flowing through LakeClan territory brought the scent of minnows towards Swiftpath's nostrils. They were practicing their hunting skills, but they still lacked. And they knew it.
"If they're to be like me, they must be even stronger." he growled, his voice so deadly that it made Aero leap off of his head and take shelter in a tree. Aero was born off of Swiftpath's more paranoid side, so when his bearer got too sadistic, he hid in the trees.
"Wimp." Swiftpath scoffed, twitching his ear. Raising the pace to a near-run, Aero was forced to follow along. The leaves were gently rustled as the wind from the large tom's movements blew them. Finally, although it wasn't really that long, his captivating hazel eyes caught sight of his kits. How marvelous they were! Letting out a prideful purr, he twirled his tail on the ground.

Aero wanted Swiftpath to pick a side, but he knew that his bearer couldn't do that. StarClan had cursed him with his double personality. Yes, Aero believed wholeheartedly in StarClan. It was just the cat he was born off of that didn't. The red-and-green parrot saw his bearer's whiskers twitch, and he knew that Swiftpath was smirking again. That dangerous, evil smirk that he smirked whenever he had concocted a plan.
"Swiftpath!" he chirped softly, "don't!" Swiftpath's plan had become clear now. Aero knew that Swiftpath planned to train his kits now, but with his strength he might kill them.

"Stupid bird." Swiftpath snapped. "I won't kill them." his hazel eyes gleamed with insanity as he stared at his kits. "They'll be the only thing reminding this forest of my previous existence when I die." stepping over the small wall of undergrowth that separated him from his kits, he meowed,

"Kits aren't supposed to go out alone." his voice was tinged with insanity and pride, a weird mix.

[Shadow]

As Kestrelkit sat next to his sister, quiet for once while his ears swiveled around and his nostrils flared, his alarm rose. Whatever was coming was getting closer, and they definitely intended to let himself and Robinkit see them when they got there. The little tom gasped as the scent of blood, unmistakable and tangy, entered his nose. He shifted carefully, pushing himself closer to Robinkit as he gazed out behind the undergrowth. Automatically he stiffened, his tail lashing back and forth and his small eyes narrowing. They couldn't show weakness. Even though they were just kits, weakness would mean an instant death sentence, when bravery might buy them some time.

However, soon Kestrelkit realized that his stance was not needed. An all too familiar scent struck him like a paw in the face. Swiftpath. Their father. The blood still confused him, but it smelled familiar too. It was probably the blood of their father- however he'd managed to hurt himself. Realizing that they had been caught, after all they went through, Kestrelkit sighed and let his ears droop. He looked at the ground, avoiding the gaze he knew was coming for himself and his sister.

At the sound of his father's voice, however, Kestrelkit's head automatically jerked up. Swiftpath and his companion, Aero, were standing above them and smiling. The expression in their father's eyes was.. strange. What was he planning? Uneasy, Kestrelkit rose to his paws. Flint fluttered off the ground and flew in a quick, tight circle before perching again on the kit's head, in between his large ears. With a quick jab with his little foot, the woodpecker let Kestrelkit know, in his own way, that it was past time to say something to Swiftpath.

Kestrelkit shook his head, almost unseating his companion completely, before meeting the large tom's gaze. "Uh.. hello, father," he managed to mutter at last. "We weren't doing anything wrong! We were just playing.. we knew where we were.. we were going to go back.." Realizing that this argument was getting him nowhere, Kestrelkit clamped his mouth shut and lowered his head. Robinkit could take it from here, she usually was better with words anyways. He shuffled back so that he was beside his twin again, the only difference between them being their bright gazes.

[Moony~!]

Robinkit glanced at her brother in desperation, could he sense what she was sensing? How he moved closer showed her that that was a yes. Robinkit felt her brother's muscles tense beside her and instinctively she did the same. Was a battle coming? She narrowed her eyes and readied herself for something to pounce. Suddenly a cold chill of dread made its way down her spine; she had heard her father's voice. Whatever the blood was it was either from prey or intruders.

She lowered her ears and shivered as she felt her brother cower. He was brave as a badger when it came to anything but their father. In truth, Swiftpath was an odd tom. Not one you'd necessarily want to spend your time with, still, Robinkit loved her father. She could feel the tips of her ears turning hot at how embarrassed she'd been when her father had openly stated, in front of all the other kits in the nursery (!), that he doesn't believe in Starclan. She sighed, what a helpless dad.

When he drew nearer and she felt her brother lower his head in defeat, she once again felt her muscles stiffen. This time preparing her for the wrath that was sure to come upon her. Though, unlike her brother, she wasn't very "afraid" of her father and stared straight ahead. When the older tom came very close she heard her brother mumble something half-heartedly before leaving the talking to Robinkit. She blinked, typical. This was one of the situations where her favorite cat was useless.

"We were just about to come back, father." Robinkit repeated Kestrelkit's last sentence for a start. "We'd just finished battle training, and both of us caught a fish. I let mine go, it was too small for any use as prey until it grew bigger." The lie about her fish being small flared in her stomach. She had to swallow her pride. /Just think this through, Robbi. Just think this through./ She eyed Kestrelkit's fish, killed nicely but still uneaten. /Thank Starclan Kessi decided not to eat it!/ She smiled broadly at the bush, "That's the one Kessi-..." Their father hated it when they used their nicknames. "Kestrelkit caught, it's huge isn't it? He even managed to kill it. We were planning on bringing it back to the clan and showing mom!"

Though it was a total utter lie, the thought of her mother gleaming with pride at the fish sparked excitement in her eyes, making the lie seem all the more believable. She was so glad they hadn't eaten that fish, it might just cover all their wrong with all their good. They might even escape punishment this time!

{Done! I'm making a few assumptions in this post about Swiftpath's personality. From what I've seen of him he isn't quite the "lovey-dovey" fatherly type. He seems to think that being childish is pointless and shameful, hence his "oddness" and "not liking the nicknames" is how Robinkit shows her awareness of this unfatherly trait. x3}

[Shadow]

Being a kit, Kestrelkit's attention span wasn't very big. Neither was his ability to stay in one mood for long periods of time. Therefore, after Robinkit's little speech his fear was instantly lifted. Kessi felt brave, cocky even. Swiftpath couldn't be mad at them now- if he were in the large tom's position, he would be as proud of his kits as StarClan were of HorizonClan down below! Kestrelkit felt a small smile pull at the corners of his lips. He straightened up next to his sister, his tail flicking back and forth in fast paced excitement. As his sister was still talking, Kestrelkit had to fight to keep his mouth shut, fight to keep from interrupting her. He dug his claws into the cold ground, kneading it silently.

The little white lies that Robinkit had thrown in there weren't bad, that was for sure. They wouldn't hurt anyone. In fact, they could help their case, probably more than they deserved. The little tom felt a spark of pride as his fish was mentioned- after all, showing it to their mother was a good idea. He was glad Robinkit had thought of that. He whipped his head around to look at it- so big, so perfect, lying in the grass like that. On a split second decision, Kestrelkit heaved himself to his paws and darted over to it. The movement completely unseated Flint, and the woodpecker fluttered uneasily in the air before coming to rest on a rock nearby. He chirped at Kestrelkit, quietly so that the tom would be the only one to hear him.

"What are you doing? Swiftpath still might be mad, you know."

Kestrelkit blinked and stopped in his tracks as the truth of his companion's statement hit him. In all his happiness, he had forgotten his father, standing right there in front of him. He should have kept himself still. Now he had probably messed it up for them all- if they got in trouble, Robbi and Robin would blame him forever. Cringing slightly, he bent down his head to pick up his large fish before slinking back to her side. He dropped it hesitantly at his father's feet, then backed up. "It was so cool.. I wanted to show mom.." he mumbled, not managing to meet Swiftpath's gaze.

Flint sighed. Kestrelkit was never good in stressful situations like these- that gene, it seemed, was given to his sister. Ah, well. They were just kits. Swiftpath couldn't get too mad at them, could he? Then again, Swiftpath was hard to understand sometimes. Scratch that, all the time. He was intimidating, odd, and sometimes just downright crazy. Their only hope now was that Swiftpath take pity on his kin and find the truth in Robinkit's convincing words- as well as believing the lies. The light colored woodpecker quickly lifted off of his rock to perch on Kestrelkit's shoulder. All movement done, he waited, not daring to blink, not daring to breathe. Kestrelkit followed suite, and the two sat in perfect stillness- eyes wide, waiting for what was to come from their father.