[Raven x Dark x Lichen x Broken]

[Pyro]

Keep him in the elder's den would they? Well. Lichenheart would love to see them try and stop from going where he wanted when he wanted. He was 147 moons. Not dead. He didn't need apprentices picking out ticks and cleaning out his bedding. He was perfectly capable of doing that himself. And that was exactly what he was doing. He'd disposed of his old bedding and was now looking for fresh moss, an excellent excuse for an impromptu patrol.

The elder hoped it wouldn't take him too long though. There was a gathering that night which meant it was a full moon. The Lichening was nigh.

Already he could feel his limbs stiffening. No. He had to force it back. He would not collapse on the border. If he had to be lichen he wanted to be lichen in his den (however much he hated the elder's den), where at least there were walls around him. The lichening always made him feel vulnerable. The veteran really couldn't take the added vulnerability of being out in the open when it happened.

"Although perhaps, being lichen, I wouldn't be bothered."

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Brokenleg

Brokenleg had watched Lichenheart wander out of camp. With a great sigh she began to follow him, her dead leg dragging behind her. Apparently, some apprentice didn't think Brokenleg was in any type of "condition" to be "wandering around in the woods" what if "a badger ate her" and she "died?"

Brokenleg swatted the apprentice and spat, "You brat, you know, back in my day I could have beat your daddy in a battle? Yeah, I bet you didn't think 'old, little Brokenleg' had any fight in her. Well, you're wrong! I was one of the best fighters in ForestClan, young'n!" With another swat to his head she growled, "And don't you forget it either!" The apprentice ran off, probably to tell his dad that Brokenleg had just told him that she could beat him in a battle. Mumbling to herself, she stormed out of camp.

"Lichenheart? Lichenheart?!" Her yowl echoed around the trees before disappearing. With a 'hmph' she trodded on until she found the poor feller. "What have you gotten yourself into now, Lichenheart?"

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[Slug]

Oh, now this was exciting! A trip outside the nursery, to a trip outside of camp, to a trip to the border! It was a tiring experience, but Ravenkit was enjoying himself. He was sick of staring at the walls of the nursery. There were trees out here. And a huuuge field. He had spotted it while he trotted and stumbled after the elders and vowed to one day play hide and seek in it. Daddy would never find him in that!

He didn't understand what the cold stuff was on the ground, though. There wasn't any in camp, but it was everywhere in the rest of the territory. Mounds of it, gleaming with water and sparkles and pretty! Ravenkit wanted to play in it, but he had learned the moment he slipped out of camp that it was not as solid as it looked. He had sunk a few centimeters into what was left of the chilling substance and did not look forward to disappearing in one of those white hills. But later, when he was older. It would still be there, right? He certainly hoped so!

Ravenkit was shivering by the time he caught up with Lichenheart and Brokenleg, ears back and black fur matted with slivers of ice. Suddenly it wasn't so fun anymore, but he couldn't turn back now! There were so many things left to see! But what took it all the way was that shiny round thing in the sky. Pretty didn't cover it. Other cats had called it something else, though. Beetiful? Bluetiful? Buttiful! It was buttiful!

"Buttiful," Ravenkit recited, nodding to himself. He liked the sound of that.

"What have you gotten yourself into now, Lichenheart?"

Ravenkit stayed low to the ground, peering up at Brokenleg and Lichenheart a few tails away. A surprise was in order, the young tom decided. Surprises were always nice as long as the thought was, right? Of course! So, Ravenkit thought carefully....



I love you.

With a sharp mewl, Ravenkit charged, wading as quickly as he could through the snow. "Surprise!"

[Poizuun]

darkpaw

Great StarClan... Not only had Lichenheart disappeared, but Ravenkit had also. The already giant apprentice rolled his eyes as he got up out of the den to go and search for the kit and the elder. They couldn't be trusted out there alone, especially not when it was the full moon and Lichenheart would be babbling his head off about the lichening. Darkpaw couldn't resist rolling his eyes again as he roved about in search of Lichenheart and Ravenkit. Who knew what the kit was up to and what trouble he was getting into. Then a commotion was brought to his attention and he followed to the source. He soon came upon Lichenheart, Brokenleg, and Ravenkit all gathered together. Well, that was at least a relief to him. He hadn't even known Brokenleg left camp, so it was good that he found her also. But he was mostly glad that he didn't have to go off on some adventure to find Ravenkit. StarClan knew where he could get off to with his imagination and attention span... The large tom walked out among them smoothly, knowing they would perceive him as no threat. "What are all of you doing out here? We need to get back to camp."

[Pyro]

What was this? Some kind of 'let's see how impertinent we can be' fest?

First Brokenleg. Questions from her were easy to deal with. Yes he was older, but she was a fellow elder and for the same reason: a screwed up leg. Not only that, but they had both been two of their clan's best. Still, he couldn't help but feel defensive. What was he, some kind of mewling kit that needed looking after? "I'm just getting fresh moss for my nest and doing a quick patrol. I may even hunt on the way back. Can't be lazing around during leafbare."

Then...Ravenkit? The kit's attempts to surprise him and Brokenleg were amusing, and he almost couldn't suppress a chuckle, at least, he couldn't before he remembered that 1) he was a kit and 2) he shouldn't even be out of the nursery kit alone so deep into the territory. "Ravenkit? IF anyone needs to be asked what they're doing I think it's you, little one. How did you manage to get out of camp unnoticed?"

And finally Darkpaw. Acting as if he was the mentor and the rest of them were silly little apprentices. Aw hell no. He turned to Darkpaw slowly. "Excuse me?"The Lichening be damned, he was not going to be bossed around by an apprentice. A fellow elder, maybe. But not a frick-frackin apprentice he was at least five times older than.

"Now you listen here, sonny. I was whipping apprentices like you into shape before you were even born, so you watch your tone. Now you can join this patrol and cover the border while I take Ravenkit back to camp. Can't let a young'n take care of an even younger young'n. That's ludicrous. I'll come back to finish the patrol once he's safe in the nursery...And don't you dare say otherwise because I'm not so old that I can't beat you black n' blue for insubordination, y'hear?"

ooc: Old-man-General tirades. <3

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Brokenleg

Brokenleg's annoyance level had rose with the amount of cats in the clearing. She loved Lichenheart to death, but the old tom had something in his head about "the lichening" which had caused her to follow him out of camp. StarClan knows where she could have found him, and in what state. She was just thankful that when she had found him, he had not begun the lichening process, nothing could move him when that began.

Then along came Ravenkit. It wasn't the Brokenleg didn't like the kit, no, she actually found the little tom quite adorable at times, it was just the fact that now she would have to drag a kit, with the attention span of a squirrel, and a tom, who might start "the lichening process" any minute now, back to camp. She was not in the mood in all honesty, she would rather lay down and rest a while, her leg had been getting stiff with the cold weather. Plus, she had left Stone-ears in the elder's den and felt bad about leaving him on his lonesome.

Then Darkpaw decided to join the party, with his rude attitude. "What are all of you doing out here? We need to get back to camp." Brokenleg sighed. She might have liked his help if it wasn't for the tone in which he presented himself. He seemed to believe he was the cat with the most authority out of all four of them who had gathered. Before Brokenleg could snap at him, Lichenheart did. She wanted to add something, but thought that Lichenheart's speech might have done the trick to shutting him up. If not, Brokenleg's tongue was plenty sharp enough.

Turning to Lichenheart, Brokenleg meowed, "Wouldn't it be more convenient if all of us went back to camp together? Darkpaw can carry the moss you choose for your bedding, I'll keep a look after Ravenkit, and you can hunt along the way. It would save us the trouble of so many trips, plus, my leg is getting stiff and it gets harder for me to hobble around when it doesn't hang limply." Brokenleg tried to state her opinion in a way that wouldn't make it seem like she was trying to order Lichenheart around, but rather just suggest an idea.

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