Like Birds on a Wire.

[[t]Wilted Ros[e]]

Vulturekit opened his eyes, which were now turning green from their original birth-blue.

Wrenkit's eyes had also started to change, to a more murky color, to, from what Berrytail had told them, a rich brown like their father's.

The two kits were restless, and wanted to explore the camp, but Berrytail had warned them earlier than week that it would be extra dangerous with Wrenkit's condition, so they resigned themselves to chasing each other around the nursery, which, oddly, seemed to unnerve their mother as well.

"I'm tired of tag!" the tan tomkit whined, then brightened immediately. "Hey! Vulturekit, can we ask Jasmineheart if her kits can play today?"

The fluffy russet tom purred at the idea. "It's worth a shot, Wrenkit." The two had gotten into a habit of saying each other's names often. It was like a reminder, and they never got tired of how their name's sounded coming from the other's tongue.
So Vulturekit led the way over to the young queen. "Hi, Jasmineheart!" he greeted, tail waving brightly. "Can Creamkit, Sparklekit, and Bluekit play, or are they still too young?"

[Holly]

(Wait, how old are Wrenkit and Vulturekit? O.O)

[[t]Wilted Ros[e]]

(Two moons. Why?)

[Holly]

(Never mind)

Jasmineheart glanced at the two kits, then back down at her own. "I don't think they're read yet! They were just born a little while ago! Really, do you think these little guys can play?" She looked down to where the kits were, and purred in amusement. "They don't even have their ears, much less their eyes open yet."

[[t]Wilted Ros[e]]

The two pouted, but decided not to return to their game.

"Hey Jasmineheart?" Wrenkit asked, curling up next to the queen. "What's it like to be a warrior?"

Vulturekit brightened after his disappointment of no more playdate. "Yeah! That's a good question, Wrenkit!"

[Holly]

Jasmineheart smiled. "Well, once you are made a Warrior you think that finally, all of the work has been done. But, I even thought once or twice about asking Pigeonstar if I could be Jasminepaw again! It's really tough, though the respect you know you're going to get if you work hard makes it worth it."

[[t]Wilted Ros[e]]

Vulturekit giggled at her explanation, believing it to be ridiculous. "Why would you want to be an apprentice? I mean, even as kits, we get more than them."

His brother disagreed, however. "Hey, Jasmineheart?" he asked again. "Did you have fun as an apprentice? What did you and your mentor do?"

[Holly]

"Well, the fun parts were exploring the Territory and being able to claw your mentor without getting yelled at." She gave a ^^ look. "I mean by practicing battle moves. Learning the hunting technics wasn't that fun, but taking down a giant bird on the Great Stump was always the highlight of any day."

[[t]Wilted Ros[e]]

Wrenkit's eyes widened. "Did you actually do that?"

Seeing as no one was listening, the larger tomkit settled down next to his brother and decided to listen to a potential story.

[Holly]

"Yes. I remember once as an Apprentice how me and Mountainpelt... Well, he and I went out by the Great Stump. Just a few days ago a Kit had been taken from the nursery by a hawk, so we wanted revenge. Me and Mountainpaw waited in the long grass for hours until that hawk landed on the stump. We knew it was him because of the scratch above his eyes made bye one of our Warriors. We jumped on him, but he faught back. He scratched Mountainpelt up badly, and he could have died if Pumaheart hadn't shown up. She clawed its eyes out and brought it back to camp as freshkill." She shook her head. "It was scary, and I would advise you not to go out near the Great Stump without a Warrior."

[[t]Wilted Ros[e]]

Now even Vulturekit was impressed. He'd thought of Jasmineheart to be sort of like his mom--a spacey she-cat with no more thoughts of hurting something than a kittypet. But now he found...she was fierce. In an odd way, it made him proud of the queen.

[Holly]

Jasmineheart made a ^-^ face as she purred,"After that Mountainpelt stayed away from the Great Stump. I'd tell him that it would be okay and that no more birds would attack him, but he was too scared. He wouldn't go near it long after he was made a Warrior." Then she sighed, still smiling. "He had always been a big sissy."

[[t]Wilted Ros[e]]

Wrenkit chuckled good-naturedly, but couldn't help to wonder why teasing her dead mate seemed to come easily for Jasmineheart. Maybe she's like me, he seemed to realize hopefully. All numb to the pain, and stuff. Except on the inside.

His brother, oblivious to Wrenkit's realization, boasted, "I would have made sure to hunt down as many birds as I could after that."

[Holly]

(Sorry, but hardly anyone, mind the kits, know about Jasmineheart and Mountainpelt as mates.)

Jasmineheart smiled again as she mewed,"Ever since then Pumaheart has made sure that no birds have gotten into camp much less the nursery." She blinked her eyes affectionately. "So you don't really have to worry about fighting birds until you are a Warrior. But by then I'll be totally safe knowing that both Pumaheart and you are out there protecting us."

[[t]Wilted Ros[e]]

(I think they'd guess if people came in and purred, "Ohh, that one looks just like Mountainpelt!" Which...I know they do for one of them. Forgot which one, and I'm too lazy to check.)

Vulturekit raised his head smugly. "Here that, Wrenkit? She'll be safe knowing I'll protect her."

Wrenkit merely rolled his eyes, curling his tail around his front paws.

[Holly]

(They don't know that they're his kits. No one knows except Pumaheart, Jasminheart, and... I think that's it. And who'd want to say that a kit looks like one of the dead Warriors from the past?)

Jasmineheart giggled. "Do you want to hear another story? But this time it's about a battle from long, long ago..."

[[t]Wilted Ros[e]]

Wrenkit brightened immediately, "Yes, that would be fun, Jasmineheart!" he said, politely, with his eyes wide with anticipation.

[Holly]

"Well," Jasmineheart began. "There was once an apprentice named Owlpaw, and she was of TigerClan. The problem was was that her best friend, Lilypaw, was in LionClan. The leader of TigerClan, Spottedstar, and the leader of LionClan, Goldenstar, were fighting over who should be able to have the legendary Scratching Trees in their Territory. Owlpaw and Lilypaw would go out at night and exchange news with each other about when their Clans would attack each other. They knew that they were betraying their own Clans, but they didn't want a terribly bloody, surprise battle. One night, Owlpaw waited at the boarder for Lilypaw so that she would be able to tell her that TigerClan would be attacking the next day, but she never came. The next day, when the battle came, Owlpaw looked through the group of fighting cats for Lilypaw, but she was not in the battle. Many cats were injured. Owlpaw was even backed up against the rushing rapids that were just waiting for any cat to fall into it. Pinefrost, the LionClan Warrior who was fighting her, was hissing mad when he whispered into her ear before pouncing,'I know how you were friends with Lilypaw. So, I'll ask you just this once: Where is she?' Owlpaw was scared to death, and know she thought desparately,What has happened to Lilypaw? 'I don't know!' she cried, but Pinefrost was already towering above her. 'Stop, father!!!' a voice shouted above the yowling, hissing cats. It was Lilypaw! Pinefrost stopped in mid air and yowled in relief,'Lilypaw!' but it was too late. He had pushed Owlpaw off. 'Owlpaw!' Lilypaw yowled into the currents. No reply. 'Owlpaw!' she cried again. This time, a faint mew came from down stream,'Why is everyone saying each others' names?' There was coughing, and then a head popped out of the water and a body climbed up onto a rock. It was Owlpaw. 'Owlpaw!' Lilypaw yowled happily. 'What did I just say?!' she yowled back. Lilypaw with the help of her father Pinefrost helped Owl[aw up out of the water and the battle stopped when Pinefrost stepped up and made a motion to share the Scratching Trees. Owlpaw and Lilypaw agreed, and other cats did too. In the end, Spottedstar and Goldenstar came to an agreement." "And so you see, this tory ends happily, but not all battles do. Owlpaw and Lilypaw, later named Owlflight and Lilyheart, would have to fight each other many more times, but they stayed friends. Even today, some cats say that the two closest stars in the sky is them, chatting and making jokes together like they always did."

[[t]Wilted Ros[e]]

"Wo-ow..." Wrenkit breathed, his eyes wide.

But Vulturekit was confused, "Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait...Where was Lilypaw in all of this? Surely she couldn't have had anything too important to do. She'd been meeting Owlpaw every night, then suddenly STOPS?" From some reason, the tomkit found himself...outraged by Lilypaw's behavior. "What could have been so important that Pinefrost wouldn't have know where she was?"

[Holly]

"Oh, that's the other part of the story. You see, Pinefrost, who was Lilypaw's father, wasn't the only cat who knew of her appearances near the boarder. One of the TigerClan Warriors, Duskclaw, had scented her presence there and had captured her while she was walking along the boarder. He had kept her in a rabbit hole and wouldn't let her out, for he thought she knew about the up coming battle and was going to go back to LionClan and tell them to be ready. He planned to keep her hidden until the battle, when he'd let her go back to fight with her Clan."