The Heatherpaw Vignettes/Rolling in the Dirt, or How to Have a Little Fun
From Children of StarClan
< History:The Heatherpaw Vignettes
This is the third vignette in The Heatherpaw Vignettes series of short stories. It was written on the 12th of March, 2008. This features Heatherpaw, Shiningcrest, Oakkit, and Ternkit. This directly follows Story of a Hawk and Much Needed Praise and takes place on the 3rd of the 3rd day of the Moon of Tiger's Wrath (2006).
Featuring
Notes
- Written March 12th, 2008
Rolling in the Dirt, or How to Have a Little Fun
Little by little, one walks far - Peruvian Proverb
Heatherpaw pushed her way into the nursery, taking comfort in the warmth created by all the cats. There were a lot of queens in the nursery this leafbare. There hadn’t been many when she was a kit – just Frozenpaw, Sparkpaw, Scarpaw, and Duskpaw came later on. Smallpaw and Winterpaw were three moons when Heatherpaw was born, and they proved boring littermates, not that Heatherpaw wanted to play. Smallpaw was reserved, and Winterpaw was just lazy.
Now the nursery was full of kits and queens, warm and familiar and comforting. There were the oldest kits, Ternkit, Oakkit, and Turtlekit. The kits whose eyes had just opened, Pinekit, Ivykit, Brownkit, and Barkkit, were close to their mother, still very interested in the new world around them. And there were the new kits, a she-cat and a tom, Shiningcrest’s kits. The she-cat seemed a dwarf compared to her brother. She padded towards the new mother, dropping the thrush softly on the ground, mewing her hello.
The tired she-cat looked up at her, grateful for the meal. As the queen began to eat, Heatherpaw looked at the new tiny kits. The scraps of fur looked so fragile. “What are their names?” asked Heatherpaw, not lifting her eyes from the ginger kits.
Shiningcrest chewed and swallowed before replying. The tip of her tail – which seemed to shine, her namesake – pointed to the larger kit first. “This is Umberkit…” and as she moved over to the tiny one, “and this is Morningkit. I’m sure she’ll get bigger,” she meowed, voice anxious.
Heatherpaw nodded. “They’re cute.” Turning away, she began to walk out to get herself a meal when a gray lump of fur hurled itself at her paw. Ternkit.
“C’mon, didn’t you come to play?” Ternkit sat up, a little wobbly on his paws. His leap had obviously been practiced, though.
“Well…”
A browner kit popped out from behind Ternkit, his eyes eager too. “Please, Heatherpaw?” Oakkit begged, his amber eyes playful.
Heatherpaw relaxed and sighed. She could go for some fun, right? With a glance to Ibisflight, she got her nod of approval and smiled at the kits.
She crouched down. “Okay, take some leaps at me,” she meowed.
Ternkit looked at her and seemed to be judging his leap. As he hit midair, she collapsed and rolled out of the way. He landed at his target, except she was no longer there. He fell awkwardly, paws in the air.
“Nice jump, but you should predict where your opponent will be, not where they are currently.”
Ternkit stuck his tongue out slightly as he struggled up. “Let me try again.”
Heatherpaw resumed her position. The kit wagged his tail, tongue still out as he judged where she’d be. As he leaped, she repeated her move, rolling on the ground. He caught her paws and tail, a triumphant look on his face.
“Well done!” Heatherpaw meowed, laughing for a rare time.
Oakkit’s face was the epitome of kit excitement. “My turn! My turn!”
Heatherpaw sat back up, beckoning to him with her tail. She had a smirk on her face.
Oakkit wriggled his haunches as he leapt hard. She dropped and rolled, and he landed right on her, a better aim than Ternkit but the jump was not as impressive. He gripped her long fur tightly, crowing out, “I win!”
Heatherpaw struggled up, trying to shake the kit off. “Nice job,” she meowed. “You’ve been practicing, huh?”
He nodded vigorously.
“You two are going to be great warriors, greater than me for sure,” she meowed, a laugh on her voice. “You’re all so excited already!”
Oakkit’s face fell. “You’re leaving?”
Heatherpaw nodded. “Gingerfur will be wondering where I am.”
Ternkit’s tail twitched in excitement. “I want him as a mentor. Or Shatteredtail! Or Ravenwing! Or Whitestar! Or –”
“Oh shut up!” Oakkit cried, tackling his brother.
As Heatherpaw slipped out, she knew she’d be forgotten soon enough.