Fo(o)d?

[Stormpaw]

The large apprentice slid through the entrence to the den, squinting briefly to adjust her eyes. A strong scent of milk, warmth and pheromones hung in the air thickly, causing her to wince momentarily at the sudden climate difference. Once she looked around, at the sleeping queens, some with suckling kits and some with round, swollen bellies, she dropped the prey by her large black paws. She kept her usually loud and energetic voice flat and gentle. "Just wondered if anyone was hungry?"

[Raccoonkit]

Raccoonkit blinked as she woke up. Her little ears swiveled to catch Stormpaw's voice. Clumsily she stood up and walked over to Stormpaw. Amber eyes lit up when she saw the prey had been brought.

"I'm hungry!" she called. She walked over and sniffed the prey. Raccoonkit's nose twitched then she sneezed. The others in the nursery groaned. "Sorry!" she squeaked.

Thoroughly embarrassed, she gave her chest a few licks. She looked up at Stormpaw then at the prey. "What is it?"

[Icepaw]

Icekit's silvery eyes shot open as he heard someone enter the den. Almost reflexively he jumped to his paws, looking around frantically for the intruder. He bristled when he spotted a warrior he didn't recognized--not that he wouldn't really recognized any of IceClan's warriors, he didn't usually leave the nursery because of the dangers of the outside world. His stomach growled when the stranger offered food. He hadn't eaten in awhile, especially since his mother seemed to have disappeared, leaving him without a milk source. Caustically, he tip-toed towards the she-cat and the other kitten that had already approached her. "I-I-It's not p-poisoned, i-i-is i-it?" he stuttered, keeping a tail-length away from the stranger and her offering.

[Stormpaw]

The shecat placed both prey options in front of the kits. "So, we have sparrow and shrew," she motioned towards the rodent, "Probably easier for you to swallow, don't want you little 'ens getting any feathers stuck in your throats, do we?" Her tail swept around the skittish kit and she pulled it toward the food, noticing the kit was rather thin in comparison. "Does it smell bad to you? Don't think so, now just take a bite and enjoy it."

[Raccoonkit]

Raccoonkit glanced at the nervous kit next to her. Poison? Amber eyes looked from the kit to the apprentice. Surely, not. Why would someone poison kits? Did this kit have a bad experience? Reluctantly, she stepped towards the shrew. It did not smell bad. She hesitated for a moment, but her hunger outweighed possible danger. Her small belly grumbled.

"I am trying to learn scents of things," Raccoonkit announced, "I want to be ready for when I am apprenticed." The small brown tabby kit took a bite of shrew. Her amber eyes gleamed. "This does taste delicious. Thank you.." she paused because she didn't know the apprentice's name. "What is your name?" she asked before taking another bite of shrew.

[Sunkit]

Sunkit was hungry too. She watched Raccoonkit eating the shrew, and her stomach began to rumble. Sunkit was little, and the stronger kits were bullies. But today she decided, no longer would she be the victim. No longer would she be left with just the meager scraps.

Sunkit circled around the nursery, stalking. Then she grabbed the shrew and started running as fast as she could. She jumped up against the wall and did a backflip, except she landed on her back.

[Stormpaw]

"Stormpaw." She replied flatly, tail lashing with irritation as she towered above the kits. The other kit's reaction to the prey made her both bewildered and frightened, causing her to react negatively. Having never entered the nursery, this was slightly off-putting for her, yet she made a mental note to visit more often to keep an eye on the skinnier, skittish kit. "So, which of the queens here are your mothers?"

She watched the other kit run off with the shrew and got up, padding over calmly yet quickly and snatching the shrew straight from  Sunkit's mouth. The large shecat moved back to where she was sat with it in her jaws. "Now, this was for you all to share but apparently some of you cant grasp that concept." Scolded the more experienced cat, her lilac orbs shining with something unreadable. "Apologise."

[Icepaw]

Icekit still eyed the prey skeptically, even though the apprentice had told him it wasn't poisoned. He watched with wide eyes as the tabby kitten took a bite of the prey. It doesn't look like she's dying, he thought, watching to see if her nose went dry or if her eyes suddenly exploded. When all seemed safe he carefully inched forward, but jumped suddenly back when yet another cat showed up from out of nowhere. Icekit shrieked in surprise, curling up into a little ball in self-defense. "Please don't kill me!" be begged meekly, covering his eyes with his skinny tail.

[Raccoonkit]

"Brackensky-" Raccoonkit answered before the shrew disappeared from underneath her. Her fluffy tail drooped as Sunkit ran away. "Hey!" Raccoonkit sounded pitiful. While she was upset her prey was stolen from her, she wasn't going to act on it. A few mouthfuls of food was good enough for her at the moment.

Raccoonkit's eyes widened at Stormpaw's dexterity. The brown tabby kit shrunk as she watched the scene unfold. Instinctively, she rested her tail tip on Icekit's shoulder. She would never admit it was as much to comfort her as him.

"I'm sorry," she offered. "I should have thought of the others." For a moment she glanced at her paws. Then she looked at Stormpaw.

[Stormpaw]

"It was actually aimed at both of you," her lilac eyes flashed to Sunkit and her tail lashed. "I'll get you guy something else it doesn't matter, let her have the shrew," she brushed her long, bushy tail against Icekit comfortingly.

[Sunkit]

Sunkit squealed when the shrew was stolen from her very paws. She looked up at Stormpaw, who was a big cat, and her small tail fluffed up in displeasure when an apology was demanded from her. Sunkit's eyes began to water. "Sorry I stole your shrew, Raccoonkit" she muttered.

She growled in annoyance at the scared kit. "Oh hush up! Ain't nobody killing you, Icekit." Sunkit unsheathed her baby claws. "I will kill anybody who tries to hurt my clan-mate." 

[Stormpaw]

The shecat slid out of the den, swiftly padding to the prey pile, then pelting back. She placed down a fat water vole and thought momentarily about the sharing of prey. Behind her was the sparrow for one of the queens, and one of the kits had eaten above their appropriate amount. "Icekit and Sunkit, share this and whatever you can't fit in, leave for me, I wasn't particularly hungry for a full meal anyway." Stormpaw had assumed they couldn't eat the portion of two apprentices at their age, and she wasn't willing to waste the remains. "And finish the shrew, Racoonkit,"

[Icepaw]

Icekit quivered at the scolding his denmates where getting, but he stopped his shaking as he felt the comforting of the she-cats. He peaked out from under his tail, smiling when Sunkit said that she would protect him. I guess they're not that scary, he thought, slowly unfurling himself and sitting up, still a bit wary. "Um, m-my mama is P-P-Poppynose," he mewed quietly to Stormpaw, remembering that she had asked earlier, "a-a-and my n-name is I-I-I-Icekit," he had almost forgotten to introduce himself.

He watched Stormpaw curiously as she left the nursery, hoping that a hawk or eagle wouldn't suddenly swoop down and carry her away. She seemed nice. He had only left the nursery once, and that was to visit the medicine den to fix a sneezing issue. His nose twitched with interest when the she-cat returned with more prey. He made a move to eat, but then stopped and looked anxiously over at Sunkit, wondering if she wanted to take the first bite.

[Raccoonkit]

Amber eyes watched the scene unfold in front of her. Icekit seemed to have calmed and at least Sunkit wasn't making a grab at her food. Raccoonkit's little legs carried her over to the shrew. She finished it in a few gulps. Her belly made satisfied gurgles.

Raccoonkit stared at the remains of the shrew then looked up. "What do I do with the remains?" She had just started eating since weaning. Usually her mom took care of the remains.

[Stormpaw]

"Typically, you bury it just outside the camp. I could handle it for you if you want?" She smiled, looking less threatening, for the first time all day. The shecat's ears twitched and she lapped at her paws, tongue sliding between her toes occasionally.