Fo(o)d?

[Raccoonkit]

Raccoonkit thought about it for a few moments. She glanced at the other kits then returned her amber gaze to Stormpaw. In the end it was Stormpaw's smile that made the decision for Raccoonkit.

"Can you show me how?" she asked.

[Stormpaw]

"If you want." She got up, ducking a little in case she hit her head on the low ceiling. "Need help carrying it or..?" The shecat didn't know whether the kit could hold it in her jaws without dropping individual bones or whatever.

[Raccoonkit]

Raccoonkit wriggled with excitement. "Okay!" She tried to pick up the shrew and follow Stormpaw. Raccoonkit only made it a few steps before she tripped on its tail and rolled into Stormpaw's hind leg. The proud kit would never want to admit she needed help, but she knew she wasn't big enough.

"Looks like I'll need help," she let out a mrrrow of laughter. "I'll help you carry it," Raccoonkit suggested, her tail straighter. The tiny kit picked up the tail and waited for Stormpaw to pick the heavier part of the shrew.

[Stormpaw]

She picked up the bones with minimal effort in her strong jaws, trying not to bite down too hard and get bone splinters in her gums. Once she got outside the nursery, she raised her head high, purring as warm sunlight heated her dark pelt. The shecat payed little attention to the shekit dropping the bones in the first place; she wasn't one to dwell on things like that.

[Raccoonkit]

Raccoonkit struggled to "help" Stormpaw. The apprentice was much stronger than she. Raccoonkit's tail drooped and she let go of the shrew. Instead she focused on following the bigger apprentice. Amber eyes glanced all around the camp; their camp was bigger than the she-kit expected. Cats were entering, exiting, and sharing tongues. One day, I'll be able to leave the camp on my own. Raccoonkit was thrilled because this would be the first time she was outside the camp.

The brown tabby opened her mouth to ask a question, but shut it when she remembered that Stormpaw's mouth was full. The little kit jogged to keep up with Stormpaw.

[Stormpaw]

She dipped her head, sliding through the gap in the layers of rock and thistle. Outside the camp, for the first few foxtails it was dull, scorched brown, and dotted with rocks and the occasional log. "Would you like to bury it?" The shrew bones were now sitting in a pile by her feet.

[Sunkit]

Sunkit withdrew slightly, not wishing to make Icekit more nervous than he was. "You can have it" she grumbled, and tucked her paws beneath her chest. She watched curiously when Stormpaw began to teach Raccoonkit how to bury.

"Hey, Icekit! Wanna go outside?" asked Sunkit, wondering if he liked to go outside at all.

[Raccoonkit]

Raccoonkit freely sauntered through the tunnel leading to the territory. She was still small enough that her fur didn't touch the sides. All she saw was the lame first few foxtails. A huff escaped her. Is this really our territory?

"Can I dig through this?" Raccoonkit glanced at the stone around them. "It's stone!" The little kit sat down, feeling ashamed she didn't know how to dig. She licked her chest fur.

[Icepaw]

Icekit flattened his ears self consciously when Sunkit passed him the rest of the food, but nodded thankful and began to quickly eat, feeling a little awkward to be the only one left still eating. He quickly finished, mentally scolding himself for eating so fast. You could have choked on the bones, mouse-brain! Or worse, you could of just swallowed one of the bones and it could've gotten stuck in your throat and continuously scratched at the insides until one day it would poke through your neck and BAM, you'd never be able to breath the right way again! He shivered, not liking the image. His ears perked up when Sunkit asked him if he wanted to go outside. He looked at the entrance of the den. He had never been outside before. He didn't really want to go... It seemed dangerous. "Um..." he wasn't too sure how to say now. He mumbled a bit, then sighed, "I-I-I guess?" Maybe it won't be so dangerous with lots of other cats around....

[Stormpaw]

She unsheathed her claws and began to paw up clumps of dirt with a curved paw. This made a small crater in the hard earth, revealing softer soil underneath. "It's only cracked and dry on the top, so you need to use all the power in your forepaw to get though the first layer. Now try." Stormpaw smiled at the kit. A part of her hopes she'd get to mentor one of these kits after her ceremony but she assumed, because of the situation, that it wasn't likely.

[Raccoonkit]

The kit's face scrunched up in determination. Raccoonkit unsheathed her claws and made a small scratch at the dirt. Her amber eyes gleamed. It moved! With a snort of determination, Raccoonkit dug more. To her it was a grand hole, something big enough to fit a fox in, in reality it was shallow, barely big enough for her.

Raccoonkit glanced up at Stormpaw, her tail straight in pride. "How is that?"

[Stormpaw]

"A little large but oh well," she pawed at the rodent bones. "Now just put the remains in it."

[Raccoonkit]

Raccoonkit's fluffy tail drooped. Maybe she wasn't that good at digging anyway. She pawed at the bones before shoving them in the hole. Her gaze met Stormpaw's.

"Now what?"

[Stormpaw]

"Then you kick the dirt back over the bones and fill the hole back in." She let her gaze soften so she looked less serious. The shecat licked her paw pad, whiskers twitching.

[Raccoonkit]

Raccoonkit nodded in return. She kicked in most of the dirt. Once she was done she sat back with a relieved sigh. This was a lot of work! Her little chest puffed in and out.

"Thanks for showing me how to do this." Raccoonkit said. Sadness shown in her eyes a moment, "Do I have to go back into the camp now?"