Ask to Join Berry Nice to See You

I'm not just playing—I'm training to be a warrior!

✧･ﾟ: ✧ :･ﾟ✧⭑🍓⭑✧･ﾟ: ✧ :･ﾟ✧

Berrykit had been practicing his battle tactics against a stray twig as his ears perked at the sound of Heatherpaw cleaning out the dens in the nursery. He adored playing with her when she was in the nursery, the perfect playmate via his own personal opinion, and one that would put up a much better fight than a twig, since Aspenberry's newborns weren't giving him much excitement aside from a day of interest.

Now it was time for some real fun.

Narrowing his pale blue eyes, he crept closer towards the new apprentice, his tail twitching impatiently. Once he crept close enough he tried his best to steady his paws and not to topple over like her had done many times before with his larger paws compared to his little body.

But no amount of stalking could hide his subtle giggles before the leap, it wasn't graceful or even sturdy by any means, but it landed, he landed, square on Heatherpaw's tail. "Victory!" he proclaimed, playfully nipping at his former denmates tail. "For WindClan!"

The flower that blooms in adversity is the most rare and beautiful of all
❖ ⭒ ❖ ⭒ ❀ ⭒ ❖ ⭒ ❖

Heatherpaw let out a surprised squeak as something fuzzy and loud landed squarely on her tail. She jumped more startled than hurt and whipped her head around just in time to see Berrykit proudly proclaiming their "victory," his teeth tugging harmlessly at her tail fur.

"Oh no! You’ve caught me. How will I ever finish my duties now?" Her paw shot out to gently bat at them, eyes glittering with amusement. "You’re lucky I wasn’t carrying a feather. You’d have really been in trouble then." She wriggled her tail out from beneath him with a playful flick, brushing his ear as she did. "Wanna help me finish fluffing the nests? I’ll let you keep the biggest feather we find."

I'm not just playing—I'm training to be a warrior!

✧･ﾟ: ✧ :･ﾟ✧⭑🍓⭑✧･ﾟ: ✧ :･ﾟ✧

Berrykit puffed out his chest, clearly delighted with her reaction as if he'd just brought down a full-grown hawk instead of gently gnawing her tail. "That was my sneak attack!" he announced, his tail swishing high behind him. "You didn't even see me coming, huh?" his voice was loud enough to catch the attention of a flame point warrior passing the nursery, but Berrykit paid them no mind, he was hunting fluffy tails after all.

He wriggled out of reach of her playful paw, dropping into a clumsy crouch with wide eyes. "A feather? What kind? Hawk? Owl?" He paused, then narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "You better not be hiding any feathers without me."

At her offer, though, his posture instantly relaxed, his ears pricking with interest. "Yes! I'll help fluff nests! I'm an expert at finding feathers. One time I found one in the dirt and it was all soggy and smelled weird, but I still gave it to Cedarkit and she said thank you and that she loved it even though I think she was lying"

Berrykit trotted to her side, standing tall on the tips of her paw pads. "But if I find a really big one, I'm keeping it for my tail. Then no one'll know it's me sneaking up!" He gave a a whisper, as loud as a whisper could be, even though it may not have seemed necessary in that situation "That's called camouflage!"

The flower that blooms in adversity is the most rare and beautiful of all
❖ ⭒ ❖ ⭒ ❀ ⭒ ❖ ⭒ ❖

Heatherpaw pressed a paw to her muzzle, trying to stifle a giggle as Berrykit declared his tail-based triumph. "I definitely didn’t see you coming...Blue jay, actually!" She said solemnly, though her eyes danced with amusement. She leaned in, whispering back with equal drama. "Camouflage is soooo clever!" She gave his ear a gentle flick before turning back to the mossy nest.

"You found a soggy feather and gave it to Cedarkit?" She purred, nose scrunching in mock horror. "Let make sure the ones we find are not soggy!"Heatherpaw crouched beside the half dismantled nest, nudging a bit of moss with her paw. "Okay, fluff expert, I need your help sorting the moss from the scratchy stuff. And keep your eyes peeled for feathers...Think you can handle that kind of responsibility?"

I'm not just playing—I'm training to be a warrior!

✧･ﾟ: ✧ :･ﾟ✧⭑🍓⭑✧･ﾟ: ✧ :･ﾟ✧

Berrykit took the praise in stride, his tail raised and his chin held high like a confident young warrior fresh out of the apprentice den, despite his stout size. “I’m the fluff and feather expert! Beewhisker says so!” He proclaimed proudly,  jumping onto the clump of moss and clawing at anything spiky or scratchy before Heatherpaw could even finish her sentence.

“See! This one is definitely fluffy, and it also doesn’t have any feathers” he stated as if revealing a hidden mystery that every other cat had been oblivious to until now, as if he was the first to proclaim moss didn’t have feathers but he said it with all the confidence of a cat who had spent their life being right. 

He shook off his fur before rolling the clump into a ball the beat he could… not without toppling on top of it a few times however, though that didn’t seem to falter his tenacity. “Now we can play moss-ball with it like we used to in the nursery!” He chimed with a small bounce off of the partially rounded moss ball. “We can look for feathers wherever it lands!”

The flower that blooms in adversity is the most rare and beautiful of all
❖ ⭒ ❖ ⭒ ❀ ⭒ ❖ ⭒ ❖

Heatherpaw watched Berrykit with wide eyed amusement as he leapt onto the moss with the gusto of a senior warrior launching into battle. "Fluff and feather expert and mossball champion..." She teased shyly, ducking as a stray bit of moss flew from his enthusiastic paw. "You’re gonna need your own den just to store all your fancy titles!"

She half jumped over and nudged the partly rolled moss ball with her paw. "I don't have anything like that... I'm just Heatherpaw! But I'm an apprentice now, so that means something too."

Heatherpaw gave the ball a light bat and watched it tumble toward the far corner of the den. "Alright, let's play!" She trotted after it with her tail flicking in playful anticipation. She glanced over her shoulder with a grin. "You sure you're ready for that kind of high stakes competition?"

I'm not just playing—I'm training to be a warrior!

✧･ﾟ: ✧ :･ﾟ✧⭑🍓⭑✧･ﾟ: ✧ :･ﾟ✧

Berrykit gasped, stumbling after the mossball with wide eyes and a puffed up chest. “Just Heatherpaw?” He echoed, scandalised as if she was lying to him. “You’re the brave Mossball Challenger and Feather Scout Number Two! That means something!” He bounced to a halt beside her, tail lashing like an excited squirrel.

He dramatically swiped the mossball back into play with a whack of his paw “the first feather we find wins! But only if it’s near where the moss lands” he declared with the seriousness of a leader in a full-blown ceremony. “But bonus points if it’s shiny! Or blue! Or shaped like a hawk’s talon!” He darted into the direction of the tumbling ball again, nearly tripping over his near comically large paws as he went.

When it rolled under a low hanging bit of bramble, Berrykit dropped into a dramatic but lopsided crouch. “The feather of destiny could be in there” he whispered, then tossed a look back at Heatherpaw with a wicked grin. “Hope you brought backup, cause I never lose twice in one moon!”

With a little wiggle of his haunches, he launched himself forward again, narrating loudly. “And then the fierce and mighty Berrystar dove into the mossy shadows, facing thorns, darkness and… possibly bugs, for glory!”

The flower that blooms in adversity is the most rare and beautiful of all
❖ ⭒ ❖ ⭒ ❀ ⭒ ❖ ⭒ ❖

Heatherpaw giggled at Berrykit’s theatrics, her whiskers twitching as she tried and failed to look stern. "Feather Scout Number Two?" She teased with mock offense, though her eyes gleamed with delight."Maybe I can earn a promotion after this match."

She trotted after him, nose twitching as she peered toward the bramble where the mossball had disappeared. When he called himself Berrystar, she let out a huff of laughter and crouched beside him in a mock serious pose, voice low and dramatic. "But just when mighty Berrystar dove into the mossy lair... the shadowy and silent Heathersneak crept up behind him quiet as a beetle!"She gave a soft paw tap to his side before dancing away with a chirp of glee, her eyes bright.

"I hope you’re ready, Berrystar..."She warned with a grin as she ducked low, scanning the bramble floor for anything resembling a feather.

I'm not just playing—I'm training to be a warrior!

✧･ﾟ: ✧ :･ﾟ✧⭑🍓⭑✧･ﾟ: ✧ :･ﾟ✧

Berrykit squeaked in surprised at the poke and spun around so fast he nearly tripped over his own paws. His eyes lit up like the sun. "Heathersneak!" He exclaimed in a gasp, dramatically pressing a paw to his chest. "My noble deputy! You've returned from the shadows to aid your fearless leader!" he proclaimed proudly, his smile like a beam of light within the nursery.

He puffed up proudly, giving his chest a few exaggerated licks before standing tall. "But obviously, Feather Scout Number One is Cedarkit. She found a blue jay feather once! With sparkles!" He turned back towards the bramble, tail flicking like a banner. "But that doesn't mean you can't be promoted too... if you survive this mission" he purred, a playful smirk tugging at the corner of his muzzle, he clearly had a plan that he wanted Heatherpaw to add onto

With a theatrical squint and a low, yet unserious growl, Berrykit pounced forward into the undergrowth and let out a victorious squeal. "HA! A clue from the enemy!" He bounded back into the open, triumphantly holding up a small, slightly bent feather that shimmered pale gold in the light. "Behold! The Feather of Shimmering Secrets!" It's tiny, but it shines!"

He placed it reverently between them, chest heaving like he'd just run a whole patrol. "This means we're winning, Heathersneak! Together!" He grinned at her with wide eyes full of giddy energy, his tail wagging like a happy pup. "Now let's fund another to seal our victory!"

The flower that blooms in adversity is the most rare and beautiful of all
❖ ⭒ ❖ ⭒ ❀ ⭒ ❖ ⭒ ❖

"It’s even prettier than I imagined… We must be on the right trail!" She nudged the feather gently with her nose before looking back up at Berrykit with a grin. "No feather is safe from us now." She flicked her tail in a triumphant swirl behind her, whiskers twitching with delight.

She pawed playfully at the mossball again, batting it across the den with a gleeful chirp. "The final feather must be hiding in that big mossy pile..." As she gestured toward the last untouched nest tucked in the corner. "But beware, my leader...There could be a spider or two in there!"

I'm not just playing—I'm training to be a warrior!

✧･ﾟ: ✧ :･ﾟ✧⭑🍓⭑✧･ﾟ: ✧ :･ﾟ✧

When the moss ball was launched across the nursery, Berrykit fell into a crouch at a speed that one would think his life depended on laying low. His pale blue eyes were keen and stuck onto the mossball as it made its landing near the only untouched nest in the nursery. The perfect target

Berrykit didn't flinch at the mention of spiders, he wasn't scared of a little bug! No matter how many legs it had. "Then WindClan wins..." he murmured under his breath at Heatherpaw's remark of the final feather, although his attention remained unwavering as he clumsily crept towards the spot as if trying to stalk a rabbit.

His ears perked upwards and swiveled about as if he was listening for an enemy warrior. It was only when he was met with Heatherpaw's breaths, her flexed his paws and bunched up his muscles before launching himself forward. "To victory, My Deputy!"