Sleepy, as usual

[`.`SnowCloud`.`]

Snowcloud lay in his nest, grooming his ratty pelt. Face it, Snowcloud. He told himself. You are an old cat, your time as a warrior is over. The tom let out a cough and flicked his flea-bitten white tail. "Nobody to play with today!" He huffed. "Just the sun on my pelt and the scents of an old tom around me." He laughed hoarsely and ended it in another cough. "Yes, it is my wish to join the elders. I do believe." He rasped.
With that the elderly white tom closed his eyes and fell into a light sleep, waiting for someone or something to wake him up for a meal.

[turtlekit]

A small maine coon kit made her way into the den. Her small eyes lit up with determination. The small icy blue of her eyes were strong. She stared at the tom and sorror stabbed through her. The young kit twisted her nose in confusion. She padded forward, keeping her belly low to the ground, her paw slowly outstretched. Turtlekit felt her paw quiver in fear. Her paw got closer and closer until it finally touched the old white pelt of Snowcloud. She leaped back in fear, hoping that Snowcloud wouldn't be angry. She could feel the soft brown black fur of the vole that she had dragged from the fresh kill pile. She had been saving it for herself but, she wasn't hungry. She pushed in front of her noseing it towards Snowcloud.

[`.`SnowCloud`.`]

SnowCloud grunted as a little paw jabbed him. "Watch it you little-!" He stopped short as he saw the adorable yet frightened face of Turtlekit. The old tom smiled and looked down at the vole. "For me? Thank you, child." He purred and sat up. "Say, would you like a story, dear one?" SnowCloud meowed as he took a bite of the vole. Wonderful juices and extraordinary flavors raced to his taste-buds. The elderly tom breathed in deeply, taking in every scent.

[Lonehowlerz]

"Yes please,"Turtlekit purred her eyes getting big. The small kit settle herself close to Snowcloud. She stared up at him with big wide blue eyes. Her tail twisted in curiousity. a beatle trampled in front of Turtlekit's paws. Turtlekit pawed at the sand forming a circle around the beatle hoping it would keep it locked inside. Slowly the beatle trampled over the circle. Tutlekit snorted and pawwed the beatle with a sheath paw flipping it over onto it's back. Her graceful little white paw flipped it over agian. The beatle sped for it. Turtlekit lowered her self into an awkward yet good crouch. With a twitch of her nose she lunged at the beatle landing paws ontop of it. The beatle dug down into the sand to pervent the small kit. Suddenly becoming bored with it she trotted over to Snowcloud and settle down beside him.[/color]

[`.`SnowCloud`.`]

The elderly cat watched as Turtlekit tried to catch a beetle, but failed many times. "Well, I shall tell you about LeopardClan, and how they won the river. That was one of my favorites." SnowCloud shifted his weight to his other paws and slouched down a bit, finishing off all of the vole except for the last bite, which he nudged over to Turtlekit. After a few moments of pure silence, while he thought over the story to get it right, SnowCloud began.

"Long ago, in a time when the forest was young and untouched by Twolegs, the three clans of mighty cats lived there, they were our oldest ancestors, all the way back. They were meeting at a Gathering one day in the frosts of leaf-bare, when Goldenstar, the mighty LionClan leader announced there was a boar loose in the forest.
The LeopardClan leader argued that there were many wild boar loose in the forest, but the TigerClan leader Shadestar agreed with Goldenstar that this boar was like no other! He was as large as a horse with tusks as thick as sycamore branches and fleece of black hair as sharp as thorns!" SnowCloud paused to stretch out his paws and yawn. "Shall I go on, Turtlekit?" The elderly warrior paused to anticipate the kit.

[turtlekit]

Turtlekit's wide eyes watched the warrior with pure curiousity. "So what happened to the cats,"Turtlekit asked as she tore off a bite of the vole. She quickly fininshed the vole before the story continued. "What happened,"Turtlekit hissed as she twisted her tail in anticipation. Her mind was whirling with many thoughts, had the boar killed the cats or had they killed the boar. Turtlekit kept her eyes on Snowcloud.

[`.`SnowCloud`.`]

SnowCloud purred and searched his memory back to his kithood. "Well, while the Clan leaders were talking about the boar worriedly, a bold LeopardClan warrior stepped foreword. Her name was Fleetfoot. She meowed 'Ha, such a beast would be no match for a LeopardClan warrior!' Well, she may have been too bold. Because the Clan leaders told her to prove it, and Fleetfoot agreed!
Of course, the LeopardClan leader Swiftstar wanted something in return. So she asked for the river. Shadestar was catious, as all TigerClan cats. But Goldenstar agreed that LeopardClan may claim the river as their hunting grounds for one moon." The tom paused to breath in deeply and then cough loudly, wheezing at the end. The aging white tom cleared his throat and sat up a little straighter. "So it was settled. But there was something Goldenstar and Shadestar did not tell Fleetfoot. . ." The tom trailed off, waiting to see Turtlekit's reaction, which was adorable to SnowCloud.

[foxpaw]

Turtlekit's eyes got big. Her whiskers twitched in fear for Fleetfoot. "But..but why would Goldenstar and Shadestar be so mean,"Turtlekit hissed. The she kit leaped to her paws and began to run around the warriors den. "Take that Goldenstar,"Turtlekit yowled. Playfully she raced over to Sbowcloud's tail and lunged at it. Her small paws outstretched in pride. The small kit's jaw was stretched into a small smile. She made sure her paws were sheath as she battered his tail with her paw.[/color]

[Arrowheart]

Snowcloud tried very hard to hold back laughter, but a few small chuckles escaped him. "Well I suppose you want me to go on then?" The tom smiled. Ah, Turtlekit is adorable. I shall have to ask her company more often when I officially become an elder. The tom shook his pelt and then leaned over to lap some water where the rain from earlier that day had collected.
The cool liquid ran down his throat, quenching his thirst and helping his cracking voice. After settling back down again, the tom went on with his story. "Well, the hunt began that night. Fleetfoot found Rage with little difficulty and raced after him, hot on his heels! They ran and ran until the wild boar came to an open cliff and went hurtling off the edge before he could stop himself. But Fleetfoot knew better than to think that was the end of him. She leapt down into the river below, and wrapped herself around his back, pinning him under the water until her lungs were bursting for air!" The tom smiled, remembering the excitement of this part of the story. "Finally, when the sun rose over the gorge, Fleetfoot and Rage washed up on the shore of the river. She had succeeded in killing the wild boar. But when the brave LeopardClan warrior staggered to her paws, she saw something that made her head ache. . ."

[Lonehowlerz]

"Go Fleetfoot,"Turtlekit yowled leaping into the air. She ran over and launched herself at Snoecloud. With a small burst of pride the purring kit staggered onto Snowcloud's back. She smiled revealing her small little white teeth. "That'll show Goldenstar and Shadestar,"Turtlekit hissed. She quickly pawwed Snowcloud's fur. When she was around Snowcloud she felt like he filled the empty space she hadn't been able to feel since Winterbird. She felt as if this warrior was her father. Blood, her real father, hadn't cared for her nor her dead brother Soulkit. She missed Soulkit. He had been carried away by a hawk, for he was deaf. Turtlekit's heart swelled. She then stared down at Snoecloud.[/size]

[`.`SnowCloud`.`]

Snowcloud smiled and watched the kit for a moment. He rasped again, letting out a shaky cough. "Erm, sorry Turtlekit. Now. . . where was I?" He thought over the story. 'But when the brave LeopardClan warrior staggered to her paws, she saw something that made her head ache. . .' Ah yes, the female boar. The tom smiled and took the main-coon kit's scruff in his teeth, bringing her down to sit between his relaxed front legs. "When Fleetfoot looked up she set eyes on a much fiercer, stronger, bigger, creature. This one was the she-boar Shadestar and Goldenstar knew of. Her name was Fury, and she was Rage's mate." The tom smiled and went on. "Fleetfoot and Fury fought on the bank of the river for two stars* and two suns. Finally the exhausted Fleetfoot drove Fury out onto the stepping stones, where Fury lost her footing, fell into the river, and drowned. Goldenstar and Shadestar were ashamed of their treachery. The young LeopardClan warrior had saved them all from two terrible enemies. So instead of letting LeopardClan the river for one moon, they gave LeopardClan sole hunting rights to the river forever. And that, Turtlekit, is how LeopardClan won the river." The tom stopped his story and smiled. The whole time he had been telling it he had actually been fighting Fury alongside Fleetfoot, and he had been there when Swiftstar praised him and the other LeopardClan warrior for their brave work.
He sat there in the silence of his thoughts and imagining and looked back down to Turtlekit. "Did you enjoy the story, love?"

((stars* = nights))

[foxpaw]

Turtlekit listened to the rest of the story her ears perked forward in awe. "Wow, I wont to be a great warrior just like you and Fleetfoot,"Turtlekit yowled as she quickly patted her paw into the dirt. She slowly dug a hole in the ground and lay down in it to keep her cool. Her aunt Lyra had showed her this trick. Turtlekit watched with full eyes as Snowcloud looked down at her. "Yes I loved it,"Turtlekit purred.

(writers block)

[Arrowheart]

The older tom smiled and lay his head down on his paws. 'A great warrior like you and Fleetfoot.' He heard the kit mew. Ah, it is nice to see someone thinks I was a great warrior. The tom thought with a sigh. He coiled his tail around the side of his body and blinked back a solitary tear. "I know you will be a great warrior, but you will be better than me. . . and maybe even Fleetfoot." The tom smiled, his blue eyes filled with a love for the kit. "But promise me, you'll stay away from all the toms that think they're 'oh, so cool'. Okay?" Snowcloud meowed.

[lyra]

"I promise Snowcloud,"Turtlekit purred. Her small ears twitched with the love that she had for the elderly warrior. "I will visit you a lot too,"Turtlekit promised her eyes lit up with lov. She slowly pressed her muzzle into his fur and rubbed her tail across his back. She smiled and curled up in a ball at Snowcloud's side. She touched her tail tip to Snowcloud's paws. She let out a small yawn and stretched and slowly drifted into a doze.[/color]

[`.`SnowCloud`.`]

Snowcloud was surprised as Turtlekit settled down to sleep with him. But that was soon clouded over by admiration for the adorable kit. "Ah, my Turtlekit. My Turtlekit." The tom purred and relaxed his body, laying his head down on his paws and letting out a long sigh. Right now, life is good. Old age doesn't matter. And in the end, memories are just memories. There's no need to let your past destroy your future, Snowcloud. The tom sighed and closed his eyes, letting himself fall into the same slow breathing sleep that had taken Turtlekit off to dreamland.