"Hey! That's mine!"

The pattering of pawsteps was heard as the tiny fluffball of fur barreled into the side of the older, larger kit. Her tackle did little to him though, and the tiny kit was thrown back down onto the dusty ground. Her little paws flailed in the air before she managed to scramble back into a standing position.

"Give it back!" she mewled.

"Why should I? If you want it, then jump up and get it, Starkit," the brown tabby kit answered.

"Briarkit! That mouse is mine! Please give it back? Please?" Starkit asked in a small voice.

Briarkit's whiskers twitched and he turned and jumped onto a small boulder, "you want it? Come and get it!" He promptly dropped the mouse on top of the boulder and jumped off, landing next to the younger kit. "Hope ya get it!" he sneered before scampering off to join his littermates in a pretend patrol.

Starkit gazed up despairingly at the mouse. It seemed so high, yet she knew it was only a quarter of a foot off the ground. She bunched her muscles and sprang up, but only just missed the top of the boulder. Her claws scraped uselessly against the hard surface and she plopped back down onto the ground, causing a puff of dust to plume up. She let out a frustrated mew and pushed herself onto her paws, shaking herself.

"Need some help?" a voice asked from behind her.

Starkit whipped around in surprise to find Wildheart standing behind her with an amused look.

"Uh…I…yes, please! Briarkit stole my mouse and put it way up there, where I can't reach!" she complained.

Wildheart's gaze flicked up at the mouse on top of the boulder and back down at the kit, "Here, why don't you try it again?"

Starkit widened her eyes in disbelief that the warrior wasn't going to just get it for her, like the others, but she did as he asked. She turned back to the boulder and bunched her muscles again, then leaped up, scrabbling with her claws to get a grip. She failed to find one, and slipped back onto the ground. "See? I-I can't do it!"

"Well, with an attitude like that, you never will. Now, try looking for something to grip onto with your claws when you fling yourself up. Then you can push off of the pawhold and climb up to the top easily."

Starkit sighed," Okay."

She looked up and noticed a small crack that she was sure hadn't been there a moment ago. It was just large enough for her to fit her claws and push herself up. She prepared herself, and then sprang up awkwardly and just managed to snag her claws in the crack and haul her small body up onto the boulder. She turned around to see Wildheart give her a nod.

Then she grabbed her mouse and was about to jump down when she realized just how tall the boulder was to her. If she tried jumping down, she could twist something. She stood shaking on the boulder.

Suddenly teeth grasped her scruff and before she knew it she was safely on the ground. She twisted her head around and met Wildheart's sparkling eyes.

"The hardest part is getting back down, kit. Remember that," he said as he turned and padded away down to the center of camp.

Starkit stared happily after him for a moment before she began walking back to the nursery and to her adoptive mother. Perhaps growing up in ForestClan wouldn't be so bad…