"Come on, Rabbitleap!" Plumwillow called, flicking her tail impatiently.
"Coming!" Rabbitleap, a brown tom, puffed. He was plumper than his littermates—Plumwillow, Creekfeather, and Nettlesplash—and therefore was finding it much harder to keep up. Creekfeather watched, half-amused and half-annoyed, as Rabbitleap clawed his way ungraciously up the cliffs to the top of the gorge.
"'Bout time!" Nettlesplash scoffed. The pale brown tom was usually enduring, but even Nettlesplash had been exasperated at Rabbitleap for slowing the four of them down. Creekfeather, a gray tabby, paced until Rabbitleap had finally hauled himself next to the trio. Creekfeather was perhaps the most impatient of the four and his bright blue eyes were glimmering with infuriation like stars twinkling in the night sky.
"Leafstar will hear us!" Plumwillow pointed out, trying her best to be tolerant. The dark gray she-cat was as fed up with Rabbitleap as Nettlesplash and Creekfeather but, as the unofficial leader of the group, she had to keep cool.
"Forget Leafstar!" Creekfeather spat. "The whole Clan will hear us thanks to clumsy over there!" He shot poor Rabbitleap, who was still catching his breath, a look of cold fury.
"Come on, let's just have some fun!" Plumwillow purred in anticipation. "It's our first day as warriors!" She puffed out her chest proudly.
"Yes!" Rabbitleap, finally catching his breath, leaped to his paws. "Where are we going?"
"How 'bout the old Rat's Nest?" Nettlesplash dared.
"I-I dunno…" Rabbitleap stammered.
"Scared?" Creekfeather taunted.
"No!" Rabbitleap said confidently, but shifted his paws as he said so.
"Then let's get to it!" Plumwillow, wagging her tail excitedly, forget to keep her meow down.
"Sh-h-h-h!" The other three cats reminded her. Plumwillow slapped her dark gray tail over her mouth.
"Oops!"