I'm having a hard time writing Night, so I decided to do this little one-shot to clear my mind and help inspire me. Hope you all like it!

In The Nursery

Pinekit sank down to a hunter's crouch, swishing his tail back and forth behind him. He was eyeing a plump, gray mouse just a tail-length in front of him. He silently crept forward, almost catching it...

"Get up, you lazy lump!" A shrill voice broke through Pinekit's dream and shook him into reality. Pinekit rolled over and opened one lazy eye. On top of him was a light gray kit, eager to play. Pinekit closed his eye and tried to go back to sleep. "It's too early to play, Puddlekit! I was having a wonderful dream about mice and I almost caught it when you pounced on me!" He curled into a ball and tried to block Puddlekit's excited shrieks.

"You're such a grumpy furball! Why should you dream about mice when you could really catch one?"

Pinekit leaped up, suddenly excited and full of energy. "That's a great idea! Let's go!"

They began towards the entrance of the nursery, planning on catching more mice than they could dream of. However, a light tan she-cat barred their way.

"Now, now, little kits," she said softly. "Some cats are trying to sleep."

"No fair!" Pouted Pinekit. "It's not our fault that everyone's so boring!"

The she-cat purred with amusement. "You can play in the nursery. It's just as much fun in here as it is out there."

Pinekit sighed in defeat. "O-kay." He then marched back to Puddlekit with as much dignity as he could muster. "Quilfeather says we can't go outside and play because everyone's sleeping!"

"Aw!" Mewed Puddlekit. "Now what can we do?" She sat down with her back to Pinekit and started to lick her paw.

Pinekit got an evil idea. He crept towards Puddlekit without making a sound, and then with a "SUPRISE!" he leaped on top of her, claws sheathed. Puddle kit yelped with suprise, then turned on him and started batting at him with her paw. "I wasn't ready, Pinekit!"

Pinekit puffed up his chest and spoke with great pride. "It's Pinestar to you!"

Puddlekit's eyes widened, and then assumed the same position as Pinekit. "Then I'm Puddlestar! And I'm invading your territory, Pinestar!"

Puddlekit ran towards Pinekit, bowling him over. Pinekit landed on the soft nursery ground with a huff and wriggled out of Puddlekit's grasp. "No way! You can't be leader too!"

"Hmph!" Meowed Puddlekit, and started to lick her chest.

"Hey! How about we're a Clan! And I'm the leader and you're the deputy!" Suggested Pinekit. He scrambled up a pile of moss, pretending it was Highrock.

"All cats that are old enough to catch their own prey gather around the Highmoss!" He yowled.

"Highmoss?" Shrieked Puddlekit. "That's stupid!" She jumped on top of the moss pile and shoved Pinekit out of the way. "I, Puddlestar, declare-"

"What's all the racket over here?" Came a grumpy voice from deeper in the nursery. A dark gray tabby queen made her way to where Puddlekit and Pinekit were playing. "What are you doing, yowling and screaming? Cats are trying to get some rest here!"

Pinekit flattened his ears and looked up at the tabby she-cat. "We're sorry, Cloverpad. We'll be more quiet."

Cloverpad's face softened, and she licked Pinekit on the ear. "It's okay. How about you go see the elders? Maybe if you bring them a piece of freshkill, they'll tell you a story!"

Puddlekit and Pinekit brightened at the mention of a story. "Okay!" Yelped Puddlekit, and she ran out of the nursery towards the freshkill pile. "Hey! Wait for me!" Meowed Pinekit, and he sped after Puddlekit. "I'm getting Jadefoot an extra fat mouse!"

Pinekit snatched a plump mouse from the pile, not unlike the one in his dream, and raced towards the elder's den where Puddlekit was setting down a squirrel down in front of Harestep. Pinekit skidded to an aprupt halt in front of Jadefoot, a dark brown elder with white back paws, and dropped the mouse in front of him. "Hi!"

Jadefoot exchanged a glance with Harestep, a gray she-cat, and purred. "Hello, Pinekit, Puddlekit. What brings you to the elder's den today?"

Puddlekit padded next to Pinekit and sat down. "Nothing..." Pinekit then flicked her with his tail and meowed loudly, "Can you tell us a story? Please!"

Harestep looked, amused, at the two kits looking expectedly at the elders. "Well, we were just talking about Frozenstar when he was just an apprentice, weren't we, Jadefoot?"

Jadefoot looked up, as if he were searching memories of long ago, and nodded. "Yes, we were. In fact, we were talking about the time when Frozenstar drove a badger out of the nursery all by himself."

Pinekit and Puddlekit looked at eachother, their eyes wide in wonder. "All by himself?" Puddlekit squeaked.

"Yes," Harestep told them. "It was a cold night, in the middle of leafbare..."

Puddlekit and Pinekit cuddled up next to eachother, staring at Harestep as he told the story of Frozenstar and the badger, and envisioned every detail of the story. As Harestep drew her story to a close, Pinekit and Puddlekit were barely awake, and by the time Harestep said "the end", they were fast asleep, their noses tucked into each other's warm fur.