"Warriors of ThunderClan, attack!"
Lunarpaw leaped into Bumblestripe, who fell to the ground with a thud. "Hey!" He growled. "Leave off! I'm a friend!" He playfully pushed the little silver tabby she-cat off of him, who grinned sneakily. Bumblestripe opened his mouth to say something when a fluffy white and brown tom landed squarely on top of him. "Gotcha, Bumblestripe!" he crowed, his green eyes gleaming.
Bumblestripe chuckled and moved out from under the fluffy little tom. "Cloudpaw and Lunarpaw, my own private enemy Clan." He looked at his son and niece, amused. "Now that you've ambushed poor old me, don't you have anything better to do?"
"Oh, nothing but training and fighting for our Clan." Lunarpaw purred. She, Cloudpaw and her sister Stormpaw had been apprentices for two moons, and Lunarpaw couldn't think of anything she'd rather be. I'm going to be just as great a warrior as Ivypool and Mousewhisker one day! she thought, thinking of her parents. Everyone knows that Ivypool was really important in the battle against the Dark Forest. I'll be that important too one day.
"Yeah, hunting for the elders, protecting kits, that old stuff," Cloudpaw mewed nonchalantly, jerking Lunarpaw back to their game. She glanced warmly at her friend. They had been denmates ever since they were kits, and because her sister Stormpaw had felt her calling was in the medicine den, it was Cloudpaw who had shared her training.
Before he could respond, Bumblestripe was on his side with a little black she-cat on top, holding him with claws sheathed. "Do you surrender now?" she purred.
"StarClan help me! Stormpaw too? Have you got the whole apprentice's den after me? Where's Alderpaw? Or Firepaw? Are they going to attack me too?" Bumblestripe wailed in mock despair, looking around as if he expected the other apprentices to ambush him at any moment.
"No, you look pretty outnumbered to me." Graystripe padded over from the elder's den. Lunarpaw took a few pawsteps backwards, fearing the old former deputy would be angry. "Now, are you finished letting my grandchild and the others beat you up?" A rusty purr rumbled from the elder's throat, and Lunarpaw relaxed. His gaze turned to the black she-cat still perched precariously on Bumblestripe. "Now Stormpaw, I believe medicine cats don't attack."
Stormpaw clambered off of Bumblestripe, her eyes gleaming with mischief. "But I just did!"
"And I have the soreness to prove it," Bumblestripe winced, rising to his paws.
"What's this about someone beating up Bumblestripe?" A gray she-cat padded over, her whiskers twitching with amusement.
"Dovewing!" Bumblestripe gasped. "Our son was attacking me and your sister's kits were in league with him!"
Cloudpaw rushed over to his mother. "It was Lunarpaw's idea!"
"Well, I'm sure he can defend himself. I'm afraid I have to go on a hunting patrol now." As she padded towards the thorn tunnel, she flicked Bumblestripe's shoulder with her tail. "Take care, now. They are pretty dangerous," she purred. Bumblestripe's gaze was warm as he watched his mate turn and race through the tunnel.
"Very funny," Graystripe purred. Then, an angry yowl split the air, coming from the medicine den. All the apprentices shrank back except for Stormpaw, who flicked her tail. "I guess Jayfeather needs me," she mewed calmly, and padded towards the medicine den, her cousin and sister warily following at a distance.
Bumblestripe stood up and padded over to stand beside his father, watching the three young cats. "So much of Firestar in that one.." The old cat murmured, watching Stormpaw thoughtfully. "Even more so then Firepaw or his littermates, and Firestar is their grandfather."
Bumblestripe chuckled. "Don't forget, she has Ivypool's temper. I never saw Firestar get mad in my life." He paused as the silver and white tabby squeezed out of the warrior's den and started yowling at Sparkpaw for putting wet moss in her nest. "I rest my case," he muttered warily, flicking his ears towards the scene.
Graystripe continued watching the apprentices. "Maybe I'm wrong, but you'd better watch those three." He looked his son in the eye. "And I'm not usually wrong."