For Spottedmist, owner of Gingertail and Riversong.

Gingertail and Riversong:

Thorns

Gingertail and Riversong:

Jayflight's pale brown fur tugged against the brush which made up the medicine cat den, and cursing quietly under his breath he pulled himself through, fully realizing that he lost a few tufts of the soft coat in the process.

How he hated that den entrance.

Speaking with Honeyspots, however, always seemed to make up for it.

The plush medicine cat was organizing herbs, as she usually did when he came to visit, her paws making quick work of tossing various plants into the appropriate piles. There was the slightest jerk of her rounded head; her equivalent to an acknowledging ear twitch, which was something she failed to do since her birth due to a deformation, where her ears seemed to lay back in an odd connection to her rounded skull.

"Your den nearly tore my pelt off," the IceClan deputy commented in greeting, pressing against his kithood friend as he watched her work. She didn't even cast a single glance at him.

"Boo-hoo, pretty kitty," Honeyspots muttered under her breath, her dark eyes not leaving her paws as she expertly flung herbs every which way with every one of them landing in the correct corresponding pile. Jayflight was always impressed by his friend; even when she was a kit, she had an amazing memory. She would see a butterfly with patterns unique to it, then remember it for the rest of her life, just like how she memorized each pile of herbs.

Astonishing, really.

"What are you doing in here anyways, hon? You wouldn't come have your pelt ripped off just to complain to me about it." She also always had that sharp tongue that surprised anyone fooled by her sweet looks.

"Those two are at it again."

"Wow, that certainly clarifies everything!" If sarcasm were a venom which dripped from Honeyspots's snow-white teeth, they'd be drowning in it.

"Well, honey, I thought that with your vast knowledge you'd be able to deduct what I meant." Jayflight huffed, purposefully nuzzling into her cheek just to annoy her. A low growl resounded from deep in her throat, a sound few besides Jayflight have heard before. She didn't pull away, however, and instead leaned heavily against her "fake mate", as everyone referred to him as.

"There are lots of pairs in this clan, Jayflight," she pointed out, lifting her weight off him to return to her organization. The deputy watched as she bit off a few dry stems from a flower before tossing them behind her. Eventually he clarified:

"The two pranksters, Gingertail and Riversong."

Honeyspots stopped her work then, one leaf still held gingerly in her claws. Slowly, she placed it back down in the unorganized heap, and for the first time during his visit she looked at him fully, a frown on her plush white face.

"What'd they do this time?"

Jayflight turned so that his other side was visible to her. Thorns and thistles were stuck to his flank and left hind leg. "They put these pricky things in my nest."

While Jayflight sometimes liked imagining Honeyspots taking a genuine care in his well-being, he knew that would never happen unless his wounds were proven fatal, and to prove his point she simply sat there, staring at his flank, not moving at all to assist her friend.

"None seem to be embedded into your skin."

"A few are!"

Honeyspots rolled her eyes. "I swear, hon, you're such a kit sometimes." Even as she said this though, she pulled out a few herbs Jayflight didn't recognize (where Honeyspots's memory was incredible , his left much to be desired, he'd learned). She jerked her head in such a way as to say "follow me".

Surprised and mildly annoyed he'd have to crawl through the small entrance again, he followed wordlessly back out into the main clearing. Honeyspots dropped her few herbs at her paws, glancing around. Jayflight paused beside her, frowning at his friend. "What are you doing?"

"Looking for your nest invaders," her dark eyes flashed as she looked at him. "They hurt you; they get to fix you."

What she said made sense, as were most of the things that left her sharp-tongued mouth, but Jayflight himself wasn't at all sure he was comfortable enough to let anyone besides Honeyspots poke through his fur.

Honeyspots, when the two trouble-making warriors failed to come into sight, called to two of the kits playing in the clearing. "Vixenkit! Foxkit!"

The two ginger, fox-named kits stopped their play fighting, looking up at the two important cats before scurrying over, wide-eyed. Honeyspots looked down on them, gently though with authority. "Have you seen Gingertail and Riversong around?"

"I think I saw them hiding thorns in Sharpclaw's nest." Vixenkit's eyes lit up with excitement. "That's what I'm going to do when I'm older!"

Before either of the two warriors could even begin thinking of reprimanding the troublemakers-in-the-making, they bounded off back to the nursery, laughing as they continued their play. Jayflight was gaping, his look one of pure terror, one that had Honeyspots chuckling.

"Honey, please don't do this to me…"

"Why not?"

"If they have the guts to put thorns in Sharpclaw's nest...well, there's no telling what they might do!"

"Your deputy now, honey. You figure it out. Assert your authority."

And with those sarcastic, yet true words, Honeyspots disappeared back into her den, leaving Jayflight stone-still with horror.

Sometimes, he hated that she-cat.

And he hated the Prankster Team even more when he found even more thorns in his nest that night.

I know Gingertail and Riversong don't actually appear in this, but I just sorta followed my own flow. If you don't like it, Spottedmist, I'll happily re-do it for you. :)

And that goes for everyone I write on here. If you don't like the one-shot, then tell me and I'll write you a new one.

Review Replies:

snowwolf12132: Thank you, doll! :) And yes, may she offer all her heart has to offer.

BuzzyBumbleBee: Thank you for pointing that out! While I did mention the creator, I'll be sure to make things more clear from here on. :)

Thanks to Spottedmist for the Prankster Team. :P