"Everyone, Floodpaw and I have a proposition to make."

Heads lifted from their placement on paws, curious eyes aimed at the eagerly smiling OceanClan siblings standing tall and proud in front of the other four. It had been another few sunrises since Flarepaw's incident and the group of 'paws still hadn't found the motivation to leave their comfortable hollow. For the first time in days, this place was starting to feel somewhat like home.

Wildpaw lay on his side, a lazy eyelid cracked open to register the two standing almost obnoxiously close. Fallenpaw sat a few tail lengths away tending to his pelt. Anemonepaw ceased his mutterings about herbal remedies while Flarepaw slumped with her back to the group. It appeared as if she wasn't listening, but the position of her ears said otherwise.

"What is it?" Fallenpaw looked up, genuinely interested even if his hollow-mates weren't.

"Well," Floodpaw began, almost ready to burst. He barely managed to keep his voice to a low enough register where it wasn't squeaking. "Mistpaw and I have been talking and it seems like everyone has been going through rough patches." The gray tom felt his moxie drop as Flarepaw snorted loudly, apparently against whatever the young OceanClanner was about to say. Mistpaw stepped in.

"We decided that since everyone's a little tense, we should all unwind and relax."

Anemonepaw's ears twitched, craning his head closer. "And how do you propose we relax?"

The siblings shared a childish giggle.


"Keep going, just a bit further. No peeking!"

"How are we supposed to peek when StarClan forsaken moss is plastered over our faces?!" an angry shout brought up the rear of the huddled traveling party.

"Don't complain, Flarepaw," Fallenpaw urged as he walked beside the MagmaClanner, green eyes cloaked by the scraggly foliage like the others. "Just trust them."

"Yeah, trust," she scoffed, a dry chuckle in her throat. "How do we know these flea-bitten weasels aren't leading us to a hungry fox? I say they've gotten fed up with us and are sacrificing us to the mighty clan of foxes."

"One; that's crazy. Two; clan of foxes? Third; how can you say such harsh things to our friends?" A surprised gasp came from not Fallenpaw- but Wildpaw.

The reddish feline laughed, "Easy. Just like you're a- oomph!" Her sneer was cut short, bumping into the hindquarters of the medicine disciple. "Hey, why'd you stop?" she asked in a huff, disgruntled that her taunting wasn't completed.

"We're here," Floodpaw announced cheerfully from the head of the pack, his tail swishing against ferns repeatedly. "You may now remove the moss and step forward."

Now allowed to remove their bindings, four clumps of moss hit the grassy earth, optics blinking away the remaining debris. Mistpaw and Floodpaw settled themselves at either side of a clump of heavy brush. Each sent a mischievous wink before slipping through the foliage, expecting the others to follow. Seeing no alternative, the smaller group shrugged and pressed on, shoving past the leaves that tickled their pelts.

"Welcome to your getaway relaxation!" Mistpaw squeaked, hopping on her paws with barely contained energy. The quartet couldn't comprehend the sight before them. Before their very eyes, a large glittering pool sat untouched, shaded by an overhanging willow tree. Moss clumps gathered around the outskirts, providing a soft border around the crystalline liquid.

Floodpaw piped up, "Well? What are you all standing slack-jawed for? Come on!" With that said, the tomcat bolted for the pool, his sibling on his heels within seconds. Shrieking and laughing, both flew with grand leaps, refreshed as a cool wave engulfed their dry and waterless fur coats. It seemed like forever ago that they had last seen the comforts of home. The closest memory they had was that heavy rainfall. But the overhanging trunk and branches seemed to complete the nostalgic feel- eerily reminding them of the safe guarded Star Willow that resided deeper within OceanClan territory. This was hardly the same thing, but none the less, it felt much more like home than the past few days.

When their giggles died down, twin eyes settled back on the rest of their rag tag team and the fact they hadn't made any motion to jump in- instead deciding to hover near the edge. Flarepaw especially was cowering in the rear, looking at said pool with unbound hatred. Floodpaw couldn't hold back a slow blink of uncertainty. "Guys? Come on in, the water's fine. Don't you want to relax?" He at least expected Anemonepaw to join them, but so far the brown 'paw hadn't made any interest.

"It's not that we don't appreciate your offer, but it would be best to keep going," Fallenpaw urged in the politest way he could. "We've wasted plenty of days here already and I think we just need to get on with our travels. Besides, you two are really the only water lovers. Anemonepaw just tolerates it. Wildpaw and I aren't comfortable with it and Flarepaw..." he drawled on with a sigh, glancing back at the bristling she-cat. "Flarepaw just loathes it. Simple as that."

"But- " Floodpaw's lips quivered, eyes sorrowful. Mistpaw was probably mirroring his expression the way siblings did.

"Finally, gaining some ground on this quest," the reddish apprentice grumbled, tail swishing.

"You need some fun in your life!" Mistpaw whined, paddling to the edge where her paws found a better grip and felt wet fur press beside her as a show of comfort.

It was then a sly smirk spread its way onto a certain cream tom's muzzle. "Yeah," he purred loudly, voice silky and smooth in a similar manner that he would use to woo she-cats. "Ease some of that tension out of yourselves. Have a little fun!" With a loud pronunciation, his hindquarters swung into the short tempered apprentice, sending her sprawling, tripping over her own paws and with a large splash- she had crashed into the drink.

As her red fur disappeared from view under the water's surface, the air went dead silent. No one breathed for those single seconds, too stunned to create and form of noise. Once those voidless moments passed, crimson flashed from sapphire as the petite 'paw broke through to the surface, an enraged howl on her lips.

Color drained from the faces of the remaining cats on the shoreline, Wildpaw having enough common sense to try and hide behind Anemonepaw and Fallenpaw. Within seconds, grunting, wheezing and heavy bellows grew in volume, easily heard over the flailing splashes. Her soaked black forepaws shot from the dreaded liquid, gripping the earth with the ferocity matching the image of a cursed creature rising from the grave. The very action sent chills down spines, ears flattening slowly against craniums, and the moon-like shape each widened optic was mimicking. Flarepaw's sleekened body slid with great effort onto the surface, imitating a drenched kitten. By now, her claws had been unsheathed, evident bloodlust gleaming in her furiously narrowed amber pools.

Fearing their lives, the Fallenpaw and Anemonepaw duo stepped to either side, revealing a shivering Wildpaw- green orbs watery and shot with horror. He knew she'd be pissed- but not this much...

"Now listen," he tried to calm her down with a shuddering breath, taking backward steps for every one of her advances. "Let's not be rash. I'll admit, that was rabbit-brained. But let's not do anything you might regret in the near future, hmm?" It was only a matter of time before he broke down and started groveling. He didn't know what was holding her back from springing and tearing out his throat. It wasn't like Fallenpaw or any of the others could stop her when she was like this. It was also surprising at how little she spoke. She only prowled forward- making no sound. There were no words, no growls, no hisses, no vocalizations whatsoever. Her silence was quickly setting him on edge.

Flarepaw halted, having her prey trapped between the barrier of plants and her claws. Her lips curled up in a sneer, baring unusually sharp fangs. Wildpaw hated to think the damage they could do to him.

"Now, Flarepaw," Anemonepaw interjected. "You can't possibly kill him. I don't have the herbs to treat life threatening wounds nor would we allow you to travel with us."

"Anemonepaw's right," Floodpaw agreed, seated on the water's edge with Mistpaw. "We can't have a murderer coming along with us."

Flarepaw retorted with a snort that suspiciously sounded like a bark of laughter. "Like I'd kill him. First of all, if I were to kill off this pathetic waste of fur, I wouldn't do it in front of you all. Second, I'd make the final blow as long and drawn out as possible. And third, it wouldn't be a crowd gatherer."

Wildpaw coughed under his breath, "Sadist."

The red she-cat fixed him a glare, but continued her monologue. "No. This little frog is going suffer exactly what I did." Without warning, swift as a viper, her jaws connected with his scuff, instantly creating tension. Gasps of horror resonated through the crowd. Their horror blown eyes remained wide as Flarepaw cursed her smallness, heaving the bigger body back towards the pond.

Grunting loudly, a final huff brought the cream tom splashing into the water. Coughing and sputtering, he surfaced, flabbergasted features meeting the smug grin of the tiny apprentice accompanied with a rather satisfactory wink. "Now we're even."

Turning away to shake out her waterlogged pelt, her actions were answered with full blown snickers. Floodpaw was on his side, probably crying as Mistpaw tried and failed to calm him back down. Discouraged, but nonetheless amused, Anemonepaw was smirking in content while the ginger and white tom beside him was definitely howling with laughter.

"I don't think I deserved that," Wildpaw huffed indignantly, yanking his own soggy pelt from the depths of the water source.

"Oh no, you definitely did," the medicine cat replied bluntly, whiskers twitching. "In fact, I don't think it was punishment enough." Sniggering, the sleek brown tom lurched with outstretched paws, knocking the scruffy BlizzardClanner back into the substance he only just escaped.

Fallenpaw was right behind him in a flash, defending his clanmate as he rammed the medicine apprentice into the shifting waves. "Punishment enough for you?" he called childishly, only to find himself sent forward courtesy of a sibling duo.

"Lay off!" they chimed, giggling profusely as their momentum carried them down.

"For MagmaClan!" the last of the six willingly plunged in, tackling the nearest feline- which so happened to be Floodpaw.

"Ahh!" he fake screeched, "I'm being attacked!" A splash of water came to Flarepaw's eyes- no doubt an OceanClan move.

"I'll save you, brother dearest!" the light gray she-cat of the pair yowled. "For the glory of OceanClan!"

"Not if BlizzardClan has anything to say about it!" Wildpaw surged, sending a wave at the mock battle.

"You cuttlefish! It's time for revenge!"

"Catch me if you can!"

"Got you!"

"No one gives a flying flipper, Fallenpaw! Get those worm infested claws off my back!"

Splash.

Laugh.

Howl.

Giggle.

Roar.

Repeat.


"Thanks Floodpaw, Mistpaw." Anemonepaw acknowledged his clanmates with a friendly dip of his head, all six huddled in a patch of the dying sunlight, hoping to dry out their soaking pelts.

"Yes," the orange and white, self-proclaimed leader, agreed. "Without you, I'm sure none of us would have experienced fun on this journey. You've certainly earned yourselves a place among us. Honorary BlizzardClanners."

"Aww jee, thanks," Mistpaw flushed, trying to be modest as she ducked behind her chuckling brother.

"Hey guys, is it just me or do that mountain range look familiar?" Wildpaw spoke up, drawing the attention from everyone else.

"Hmm, I'll say it looks rather nostalgic," the sage-eyed medicine 'paw gave his consent, nodding his head.

"Are you really all daft cave mice?" Flarepaw playfully thwacked their heads, turning her slender crown in the direction of the slopes- dark silhouettes against the reddening sky as the sun quickened its decent. "Those are the MagmaClan mountains. In other words...home."

Home.


And there we have it. Leaving off on a rather cheery note. Good thing too, from here on out, we're in for a bumpy ride. Hold onto your hats ladies and gentlemen- the plot awaits...

- Snarky