"Get up and try again!"
Oakwhisker huffed as he got up, Adder was pacing back and forth on the far side of the clearing. As Oakwhisker raised himself up onto his paws, Adder took a leap at him paws outstretched towards him. As the dark tabby attempted to dodge out of the way, Adder was quicker and landed a good blow on the top of his head.
Oakwhisker stumbled slightly as the blow stunned him, his leg trembling behind him with a slight hint of pain coming through. As he struck back at Adder in return, he could feel his body shift from the effort which Adder took advantage of. As she swiped his legs out from under him, and Oakwhisker felt the ground crash into his jaw again. "Come on, you should already have this down."
Oakwhisker glared from the corner of his eye, as he rose up to his paws and jumped to not show his back to the she-cat. He needed to remember to keep his weak spot; leg, out of the she-cat's range. As he braced himself close to the ground, his claws digging into the earth. His amber gaze burning deep into Adder's, as the dark brown tabby got ready for another attack. As Adder looked up at the sky her meow turned dark. "Our time tonight is over, now you must return to the Colony."
The world grew dark and the bedding under him, as he returned to the world of the living.
…
Oakwhisker sat down on the root of the oak beside his betting, Peach had been the one to bring him prey that morning. With the young tom helping with all of his activities for this morning. Ivy said that as soon as the next hunting patrol comes back, they can get him out and doing more to better help his leg. But for now Oakwhisker busied himself by watching the kits play a game of moss-ball across the clearing.
Peach was on the same team as Juniper's kit Goose, meanwhile the other two kits Holly and Fidget were on their own team. Each one competing to see who can keep the ball between them the longest, with the pale ginger tom currently holding the record by Oakwhisker's observation. Peach was practically racing ahead of the other kits, sometimes the game would come close to where the dark brown tabby was laying in the clearing and he would bat it back across to the young ones.
"My son seems to have taken a warm to you."
Sparrow was sitting not too far away, the pale brown she-cat watching the game as well. It was her turn to watch the kits while Juniper joined the hunting party earlier. The mother as the colony called them was licking a paw to draw over her fur.
Oakwhisker laughed at her comment, as he batted the ball away again. "I can't seem to shake him off my tail, that's for sure." he mused as he watched Holly dart in front of Peach to catch the pall this time, the dark brown tabby's whiskers twitched as he saw the pale ginger tom race after the black she-cat while Fidget played defense this turn. "But he is a young tom, and deserves to enjoy youth as much as possible. I'd rather not break his heart when I get back on the path home." Oakwhisker admitted, looking back at Sparrow.
The pale brown she-cat turned her attention to him. "I doubt he wouldn't be determined to return to the clans with you, just yesterday he was determined to bring the other kits into a game just about them… or a modified version of them as he described it." Sparrow murmured, her gaze turning dark for a second. "I do not want to lose my only kit, after Sandy died just a cycle before he was born."
Oakwhisker dipped his head to the queen, his attention being drawn back to Peach. "I wouldn't want to take him away from his family either, but the tom does have a will that I don't think I can break." He agreed with the pale brown she-cat, his tail twitched beside him. "But my home is too far away from the Colony, and… I don't want to take such a promising cat away from all of you either. If there was a easier way, then I would make sure it would never come to it."
Sparrow looked down at her paws. "If it comes to it, then… fine," she murmured, "the ways of your clan are unfamiliar with me, but I do not want to leave him unhappy and sad. Just… promise that you would not let any harm come to him?" the mother shifted while not looking the dark brown tabby in the eyes.
Oakwhisker took a deep breath as Peach tumbled across the clearing. "I promise." he answered, almost on point as Peach looked over in his direction with a bright smile on his face. Oakwhisker smiled warmly back at the young tom, who brightened up and went back to the game at hand.
The dark brown tabby smiled as he watched the kits play, his heart heavy as he thought back to getting to see Thornkit playing. His fur bushing to the chill leaf-fall air, as he wanted to be transferred far away. Back to the warm embrace of his mate, watching and laughing at the kits' games. But his current position could never leave him, but as he looks back at the young kit… he felt if he may have messed up.
Sparrow had left at some point, heading over towards a rock closer to the kits. Oakwhisker didn't even watch the she-cat leave, as he instead turned into his cove of the camp. Settling down inside of his nest to calm himself down, his paws itched to return home before his son's apprentice ceremony. Since his father had died before Oakwhisker became one, he didn't want to leave Thornkit feeling the missing space either.
Oakwhisker looked up just as Peach had arrived on the Root that he was previously perched on himself. "Is everything alright?" the pale ginger tom asked, dropping to the grassy floor below. "I saw you looking a little down before you came back here, and no cat needs to be sad!"
Oakwhisker shrugged his shoulders as he laid his head down. "I'm fine." the dark tabby answered, as he met the young kit's gaze steadily. "I thought you were playing with your friends?"
Peach flicked his ear as he laid down beside the dark tabby, his paws tucking neatly under his chest. The pale ginger tom wrapped his tail neatly around his paws, as Oakwhisker turned his head to watch the kit. "You don't deserve to sit around in sorrow." Peach said as he nudged Oakwhisker's side. "Come on now, what's got you down so?"
Oakwhisker flicked his tail and sighed. "Just thinking about home, but I wouldn't trouble you with it." he answered as his tail twitched behind him. "Our homes and families hold a special spot in our hearts after all, and some who have to leave it all behind can find it difficult to adapt to a new change of life." the dark brown tabby swelled up and tried his best to lighten the mood. "But it is in struggle that we grow stronger, sometimes a different perspective allows us to rethink ourselves."
Peach brushed up against the dark brown tabby. "I am sure you'll be able to go back to your clan, all paths lead to where we belong… as Rock would say."
Oakwhisker chuckled as he nudged the young tom right back. "He isn't wrong in that either, we all will find our own way back." He mused as Peach rose up onto his paws, as the pale ginger tom perked his ears. The dark brown tabby listened as well, as he rose up to his own as well at the sound of Rock calling his name. "You should go back to your game, I think Ivy is ready to assess my hunting skills with my leg."
Peach nodded as he leaped up onto the root of the oak tree. "I hope I can hunt with you sometime." Peach called as his green eyes sparkled before he dropped back down into the clearing.
Oakwhisker chuckled as he padded out around the tree, heading back out towards the pale gray and white she-cat who was sitting expectantly by the entrance with a warm smile.