[ti]Private[/ti]Honey Buns

[M'Lady]

Sunnypaw was absolutely loving the freedom that apprenticeship gave her. It also helped that Fennelskip seemed just as enthusiastic about the whole experience as Sunny did, it was incredibly fun! She and a few other cats were returning from her second or third patrol, and she stopped somewhere on the way back. She'd promised the kits still in the nursery some stories, and by Starclan, she wasn't going to let them miss out! So when the she-cat spotted an empty bee hive on the way back, she'd told her mentor to wait a moment, and scrabbled her way up to claw a bit of honey comb that showed through the crack in the edge. 
They didn't usually see any in camp, not unless some cat had a sore throat and went to Larkbeat. 
She walked the rest of the way back to camp with the tiny golden treasure wrapped up securely in a large dock leave, as per someone's suggestion, and immediately went towards the nursery when she entered the clearing, her movements quick and graceful as befit the dainty she-cat. 

When she entered the familiar den, she was struck by a brief sense of nostalgia. It hadn't been long since she became an apprentice, but already it seemed like forever since the last time she'd been in here. Maybe it was because she was bigger than all the other kits now, maybe because she'd seen so much in the past sunrises, maybe because her mother and sisters weren't here anymore... Well, no matter, she was on a mission! 

"Hummyki!" She called out, her voice muffled by the bundle she carried delicately in her jaws. She placed it down carefully, shining eyes glancing around to look for the familiar brown furred sweetheart. "Honeykit! I brought you a present from patrol today!" Sunnypaw declared proudly, puffing out her chest valiantly. It seemed like such an accomplishment now, that she was allowed to go out on patrol. Being an apprentice was amazing!

[noctemq]

The nursery was fun and all, but Honeykit couldn't help but be bored occasionally. There was only so many times where throwing moss at his siblings was funny and he was simply just too energetic to take a nap at the moment. He always looked forward to visitors and was incredibly grateful to them for breaking the monotonous routine he's been living for the past few months. Hearing all of the experiences both apprentices and warriors faced in the outside world made him want to grow up faster.

His dark brown ears flicked behind him. Upon hearing his name called, Honeykit nearly tripped over his little paws in order to greet Sunnypaw. His fur stuck out unevenly from a lack of grooming and (too much) play, but he was too excited to stop and tidy up. A wide grin adorned his face.

"What is it?" He lowered his head to sniff at the bundle of leaves. It smells... sweet? Honeykit was hesitant to unwrap it and extended a paw out to give the bundle a good poke. He looked up at Sunnypaw for guidance and an explanation to his mysterious gift.

[M'Lady]

She laughed in amusement, the sound akin to the crackling of ice on the first New Leaf day. She watched, in continuing joy, to see him poke the bundle suspiciously. With a twitch of her whiskers, she unsheathed a claw, and carefully pulled apart the dock leaf wrapping to reveal what was held inside. A piece of honeycomb, which looked to have been torn from it's home, lay in the center of the dark green leaves. It was warm and golden compared to its surroundings, and oozed the sweet concoction from its hexagonal pores.

"It's you!" She spoke cheerily, her tail swishing back and forth behind her to accompany her bright mood and words. "Well, not YOU you, but it's honey!" Sunnypaw hummed. "It's sweet! Just like you." She teased, reaching a paw over to bop the brown furred kit lightly on his head. She had an urge to smooth out his fur, but resisted it. Knowing the little scrap of fur, he'd probably mess it up again in the next few minutes. "Go ahead, taste it! I promise it's good." She swore, giving a decisive nod to accentuate her words.

[noctemq]

As the dock leaf unraveled, Honeykit’s eyes grew wider and he took a half step closer towards his gift, blinking in acknowledgement with a grin when Sunnpaw gives him a little tap. He’s heard about the sweet treat he was named after, but never had a chance to taste it yet. Some cats describe honey as a delicious delicacy, and others complained that is was just too sweet. Honeykit couldn’t believe that something could be too sweet.

“Didja have to fight a bunch of bees? Oh, oh, did you have to claw them out of the air?” His focus on his gift was temporarily broken at the thought of an exciting fight story. Honeykit swiped a paw in the air, fighting off imaginary airborne foes. He snapped both of his paws together, as if he caught a bee between them. As he paused, triumphantly, Honeykit’s attention turned back to the honey. He bent down and gave it a slow lick, collecting some of the golden syrup on his tongue.

Honeykit quickly looked up at Sunnypaw. “Ish good!” He exclaimed, the gooey honey preventing him from enunciating properly.

[M'Lady]

He seemed excited. That was good, kits were fun when they got excited. Sunnypaw might be a little biased, she had been a kit herself until Owlstar pronounced her an apprentice just a little bit ago. She giggled as he swiped at the air, trying to claw something that wasn't there. She shook her head slightly, though eyes gleamed in her amusement.

"I don't have any battle stories for you today," She hummed, sweeping her tail over her paws. "But I'll come tell you as soon as I do!" She announced, her tone as excited as the kits. She watched eagerly as he tasted the delicate treat, beaming when he looked back up at her to exclaim his satisfaction. Sunnypaw grinned brightly, feeling rather happy that her escapade to get the golden comb hadn't been wasted after all.

"I'm glad you like it!" She purred happily, wondering if she should inform Larkbeat of the empty beehive. Ah, well, she'd get to it. She'd much rather spend time with her previous denmate. Her eyes lit up when she thought of a story she wanted to tell him, and settled down next to the kit as he ate his treat.

"Oh! You should've seen what happened this morning!" She hummed, her pride leaking into her tone. "I caught a vole! It wasn't the biggest thing, but one of the warriors sure liked it!" She mentioned, ears swiveling forward to listen to the small kit. "And you should've seen Stormypaw! Her catch was brilliant. She flew through the air, flew! Some of the other apprentices were impressed too!"

[noctemq]

Honeykit crouched comfortably next to his treat and continued to lap at it with a relaxed rate. Just a little bit of honey at a time was sweet enough for him, and he was in no hurry to finish it. A thought of sharing the honeycomb with some of the other kits popped into his mind, and he silently agreed to himself to only eat around a fourth of it. Honey was a lot stickier than he originally thought it would be, which caused him to awkwardly smack his lips together and flick out his tongue to try to keep his muzzle clean.

He turned his attention back to Sunnypaw at the mention of a fun hunting story. He listened intently while still smacking his lips together, images of Stormypaw gliding in the air gracefully, claws first. Every time Honeykit heard about all the duties apprentices and warriors had, he couldn't help but think about his own future. Apprenticeship felt like it was a million moons away, so he lived vivaciously through those older than him.

"Will you show me a few hunting tricks?" Honeykit's tail swished behind him with anticipation, her stories just fueling his desire to grow up. He backed away from the honeycomb and lowered himself close to the ground, as if he was preparing to pounce on some unsuspecting prey. His form was incredibly off, but that was to be expected for a kit. "--When I'm an apprentice, of course," he glance flickered to the side, just recalling the rules.

[M'Lady]

Her eyes narrowed and sparkled mischievously, as she crouched down to meet the kit at eye level.

"Why wait until you're an apprentice?" She hummed, tail swishing side to side in her excitement. She obviously wasn't a real hunter yet, but would it hurt to show Honeykit a few things she learned from Fennelskip? She at least was competent enough to do a real hunter's crouch! She nudged the kit lightly with her paw, and then turned so she was facing slightly away from him, so he could watch her with a sideways view.

"The first thing you gotta know about hunting is a crouch!" She exclaimed, before dropping into the typical pose she was taught earlier. It wasn't perfect yet, but it was rather close. She slid into it fluidly. Even if she wasn't the best, she certainly picked up things fast.

"Make sure you keep your tail still, your belly close to the ground but not touching it," She continued, and then pulled herself forward carefully with her paws to demonstrate movement. "And you move like this, so prey doesn't hear you!" Sunnypaw told him, before tensing her muscles ready for the jump.

"And when you're ready..." Her eyes focused on a beetle, making its way out the entrance of the den. "You pounce!" And she did, with a quick kick of her hind legs, she landed with a thump, forelegs first, with her paws square on the beetle she had aimed for.

[noctemq]

Honeykit watched, his eager golden eyes sparkling with enthusiasm. He has hunted a fair share of bugs, moss balls, and whatnot, but it has always been done incorrectly with little guidance. Every now and then, a warrior might humor him and give him a small tip, but Honeykit wanted to know more.
He imagined himself dragging in a squirrel twice the size of him into camp and victoriously carrying it to the elder's den. Warriors gave out a gasp of amazement, the apprentices' jaws collectively dropped, and Honeykit was made deputy on the spot.

Shaking himself out of a fantasy, Honeykit observed how Sunnypaw lowered her stance and leaped forward on the beetle. He was already wiggling in place, wanting to give a pounce a try.

"Okay, that seems pretty simple-- It's my turn!" More excited than focused, Honeykit flattened himself down, looking rather rigid. He was being too self-conscious about his tail's positioning, so it stuck out straight behind him like a twig was attached to his rear. His footsteps were exaggerated as he tried to stay as quiet as possible. Honeykit locked his target onto a freshly fallen leaf. With a noisy running start, he jumped forward and crashed down onto the leaf with his whole body, only then to roll over and snap it between his paws. He looked up at Sunnypaw for approval as he laid down in an awkward, yet comfortable position.

"Can I add this leaf to the fresh-kill pile now?"