#>chasing

Shimmerprickle was babysitting the kittens, as was her duties as campkeeper. Sporekit was snoozing lazily under the shade cast of the Herbalist's rocks, while Sorrelkit and Chasingkit wrestled. Larkkit and Warmkit were both fearfully taking turns putting their little paws in the tide pools that made the outter border of camp, right next to where Shimmerprickle sat. She was always there to be a big sister to the little balls of nervous floof, especially now that they were up and walking. She hoped to mentor one of them when the time came- Sorrelkit, especially. He was spunky and would go along great with her prima donna attitude.

She barely felt the bite when the snake sank its teeth into her. She blinked and looked over to the small snake, a bright orange-yellow thing, with pink-red eyes. It had darker yellow spots, and a scoop shaped nose. It dug into her fur more, like she was a mouse, and it hit skin. Only them did she hiss in pain, and bit at it. Warmkit and Larkkit looked over as she tore it off her, leaving a gnarly looking wound in her right shoulder, and began crying- loudly. They ran straight for Greydrizzle, babbling and talking over each other. Shimmerprickle rolled her eyes and followed them, the snake making a foul smelling musk as she walked. Gross.

Greydrizzle began making a bandage and herbs slop mixture when Mothleaf and Perch got a good look at the snake that bit Shimmerprickle.

"Oh, thank Starclan, that's not a rattlesnake!" Mothleaf sighed, watching as Shimmerprickle set it down. The snake, oddly, turned belly up, stuck out its tongue, and stopped breathing as heavily.

"How do you know?" Shimmerprickle asked, flipping the snake over, to which it flopped back over and musked. Again.

"Well, for one, it's really small, and the tail has no big segments on the end. And for two, that behavior! This is what Quietclan calls a 'Puff Adder'! They're huffy little things, only mildly venomous. You'll be fine with a bit of poultice, you might get a bit of irritated skin, or like you've been stung by a bee. We'll have to monitor you for any allergic reaction- Murmurstar had- has... a pretty bad reaction to Puff Adder bites." Mothleaf morosely looked at the adder as it refused to participate in the conversation. Perch put a paw on its neck and it wriggled around.

"I wonder how a snake like this got here. It's too... bright. A hawk or... some other critter would've already made it their lunch at this point." He picked it up gently, making sure to keep his mouth over its neck, so it couldn't move its head to bite.

"Twolegs sometimes keep them things as pets." Badgerpatch said, leading in a tired looking patrol of Slipgoose and Meadowshade. "By the way, Perch, next time you an' yer," he cast a scathing look at Mothleaf, "ladyfriend, wanna go rollin' th' clovers, TELL US WHAT THE NINE HELLS TANSY LOOKS LIKE!" Badgerpatch hissed, hackles raised. Perch held his jaw open as he scoffed, face red. Mothleaf hid her face in her fur, as Meadowshade put a paw over the snake Perch accidentally dropped.

"SHUT THE FUCK UP! I HAVE A MIGRAINE!" A weak but still feisty voice screeched back. Poor Fennelspot. Greydrizzle lead Shimmerprickle over to an empty nest, close to Honeytide, who was still stricken with a mangled tail. His heat exhaustion had left him, along with Rainflick's heat stroke. Shimmerprickle settled down nicely as Greydrizzle began dressing her bite, two little sets of eyes watching.

Warmkit was the first to approach, ears and tail tucked as she waddled up to Shimmerprickle. "S-sorry I din't tell you sooner..." She sniffled. Shimmerprickle just smiled and pulled the kitten closer, and licked her wild fur calm again.

"It's okay, baby girl, you're not the one whose supposed to keep the camp safe by her lonesome. I was the one who should've been watching out." She cuddled Warmkit close as Larkkit scrambled over, huddling into her left side. "Same goes for you, little sunbeam! I'm not mad at either of you." Larkkit didn't say anything, but his body untensed. Shimmerprickle laid down fully, 'trapping' Warmkit in her paws and under her chin, as she began to give the baby a bath.

~~~

Outside the medicine den, Sorrelkit found an opening in the walls of camp, a tunnel just barely kit sized, that he could squeeze through. Nobody knew, and he always made sure to come back home before too long. But his confidence grew more and more with each visit. Soon, he thought, he'll try catching his own prey! That'll make him a warrior even before his siblings! Maybe next moon, when he's three whole moons? That was the age a big bad leader from a long forgotten clan made kittens like him apprentices, but it'll be all right!

Sorrelkit is strong.