𝙄𝙣𝙙𝙞𝙜𝙤𝙠𝙞𝙩𝙘𝙧𝙪𝙣𝙘𝙝𝙚𝙙𝙤𝙣𝙖𝙢𝙤𝙪𝙨𝙚𝙗𝙤𝙣𝙚, savoring every last bite of the scrawny creature. Multiple sunrises had passed since her adventures with her father and Mapleleaf. She hadn't been able to talk much with either of them recently. The Clan was bustling with energy as the sun dipped down, casting oranges and reds on the rocks that outlined the quarry as GroveClan's home. Indigokit jerked her head up as warriors walked down the path into camp. Shadefur, Frostpaw, Thrushsong, Hailflurry, and...Sunflare. Indigokit exhaled a huff of disappointment. Her father was on the last hunting patrol.
Indigokit watched as the recent patrol dropped their fresh-kill off. They caught a mouse, a fat blackbird, and two skinny squirrels. Sunflare murmured something to Shadefur, and the dark brown top picked up the blackbird from the pile. She watched as he entered the medicine den, disappearing behind the lichen. Indigokit recalled back to Deadfang explaining that one of the caves in the medicine den was where fresh-kill was stocked when leaf-bare started approaching.
Indigokit felt a chill breeze ruffle her fur. It had gotten cooler over the past few days. Thornscar was ordering more and more hunting patrols to stock up for leaf-bare. She assumed that the cave where the fresh-kill was stored was cool enough by now to keep it from spoiling before leaf-bare arrived. It was going to be her first leaf-bare. It helped to know the Clan was already preparing, most likely because of the extra mouths to feed this season.
Indigokit was drawn from her thoughts when Willowkit got to her paws, looking deep in thought. The vole Skyrose had given her was hardly touched. "Aren't you hungry?" Indigokit asked, poking the vole. There was nothing wrong with it.
Willowkit just shrugged, turning around to go into the nursery. Fawnkit nearly ran into her as he exited. His fur was ruffled from a nap. He yawned and stretched each leg, his eyes brightening when he noticed Willowkit's vole.
"Is that mine?" he asked sleepily, padding up to sit beside Indigokit.
"It might as well be. Willowkit hardly touched it." Indigokit got to her paws to deposit the bones of her mouse in the crevice between the warrior's den and the dirtplace tunnel.
"You don't have to tell me twice!" The words hardly left his jaws before he was digging into the vole.
Indigokit chuckled, gathering the bones to make her way across the camp. Fernwave and Featherbreeze lay outside the elder's den, chatting amongst themselves like starlings as the sun bathed their pelts in pretty orange light. Foxstar was speaking with Flutterstorm and Brackenleap outside her den. Wrenflutter and Beamkit were deep in thought outside the medicine den, their heads tucked close together. Indigokit shifted her gaze away from the Clan as she began to cross the camp. She stopped abruptly as Skyrose made her way over from the dirtplace tunnel, keeping Indigokit from walking any further.
