Not It

Chapter 17

The sun rose above the campgrounds once again. The warriors left their dens to commence their tasks once again. The medicine cat began to sort through the herbs once again. The elders remained silent once again. The kits of ParsleyClan lay around the nursery, bored out of their minds, once again.

"I'm bored." Pigeonkit groaned, stuffing his face further into his nest.

"Hi bored, I'm Furzekit," Furzekit said, smiling at the younger kit. Pigeonkit scowled at the other tom.

"That's the lamest dad-joke!" Pigeonkit squeaked, fluffing out his fur. "Listen, I'm bored. We gotta do something!"

"Maybe we could listen to everyone and see what they want to do?" Applekit pipped up, her hazel eyes shining jubilantly at the two. "It makes things fair, too!"

"Everything with you is fair so that means everything is unfair," Pigeonkit replied. "But that's the best suggestion we have now. Who wants to start?"

"Me!" Swiftkit shouted, barging into the nursery with energy that could put even the fastest rabbits to shame. "I don't know what is going on, but I want to go first! Let's go!" She roared.

"Swiftkit..." Troutkit mumbled, looking at the energetic white she-kit. "All that you want to do is race us."

"Yeah!" Swiftkit squealed. "If we practice running, it will help us as apprentices! I mean, the prey isn't going to sit around and wait for us to slowly walk up and catch it!"

"But what about fishing?" Pikekit interrupted. "We don't always have to resort to mice or voles. Fish can taste good."

"Ew! The fish are just all squirmy and floppy." Swiftkit wrinkled her nose in disgust. "Not to mention they stink like the elders." Troutkit and Furzekit smiled at her comeback. Pikekit flattened his ears.

"Well, it's just because you don't try the fish!" Pikekit fought back. "Besides! The fish is only floppy and squirmy before it's dead!"

Swiftkit still didn't look convinced. "But the fishy will always be floppy!"

"How is it floppy in your stomach?" Troutkit asked, tipping her head to the side.

"I think---" Furzekit was cut off by another one of Pikekit's outbursts of food.

"Fish is the best thing you can ever taste! The slimy meat swimming down your throat---"

"That just makes eating fish sound worst!" Swiftkit squealed. "Fishing isn't going to help us as apprentices!"

"Is too!" Pikekit fought back. "Who knows? The rabbits might leave one day!"

"They will never! We'll chase them down! That's why running is helpful in this situation! Fishing isn't going to help! That's why rabbits and voles are better than fish!"

"No!!" Pikekit shouted back. "Fish are better!"

"Rabbits!"

"Fish!"

"You're stupid!!!"

"Lamest comeback!" Pigeonkit shouted at Swiftkit. That only boosted Pikekit's ego.

"At least a fish doesn't have to breathe the same air as you! A fish dies if it breathes the same air as you!"

"A fish dies if it breathes the same air as you!!!" Swiftkit fired back.

"Hey! Hey!" Applekit snapped, jumping in between the quarreling kits. "This is supposed to be fair! Not strangle each other!"

"But we never resort to a good, settled debate!" Pigeonkit protested with a high pitched voice. "Making us figure something out with words is like forcing Swiftkit to stop running!"