[center][color=forestgreen][h2]Waterstar and Smokekite[/h2][/color][/center]
Pushing her paws out in front of her, Smokekit found that her mother was no longer curled up around her. She opened her eyes barely, looking around the leader's den. She was nowhere to be seen in the darkness. Standing up, Smokekit leaned forward and stretched out her legs, sheathing and unsheathing her claws into the stone as she did so. She padded out of the den only to run straight into her mother's hind legs, as Waterstar was perched at the edge of the den, looking over the cats as they came out of their dens and various places to eat what this morning's hunting patrol had brought. Her pale blue eyes scanned over the area, memorizing who all was up and who all was still in their dens. It was barely sunrise, so the elders may yet be up, but Waterstar noticed that the medicine cats were out and eating, as were a few of the apprentices. 

"Are you alright, Mama?" Smokekit asked, padding over to sit down next to her mother as she regained her balance from running head first into the sturdy adult cat. 

Waterstar turned her head slightly and smiled down at her kit. "Of course I am child." She did not lie either. She was happy to see the clan awake at this hour. That means that they would have more day to go through and prepare for. That also meant more hunting patrols that she could create. She did have the biggest clan to take care of. She flicked her tail over Smokekit's ear before picking her up in her mouth and bounding down off the rock which she stood. She set Smokekit down and said, "Now off to the nursery with you." Smokekit did as she was told, reluctantly. 

Waterstar proceeded to make her way over to the medicine cats, dipping her head in greeting. "Hello, Rockpelt. Sunpaw. How are you?" 

[hr]

Skypaw blinked open his eyes, looking around the apprentice den. He seemed to be the only one in there, at the moment. He padded out of the den and looked around, looking for his mentor, of which he did not see quite yet. He perched at the edge of den, stretching for a brief moment before padding toward the center of camp. It seemed deserted, or no one was up quite yet. He shrugged his muscly shoulders and sat down in the middle of the Ashclan camp, waiting for the return of food that he could help to distribute.