Owlkit's apprehensiveness gradually eased the farther he walked. Every step brought on a new wave of confidence, and his worry for his mother's reaction faded. Even the uncomfortable rocks gradually turned to dirt soft enough to cushion the kit's fragile paws. It seemed like nothing in the world could stop him.

[I]"Boo!"
[/I]
"AHH!"

A large creature bounded on top of Owlkit, trapping the him between its legs. The black kit thrashed around in panic and confusion before finally curling up into a tight black ball. His fur bristled and his needle like claws gripped the ground. "Please don't eat me!" he squeaked pitifully. Owlkit trembled, slowly opening up a single eye to stare at the creature that had trapped him. The longer he looked, the more it seemed like a cat. In fact...the kit blinked in surprise. It was a cat! But it was enormous, bigger than the largest warrior in his clan.

"Y-you're not going to hurt me?" he asked hesitantly, slowly rising up. Owlkit's eyes grew bigger at the offer to be escorted back to his clan, and he gave a timid nod. While the kit was far from ready to stop his little adventure, there was no way he was going to say no to this giant of a cat.

"Can I ride on your back?" Owlkit requested, his fear quickly turning to awe. "Why are you so big? What's your name? Wht are yiu doing here? Are you gonna join Boulderclan?" His tail lashed excitedly with each question. "I'm Owlkit, by the way."
[hr]
Roseclaw gave a stiff nod of affirmation. "Not bad," she growled. "But not good either. A blind badger without a nose could tell the difference between juniper and blueberries." The words were harsh, but it was the closest thing she could to a compliment she would ever offer. Roseclaw crouched and began harvesting the herbs. "Juniper is particularly useful. Its berries can ease bellyaches and treat shock. The leaves are particularly useful for coughs. I expect you to remember all of this, or else." She finished and gestured for Copperpaw to carry them. 

"Now, next we--" Roseclaw froze as her nose caught a faint yet familiar scent. One that should've been on the far side of the river. [I]No...please don't let [/I]him[I] be here. [/I]She had warned him many times not to visit, and still the idiot wouldn't listen. The medicine cat muttered an empty prayer, a hint of panic flashing in her amber eye before the usual irritation took over. "Sorry, Copperpaw." She turned in the direction of the scent. "There's been a change of plans."
[hr]
Sunflame followed his leader through the dense woods. He kept up surprisingly well enough, though occasionally he did lag behind. Gone was his usual nonchalant mannerisms, instead choosing to remain quiet for the duration of the patrol. The kittypet jabs surfaced too many feelings he had tried to keep hidden with his jokes and flirts and, while he was indeed thankful for the deputy coming to his defense, his history was still too sore of a subject to really get over.

An odd scent shook the red warrior from his thoughts. The young warrior slowed to a stop and looked around, trying to decipher who or where the the scent was coming from. It wasn't Oakclan nor their rival Boulderclan, but it didn't seem like a loner either. Feline, but at the same time not. Sunflame's fur bristled in paranoia. "There's an intruder," he reported, claws sheathing and unsheathing.
[hr]
The patrol was close. Briar's ears pricked in interest as he took note of this development. Perhaps it was time to drop a visit. If he was lucky, they would even remember his brief time as a member of Boulderclan. Though the loner didn't blame them if they forgot. He had stayed for less than a few days, and even then he spent most of his time outside camp. Being around so many cats like that felt so unnatural and, while Briar was generally friendly, felt uncomfortable sleeping in a den so full of other cats. But though he left, he held no animosity towards them. Quite the opposite really.

With a shrug, Briar continued to walk, following the scent until he caught sight of the patrol.