the winning choice was 𝗖𝗛𝗢𝗜𝗖𝗘 𝗧𝗛𝗥𝗘𝗘: make a start on his punishment by dropping into the elders' den.

anxiety swirled in stonechatpaw's belly as he made his way across camp towards the elders' den. he stood at the entrance for a second, heavily debating on going in or turning tail and finding another task to do — but he knew he had to face his grandparents some time.

taking a deep breath, to calm his shaking nerves, he forced his paws to move forward, ducking into the den.

inside, a pale, dim light punctured through the walls, speckling over the two elders who were finishing up a meal that a warrior must have delivered to them. his grandmother, oakfern, licked her paws clean, while his grandfather contently chewed on the remains of his prey. they were murmuring to each other, their voices low, bickering about something like they always did.

as soon as they noticed his presence, puffincrest's face lit up with a warm smile. he began to rise to his paws, ready to greet his grandson. ❝ ah! stonechatpaw! ❞ he rumbled.

but before puffincrest could say anything more, oakfern's sharp tongue snapped towards the younger feline in the den, and she cut her mate off with a stern tone. ❝ you've finally decided to show your face, ❞ she said with a slight snarl, which made stonechatpaw jolt.

puffincrest hesitated, his smile faltering as he glanced between his mate and grandson. he opened his mouth to say something, but oakfern spoke over him again, her voice growing more pointed. ❝ what were you thinking, sneaking out of camp in the middle of the night? and with robinpaw of all cats! you have always been the sensible one, but now this? ❞ her eyes grew narrow, and she flicked her tail. ❝ and don't even try and tell me that this wasn't your idea, ❞

stonechatpaw's heart sunk. he had known this was to come, but hearing the accusation directly was still like a claw to the chest. he opened his mouth to protest, but the words caught in his throat. he didn't want to lie, but he couldn't bring himself to throw his sister under the bramble either.

his silence seemed to confirm her suspicions. ❝ i knew it, ❞ she muttered, ❝ robinpaw would never have done something this reckless if you hadn't encouraged her. what were you thinking, leading her into danger like that? you could've both been killed! ❞

puffincrest stepped forward, placing a calming tail on oakfern's shoulder. ❝ now, my darling, let's not be too harsh, ❞ he said gently, ❝ they made a mistake, yes, but they're young. we all did foolish things when we were apprentices, ourselves included, ❞

but oakfern wasn't ready to let it go. she gave the slim tom—cat a sharp look before turning her glare back to Stonechatpaw. ❝ you were supposed to see an example for your sister, ❞ she uttered, ❝ but instead, you both put yourselves in danger. whisperstar may have sent a patrol to check the area, but that doesn't erase any of the danger you faced, ❞

stonechatpaw's ears burned with shame, and his head lowered, unable to meet his grandmothers gaze. he hadn't led robinpaw into the tunnels: in fact, he had tried to convince her to be careful. but he didn't stop her either, and in the end, he had followed her. maybe she was right to be angry with him.

piuffincrest sighed softly and nudged stonechatpaw's shoulder with his nose. ❝ were just worried about you, lad, ❞ he said in a much gentler tone that his sour sounding mate. ❝ we don't want to lose you or your sister, ❞

stonechatpaw nodded, feeling guilty. ❝ i'm sorry, ❞ he whispered.

oakfern's expression softened slightly, but her eyes still held a glitter of disappointment. ❝ see to it that this never, ever, happens again, ❞ she barked firmly.

puffincrest gave stonechatpaw a reassuring lick on his head, between the ears. stonechatpaw rose to his feet and turned, reading to leave.

puffincrest switches his tail to the side, and he gently meowed to snag his attention. ❝ just a sec, lad, ❞ he said with a mischievous wink, ❝ sit for a bit? i must say, i'm curious — just how big was that badger? did you get a good look at him! did you at least put up a bit of a fight, give his rear a good kickin'? ❞ his voice was chipper and cheerful, and stonechatpaw grinned as he tried to hold back a brief laugh.

he glanced nervously at oakfern, who was already fixing puffincrest with a scowl.

❝ don't encourage him! ❞ she snapped, her voice as sharp as frost in leaf—bare. ❝ this isn't a laughing matter. the lash thing we need is for him to think that sneaking out to camp and facing off badgers is a thing to be proud of, ❞

puffincrest chuckled, his deep purr rumbling through his chest. ❝ oh relax, i'm just trying to ease things a bit. besides, it's not every day a young apprentices like him gets to encounter a badger, and live to tell the tale. you are a grumpy moggy sometimes, you know that? ❞

oakfern's ears flicked back in irritation, but she didn't respond to puffincrest's jibe. instead, she turned back to stonechatpaw, her eyes still holding that stern edge that made him feel like a kit again.

not wanting to anger his grandmother further, the tom quickly dipped his head and mumbled, ❝ i should get to work. these nests can't clean themselves, ❞

he backed up, giving puffincrest an apologetic look before turning to the task at paw.

methodically, he pulled out the old, worn bedding that had grown stale and musty. the scent of smelly, aged moss filled his nose as he worked.

he carefully replaced the old materials with fresh, soft moss he gathered from the empty nests nearby. he listened in on his grandparents talking behind him. his grandfather was still chuckling, attempting to brighten the mood, while oakfern's gross responses showed that she wasn't ready to let her frustration go yet.

stonechatpaw felt a pang of guilt as he realised how his actions had worried them. they were both elders now, having lived through many trials and dangers. the last thing they needed was more stress caused by their grandkits getting into trouble.

with the nests now fresh and inviting, stonechatpaw stood back, satisfied with his work. he turned to leave the den, casting one last glance at them, as they were now quietly rested in their renewed nests. puffincrest caught his eye and gave him a subtle wink, while oakfern gave a small nod of approval.

stonechatpaw exited the den, ready to face whatever the rest of the day had in store for him.

( no choices this chapter! choices will
resume from chapter eight onwards,
as a small time-skip will go underway )