A Glorious Morning!

[Yoko]

Rabbitheart yawned as he slipped out of the Warrior's Den. He hadn't slept in, which was incredibly rare for the care-free tom. His father was noticeably absent from the Warrior's Den, he had noticed because he did not hear the familiar snore of the Senior Warrior.

Rabbitheart felt the moist green grass between his paws as he stepped out. The morning was chilly, but certainly not close to Leaf-Fall mornings. There was quite a bit of activity in the early-risen camp. The only still cat in the clearing appeared to be Patchpaw. The orange apprentice was grooming herself beside the apprentice den. Rabbitheart called 'Good Morning' to her, to which she responded with a courteous smile and nod before continuing to groom.

The golden tom made his way swiftly to the nursery and stuck his head inside. It was, of course, empty aside from the shadowy form of Ravenkit, who seemed to wake at the very scent of the older brother. With wide, dark blue, eyes, Ravenkit scampered over to Rabbitheart and the two were soon playing in the space just outside the nursery as always.

"Gotcha now!" Ravenkit mewed, pouncing on Rabbitheart's tail and sinking his teeth in.

Rather than yell, Rabbitheart meerly gritted his teeth and mewed, "Yup, you got me that time, Bro."

Patchpaw licked her paw after greeting Rabbitheart. The golden tom was nice, but she disliked how lazy he seemed. Always sleeping in and playing with that kit-brother of his.

As if on cue, she heard playful laughter coming from the direction of the nursery. Patchpaw shook her head in disapproval, but neither took any notice to her, and she continued her grooming. It was getting light now. Almost time for DawnPatrol to return. It was much brighter than when the apprentices and mentors had left but nowhere near Sunhigh. Patchpaw was a bit anxious. How long were these things supposed to take? Was he doing well? Well of course, he was! She continued to groom her fur until it glistened in the morning light and all she could do was wait for them to return.

[:c a i:]

((*Wants to post Lionpaw >_<))

With a big yawn, Flameclaw wandered past the apprentices' den, almost walking straight past Patchpaw without seeing her because he was preoccupied with his plans for the day, and thinking about what needed to be done still. Her orange-and-black fur caught his eye though, and he paused on his way to grin at her and call out a friendly greeting.

"'Morning, Patchpaw! What are you doing over there looking so anxious?" It didn't matter if he were completely swamped with duties, Flameclaw always liked to stop and have a chat with his brother's apprentice. He was quite fond of the little she-cat and made a point of looking out for her. "You're not thinking about that fluffy old tom friend of yours, are you?" He rolled his eyes dramatically. He knew Lionpaw was out on his final assessment now, and if he passed he would be made a warrior when the party returned.

[Yoko]

((OOC: You can post him bringing back the prey x3 ))

BIC: Patchpaw glanced up at her mentor's striped brother. She nearly hadn't seen him, so consumed was she in making her fur lie down smoothly. She flashed a bright morning smile, always pleased to see him. She never knew what to expect.

"I don't look anxious do I?" she mewed quickly, worried for a moment about this, but then she reminded herself he was probably just teasing. "He's not fluffy, or old. And don't you think I can groom myself just for the pleasure of looking nice? Perhaps I wanted to impress my mentor? When he comes to get me, I'll be up and completely ready to go."

This, of course, she said to distract Flameclaw from the fact that he was completely correct. He did bring up a good point though. There was quite an age difference between herself and Lionpaw...but what did that matter to friends? Well...admittedly he was quite different from the other toms in the Clan she was friends with. Pushing away the flutter in her belly, she looked back at Flameclaw.

"Have you seen Tigerheart?" she mewed patiently. It was her own fault she was up so early, and she was completely content to wait in the clearing and see Lionpaw return.

((Not prompting. x3 Just trying to make conversation.))

[:c a i:]

((OK. ^_^ BTW it's Flameclaw, not Flametail. =P))

Flameclaw raised his eyebrows, not taking Patchpaw's explanation for her excessive grooming at all. "You look more anxious than Sparrowfur did on his warrior assessment, and that's saying something." He grinned rakishly, only teasing the little apprentice. He was exaggerating, of course, but Patchpaw wasn't to know that. "If you groom yourself anymore, you won't have any fur left. And I bet you don't want Fluffy to see that." He snorted with mirthful amusement, unable to resist teasing her a bit about the tom.

"You want to impress Tigerheart?" Flameclaw's eyebrows rose even more. "Well in that case, I don't suppose you'll be interested to know your fluffy friend is coming through camp entrance right now." Flameclaw could see the young tom striding into camp over Patchpaw's shoulder, and he smirked down at her. "And no, I haven't seen Tigerheart. He might've gone out for a bit, but now you've got him to amuse you, you should be all right." He went off chuckling to himself, thinking back to when he was Patchpaw's age. A long time ago, that was for sure!

It should have been a moment of pure triumph and happiness, but as it so happened, the edge of excitement of completing the last stage of apprenticing had been somewhat knocked off by the events that had taken place out in the forest. Lionpaw was an almost sombre figure as he strode in through the camp entrance, eyes keenly seeking out the figures still in camp. His gaze rested on one cat in particular for a moment before he approached her, still carrying the pieces of prey which proved his readiness for becoming a warrior.

Lionpaw was still thinking about the cats who were still out from camp were doing. Had Ashstar organised everything for the WindClan kits? When would she be back? It was not lost on him that today was the day he would receive his name, and he was full of eager anticipation for it, but he couldn't help but feel the importance of the day might be overshadowed by whatever would come from the meeting with the WindClan cats. As Lionpaw stopped by Patchpaw, he smiled briefly.

"Hi." said Lionpaw. He gestured vaguely to the fresh-kill he'd temporarily put down so he could talk to her. "So... I finished my last assessment." He didn't sound quite as enthusiastic as one might have thought. "Got a bit more than we bargained for. But... I'm going to be a warrior." A smile broke out after that one, and he looked down at Patchpaw for a long moment. It might be weird, not sharing the same den anymore. They could still be friends, of course, but it was still going to be a good few moons before she became a warrior in her own right. And in the meantime... Would they see each other less? Or just the same? Or more? Lionpaw didn't know.

[Yoko]

OOC: XP Epic fail on my part. I edited it.

Patchpaw's ears burned at Flameclaw's words and she promptly stopped grooming. She kew she shouldn't take him so seriously, but something about the subject made her fur prickle. Seeing herself bald was enough to make her sit still. Stubbornly, she turned her head away, but when he said Lionpaw was back her amber eyes widened. He was teasing again, right? But she was learning well how to tell the difference and he seemed to be telling the truth.

She turned around with a smile, nervous, not nearly as bright as she felt, but was surprised to see that he was the one a little down. Did I not go well? What do I say then? But she looked down at his fresh-kill pile. He had caught plenty! Surely he would be made a warrior, then? Luckily, he explained before she had to say anything. But it left her more at a loss for words. He seemed so down.

Keeping her smile, "Hi Lionpaw. So you're going to be made a warrior? I never had a doubt!" she beamed at him, but her eyes searched his, trying to decipher his trouble. What could be enough to ruin this day for him? Her sheer curiousity would not allow her to let it slide. But she spoke softly, "Did something happen out there? What's wrong?"

[:c a i:]

Lionpaw smiled in return, grateful for Patchpaw's enthusiasm. It made up for his own sudden lack of it. He hesitated for a moment, scanning her face as he tried to decide whether or not to tell her what had occurred out in the forest. Would Ashstar want him to say? He didn't see any reason not to tel, since she would no doubt find out soon enough along with the rest of the Clan. He shrugged and sighed.

"Yeah, I'll be a warrior. But only when Ashstar gets back." he paused again. "We ran into two WindClan cats. They... They had a proposition for her. You remember Rivermist's litter? The one Specklestar demanded half of at the Gathering? Apparently Ravenstar's splitting it four ways instead of two." Lionpaw felt an uneasy prickle touch his neck fur. ShadowClan was not going to be happy about this one. "It's good for us, of course. We get two new kits, and StarClan knows we need some. It's just... kind of feels like my warrior ceremony's going to be forgotten about." He gazed out into middle distance with a shrug. "That's selfish. Sorry. " he muttered. "It's a bit weird for Ravenstar to give up six of WindClan's kits though too. Like it might be some kind of sneaky trick. I guess that's why I'm less excited than you'd have thought." He gave a rueful sort of smile.

[. s p o r e l e t t ♪]

Softpaw padded into camp with heavy jaws, his neck beginning to ache from carrying all of his prey back to camp at once. He didn't know quite how he had managed it, but the tom had fit a mouse, a vole, a squirrel, and a wood pigeon into his mouth to take back to camp. Prowling over to the pile of fresh-kill, he deposited his four catches with relief, and not a little satisfaction. He had done it. He had passed his warrior assessment, and now he would be able to serve his Clan as a full warrior of ThunderClan. The thought alone was enough to cheer him remarkably, despite the strange and troubling news that WindClan had brought. The news of the kits had been surprising, and he wondered what it would mean for ThunderClan. Might they get another she-cat in their Clan? Such a thing would be a great windfall in their current state. Padding over to Patchpaw and Lionpaw, he nodded politely to the two apprentices, and waited for Ashstar to return to begin the ceremony.

[spike]

Guilt. That was all he felt. He felt it weigh his paws, he felt it bend his back, he felt it lower his whiskers. It was everywhere.

Ashstar had not stayed long enough to see that no prey was at his paws. She hadn't bothered to scent the air for any mice that he might've slain. No, that was because he failed. He had failed! Softpaw and Lionpaw were sure to pass. Mudpaw sniffled at hte thought of being left behind. Not to mention his mentor being Ashstar didn't help one bit either. The brown apprentice slunk around the outside of the camp and attempted to avoid any cats that might see him. He was ashamed of himself. He was ashamed that he even dared call himself a ThunderClan apprentice. He had given up his warrior ceremony for Dakota!

What luck! He couldn't just tell Ashstar he had conversed with a loner! He couldn't tell her his lack of honest skills were now true in the fact that he brought back no prey. I'm sorry, mother,he thought to hte missing she-cat that had given him life. I'm sorry I failed. I'm so mouse-brained! I'm never letting a she-cat get to me again!

[Yoko]

Patchpaw listened quietly, but her eyes were growing wider with excitement. She broke into a grin by the time he had finished.

"It's great that we'll be getting new kits, Lionpaw! We really need them. And don't worry, no one's going to forget what a great apprentice you were, especially not me." She touched his shoulder with his tail. Her grin fell into that expression of curious wonder. "Ravenstar...I always thought there was something off about him...He probably knows that going along with this will get us into trouble with ShadowClan too. And we really can't aford more enemies..."

She was distracted from her musing aloud by Softpaw's hello. He caught a good amount of prey too by the looks of it. The calico apprentice mewed greetings back, and turned her attention to the latest arrival. Mudpaw's jaws were empty. Patchpaw looked wide eyed. Surely he had to have caught something? Maybe Ashstar was carrying it for him?

[:c a i:]

Lionpaw flashed Patchpaw a quick, grateful smile, glad to have her words of reassurance. He nodded in reply, Patchpaw's worries about ShadowClan making him grow sombre once again. He sighed, knowing that Ravenstar could well have a devious plan under his paw and Ashstar - as much as he respected and trusted her - was younger than him. Would he be able to deceive her? No, Lionpaw told himself firmly. That was no way for an almost-warrior to be thinking. Ashstar would have everything under control, and in a very short time, she would make him a warrior.

"Thanks, Patchpaw" he returned her gesture with a brief flick of his tail to touch hers, then turned to look at Softpaw who was just arriving. "Softpaw" he greeted "nice hunting out there." He looked beyond the grey tom to see Mudpaw, and immediately he frowned, mildly surprised. Mudpaw didn't look like he was carrying anything. He glanced at Softpaw, unsure whether his eyes were deceiving him or not. Mudpaw was the oldest out of all of them! He couldn't have not caught something... Could he? "Didn't Mudpaw catch a single thing?" He muttered to the other two. "The forest was full of prey today! And we were out there for ages. What was he doing?" Lionpaw was worried for the other apprentice, and slightly suspicious too. Unless he'd left his prey somewhere else or dropped it off already, it was more than a bit strange that he hadn't caught anything.

[nightstorm]

Spiderpaw emerged from behind the apprentices' den, his eyes brightening slightly. "Mudpaw! You're back," he called, bounding over to his friend. He slowed slightly, as he drew closer, his eyes roving over his friend. Mudpaw looked upset about something.

"What's wrong?" Spiderpaw asked quietly. He scented the air; Mudpaw had no prey with him, nor did he smell like he had eaten anything either. "Did you not catch anything? Why are you back so soon?" The slender brown tom nudged the other apprentice comfortingly, his gaze curious.

[Fail post...but I had to start roleplaying Spiderpaw sometime...]

[spike]

Mudpaw gazed up at his friend and frowned only more. Spiderpaw was, what, eight moons? He was not ready for his assessment but even he would know what was bad and what was good. The brown apprentice glanced around before nudging his friend aside from the camp. He walked off a good few steps then turned his back to the Clan cats. "I, uh, didn't catch anything," he admitted firstly.

The tom breathed in deeply, white chest inflating, before he released it slowly and regained himself again. "I, um, met this loner. She said her name was, er, Dakota. She was lost and, um, kept me distracted. Ashstar ordered, uh, all of us back. I don't know exactly, uh, um, why but she was quick. I'm afraid, Spiderpaw." His ears fell and Mudpaw seemed only more deflated. "I failed, uh, Ashstar and my mother. I, um, might not get my warrior name and with, uh, this new thing going on, we might, um, have some issues. Who knows how, uh, long my warrior ceremony will, er, be postponed."

[Yoko]

Patchpaw was unsure of how to feel about this. Surely it was a joke! He had to catch something...he had to!She watched Spiderpaw approach the older apprentice. Spiderpaw would get a straight answer from Mudpaw for sure. The leader's apprentice did not appear pleased by Spiderpaw's questioning, but Patchpaw held fast to the hope that it was a joke. Lionpaw said the forest was full of prey, so there was no possible reason for Mudpaw not to catch anything. She listened with her tail twitching.

When Mudpaw finished speaking, Patchpaw just sat there, her amber eyes wide and her jaws slightly slacked. Then she knew how to feel about the situation. She squinted her eyes in pure outrage.

"Oh, I see," she hissed, speaking fast as she tends to do. "You let yourself get distracted by a pretty "lost" she-cat! How mouse-brained! Did you even try and chase her off?! Whatever Ashstar does with you, you deserve it!"

Her tail fluffed up. She had been rooting for all her den-mates to become warriors. She never thought Mudpaw was the best of them, but she never expected him to fail over something so ridiculous! She was having such a good morning, then he had to go and ruin it!

[nightstorm]

Spiderpaw was sympathetic as Mudpaw told his story. "A loner!" he exclaimed when his friend had finished. "Were you able to help her? How old was she? And how on earth did you manage to get away with it?" He was about to comment further, when Patchpaw spoke up. In a flash, Spiderpaw had whirled around, his eyes blazing.

"Did anyone ask you your opinion?" he snapped, fur bristling. "No. Go chase your own tail, Patchpaw. Leave Mudpaw alone. It's not his fault! Or are you just jealous because he got to meet a loner, and you didn't?" The apprentice's whiskers twitched with anger as he defended his friend, his tail lashing from side to side. "You just watch...he'll become a warrior before you know it, and then you'll be sorry...you just watch. Mudpaw is going to be a great warrior..." Spiderpaw then pointedly turned his back on the she-cat, his ears burning in anger. How dare she interrupt like that, then say such things.

Ignoring Patchpaw, Spiderpaw leaned closer to Mudpaw. "Don't worry...Ashstar won't punish you too badly," he said assuringly. "I'll stick up for you..."

[:c a i:]

The instant he heard Spiderpaw's snipe towards Patchpaw, Lionpaw's relaxed posture was promptly turned into a tense stance. He shook his head slowly. "Don't talk to her like that." Lionpaw's voice was frosty and he stared the younger tom down with clear warning in his eyes. "I mean it." he added in an even softer voice. He wasn't going to let bravado-filled little apprentices like Spiderpaw act like a mousebrain to Patchpaw, and once upon a time he probably would have started something messy with the other apprentice, but now that he was about to be a warrior, it was time to leave being a stupid youngster behind.

As much as he wanted to leave a more... obvious addition to his warning, Lionpaw left it at that. Time to be the mature one, for once in his life... Starting with figuring out what to do about Mudpaw's situation. Why in StarClan's name couldn't he just catch prey like the rest of them?

"Does Ashstar even know?" He asked Mudpaw in a low voice. "Mudpaw, you know this is no game, don't you?" What was he thinking? Trying to be some kind of dashing hero for a little lost she-cat? The very first thing he ought to have done would be to tell Ashstar, for StarClan's sake, but Lionpaw had a nasty feeling the other tom hadn't even done that. And if that was the case... Then who knew what Mudpaw had cost himself, apart from being a warrior today.

Agitatedly, Lionpaw lashed his tail, listening to Spiderpaw's juvenile reassurance to his friend. Because Ashstar's sure to care whether or not you put in a good word for him. He held back the biting words with some difficulty. Was a normal warrior assessment too much to ask for? When he'd set out this morning, he'd thought it was plain sailing towards warriorhood. Apparently not.