[Deleted]

“Is it raining where you are?”
The only thing I could think to ask
But nothing ever hurt so bad
As the “no” that you said back

Y A R R O W P A W

But ain’t that the truth, man
Those are just facts
The farther you go from where you start
THE HARDER IT IS TO GET BACK

The soft ivory paws of the StoneClan apprentice pressed firmly against the hardened clan territory. Lost in thought, the tomcat made impressions again and again into the dirt, each of his large gawky toes making divots again and again into the dirt. Yarrowpaw had gone out earlier in the day on his usual hunting mission, while the sun still hung high in the sky and the air mild enough for his pelt to tolerate. Yarrowpaw was a perfectly capable hunter -- being one of the older apprentices in the clan, his hunting skills were not very far off from that of a warrior's. To any onlooker, Yarrowpaw might appear incapable of hunting, or at a loss for how to even begin the process.

He was instead thinking. Veiled under the idea that he was out hunting and being productive for his clan, Yarrowpaw used his early morning hunts for reflections and to get away from the overwhelming business of the camp. Yarrowpaw felt that without his mentor, he had no guidance, no purpose, and felt oddly uncomfortable in camp despite being surrounded by familiar faces. His mentor, Skyfrost, -- more so than his parents or his siblings -- had been his compass within the clan. When he was with him, Yarrowpaw was confident. He knew who to be, how to talk to people, how to live.

Briefly, an image of Skyfrost's limp body flashed through his head. Yarrowpaw felt his heart skip a beat, and his amber eyes widened slightly. It's over. He's gone, and everything is ok. The apprentice reminded himself, feeling his body regain composure a moment later, besides the tenseness he felt in the muscles of his back.

Maybe it is time for me to start hunting.

[Fawn]

If it weren't for her nose, Honeypaw would lose track of what she was doing and where she was going. Though a pleasant she-cat with a hopeful outlook on life, her curiosity tended to get the best of her—Honeypaw's thoughts going off on certain tangents, chasing idle daydreams as if running after the tails of shooting stars. She wasn't scatterbrained, she could perform her apprenticeship duties well, but any cat that knew the tabby and white kitten knew she was prone to distraction.

Hind legs bunching, Honeypaw sprang up into the air, her front paws churning clumsily through the air in an attempt to catch a chickadee mid take-off, but she landed on all fours on solid rock with nothing to show for her efforts except stinging paws. How does Herondive do it? She's able to leap so high... Honeypaw shook out each foot one at a time, her ears rotating just as her nose detected another scent.

Nope, not a bird this time. Scrabbling over the rocks, keen yellow-green eyes finally settled on the pale golden pelt of Yarrowpaw. Noticing he was (for the most part) standing still, Honeypaw's tail raised in greeting, and she trotted over to speak to him.
"Good morning Yarrowpaw. Have you started hunting already? If you don't mind the company, perhaps we can hunt together?" It's easier to catch a bird with two sets of claws instead of one! She always had better luck when Herondive or Hazelpaw were around, and in absence of either one of her best friends, Honeypaw extended the idea to the older tom instead. She wasn't particularly close with him, and apart from both of them being apprentices, she didn't know as much about him as she should've—but that could be fixed.

She was here. He was here. They might be able to be friends!

It's so easy to make believe,
it seems you're livin' in a dream

Word Count: 311 Words
Tags: @sparrow
Notes: