[Ginger]

It was the first time in a long time that Foxfur had opened his green eyes before sun-high. However, in the past, Foxfur never really had anyone he cared to impress. Redbird knew him and would love him unconditionally, and his many admirers saw no fault in anything he did; all in all, Foxfur never had a reason to care.

But everything changed the day before when his name was announced to be the mentor of Asterpaw. It showed that Lionstar trusted Foxfur with the challenge of communicating the ways of the Warrior Code and Treeclan to one who would never be able to hear them. Actions spoke louder than words, yes. But now, Foxfur's actions had to scream so that his words needed not be heard by his apprentice.

Stretching his limbs, Foxfur stood up and padded out of the Warrior's Den, making his way over to Asterpaw's new place of residence in the Apprentice's Den. The closer he got to the entrance, the more his heart pounded. 

Was Lionstar right in entrusting this much responsibility in me?

As he poked his head into the Apprentice's Den to see the white sleeping form of Asterpaw, his doubts faded into the back of his mind, instead replaced with a single and unyielding strand of hope. I can't do this, but we can do this. They would get through this together, and Asterpaw would come out of his apprenticeship as a capable warrior. Foxfur didn't know quite how it would happen yet, but the seed of hope had been planted and would never be going away now.

"Asterpaw," he whispered. Wait. Mouse-brain! He can't hear that. Already cringing at his own ignorance, Foxfur stepped over the many sleeping bodies of apprentices until he was by his apprentice's nest.

The ginger tom leaned down and gently prodded Asterpaw awake. Once the young tom had woken up, Foxfur looked into his eyes and flashed his signature smile before jerking his head towards the entrance of the camp. Today, they would be seeing the splendor of Treeclan's territory.

Foxfur turned and exited the Apprentice's Den, heading towards the entrance of the camp. It was really happening. Every step closer to the outside of the camp gave the ginger warrior a bit more confidence. Confidence in his abilities. Confidence in Asterpaw's abilities. 

Confidence in their abilities.

 

---

391 words
♛ 𝔽𝕒𝕓𝕣𝕚𝕔𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟

[♛ 𝔽𝕒𝕓𝕣𝕚𝕔𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟]

Asterpaw

7 Moons || TreeClan || Apprentice

Asterpaw had attempted to make his way towards the nursery the night following his ceremony. He hadn't understood why his family barred his way, why Snowpaw and Birchpaw had headed towards a den that Asterpaw had never even poked his head inside of before. He watched them slide inside, Robinpaw following them with her calico tail raised confidently. Not wanting to be separated from his littermates, he trailed slowly after them. The den was not as warm and familiar as his own had always been. He had spent the first seven moons of his life in the nursery, and he hadn't realised that one day he would be cast out like a thorn from a nest.

The white tom stood in the semi-warmth of the apprentice den, the night air seeping in through the entrance like a cold mist. Snowpaw gestured to a nest that was built closely to hers, and Asterpaw approached it with great caution. He sniffed the soft moss. It was new, unslept in, but it smelled like Snowpaw. A smile drifted across his face and he met her gaze in the half-light. He gingerly stepped into the nest, curled in a circle, and fell asleep. The awareness of Snowpaw's close presence was enough to lull him into untroubled dreams despite the rather troubling day. 

But the next morning would bring yet more confusion. A paw prodded into his side, but when Asterpaw opened his eyes he was met yet again with the face of the tom who Snowpaw had coaxed him into gingerly touching noses with the day before. Foxfur jerked his head, a smile stretching wide across his face. It was a gesture that Asterpaw easily understood as follow me. So he regained his feet, his long, lanky legs giving him the appearance of a small deer. When Foxfur emerged from the den into the clear morning air, Asterpaw followed him slowly. He had planned to spend today on his own, resting in the sun. This interruption was a bit out of the blue, but he didn't want to offend the tom by ignoring him. Besides, Foxfur had an easy aura about him that Asterpaw liked. When the russet tom approached what Asterpaw had come to view as the forbidden exit from the camp, the tall white tom immediately came to a standstill. He hesitated. He wasn't allowed outside. He didn't know why, but he knew it was something the other cats never allowed him to do. He glanced around him, eyes scanning for the slightest sign of a cat who would step out to apprehend them. Lionstar, perhaps. Or his mother.

Can't you see I'm trying ?

437 || Ginger || Notes

_{BlooRey DVD (Snowpaw mention) @rachii (Birchpaw mention) Fawn (Appleshade/Lionstar mention)}

[Ginger]

As the two cats walked towards the exit of the camp, the two gaits matched in a certain cadence that made Foxfur's ears flick. Until one of the gaits suddenly halted. 

Foxfur turned his head, confused as to why Asterpaw had stopped moving. The wide-eyed apprentice was looking all about the camp, confusion and even a hint of...fear? Whatever it was, it was hindering Asterpaw from leaving camp with his mentor. 

The ginger warrior sighed a friendly sigh -- this was already proving to be a challenge. Somehow, Foxfur would have to show Asterpaw that his life was changing and that he could no longer lounge about as the kits did. He was an apprentice now, on his way to becoming a warrior, and Foxfur somehow had to tell him that without speaking a single word. 

He could do this. He had to do this. 

As he walked towards his apprentice, Foxfur was struck by an idea. Was it a great idea? Maybe. Was it an insane idea? To some. But it was his idea, and by StarClan he would make it work. What if the two of us created a secret language?

It sounded like something a kit would think up, but Foxfur himself was not known for having a particularly mature mind. It had a chance of working. So he had to start now.

Foxfur settled in front of Asterpaw, looking directly into his apprentice's eyes, a warm smile pervading across his face. Next, he bent down and licked Asterpaw on top of the head. A symbol of reassurance, of protection, and of safety. It was okay for them to leave. It was time to start a new phase. Foxfur then looked back into Asterpaw's eyes and nodded slowly before turning back around and leaving camp. It was time to learn!

They would start with identifying some simple smells such as prey, other clans, and potential signs of danger. Usually, one's ears and nose were their greatest asset outside of camp. Asterpaw would have to work extra hard to make sure his other senses could make up for his differences from other cats and propel him forwards. 

The second he exited the camp, Foxfur began to pick up the pace ever so slightly, heading towards the border with LightningClan and TreeClan. As the two cats trotted towards the border, a slight smell of mouse droppings caused Foxfur to stop, holding his tail in front of Asterpaw to signal him to do the same. 

Foxfur walked towards the droppings, and upon finding the small pile, bent down and sniffed it ever so slightly. It was disgusting. But it was...memorable...to say the least. By having a keen sense of this smell, there was a good chance Asterpaw would be able to find mice just as easily as any other TreeClanner. The ginger warrior jerked his head in the hopes that Asterpaw would mimic what Foxfur had just done. The droppings, while thoroughly disgusting, had slight traces of the classic "mouse" smell that pervaded throughout the fresh-kill pile back at camp. Hopefully Asterpaw would realize that. If not, Foxfur was about to do a whole lot of acting.

 

---

529 words
♛ 𝔽𝕒𝕓𝕣𝕚𝕔𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟

[♛ 𝔽𝕒𝕓𝕣𝕚𝕔𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟]

Asterpaw

7 Moons || TreeClan || Apprentice

The apprentice's tongue swiped nervously over his mouth as he watched Foxfur lingering at the entrance to camp. He wasn't entirely certain why, but he knew the russet tom wanted him to follow him beyond the confines of camp. They had evenly matched eachother step for step until Asterpaw's confidence faltered, and now here he stood, a few paces behind his mentor, blue eyes glistening with confusion. His tail flicked uneasily, and he studied Foxfur's face with an intent gaze, struggling to discern as he always did what was needed off him based on the older tom's expression alone. But sometimes expression wasn't good enough, and Asterpaw was at a loss.

The air smelled like crisp, rotting leaves and damp. The smell of rotting foliage drifted from the entrance to camp, an overpowering but tempting scent. His attention was pulled back to Foxfur when the tom strode towards him, thinking that he saw his own uncertainty in the warrior's steps. He met his eyes with the same attentiveness that Asterpaw always gave to others, and the pure white tom found he couldn't pull his eyes away. When his mentor smiled, he smiled. Smiling was a good expression, and it made his heart glow with warmth, especially when his mother smiled. She beamed as brightly as the sun in Greenleaf, and the warmth in her smile seemed to have passed on to her son. But what Foxfur did next was not what Asterpaw would have predicted at all. The tom licked the very top of his head, a white tuft of fur curling at the brief contact. Not knowing how to react, the young tom rumbled a brief purr, silently wondering what that gesture meant. He flattened the curled bit of fur with a lanky white paw, his blue eyes bright and curious. But when Foxfur turned to move towards the camp entrance, then glanced back with a slow and reassuring nod, Asterpaw felt understanding dawn on him. Was that... permission? To go outside? He gave one final glance over his shoulder before his doubts faded, and his sense of adventure bloomed in his chest.

He jogged forward to match Foxfur step for step once more, holding his head a little higher. The scent of rotting leaves was much stronger beyond the camp wall, with no barriers to block it. Asterpaw opened his jaws to inhale the bittersweet scent with relish. It was oddly pleasant and unpleasant all at once, and he didn't know what to make of it. The light of the sun dappled down through the orange glow of the Leaf-fall leaves, and he felt oddly out of place among these vibrant colours with his plain, white coat. He turned his head to realise that Foxfur had quickened his pace, and he was forced to dash quickly to join him. The leaf-litter was harsh and sharp beneath his paws, the even ground he had known since he was a kit transforming to unpredictable dips and gulleys. As they continued, the trees began to get sparser and sparser. Dazzled by the brightness of this new area of woodland, Asterpaw blinked quickly.

Foxfur's tail flashed in front of him, and he immediately halted, his own tail pricking up in interest. He followed the warrior to a small dip in the earth, where Foxfur sniffed a small brown pile. Assuming that this brown pile had something to do with the trees surrounding them, Asterpaw bent his head to imitate the older tom, inhaling deeply. A sour, familiar scent made him flinch away from the discovery. Nose wrinkling with displeasure, he glared at Foxfur, thinking the tom had made him sniff poo as some sort of mean joke.

Can't you see I'm trying ?

615 || Ginger || Notes

[Ginger]

At Asterpaw's indignant reaction, Foxfur had to stifle a laugh. The young apprentice likely had no idea that the droppings were from a mouse. Unless Foxfur could prove it to him. 

"Prey," he mouthed, staying as silent as possible. There was a good chance that the mouse was still about - the droppings were fresh. Again, to show that he was not intending on messing with Asterpaw, Foxfur leaned down to the droppings and inhaled again. This time, he stayed down, trying to decipher where the smell headed towards after the pile of droppings. Prey could be messy, and droppings could easily get stuck to the feet of scurrying mice as they hurried away from the site of their excrement. 

To demonstrate, Foxfur continued sniffing until he caught a trail that left the pile of droppings. Once he was onto it, Foxfur stalked over to where the smell was getting stronger and stronger, motioning for Asterpaw to follow with a flick of his tail. Farther and farther he crawled, belly pressed to the ground, until the two cats came across a mouse at the base of a tree. It was a rather small one, and it spotted the two cats quickly (likely because Asterpaw had never trained in hunting technique), and scurried away.

However, the proof of that mouse was all he needed. A sense of hearing was not necessary to track prey. A sense of hearing was not necessary to be a great warrior. All that was required was a sense of determination. 

Eager to show Asterpaw more and more scents, Foxfur looked to his apprentice and tapped him twice on the head with his tail -- a symbol of movement, of change, and more importantly, to get his attention in the friendliest manner possible.

It was time to see the Open Woods, TreeClan's border with LightningClan.

---

306 words
♛ 𝔽𝕒𝕓𝕣𝕚𝕔𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟

[♛ 𝔽𝕒𝕓𝕣𝕚𝕔𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟]

Asterpaw

7 Moons || TreeClan || Apprentice

Asterpaw had an injured expression on his face as he saw the amusement that glittered in Foxfur's eyes. So it was a mean joke! The white tom had half a plan to swipe his paw at the droppings and knock it sideways into the other tom's face. Remembering the mudfight he once reigned victorious in with Cinderstream, his pinkish claws unsheathed and he was on the verge of raising his paw when his plot was foiled by his unknowing victim himself. He was surprised when Foxfur bent his head to repeat his previous action, stooping low over the ground with such a serious expression on his russet face that Asterpaw had to rethink his ploy.

His attention wandered slightly to the more pleasant scent, a blend of decomposing plant matter with the familiar smell of a cat he knew. But instead of following this much more interesting scent, Foxfur was still crouching low to the leaf litter. Asterpaw watched him with a blend of interest and frustration, wondering what it was that the other cat was trying to do. When that familiar flick of a tail beckoned him nearer, the apprentice had no choice but to follow. Rather than imitating his mentor and stalking low to the ground, the white tom simply sauntered after him at a normal pace, enjoying the brief brush of sunlight on his pale pelt.

That was when his eyes fell upon the tiny rodent upon a tree root. The white tom had never seen one alive before, and his jaw plopped open in amazement as the small beady-eyed creature fixed him with an intense stare. Taking a step forward, he felt the pressure of a fallen twig beneath his pad, bending and giving way beneath his weight. The small brown mouse turned and scurried off into the undergrowth, quickly dipping out of sight. As though moved by some magnetic, deep-set instinct, Asterpaw broke into a sprint. The mouse was long gone by the time he reached the tree root, but the tantalising smell of it clung to the wood like a spirit of the mouse. The smell was familiar, much like the scent of the sour droppings Foxfur had been so insistent he investigate.

Twirling his tail in excitement, the blue-eyed tom turned his gaze back in the direction of his mentor, clearly still amazed by the sighting of the mouse. He bent his head to sniff around the base of the tree once again, but was startled by a gentle tap on his forehead. Looking up, he discovered the other tom had joined his side once again, and was turning to leave. Abandoning his search for the mouse, Asterpaw trotted after him, this time more eager to pay attention to whatever it was that the other cat wanted to show him next. Clearly, this was going to be an interesting adventure.

Can't you see I'm trying ?

477 || Ginger || Notes

[Ginger]

A warm expression flitted across Foxfur's face at Asterpaw's fruitless chase of the mouse. Learning to catch that mouse would be for another time. 

As the two cats headed towards the border with LightningClan, Foxfur continued to lead by example, sniffing the air around him and pointing out specific scents. At the strong scent of a squirrel, Foxfur halted for a moment and pointed his head towards the rodent in a low tree branch. As the squirrel noticed the warrior and his apprentice, it stared them down for a moment, almost defiantly. Foxfur, always a fan of showing off, flashed his teeth at the bushy-tailed rodent, causing it to scamper off. 

Once they reached the open woods, Foxfur inhaled deeply. The faintest scent of LightningClan made its way into Foxfur's nose. He walked a little more forward until it was fairly strong. Looking next to Asterpaw, Foxfur silently instructed his apprentice to sniff by exaggerating a deep inhale. 

But how on earth would he explain LightningClan's scent? How would he be able to tell his apprentice that there were other cats out there who were incredibly different?

A petite she-cat on the other side of the border quickly solved all of his problems. She was a tabby with a white belly and white paws, and she moved incredibly quick along LightningClan's territory. He recognized her as Thistletongue, one of LightningClan's younger warriors who often graced the border. Foxfur nudged Asterpaw to look at her, inhaling deeply again. "LightningClan," he said somewhat loudly despite knowing that Asterpaw was unable to hear him, no matter the volume. But maybe he could learn to lip-read the names of the clans at the least. 

At the sound of his loud voice, Thistletongue turned sharply towards Foxfur, green eyes narrowing. She ran over towards him, nearly convincing Foxfur that he and his apprentice would be run over by the small warrior. 

Suddenly, she stopped directly in front of them, on her side of the border. "Have something to say about LightningClan, TreeClanner?" Her voice was harsh, but her eyes were soft. She had no ill intent.

"Just showing my apprentice, Asterpaw, the borders." He smiled, flashing his teeth, "You could show me yours."

Thistletongue couldn't help but stifle a laugh. She and Foxfur had talked before, and she knew of his antics. "You wish." She offered a small smile to Asterpaw. "Good luck with that one," she said before turning around and speeding off again.

Foxfur looked back down to Asterpaw. He then dug his paws into the ground, drawing five marks. "Five clans," he said slowly. Asterpaw would slowly have to learn lip-reading. Foxfur would do all he could.

---

445 words
♛ 𝔽𝕒𝕓𝕣𝕚𝕔𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟

[♛ 𝔽𝕒𝕓𝕣𝕚𝕔𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟]

Asterpaw

7 Moons || TreeClan || Apprentice

Asterpaw enjoyed the cool feeling of the ground against his small pink paw-pads, the way his toes splayed out while he stepped. This was the furthest he had ever dared to walk, and he was amazed he hadn’t done it before. Everything here was new, and beautiful, and he loved every second of it. A surge of joy like no other rose in his heart, and he trotted after Foxfur with his own eyes drinking in every splash of colour and every flit of movement. A dragonfly zipped in front of his nose, the colour of it dazzling him for a moment as it disappeared abruptly into the trees. He wished he knew where it had gone, he wanted to chase it, to see if he could catch it.

Foxfur continued to sniff the air, discovering unusual scents among the foliage. Asterpaw had no idea that he was supposed to be trying to discover new scents as well. He was simply too awestruck by the beauty of their surroundings despite the colder weather approaching, and felt only a calm joy. There was suddenly a strong but delicious scent among the ferns, and Asterpaw paused to inhale it deeply, licking his lips hungrily. The ginger tom nodded upward, and Asterpaw followed his gaze towards a fluffy creature with a furled tail. Its beady eyes were fearful but challenging, as though daring the cats to chase it up into the tree. So that was the source of the smell. The white tom itched to chase the plucky piece of prey, but it scattered away among the leaves before either him or Foxfur could budge. Bursting with frustration, Asterpaw resigned to follow the older tom, hoping they would at least chase some of the interesting animals soon.

The woods here were far more sparse, the trunks far away from each-other as though the trees did not want to associate. Asterpaw picked his way among the ferns and bracken, intrigued by an unusual feline smell that clung to almost every leaf. It was faint, but scent being his favoured sense asides from sight, it wasn’t long before he had picked it up. He waved his tail at it, as Foxfur had at every new scent they discovered before. Foxfur, however, was not interested in the faint traces of scent Asterpaw had discovered. He led the apprentice further into the lonely wood, to a place where the trees became even further apart and eventually opened up into a wide grassland where there were no trees at all. Asterpaw stared into the distance, a look of amazement crossing his face. He had never seen a place that did not have trees before. Even their camp was surrounded with the comforting branches of oak and sycamore. But this place, this place became emptier and emptier the further he peered into the distance. He had a sudden impression of feeling very, very small, and exposed even though they remained among the shelter of the trees.

When Foxfur nudged him, he suddenly noticed movement in the corner of his eye, and curled his tail in surprise as a tabby stranger trotted into view. The cat had a neutral brown pelt that blended with the leaves and a haughty manner of step, she appeared not to notice Asterpaw and Foxfur at first. He turned his eyes towards his mentor as if he sought an explanation, and caught the movement of the other tom’s mouth that said something he didn’t understand. A word he’d never known before. He mouthed the word “LightningClan” back to him, a sudden nervousness entering his heart. He wasn’t sure why he was nervous. Perhaps it was because he had never seen a cat he hadn’t known before. Growing up with TreeClan meant that each of their faces became familiar to him at an early age, even if he didn’t interact with them very much. When he looked back at the stranger, he was startled to realise that her green eyes were fixed directly on them. She launched into a sprint that made Asterpaw gape, it looked as though the cat had wind at her paws that surged her along the grass at a speed he hadn’t known possible. He tensed, convinced she was going to bowl them over, until she halted just as suddenly right in front of them, looking down at Asterpaw with a smirk.

Asterpaw backed away and hid behind Foxfur slightly, trying to look as though he was standing his ground. He stared at Thistletongue with wide, curious eyes, a little uncertain. It made him feel a lot better when he realised his mentor was not tense. In fact, his mouth was curled into a playful smile, and his tail flicked casually like he was talking to any cat, and not just a random stranger that smelled weird and had charged through the woods at them. Asterpaw emerged slightly when she glanced at him and smiled, and he felt a little silly for having gotten such a scare. Then she was whirling around and disappearing once again off into the distance. He stared after her, wondering how she could run so fast and pick up speed so quickly. She was like that mouse he had chased, disappearing from under his paws like mist. Once she was gone, Foxfur sat down in front of him. He concentrated hard on Foxfur’s mouth while his lips moved, and managed to understand that he had repeated that strange word from earlier, “Clan”, along with something else. Frowning, Asterpaw watched him score five marks in the dirt, but he unfortunately did not manage to connect the dots. Looking a little helpless, Asterpaw added a sixth mark to the five with his own claw, looking up at Foxfur with expectant eyes that said, is this what you wanted me to do?

Can't you see I'm trying ?

972 || Ginger || Notes