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The forest was beautiful as always. There was no threat of greencough and prey was plentiful. Everything was well in the world. Yet for some reason the young apprentice was not happy. She had not been training enough in her opinion so the apprentice was in a mood. If she was to become a major part of her clan this would mean putting more time into training. Not that the determined apprentice mined training, she cherished it. She believed training would be much better than going on a patrol, but Cricketleap said it was important to go on these patrols. Still the impatient she-cat was no happy with this interruption to her training. But it was one of her duties and far better in her opinion then changing the elders bedding.

Dawnpaw trudged along hoping that they would run into some loner so she could show off her moves. Then she quickly realized that she would not be ready for taking a loner down. Instead the young apprentice dreamed about dealing some swift moves to some imaginary foe. With some well-planned moves she quickly defeated her opponent. Smiling the she-cat pounced on her imaginary foe. When Dawnpaw actually felt something she had pounced on the dream was broken. The young-apprentice quickly stepped away from Skunkpaw who she might have just stepped on.

Instantly the she-cat apologized, “I am so sorry! I was… Well I was daydreaming and thought your tail was my umm… Enemy. Sorry, that I mistook your tail for… my enemy. Wow that sounds really strange.” Dawnpaw nervously giggled not trusting her mouth to not spew anymore awkwardness. 

[Fawn]

SKUNKPAW
Apprentice || She-Cat || 13 Moons || StoneClan

Skunkpaw hated going on patrols. Was it just her, or were there more awkward silences when on patrols than any other time? She couldn't exactly pretend to be busy or hide out in the apprentices' den like she could back at camp; somehow, patrolling always seemed worse when she was with much older cats. Skunkpaw was always under the impression that they had nothing in common, which made conversation almost impossible. With apprentices, her peers, Skunkpaw always hovered between 'semi-alright' and anxious as to what they thought of her, always assuming the worst when it came to their opinions.

Trapped in her own thoughts on this small patrol of theirs, Skunkpaw wasn't ready for the attack on her tail, and she'd whirled around with a loud yowl of shock, eyes widening in embarrassment over having reacted so obnoxiously. "Dawnpaw!" What was the stupid furball doing, sneaking up on me like that?! The nervous giggling that spilled out of the other apprentice's mouth like a mudslide reminded Skunkpaw instantly of Cricketleap. She's her apprentice, isn't she? Great, that meant they were both bubbly and energetic. Just what she needed. And yet, despite these pessimistic thoughts, Skunkpaw actually... relaxed, just a little bit, because Dawnpaw could handle being the social, interesting one of the group. She wouldn't mind it terribly if the little black and white she-cat just focused on trying not to mess up this patrol?

"It's okay - just don't do it again." Skunkpaw mewed awkwardly, her voice quiet. She was in no position to lecture Dawnpaw about not staying focused on this patrol (and she couldn't blame her, it was boring), though she was the senior apprentice. Skunkpaw had never been one to exercise what little authority she had, mostly because she'd never suspected herself of having any power over others. Briefly, Skunkpaw's thoughts drifted back to her mentor, Fallenleaf, and she began to survey the area again, wanting to make her proud, even if she wasn't here to see her. Skunkpaw would be lying if she said she wasn't curious about Cricketleap's training methods. Was she good at it? She had always thought of her sister as being just too... too much for anyone to keep up with. She sure couldn't, and they were related. (Though Skunkpaw often had her doubts about that. How could two totally different cats come from the same parents?)

"Is... Cricketleap a good mentor?" Skunkpaw ventured a question, hoping Dawnpaw wasn't the type to talk too much or too fast for her to keep up with. "She's my older sister."

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The yowl that escaped the older apprentice startled Dawnpaw. Stiffening a bit she pondered what just happened. The she-cat would have expected her fellow clanmate to be startled but not that startled. Usually Dawnpaw only got that surprised when she had been lost in a daydream, oblivious to the world. That’s when Dawnpaw started to smile as it dawned on her that Skunkpaw’s mind most not have been on the patrol. The apprentice was instantly glad that she wasn’t the only one relatively bored with these duties. Dawnpaw visibly relaxed a bit, smiling at Skunkpaw’s awkward attempt to accept the apology without sounding like she was giving a lecture. Many of the older apprentices liked to lecture her when she stepped out of line but Skunkpaw seemed to not enjoy using her seniority.

When her fellow apprentice asked her about Cricketleap at first she was confused. Then right before being reminded Dawnpaw pulled her scattered brain together and remembered her mentor was the older sister of Skunkpaw. Often Dawnpaw forgot due to the difference in the two sisters. Cricketleap was just as exuberant as she was but Skunkpaw was a bit more pessimistic. It didn’t seem to Dawnpaw as though Skunkpaw wanted this pessimism but maybe that was just the optimistic side of Dawnpaw projecting onto her fellow apprentice.

Dawnpaw thought back on her past few moons with Cricketleap. She had enjoyed her time and had learned. At first the pairing had seemed unlikely to work out as both of them where very exuberant. Yet they had definitely worked it out so that things got done. Rather than focusing their exuberance on talking they focused it on training. Dawnpaw explained, “She is a very good mentor. Both of us have so much energy that training can go on for longer than for most. Well at least I know I have that much energy, I hope she does. Either way I have learned so much from Cricketleap. How do you like having Cricketleap as a sister? She seems like and awesome sister!”

[Fawn]

SKUNKPAW
Apprentice || She-Cat || 13 Moons || StoneClan

“She is a very good mentor. Both of us have so much energy that training can go on for longer than for most. Well at least I know I have that much energy, I hope she does. Either way I have learned so much from Cricketleap. How do you like having Cricketleap as a sister? She seems like and awesome sister!”

Dawnpaw and Cricketleap seemed very well matched for each other - the longer training sessions seemed to be a testament to that. Skunkpaw tried not to let the dismay show on her face; did they have longer training sessions because neither cat could stop talking? It was the opposite of Skunkpaw's suspicions, but she wasn't about to offend Dawnpaw by bluntly asking her if they ran out the time with all their conversing. "She's... nice," how did one describe Cricketleap? It was challenging, for the much more introverted younger sister, who preferred the silence of her own company to the chatter of multiple cats. She loved her, of course. "She means well, but sometimes she's a little too high energy for me." Dawnpaw didn't seem as bad, at least she wasn't racing around trying to talk to every cat she recognized, like Cricketleap had at the last gathering. (Ugh, gatherings; far too many cats, far too much going on, she really hated attending those)

One of the good things about having such a chatty older sister, is that when she came to her with a problem, Cricketleap could literally talk her way to a solution, and Skunkpaw wouldn't have to contribute very much. Of course, it was also a risky move, since Cricketleap's mouth tended to move faster than her brain did sometimes, and the last thing she wanted was something she'd told her sibling in secret to suddenly become public knowledge. "Do you have siblings?" Skunkpaw asked, almost a little shocked at how easy it was to ask Dawnpaw a question; Skunkpaw wouldn't outright say she was comfortable on the patrol, social interaction always made her a little snippy, but at least she wasn't making a total fool of herself, and Dawnpaw didn't seem to dislike her.

Yet.

Word Count: 349
Tags: @darkestnight219

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Dawnpaw relaxed a bit and was glad that Cricketleap had given her a chance to patrol. She often did not get a chance to talk alone with one apprentice since she was usually running around or talking with many apprentices. It was actually really nice to have one conversation, but still she wondered how long a conversation with one person could go on for. Due to not slowing down much Dawnpaw often babbled, but today was different. The energetic apprentice could get out her energy by walking during the conversation, giving her less of an urge to blurt.

Skunkpaw’s answer to her question did not surprise the she-cat. Most people thought that Cricketleap had too much energy, but not for Dawnpaw. When together with Cricketleap both of them could talk forever neither one tiring of conversation unlike most of their clanmates. Still sometimes it was hard to get down to business if both of them had a ton of energy one day. Cricketleap was the older sister that Dawnpaw never had, even more of a mother figure than her own mother.

”Do you have siblings?”

The young apprentice thought about her brother Firepaw and smiled. Dawnpaw and Firepaw had always been close, especially due to a lack of parental caring. The two had often spent long days talking to each other, Dawnpaw of course got most of the talking in, but they had always shared that time with each other. Dawnpaw searched for a good way to explain her relationship with her brother. Starting slowly Dawnpaw said, “I have a brother, Firepaw. He is like my other half, he umm… He is very good at calming me down and I am always so proud of him.” Dawnpaw smiled, but was a bit embarrassed about how that came out. Continuing she said, “Neither of us got attention from our parents, so instead we… I don’t know I guess we are just really close.” Wanting to change the subject to something she could more easily talk about Dawnpaw said, “So how do you like your mentor Fallenleaf? Your almost done being an apprentice, right?”

Fawn

[Fawn]

SKUNKPAW
Apprentice || She-Cat || 13 Moons || StoneClan

“Neither of us got attention from our parents, so instead we… I don’t know I guess we are just really close.”

It was probably conversational suicide, that the first thought that occurred to Skunkpaw to say in response was 'I understand, my parents are dead'; it wasn't as if it was something she could casually talk about, and yet she found herself having an unexpected... connection with Dawnpaw. A sense of sympathy aroused in the she-cat who normally had so much trouble building bridges with other cats; Ospreywing, she supposed, was to her like Firepaw was to Dawnpaw. Well, a little different; Skunkpaw found herself in competitive awe of her brother, feeling the distance between them grow as soon as Ospreywing had moved out of the apprentices' den. Apart from Cricketleap, Ospreywing was the only family she had left.

The white and black apprentice had only been able to nod awkwardly, wanting to reveal that she understood Dawnpaw without saying as much; somehow the words got stuck in her throat anyway, as if her tongue was afraid to release them, afraid that Dawnpaw would think her strange for bringing up her parents' deaths. It was the last thing she'd ever want to talk about with any cat, everyone in the Clan knew that - that subject was off limits in front of the hostile, sharp-tongued almost-warrior.

When the conversation shifted over to Fallenleaf, Skunkpaw was able to respond with some relief, shoulders losing their stiffness. "Fallenleaf's a great mentor. I'm learning plenty of things. She's still a great warrior." She mewed this with a mixture of pride and defensiveness, not wanting anycat to think ill of the old she-cat just because she had sustained a shoulder injury; that's just the way things are around here. Cats get hurt, but she was still willing to train me even after falling. Though it probably hadn't been Fallenleaf's original intentions, she had spared her apprentice the unnecessary awkwardness of having to get reacquainted with a new warrior, by agreeing to still work with her through her training just as Fallenleaf worked through her exercises.

"I'm almost a warrior, yeah." Why did those words fill her with such a sense of foreboding? Hearing Dawnpaw say it out loud had struck Skunkpaw with reality, as if her warrior ceremony had crept up behind her, jumped out and yelled boo. Did she want to become a warrior? Was she ready for such a big change? Thinking on it now, the idea of sharing the warriors den was both stifling and panic-inducing; the now spacious apprentices den seemed much more inviting, especially if it was just Dawnpaw and one or two other cats occupying it besides her.

But that wasn't the way things worked in StoneClan. She didn't have any good reason to delay her ceremony, and Fallenleaf had worked so hard to turn her into a semi-acceptable Clan warrior; it was never her plans to let her down.

Word Count: 481 Words
Tags: @darkestnight219

[Deleted]

Dawnpaw saw her fellow apprentice stiffen when she talked about her all but absent parents. Wracking her brain the she-cat wondered why Skunkpaw had suddenly gotten so uncomfortable. Then she remembered that Skunkpaw’s parents had died. Suddenly she felt a little awkward for complaining about her alive but distant parents. Still at least that meant that they had something in common. Both of them had absent parents from childhoods, and most likely both of them felt awkward about talking about it. Skunkpaw’s uncomfortable nod only confirmed Dawnpaw’s thoughts of their shared discomfort.

Dawnpaw thought about her training and how she was so close to becoming a warrior. That would be the day her mother noticed her, but it would be too late for that. She was a strong apprentice, but still she worried that her parents would not be impressed enough. She had to gain ranks, become something more than a warrior, and distinguish herself. Dawnpaw always pushed herself to be better often not leaving time for taking a break and having a conversation with someone.

This new friend she had made filled Dawnpaw with a happy feeling she did not often feel. The young apprentice always wanted to talk, but having this friend thing made the talking more meaningful. A smile crossed her face and she wanted to keep making more friends. She had never had real friends in the clan, just people she talked too. Dawnpaw didn’t even mind sitting quietly listening to Skunkpaw talking. She was sad that her denmate would be leaving just as they were getting closer. There was a faint sense of sadness and realization in Skunkpaw’s voice when talking about how she would be a warrior soon. This confused Dawnpaw a bit, as she was dreaming of the day when she would enter the world of the warrior.

Dawnpaw wanted to respond to her newfound friend, but did not want to babble. That was often the way that she drove away others, as no one wanted to listen to her blabber all day. Talking a deep breath Dawnpaw gathered her thoughts and said, “I am really excited to become a warrior, being able to fight for my clan and exploring without worrying about straying too far. I guess I’ve just always dreamed of being a warrior. What about you? Are you going to have kits?” Dawnpaw had often wondered if she would have kits. She would go back and forth between it in her innocent way as though she would be able control her feelings if she ever got the urge to have kits with someone.

[Fawn]

SKUNKPAW
Apprentice || She-Cat || 13 Moons || StoneClan

The conversation had been going suspiciously well up until this point; and then Dawnpaw said it. Said something that made Skunkpaw's steps falter a little, the black and white she-cat having expected anything other than that to suddenly become a conversation piece.

What about you? Are you going to have kits?

Was she going to have kits? "No!" Came Skunkpaw's hurried outburst of a reply, and her ears pinned back in apology for jumping down the other apprentice's throat. Oops. "I mean... I dunno. Maybe. I doubt it..." There was a certain series of events that had to happen first in order for kits to even be within the realm of possibilities; for a feline who had trouble speaking with any cat over the age of 20 moons (she was, admittedly, improving on this little by little, she was starting to say hello to Rippedear every once in a while) that wasn't her mentor or her sister, finding a mate was like trying to find a four-leafed clover in a place that didn't even have grass.

It wasn't even the issue of just finding someone suitable whom she would, despite all social ineptitude, have feelings for, it was the issue of someone having feels for her. Skunkpaw had never in a million moons considered herself something of a romantic she-cat, but as she thought about this peculiar question from Dawnpaw, it occurred to her that she had no intention of being one of those queens who never said the name of her kits' fathers, who just seemingly had litter after litter with multiple toms for the benefit of the Clan. That sounded like it's own special kind of punishment, it didn't sound very fulfilling, emotionally—but what did she know of something like that, anyway? She obviously hadn't asked them about it... Nor would she.

"What about you?" Skunkpaw finally mewed, moving her tail behind her to hide just how badly it had fluffed out at so unexpected a question, embarrassed. She seemed to finally remember that a conversation involved giving as much as you received, and, believe it or not, she was interested in what Dawnpaw had to say about... kits. Was she like all the others, who dreamed of having them? Who saw that as their chief function in StoneClan? Skunkpaw sure wasn't, and though she wasn't especially optimistic, it would be nice to know someone who didn't necessarily dreamed of having them either.

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Word Count: 403 Words
Tags: @darkestnight219
Notes: So sorry this took me so long, I didn't realize you'd responded!