Silentpaw couldn't help but shake the feeling that his mentor was comparing him to his sister. He flicked her with his tail and she sat down with a light huff. "Well, we could definitely hunt on patrol." he said to the warrior. Though he was excited to go on patrol, the tom didn't bother to show it. Shimmerpaw could read his excitement through the sublte shiver of his fur and the way Silentpaw held his tail in a slight curl.

"Can we please just go?" intervened Shimmerpaw, impatient to get on with patrol.

~~~

Flamestrike purred in obvious delight and ushered Coalpaw over with a flick of his tail. "If you two are ready to go, we can head off," Flamestrike said as he arched his back in a stretch. His ginger fur seemed to spark as the sun lit up his flank. The tom blinked his amber eyes, content with the day's obvious good weather.

-brain dead-

Ooc; Also, could we have some cats do something worthwhile for Emberfur? 8c

"All right!" Windpaw crowed excitedly, bouncing on the spot for a few moments before curling her tail up in a show of pleasure. "I can't wait to learn some battle moves!" Letting out a small purr and licking her chest fur in a self-concious gesture Windpaw clambered to her paws and tripped after Leafmist, giving Coalpaw a happy look. "I'm going to beat you into the dust," she mewed smugly, forgetting that being humble, while not part of the Warrior code, was still an important aspect of being a warrior.

--

Ashwhisker rolled her eyes and gulped down a mouse in a few quick bites before trotting back to Thornfire and the apprentices. "We can go now if you want to hunt on the patrol," she meowed, overhearing their conversation. "It'll hone your skills at any rate. Which is a good thing." Swiping her jaws with her long pink tongue Ashwhisker waited for them to reply, taking the time to lick her paws clean.

--

Aspfang jumped as he looked upwards and saw a small she-cat, perching on her branch. Cutting back a startled mew he narrowed his eyes again and crouched, brown pelt blending into the leaf-littered forest floor. She doesn't look dangerous, he cautioned himself right before he let out a challenging yowl. By Starclan's sake! She's barely older than a kit! Shaking his head he sat up and flicked his tail. "Who are you?" he mewed in a friendly tone, cocking his head to the side in a questioning manner. If the she-cat was a trained fighter she'd be on her guard, for beneath his sleek pelt Aspfang's muscles were bunched and ready to strike as swiftly as the snake he was named for. 

[[ Got it xD Uhm... Maybe Dove can injure herself in the process of being discovered, so she would be forced to stay in the camp for a few days -cough- years -cough- o-o ]]

Thornfire sighed. Shimmerpaw was very eager, much like how he was when Thornfire was an apprentice. Then again, Shimmerpaw didn't sneak off during the nights as well, as attempts to explore other territories. 

"I suppose you're not hungry then." Thornfire mumbled, getting up and padding towards the camp's exit. "Come on then." He mewed at all three of the cats, looking over his shoulder.

---

Coalpaw's eyes lit up, springing up onto his paws and bounding towards his mentor.

"We're going now?" He mewed excitedly, his paws fidgeting and kneading the ground. He was reserving the energy for training, since Coalpaw wanted to learn as soon as possible.

"Come on, Windpaw!" Coalpaw whipped around to mew.

---

Leafmist watched as Flamestrike herded off the eager young tom. She sighed, glancing at her own apprentice. She chuckled a bit when Windpaw stumbled over her tail in the rush to reach the others. Those two were like any other apprentices, excited.

"Well, we wouldn't want to keep Flamestrike and Coalpaw waiting, would we, Windpaw?" Leafmist asked her apprentice, checking to see if she had eaten yet.   

---

"Who said that?!" Dove mewed, trying to sound brave, but it came out like a pathetic squeak. She looked down below, barely able to make out the faint outlines of a cat that blended into the leaves.

"Umm... The question is, who are you?" She challenged, trying to back away on her branch, burying herself deeper into the thick green leaves of the tree.  

Ashwhisker snorted, albeit quietly, and followed with a flick of her ashy tail, signaling to Silentpaw that he ought to follow. There he goes again, she thought with a tiny shake of her head. Trying to be the best he can possibly be. I don't think Aspfang appreciates it at all. But Thornfire's a good cat. Letting the hotheaded tom lead their small group she let out a purr at the sight of Windpaw's enthusiasm, who was apprently being lectured by her mentor for being overly excited. "Kits are kits," she mewed, and stretched slightly in mid-step with a small grunt.

--

Windpaw shook her head with a firm mew. "Absolutely not," she said stubbornly, and raced ahead of Leafmist in a blur of white fur and dust. Blue eyes wide she bounded up to Coalpaw and his mentor and fell in step with the other apprentice, trying to blow a leaf off her nose that had landed there in her mad dash. "What d'you want to learn today?" she mewed, eyes sparkling.

--

This earned the rogue a small shake of the head from Aspfang, amused by her audacity. "My name is Aspfang. I am a member of the Clan that lives here. Rushclan, to be exact. Now, little one, will you tell me what your name is? If you require help we can offer you some." Aspfang declined to mention he was the deputy. Oftentimes many rogues were firmly against the Clan and tried to kill the high-ranked members. Besides, it most likely wouldn't matter to the she-cat if he was a warrior or medicine cat. Only that he was Clan. 

[[ Where's the Shadders? Come out, Shad! -uses whistle-

Herp. Got a deion of the Clan territory, Det? >_> ]]

Thornfire waited for the rest of the small group to catch up to him, his tail twitching as a sign of slight impatience. When the other three cats caught up, Thornfire made his way to the Clan exit, brushing away a few bushes that lead to the outside.

[ feil :c ]

---

Coalpaw gave Windpaw a sideways glance. She talking to me? He asked himself. He glanced at Flamestrike. He didn't seem to be answering the she-cat's question.

"Well... Maybe they'll be teaching us how to fight in pairs. That could be useful." Coalpaw chirped, still looking straight ahead. The small black tom couldn't wait to start training. 

---

Leafmist sighed, watching as the two apprentices chattered on, happy to talk about what they were about to learn. She was never like that herself when she was a kit. The dappled she-cat slowly got up, trotting a little to catch up to the rest of them.

---

Dove narrowed her eyes. Little one? Just how small am I? She thought, taking a step forward on the unsteady branch.

"Look, here, Asp--" She couldn't finish her sentence. Dove had slipped off the branch, tumbling down towards the ground. She fell ungracefully off the tree, stumbling to her paws. 

"I was going to say... Ouch!" Dove winced when she felt a sudden jab of pain in one of her back legs.  

"When we're fighting a larger opponent?" Windpaw guessed, padding next to Coalpaw in the comfortable silence of the wood. There were the normal chirpings and squeakings and going-ons, but other than that there was no noise of the gigantic monsters roaring across the thunderpath or scent of enemy patrols. It was simple peace, and Windpaw took this as a chance to play with the leaves.

Bounding ahead she leaped up gracefully and batted at a slowly falling leaf, squeaking in surprise when she missed and it hit her nose gently. Snuffling she pawed it off, shaking her body and regaining her composure and salvaging her pride quietly. "I meant to do that," she hissed as she fell back in step with Coalpaw.

--

"Are you alright?" Aspfang asked in a worried voice, padding over to the small she-cat cautiously. "You ought to be more careful," he meowed gruffly as he leaned over her, amber eyes anxious. Keeping a safe distance away so he didn't accidentally brush against her Aspfang sniffed the she-cat delicately, sensing no blood. Settling down next to her Aspfang sighed, realizing his calm walk had become a predicament of its own. "Can you get up?" he mewed softly, keeping his posture relaxed in case he frightened the she-cat.

"If not, I'll have to go get the Medicine cat of my Clan. Will you be alright for a few moments or would you rather me assist you back?"

[[ I'll try to get Shad moar active :u Forgot about Thornfire for a moment o-o'' ]]

Thornfire easily strode through the forest, checking for any signs of strange scents. He paused and sniffed the air, icy blue eyes narrowed and tail twitching. He had scented squirrel. Perhaps the apprentices had picked it up? Thornfire then slid his gaze over to the two apprentices along with Ashwhisker.

"Well, Shimmerpaw? Do you smell anything asides from RushClan and the forest?" He mewed, testing his apprentice along with her brother.

---

Leafmist caught up to Flamestrike, keeping in pace with the ginger tom. When she overheard the apprentices excitedly talk about what they were going to do, her ears flicked nervously. She had forgotten to plan Windpaw's battle training.

"So... Flamestrike? Have any ideas what the apprentices will be learning today?" She mewed.

---

Coalpaw sighed. Windpaw was acting like a kit instead of an eager apprentice. He mewed in agreement and continued walking in silence, wishing he had a more patient battle partner. He pricked his ears and directed them towards the warriors in front of them, trying to hear what Leafmist and Flamestrike were mewing to each other about. But Coalpaw couldn't hear a word the warriors said.

---

Dove heaved herself back to her paws, supported by only three legs, her right leg in the back hovering above the ground. She groaned, wishing she hadn't been so stupid.

"I'm fine!" She mewed, stomping the foot back on the ground, only to have pain surge through her body like lightning. "...Nevermind, I'm not." She mumbled, allowing the right leg to hover once more. Dove tilted her head to the side.

"What's a medicine cat, Aspfang?" She mewed curiously.  

Ooc; D8 Shad's back

Bic;

Flamestrike padded along with Leafmist. He let the two apprentices interract with each other, listening to what Coalpaw was telling Windpaw. Fighting in pairs would be a good idea and Flamestrike tucked that little note into a corner of his mind. When Leafmist spoke up, he flicked his tail in acknowledgement. "Like Coalpaw said, fighting in pairs would be good for them. I was also thinking we could work on their defensive moves. It's not all about forward attacks," he stated, nodding to himself.

---

Shimmerpaw followed Thornfire out into the forest. When Thornfire asked the she-cat what she scented, Shimmerpaw let the smells of the forest crawl into her nose. She smelled the dry and cracked dirt of the undergrowth, but the air was moist. She smelled a trace of a squirrel, but the scent of bird hit her first. "Well, there's a squirrel over that way," she said, pointing with her tail. "And there's a bird over there," she said, this time jutting her chin out to the area.

---

Silentpaw followed Ashwhisker and Thornfire out to the camp entrance. He yawned softly and looked longingly at the fresh-kill pile. He should have grabbed a piece when he got a chance, but he pushed his hunger away. The tom was too busy watching the rest of the forest, that he did not know when the patrol stopped. He nearly collided with Shimmerpaw when she stopped to taste the air. He was impressed when she said she could scent the bird. Even he hadn't been able to until she had said something.

Ashwhisker nodded patiently. "Well, look's like Shimmerpaw got it right. Which is a more advantageous catch then, Silentpaw?" she meowed, since his littermate had already given an answer. Perhaps this would be more to Silentpaw's favor. The tom seemed to be a deliberating type, and she hoped that he would give a decent answer. Fur ruffled by the wind Ashwhisker scented the air herself, noting that there was also a mouse hole a few foxlength away, the scent nearly washed away by the thick aroma of the loam and dead leaves.

--

"A cat who heals other cats," Aspfang meowed patiently, his eyes glimmering slightly as the small she-cat ignored his words and tried to walk off. Much to his consternation she was immediately curious after. The she-cat had sharp wit. "Ours, Emberfur, would be able to help you. And you never answered. What is your name?" Tilting his head Aspfang wondered if he should come closer or stay back. The she-cat was balancing awkwardly on three legs and he didn't want her to tumble over.

Ears flicking Aspfang slowly listened for any other cats, his senses sharpening. The forest was quiet and there was only the scent of the Clan, the she-cat and a a scrabbling mouse a few pawsteps away. Body tensing Aspfang slowly got up and crouched down again in a hunting pose, his haunches wriggling as he pinpointed the mouse's area. Eyes narrowing leaped and neatly slashed the mouse's neck, draining its life. Picking it up delicately he padded over to where the she-cat was and dropped it close to her before backing off again. "Eat if you are hungry," he meowed, motioning to the mouse with his tail. 

[[ Cats are allowed to hunt during border patrols, correct? o,o ]]

Thornfire nodded in approval. The two apprentices learned quickly. He scented the area once more. There were no more small animals asides from the ones mentioned before.

"Well, Shimmerpaw? Would you and your brother like to hunt for awhile?" He mewed, knowing Silentpaw had been staring at the fresh-kill pile when they were back in the main camp.

---

Leafmist nodded along to what Flamestrike had said. She looked back at the apprentices once again. Coalpaw had fallen silent. Leafmist narrowed her eyes and scented the air. They were near the training grounds.

"Windpaw, Coalpaw." Leafmist mewed, looking at the apprentices over her shoulder. "Today, we'll be learning how to battle with partners. Naturally, you two would go up against either me or Flamestrike." Leafmist glanced at Flamestrike, wondering if the tom had any problems with her plan.

---

Dove reconsidered this. A Medicine Cat? That seemed new to her. Dove had always thought that in the forest, each cat was for itself. Dove looked back at her pathetic back leg, still lifted over the ground. There was no way she could hunt in this condition.

"My name?" Dove mewed nervously. "I gave myself the name Dove." She flattened her ears. The last cat who had heard her new name had laughed. Dove watched in awe as Aspfang easily killed a mouse. She gave him an odd look, wondering why he would offer a stranger food, but wolfed it down nonetheless. 

"Thank you, Aspfang." Dove mumbled.