hunting for TREASURE {open}

[mysteryfaith]

The swamp mud sucked at her paws as she darted over it, trying to be as swift as possible. Briarpaw's light green eyes were alight with disgust; every time she came here, the swamp always tried to swallow her. However, it was a good spot when it came to looking for pretty things; somehow, a lot of them managed to wind up here.

At last, she reached the other side of the swamp, and sat herself down on the roots of the Ancient Tree, shaking her paws frantically the try to get some of the wet mud off. A lot of the goop went flying, but her dark-striped brown paws were still horribly slimy, sliding a little on the roots of the tree. Normally, she would be licking the mud off straight away - she did hate being unclean - but her task was far more important.

Her collection had been a little lacking recently; whatever pretty thing she could find, she hid it in the crack of a particularly gnarled tree trunk on the other side of the swamp, and it was looking quite empty. Occasionally, a magpie would come and steal something - another time, a thieving warrior had found her collection, and generously helped himself to her spoils. Now, all that lay in there were a few shiny Two-leg things, and an old sliver of pretty, silver rock. It was engraved with delicate markings, presumably put there by Two-legs, and had a bumpy edge. Whatever it was supposed to be, she just loved to take it out of its hiding place and stare at it - this, to her, was entertainment. Unlike her sisters, she knew that she didn't have to go off exploring to have a good time.

Whilst she loved her sisters, and would jump at the chance to spend time with them, they did have a rather strange attitude compared to her own. They seemed to be happy to go off adventuring, leaving Briarpaw to train or find shiny things; they were confident, whilst Briarpaw was shy and reserved. They didn't mind getting their paws wet - and Briarpaw was still squirming uncomfortably from the small amount of mud left on her own.

"Oh, I shouldn't worry about them," she muttered to herself. "I wasn't born to be an adventurer, or an explorer; I was born to be me." It's not that she was unhappy living in WestClan, or that she felt left out by his sisters . . . but somehow, Briarpaw just felt a little out of place here. Her shiny collection was her escape from the pressures of Clan life; she could come here every day and just relax, knowing that no one would come here and force her to start hunting or fighting like her mentor did.

Warrior training was . . . tiring. Briarpaw wasn't a deserter - she wouldn't give up on it just because she didn't like it - but it did drain a lot of her energy. In reality, she would rather be learning the trade of medicine, instead of learning how to fight cats simply to please the Clan leader. She couldn't be a medicine cat, though - she'd already started her warrior training, and she didn't want to be separated from her sisters too much. Plus, she would be afraid of treating cats; what if she didn't do it properly, and they died? She wouldn't be able to handle it.

"Stay on task, Briarpaw," she told herself calmly. She was getting worked up now, and frustration was of no use to her. "You came here to look for treasures, and that's what you'll do. Nothing more, and nothing less."

638.

[Bloodpaw]

Bloodpaw wandered through the swamp to get to the ancient tree, his paws sticking with mud and looking wearily around. He hadn't seen his mentor, Velvetmoon, in some time, so he thought it best to go out and look for her. He could hardly stand to be away from her; as she was the closest thing he had to a very kind maternal figure. He had no knowledge of her true nature, of course.

Being half blind made it hard for him to choose where he was going to place his paws next. Sometimes he tripped and fell into the mud, caking his dark fur with layers of dirt and gunk. He looked miserable, with one good eye looking out pitifully. The other one was sewed shut, as it had been by a veterinarian a while ago. He couldn't ever look out through both bright yellow eyes again.

He smelled a familiar scent, of one of the other apprentices in the Clan. He wondered what she was doing all the way out here. Curious, he looked around, trying to find her. Eventually he spotted Briarpaw sitting on the large roots of the ancient tree, and he blinked. He didn't know whether or not to approach her. He didn't usually get along well with the other apprentices, but Briarpaw hadn't been mean to him yet.

He tried to muster up the courage to talk to her, hoping that she wouldn't be just another cat who made fun of him because of his injury. He took in a deep breath. "Hey, Briarpaw," he rasped. He cleared his throat, wondering if he'd been even heard because of how softly he spoke. "What are you doing all the way out here? Have you seen Velvetmoon?"

OOC: I'm sorry my post is only like... half your post's length. I'm low on muse and I couldn't think of anything else to say. Sorry. D:

[mysteryfaith]

Briarpaw jumped at the sound of another cat's voice; had someone been following her? She turned around, and saw it was only another one of the Clan's apprentices; she didn't think they'd met before, so she could safely assume that he hadn't been following her. She was sure she'd heard his name before - perhaps from one of the other apprentices . . . Bloodpaw! That was his name.

The tom was soft-spoken, with one of his eyes sewn shut. It didn't bother Briarpaw much - despite being a feminine girl attracted to sparkly objects, she knew that when it came to cats, the best friends were the ones that weren't so shiny on the outside. Although she didn't have much experience in that realm . . . she was a rather lonely cat, when she thought about it. This was her one chance to finally meet someone who could be a friend - right now, her only friends were her two sisters, and they were always off together, leaving her alone to do what she liked.

Just as she was about to reply, that familiar sensation came over her: that fundamental fear of meeting new personalities, of not being accepted, of being cast aside and forgotten. She just had to say one word, force one word out of her lungs, and that tense feeling building up in her chest would go away.

She cursed herself for being so shy - why couldn't she just talk to this tom? He was no threat to her. She knew what she should say, but . . . oh, she had to do this! Taking in a deep breath, and remembering that she had left this tom waiting for a few awkward seconds before speaking, she pushed the words out.

"Hello, Bloodpaw." There! The words came out stunted, but they didn't sound too bad; she hoped desperately that he wouldn't suddenly assume she was strange for looking so nervous. It was just conversation, but this was the unfortunate side of Briarpaw's nature - she would forever be doomed to being a bit of a coward. "I, uh, haven't seen Velvetmoon, no . . . are you looking for her?

Stupid question. Mistake. Briarpaw immediately scolded herself for being stupid enough to ask it - of course he was looking for her, or else he wouldn't have asked. She wasn't sure if Bloodpaw had picked up on it or not, so decided to quickly move the conversation on. What else had he asked her?

Oh, that's it - he'd asked her what she was doing. She grew a little nervous at the prospect of telling him she collected shiny things - now, when she thought about telling another cat about her hobby, it seemed silly and childish. Okay, so she had to make a reason up . . . hunting? No, it was quite clear that she wasn't the kind to go hunting for no reason; she sometimes overheard the other apprentices gossiping about her lack of hunting dedication loudly in the apprentices' den, with every other apprentice there to hear it, so Bloodpaw would have undoubtedly known.

What other excuse could she have? The only thing she showed a passion for, other than her secret shiny collection, was medicine - despite her fears about not being able to treat a cat properly, and not going for the medicine cat apprentice role because of the pressures it would bring, she still loved to sniff out herbs, pull them up, and think about what they could heal. That was it - that could be her excuse!

"I was out collecting herbs," she explained, feeling just a little proud of herself for coming up with an excuse so quickly. "I sometimes like to help out the medicine cat by coming out here and picking them up . . . there aren't many around, but this place is a particularly good spot for . . . borage." It was a lie, but it would help her sound more convincing.[/color]

683.



(OOC: Haha, no worries! I only ramble on because I like to hit 600, that's kind of my target. I wouldn't go on for so long if it wasn't for that. xD)

[Bloodpaw]

Bloodpaw's ears flicked when Briarpaw spoke to him. She was generally quiet, and he hadn't exactly thought he'd been heard. Disappointment washed over him when she mentioned that she hadn't seen Velvetmoon. He wandered up towards her, trying to shake the clumps of mud off his paws as he did. Briarpaw hadn't yet said anything cruel to him, which to Bloodpaw seemed like a miracle. He was constantly teased by the other apprentices for his injury.

Briarpaw seemed nervous, but Bloodpaw was tentative too. He tilted his head when she asked if he was looking for Velvetmoon. He was, clearly, but she seemed a little nervous and he forgave her blunder. "Yes, I haven't seen her in a while," he replied. "I was getting worried about her. I've been due to have training for a while now." He was genuinely more concerned about Velvetmoon's whereabouts than he was about his own mother's. As far as it was all concerned, Velvetmoon was more like a mother to him than any other cat... and Trimbleleaf had all but disowned Bloodpaw anyway.

He didn't know about Briarpaw's liking for collecting things, and from where everything stood right now he couldn't even tell that this what what she had been doing. He didn't know most apprentices to be out here all by themselves. With mentors, mostly, but never all alone. Viperpaw was more likely to do something like that than Briarpaw, or so Bloodpaw figured.

He rather disliked Briarpaw's sister, Viperpaw. He knew that Viperpaw had been bullied for her halfClan lineage, but this in turn seemed to make Viperpaw into a troublemaker. Viperpaw liked to start fights, and sometimes Bloodpaw had been the recipient of this aggression. Like her, his bullying had pushed him to be an over-achiever, but unlike her, he didn't take out his anger on others.

He listened when she mentioned that she was collecting herbs. That seemed very helpful, and he wondered why he hadn't thought to do that himself. Shadowclaw had a medicine cat apprentice, but herbs were difficult to find in the swamp, so he probably needed all the help he could get. "Oh, that's good," he meowed. "Do you mind if I help you? I fear I won't be finding Velvetmoon right now, and I've got nothing else to do until she's around to train me." He didn't exactly know what to look for in herbs, but if Briarpaw knew about borage, she must know a thing or two about plants. She could easily show him what was what, so he thought.

He wondered if maybe, he was going to make a friend today. He needed someone his own age that he could talk to. He didn't really have any friends in the Clan as it was.

[mysteryfaith]

Bloodpaw seemed to be a nice cat, Briarpaw thought; like most apprentices, she had seen a bully or two in her time, and he didn't seem to have the characteristics of one. However, cats could be sneaky, and hide their true colours - somehow, Bloodpaw didn't seem to be one of those cats.

He spoke softly and tenderly, as if he meant every word he said. It was a relief to hear his gentle voice in the middle of the Clan world, which was normally so rough and cruel. No cat could say that being a warrior was completely without benefits - but it was tough to live in a world where being a strong warrior was all that mattered. It was a world that Briarpaw was, quite frankly, uncomfortable living in.

His gentle personality shone through even more to her when he mentioned Velvetmoon; before he said the word 'training', she was convinced that Velvetmoon was his mother. He spoke of her so fondly - it was immediately clear that she was dear to him. In fact, it was strange for an apprentice to be so attached to his mentor; Briarpaw certainly wasn't attached to hers. She hated training, which was partially why she was attracted to a medicine cat's lifestyle. Speaking of medicine cats . . .

"Yes, of course you can join me," she murmured to Bloodpaw; she knew full well that, after visiting the Ancient Tree almost every day for a number of moons, herbs were difficult to find around here. Nevertheless, it would give her a reason to talk to him more, if he thought they were looking for herbs. When it came to borage - she wasn't quite sure of its scent, but she'd seen it used once before, with its long prickly stalks and big flowers. It was quite ugly to her, but in medicinal terms, it would be most helpful to the Clan.

Briarpaw began to pad away to the other side of the tree; its gnarled roots protected her from falling into the sticky swamp mud, providing a bumpy yet safe platform for her drying paws. "There might be some over here," she called out to the other apprentice. "Let me just . . . ah, yes. There might be some around here."

She had stumbled upon a small stretch of grass that looked quite safe to stand on; it would still be a bit damp, which made her squirm, but they might actually find some herbs here. She didn't want to look useless - she'd already made it clear to the Clan that she didn't like hunting, fighting or patrolling, so unless she showed a little get-on-with-it attitude when it came to something, she might be classed as lazy. She certainly wasn't lazy - she just didn't like getting her paws wet, that was all.

Briarpaw began to sniff the air, wondering if there were any medical scents lingering around her; there weren't, but it didn't matter - they could still look for herbs, even if there didn't seem to be any. It would give her more of a chance to speak to Bloodpaw, to find out more about him.

"A lot of people think I'm dull," she mewed quietly, deciding that she had to approach the subject now with him or else their friendship would never work out. She would rather be friends with someone who accepted who she was than best friends with someone who didn't know her true personality. "It's true that I don't like adventure, and it's true that my sisters are more popular in the Clan than me, but that doesn't mean I'm allergic to adventure. I can still be useful, even though I'm necessarily a brilliant warrior like them."

Now that she'd said it, it felt as if she was simply using him to vent out her troubles - as if that was the only reason she wanted his company, so she had an ear to pour her ranting into. To correct things, she quickly added, "I just thought I'd make that clear before this relationship goes any further. If we are to become friends - which I hope we are - then you must understand that I'm not like my sisters. Others expect me to be like them, and I'm just . . . not. I can't pretend to be - just so you know." Briarpaw held her breath nervously - had she just made a mistake, or would Bloodpaw understand?

782

[Bloodpaw]

Bloodpaw was delighted to hear that Briarpaw was allowing him to come along with her on an herb hunt. This was one of the longest conversations he'd even ever had with another apprentice, outside of defending himself whilst being bullied. He was well on his way to making a friend, he figured. "Great," he meowed. He meant it, too. It was genuinely great to have this opportunity. Briarpaw hadn't even yet flinched at his appearance.

He wandered over where Briarpaw mentioned there might be some herbs. There was a small patch of grass, which was impressive for the swamp. It was hard to find grass, and most of it only grew around the ancient tree. She didn't seem to be having any luck finding any, though. He sniffed the air, but he didn't know how to tell one plant from another. He knew he might recognize something when he came across it, but he didn't know what to look for specifically.

When Briarpaw started talking to him about how she was dull, he could only shake his head to start with. He didn't want her to think that he thought she was boring at all. She didn't seem like her sisters, naturally, but she didn't seem all that dull either. She sounded like she was trying to convince him of her worth, and he looked on through his one eye.

"I understand," he meowed. "To be honest, I would rather you not be like your sisters... particularly Viperpaw. She's been none too kind to me." He flicked his ears and looked down at the ground. "I like you, though, Briarpaw. You seem very nice. I think you might be one of the first friends I've ever made."

He didn't want to say anything that could potentially jeopardize their friendship. He didn't mind that she wasn't adventurous, or that maybe, just maybe her interests were more in the area of medicine cat than warrior. He was just considering himself lucky that anyone, other than Velvetmoon, was giving him the time of day... and another apprentice, no less. He tilted his head, observing her. This was the moment that could either make or break their friendship, and they had to accept one another or ruin things.

[mysteryfaith]

The kind words made Briarpaw's ears flick with bashful pride, her nose twitching self-consciously. "You're very kind, Bloodpaw," she muttered, her paws fidgeting beneath her, "but I'm not as nice as you may think."

Briarpaw hung her head in shame; she would often groan to her sisters about how they left her out, and how just because they had different personalities didn't mean they'd stopped being sisters. She knew that they weren't really leaving her out; if she wanted to, she could join them. She hated herself for being the different one, the one that couldn't stand adventure; she would much rather be like Viperpaw, who seemed happy to venture into any cove without fear.

Then again, by the sound of Bloodpaw's words, he didn't like her sisters all that much. When he mentioned friends, her heart fluttered hopefully like a bird in a cage; could this be her first true friend in the Clan, other than her apparently less-than-friendly sisters? "Do you think we could really be . . . friends?"

Even the word sounded comforting as it came off her tongue. She imagined everything she could do with a true friend - hunting together, training together, even eating together . . . it would be blissful! They both seemed to be outcasts in the Clan - him for his unique appearance, her for her inability to be good at anything. This time, however, she wouldn't cower away from the adventure presented to her - it was nothing too exciting, but it was one she knew would have its ups and downs. She felt ready to begin this journey.

"Bloodpaw," she murmured, her tone quite formal and serious, "would you do me the honour of being my friend?" A moment after saying it, she burst out into a fit of infectious giggling; this was the kind of fun she'd always imagined having with a friend.

After the giggling had passed, she sniffed the air, and let the scents wash over her; unfortunately, there seemed to be nothing around that smelled even slightly herb-like. "I don't think we're going to have much luck," she muttered, looking back towards the Ancient Tree. The swamp was still as mucky and wet as it was before - and the prospect of crossing it and getting her paws sticky again was already making her squirm - but there were odd patches of grass littered around, just like the one they were standing on.

"Instead of collecting herbs, why don't we take a walk?" she suggested, surveying the landscape; it would be quite a puzzle, crossing the swamp without actually touching any of the swamp water, but it was one that they could perhaps conquer together. "I bet we could cross this swamp without getting our paws wet . . . want to try?"

There was a mischievous glint in her eye; only a few times before had she felt this playful urge growing within her, when she was having fun and she didn't care. So what if they couldn't find herbs? That hadn't been her objective to begin with anyway; she'd just said that so Bloodpaw wouldn't think she was weird. Now, she just wanted to have fun with her new friend.

She tried to spy out the next patch of grass which would be safe to stand on - the distinctive green tuft, about two mouse-tails in length and three in width, would be quite a stretch to jump. That familiar fear of doing anything too outrageous crept in, and she couldn't help but stand back. "After you," she mewed nervously, clearing her throat.

645.[/size]

[Bloodpaw]

For a moment, Bloodpaw wondered what Briarpaw meant by saying she wasn't as nice as she seemed. He hoped it didn't mean that she'd turn out to by like her sisters; a bully or a cat who didn't pay him any attention at all... Viperpaw and Fleetpaw, respectively. When the conversation switched back to being about friends, he nodded.

"I do think we can be friends," he replied, hopefully. He didn't want to let this opportunity get away. Briarpaw seemed nice, even if she didn't think that she was all that great. She was, as of right now, the only apprentice in the Clan that he didn't hate with seething rage.

Velvetmoon always did tell Bloodpaw that one day he'd be able to get back at all the apprentices who mocked him for his appearance, and bullied him for one reason or another. Those cats, indeed, would be the ones that would witness his power one day and see how mighty a warrior he would become. Though, the way Velvetmoon made it sound, he might have to demonstrate his power by brute force... and while he did wish to get revenge on the bullying apprentices, he wasn't quite sure he was cut out for such vindictive actions.

One thing he knew for sure was that Briarpaw was no apprentice who was going to be on the receiving end of whatever sinister crowning moment of glory he might achieve... When she asked him, formally, to be her friend, he couldn't help but grin. "I'd love to," he meowed. He laughed along with her as well.

He knew she was right about the herbs around being scarce, and he was more than happy to abandon the project. Her suggestion to take a walk was more welcome. He nodded. "Sure, I'd love to take a walk." Her challenge, crossing the swamp without getting their paws wet, also intrigued him.

"Sounds like fun," he laughed. Inside, he knew that his poor depth perception would greatly hinder his ability to jump from one patch of grass to the next, but it was worth a try. She stepped back, letting him take a try. He took in a deep breath, getting ready to jump.

He stepped back a little and took a running leap towards the grass, and with relief he realized he'd actually made it. He hadn't even been looking, his one good eye had been closed in nervousness and anticipation of missing. Proudly, he turned to her. "Did you see that, Briarpaw?" he called. "It's your turn now!"

[mysteryfaith]

Briarpaw let out a cheer when Bloodpaw reached the tuft of grass, her tail swishing from side to side with joy as she let out a loud laugh. "Excellent!" she called out to him - she imagined that his lack of an eye would hinder him somewhat, and she felt a strange kind of pride at his success.

Then, he called for her to jump - she felt nervousness gnawing at her belly, and she frowned at the large gap between where she was stood and the next patch of grass, where Bloodpaw was waiting for her. All she could think of was a vision of her, disappearing into the sludge of the swamp, all that nasty mud sucking and pulling at her beautiful, glossy mud . . .

She couldn't stand being unclean, and even the thought of it made her gag. She really, desperately did not want to land in that swamp mud . . . but what would Bloodpaw say if she didn't try? It was clear by now that she was a bit of a coward, preferring to collect shiny things (or herbs, as she had told Bloodpaw) rather than go off on the quests of a warrior. He would think of her not only as a massive coward, but of a spoilsport - she had started this game, and she wasn't playing by the rules.

Taking a deep breath, she tried to expel the images of her drowning in the sludge, and took a step backwards. "Here I come," she tried to announce - but the loud voice she had imagined came out as more of a whisper. One . . . two . . . three!

She launched herself across the mud, trying to put as much spring into her paws as she could. For a second, she was suspended in mid-air, halfway between both islands - she had a sudden fear that she would drop, and not make it after all. She kept her eyes focused on Bloodpaw for the whole jump, not daring to look down. The mid-air wobble passed, and she landed with a slightly unsteady thump on the island with Bloodpaw.

"I did it!" she screeched, her eyes wide with delight and shock. Had she just done something that might live up to her sisters' level of adventure? "I did it, Bloodpaw, I did it!" Her celebration was short-lived - they still had many more jumps to go, she suspected - but if she'd managed one jump, couldn't she manage them all?

Inside, her pride swelled; she had done something which she never thought she'd do, and it was all because of Bloodpaw. She had a feeling this friendship could be long and beautiful - and at the same time, she realised that everything she'd done in the past could have been made sweeter with a friend like Bloodpaw beside her.

Everything she'd done, she'd done alone; her sisters were normally off doing other things, whilst the Clan apprentices were either training or just ignoring her. She'd never known anything but solitude, because she was always the shy one, or the dull one, or the one that never talked. She could already feel herself coming out of her shell; it was just the effect one friend had on her.

Gulping in air from her jump, she indicated to the next patch of grass, an equal distance away. Just as she pointed at it, a fat, slimy frog jumped on, croaking lazily. It rested on the patch of grass, apparently oblivious to their presence. "I dare you to catch it," she challenged, eyes flickering with excitement. This was no grand adventure - but she'd rather have this than one of those any day.[/color]

634.

[Bloodpaw]

Bloodpaw noticed Briarpaw's hesitation, and wondered if she wasn't going to make it. "Come on, you can do it," he urged helpfully. He had to step back out of the way as she finally managed the courage to leap across the mud towards him, and he congratulated her when she landed on the patch of grass. "Great job!"

He tilted his head happily at her, grinning. Briarpaw seemed to be very proud of herself, and rightfully so. She was quiet, but she was doing something adventurous. He felt proud of himself too, for being able to make the jump with only one eye to see out of. Of course, now he wondered if he would be able to make the other jumps.

When Briarpaw indicated to the frog, daring him to catch it, he swallowed and nodded. It was a fair distance away, but no more than it had been to jump from the tree to the patch of grass he was now on. "Alright, you watch me," he meowed, trying to rally all his confidence. He crouched down to the ground, his tail swishing. He wasn't sure if he was going to make the jump, but it was worth a try. Besides, he had Briarpaw watching him, and he didn't want to look like a furball in front of her.

He took the jump, but only his front paws managed to reach the island, while his back legs went slipping into the murky swamp. He made a disgusted face and pulled himself out, shaking his back legs to try to get the mud out of them. "Looks like I didn't quite make that one," he meowed, trying to show good spirits about it. "I guess I lose."

The frog had long since jumped away, terrified by the wild leap that Bloodpaw had took at it. Bloodpaw looked back at Briarpaw, hoping that she would have better luck getting over to the next patch of grass. He could feel his back legs were all sticky and mud-covered, which obviously meant that he'd have to clean himself later on. "Good luck!" he meowed to Briarpaw.

[mysteryfaith]

Briarpaw rippled with shock at Bloodpaw's drop into the swamp. It was only half of him that went into the slushy goop, but it still made her jump; she could already imagine the slimy mud coating his back legs, and shivered with horror. She really couldn't stand this swamp; why couldn't she have been born in another Clan, one with dry land and very little mud?

"Are you hurt?" she called out frantically; her outcry was nonsensical in a way, because the slush was quite soft and harmless, but she had already grown fond of Bloodpaw. She had wanted him to succeed - to reach the platform, to catch the frog - and seeing him not live up to those expectations made her feel strange; failure was not a pretty thing, especially not when seen in a friend.

Trying to put the event out of her mind, she turned to thinking about her own jump. She had started this game, and now she had to finish it - besides, now the only way back to camp was via the platforms, strewn out over the sloppy swamp mixture. In her mind, she could see herself leaping, missing her stride, and finding herself resting exactly where Bloodpaw had landed; half of her on the grassy platform, the other half stuck in the mud. It made her shudder - she'd already had to taste the bitter swamp mud on her fur once today, and she wasn't prepared to taste it again.

"Here I go," she muttered, more to herself than to Bloodpaw. She took three hesitant steps backwards, plucked grass from the ground with her back claws for a few moments just to gain some time, and mentally readied herself. Come on, Briarpaw, she told herself, shutting her eyes. You can do this. There's no need to be frightened; you've done it before, and you can do it again.

One . . . two . . . three . . . jump!

With a tiny squeal, she pushed herself into the air, only giving herself a short run-up before leaping. For a split second she was in between the two platforms, stranded in the air and worried if she would make the jump. Seeing the ground rushing up towards her, she shut her eyes, preparing for the cold mud to greet her raised paws; instead, she found them planted firmly on grass. She had made the jump!

Briarpaw stood next to Bloodpaw, and grinned at him, still slightly winded from her heavy landing. "What next? she asked him excitedly - making two jumps successfully had boosted her confidence to no end, and she felt that even if Bloodpaw challenged her to jump to the other side of the swamp - a good few fox-tails away - she could make it, or at least have a go.

Was this what it felt like to have a friend? Someone who would care if you landed in the swamp mud, and not just laugh. Someone who would congratulate you if you made a good jump, and help you up if you didn't. Someone who you could challenge, but never feel competitive against; Briarpaw didn't feel a fleck of indignation when Bloodpaw made his first jump perfectly, because they were both winners in this game to her - they had won friendship. There was no point in being competitive over swamp-jumping; they were friends, and that was what counted.

Now, she left it up to Bloodpaw to decide what they would do next. She felt as if she had dictated their actions so far - from picking herbs to jumping across platforms - and she didn't want their relationship to be that way. "The decision's up to you," she told him encouragingly, sitting on the grassy platform and waiting.

649.[/b]

[Bloodpaw]

Briarpaw's concern for his safety made Bloodpaw feel good about himself. Most cats wouldn't care if I died, he thought. There was something about his new friend, something that indicated that she cared so much more. He had been so used to being shunned by everyone, except for Velvetmoon. He began to wonder how Velvetmoon would take the fact that he had a new apprentice-aged friend. He'd have to tell her later.

He stood back as Briarpaw got ready to jump, concerned that she might not quite make the jump if he stood in the way. He looked out at her, hoping deeply that she would make the jump. At least she would be doing better than he was. He felt a little bad for not being able to make the jump, but he had confidence in Briarpaw.

When she made the jump, he found himself grinning. "You did it!" he purred. His good eye was shimmering with delight. He was enjoying the games that they were playing, and he hoped the fun wouldn't end anytime soon. He had never found himself liking another apprentice this much, and it made him feel warm on the inside.

He tilted his head a little when she asked him what they were going to do next. He hadn't given it much thought, and he wasn't very good at playing games since he never really did before. "Maybe we could see who could catch the biggest frog?" he suggested. A hunting competition would be fun, but he hoped that chasing frogs through a swamp wouldn't bother Briarpaw.

He could tell that Briarpaw didn't like getting herself dirty, the way she kept her fur so pretty despite living in the swamps. A lot of WestClan cats would be content just to let the dirt stay in their fur, but not her. He noticed that his fur was clumped with mud, and he almost felt bad about it for a moment, as though he were some kind of raggedy barbarian for having it all in his fur.

He didn't know how being around another cat would make him want to act differently, but since Briarpaw didn't like mud, he knew that he would have to wash up for her. He didn't want to scare away his new friend with his poor hygiene. "So does that sound good?" he murmured. "Not too messy?" He shook a little bit of dirt off of his back paw.

[mysteryfaith]

Briarpaw couldn't help but laugh at the tom's statement; she was touched, and slightly surprised, by his quick learning. Bloodpaw had obviously noticed her hatred of the mud.

"Of course it's not too messy," the she-cat murmured, feeling slightly embarrassed. Her no-mud attitude could make her seem fussy at times, like a spoiled kit - she would hate for Bloodpaw to see her that way, especially since their friendship was blossoming so beautifully. "I mean, I don't mind mud . . ." she added hastily; she felt slightly guilty for lying, when she knew that friends should keep nothing from each other, but knew it would be better for her in the long run if, in these early stages, she tried to make herself as likable as possible. To appear as a spoiled brat would certainly not make her image better.

She took a deep sniff of the air, drawing in the unpleasant scents of swamp and stale rain. Briarpaw sifted through the smells in her mind, trying to identify each one - although her training was almost over, she still had a little trouble putting names to scents. Warrior training had never really been her forte, anyway - she much preferred looking for herbs, although she wouldn't ever wish to be a medicine cat.

Eventually, she found a foul, slimy scent in the air that could only belong to one creature - the ugly frog. She had no appreciation for swamp creatures, and the amphibians that lived there - the horrible frogs and toads, croaking and creaking - were the worst. Briarpaw wouldn't eat them herself, but she knew that some WestClan cats loved them; she was happy to catch and kill them, thinking the press of her claws against their skin was rather satisfying.

"Let's go," she murmured, making a short leap from the platform to the edge of the swamp and following the scent trail of the frog. "May StarClan wish us good hunting!" she added lightly, putting on a smile.

Honestly, she was feeling rather fearful about the future of StarClan. Recently, the world had felt slightly . . . colder, as if StarClan had gone away. But where could they have gone? It's not like they could run away from their circumstances - they would always be dead. Maybe they hadn't gone away at all - perhaps they were just being quiet for a while, lying low for some reason. It's not like she expected a meaningful dream from her ancestors every night - but life felt somewhat sharper now, and something told her that things were not as they had once been when it came to StarClan.

Maybe it was just her who was feeling distant from StarClan - was she losing faith in them? No, she couldn't be! She just felt . . . distant . . . A sudden fear gripped her; what if her faith was slipping out, drifting away without her even noticing it? She knew very little about religion, and how it worked - it was all a mystery to her, but for some reason, she had never doubted StarClan before. She had just accepted it as truth.

"Bloodpaw - can I ask you something?" she muttered timidly; perhaps the only way to sort this was to ask him. Had he been feeling the same things? "Have you felt . . . distant from StarClan recently? I wouldn't ask, it's just . . ." Her words tapered off, her flow broken by her shy nature; she was scared he might think her a cynical fool to doubt StarClan. She might be the only one thinking this. "It's just it feels they're not as close to us as they used to be."

635.


(OOC: Bleh, no muse. xP)

[Bloodpaw]

Bloodpaw could tell that Briarpaw really didn't like the mud at all, but she was obviously not proud of that fact and he didn't think it would be wise to press the matter any further. He nodded. There was something quirky about a WestClan cat not liking mud, and Bloodpaw adored this quirk in Briarpaw immediately. She was like a loner from Cat's Claw who didn't like the water... rare and adorably out of place.

He was pleased, though, that she still wanted to do the competition of who could catch the largest frog. Bloodpaw tilted his head, his raggedy fur blown slightly by a breeze that carried scents of food. He closed his eye, focusing on the smell of frog that wafted through the air and into his nostrils.

Briarpaw's sudden question regarding StarClan brought Bloodpaw momentarily out of his hunting trance. She was asking if Bloodpaw felt distant from StarClan, but to be honest, Bloodpaw had never even felt close to them to begin with. He couldn't deny that everything lacked a certain warmth that used to be there, but didn't know what to chalk it up to.

"Distant?" he echoed. His one good eye darted back and forth. "I guess maybe..." He didn't know how to answer, but he didn't want Briarpaw to look foolish for asking. He wouldn't be able to tell the difference either way... he'd never been certain if he believed in StarClan to begin with. "Things have seemed a little colder, I guess, is what I mean."

He hoped that his answer would satisfy her. He did want to get on with the hunting competition. He was somewhat daunted by conversations related to philosophy... it all confused, and even bored him. Velvetmoon had always taught him to think nothing of it, and follow a different path. Bloodpaw hadn't ever thought to question her in the past, and now wasn't a time to start.

"Are you ready to hunt now?" he purred. He looked out into the swamps. He had scented a frog, and he was ready to go after it as soon as he knew that Briarpaw was ready. He didn't want to go off on his own yet, knowing that would be rude and inconsiderate of him to get a head start without her.