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Scorchpaw flicked her tail, having had a run down of all the apprentice duties all day, going from tending to the elders and queens to making sure Jayfeather and Sunpaw had enough moss to keep themsevles comfortable. She had changed so much bedding today she as sure there was some cob web from her paws on them.

She sighed, shaking out her black fur. It was a good day though, Bramblestar told her, a good day of hard work. She's already hearing tales from teh Elders, past the surprised whispers of Bramblestars choosen mentors.

In all honesty, she saw nothing wrong with Sunspots becomming a mentor so soon. She would be excellent since seh still had some apprentice in her... but she saw the elders point too. Youth was nothing in exchange for experiance.

"You've done enough today, Scorchpaw," Silvertail mewed from across teh clearing. Her kind, amber eyes shown at the young apprentice, staying guard near Cloudedfur. Dispite her injuries, it seemed that Scorchpaw was almost born for clan life.

But we'll see when those webs come off... she thought to herself.

"You can go and have some fresh kill with the other apprentices."

Scorchpaw dipped her head in gratitude, her stomach growling. She padded over to the group of apprentices but was somewhat surprised at the cool greeting she got. Whitepaw and Rainpaw said their hellos while Tigerpaw ignored her. She looked at the pile and took a mouse for herself, not really wondering to expect when she had the warm body in her mouth.

Immediately, her senses tingled and the urge to hunt sprang into her veins. She layed down and sniffed the mouse and held it carefully in her paws.

"Well? Are you going to eat or what?!" Tigerpaw spat, his tabby tail twitching irritably, just waiting to tattle to a warrior about something.

Winter paw cuffed his golden spotted paw at Tigerpaw. "Relax. She's a first timer, cut her some slack!"

"I'll cut her something, alright!" He unsheathedhis claws, bristling.

Scorchpaw got to her paws, hovering over her chosen fresh kill, meeting Tigerpaw in the eye... but said nothing. Not even she was one to waste good food.

"What's going on over there!" Stormfang meowed loudly, eyeing the apprentices, especially Scorchpaw. Maybe he was wrong... maybe they let a troublemaker into ThunderClan. He narrowed his eyes, trouble makers need to be taught their place.

"Nothing Stormfang," Scorchpaw laid down and bit into her fresh kill, though she didnt break eye contact with Tigerpaw.

Tigerpaw flattened his ears and stalked into the apprentices den muttering, 'stubborn kittypet' under his breath and found an empty nest on the opposite corner of Featherpaws. Circling three times, like she had, he settled down in his nest and closed his eyes.

Scorchpaw ate her delicious meal in peace, the other apprentices opting to leave her alone apparently. Finishing her meal, she was the last to enter the den and stopped... all the nests were taken. Crushed, she searched for an open place where she could at least settle.

Winterpaw lifted his head drowsily and called softly to Scorchpaw, "There's some space between me and Featherpaw. Just mind her side?" He scooted closer to his best friend, Rainpaw, and settled down.

Scorchpaw felt releif rush into her veins and nodded, going and settling close to the other apprentices. Perhaps tomorrow she'll make her own nest while everyone was out. She settled down that night... and drifted to sleep.

Featherpaw made room for Scorchpaw, offering her the freshest bit of bedding, before drifting back to sleep. She was glad that she wouldn't be the only female apprentice in the den now; maybe she could even become close friends with the strange cat.

***

[color=#004000]Sunspots paced the grounds outside the entrance. Where is that ball of fur?she thought harshly to herself. Itoldher not to be late! The patrol is going to leave any time now! Just when she was about to barrel through the tunnel and drag the apprentice away from her nest, Featherpaw appeared, blinking sleepily.

"Hmph! So you finally decide to show up! The patrol is about to leave; you'd be wise not to cut it so close again," she snapped.

Featherkit lashed her tail degectedly; it was her first time on border duty. Couldn't her mentor cut her some slack?

Sunspots silenced such thoughts with a glare. "Scorchpaw is making herself more useful than you, and she hasn't even had the privlage to see clan life demonstrated all her life!"

Featherpaw flattened her ears; she didn't need reminding of that. She determined to please Sunspots, no matter what the cost.

Whitewing, Dawnclaw, Sunspots, and Featherpaw and Scorchpaw fell behind their leader as lead them at a brisk pace to the Windclan border, just slow enough to challenge Scorchpaw without making her overdue it. Even still, Featherpaw let herself ease her pace, taking her from being just behind Sunspots to half a fox-length behind the group, placing her beside her new denmate.

"You alright?" she asked between pants of breath.

The patrol came to a hault, allowing the apprentices to catch their breath. Whitewing flexed his claws irritably.

Figures, he grumbled inwardly. Leave it to the kittypet and the runt of Dawnfeather's litter to slow things up.

Dawnclaw swatted her tail irritably, earning a glare from Sunspots.

Scorchpaw nodded, though it was clear she wasnt use to the exercise. She ducked slightly under the heated glares and looked at Featherpaw. "Yeah.. I'm alright," she murmured, eyes cast down, embarrassed. Perhaps leaving teh camp wasnt such a wise idea after all.

Bramblestar sighed, feeling alittle agitated himself, echoing Scorchpaws thoughts and stood tall. "Alright, here is good. Tell me, what can you two smell?"

Scorchpaw instinctively lifted her head and parted her jaws to taste the air. "Pleanty of mice here, and I can smell rain the way..." she wrinkled her nose. "What is that other smell though?"

"Fox," Bramblestar answered, having caught a whiff of it himself. "Can you tell how fresh?"

Scorchpaw tasted again. "About two days I'd say. Long gone by now I'm sure." There were so many other smells here though she couldnt put a name to. She felt embarrassed again, her lack of knowledge as irritating as her paws.

Bramblestar looked at Featherpaw, "And you? What can you scent?"

********************************

Back at camp, Silvertail padded over to Cloudedfur with a peice of fresh kill in her teeth setting it before him.

She noticed Jayfeather moving towards them as well, the medicine cat having a determined look in his sightless eyes.

Featherpaw hesitated before taking a huge swig of air, letting it pour over her oral scent glands. "Squirrels, but they're out of reach on a branch above us. Rabbit, and... leaf fall?" She glanced briefly at Sunspots, but the warrior was distracted with something else.

A fresh scent wafted on the breeze. "Windclan," hissed Sunspots. She continued to read the scent. "One, maybe two cats, but something's not right with their scent."

Featherpaw flattened her ears; she had goofed again.

The Thunderclan cats exchanged wary glances; it had been several moons since their border had been breached, and the numbers coming over were too few to be a raid. Was this a trap? Or was some other foul play involved?

***
Jayfeather decided to test the rougue. He had overheard Cloudedfur saying how he was familular with the many medical plants of the area. Swiftly, so that neither Silvertail nor Cloudedfur would notice, he sprinkled half a pawful of dried, crushed yarrow over the vole. If this cat was who he said he was, he would notice the yarrow. If not, then the worst that would happen would be a mild stomach ache.

A rabbit shot past the ThunderClan patrol, and soon after it, teh two WindClan warriors after it. One was named Owlclaw and the smaller one, an apprentice, was Dustpaw. Owlclaw stopped while Dustpaw continued and quickly brought down the rabbit, eyes wide with excitement.

They froze in their tracks, realizing who these cats were and what just happened. They bristled, ready to defend their catch.

Dawnclaw hissed, "You're on ThunderClan territory!" She spat, claws unsheathed and took a step towards Owlclaw.

"We are hunting, that rabbit is a WindClan rabbit, it's ours by right!"

Whitewing hissed, claws unsheathed too, ready to attack the tresspassers.

Bramblestar thrusted himself between them. "You two! Get back to your own side! As for this rabbit, you're far into ThunderClan territory. This rabbit is ours! Dawnclaw, Whitewing, escort them back and renew the scent markers!" His ears were flat, eyes cold amber stones.

Scorchpaw's fur bristled, hissing at the new cats. But she took int heir scent and committed it to memory. 'WindClan..' she memorized, tail lashing. If it werent for her paws she'd chase them off herself!

Featherpaw glanced admiringly at Scorchpaw. This former kittypet had barely been in Thunderclan territory for two days and she was already adjusting better to her new responsibilities than herself.

The general mood of the patrol evolved from irritation to a highly electric atmosphere.

Sunspots glanced warily at her leader. "Stealing prey is nothing new from Windclan, but I've never heard of any clan wandering so far into another's territory. Surely there must be some explanation."

((Sorry for the double post, but I have another charrie that I'd like to adopt :3))

Name: Winterpaw
Clan: ThunderClan
Gender Male
Rank: Apprentice
Colors/Picture/description:
Breif history: Born of Rosethorn and Whitewing, Winterpaw has some odd coloring... but he has a true warriors spirit. Nothing could ever shake him... or so he thinks.
Markings: Spots on his back that resemble a leopard, otherwise white.
Crush: Featherpaw

Name: Lionblaze
Clan: ThunderClan
Gender: Male
Rank: Deputy
Apprentice: Winterpaw
Colors/picture/description:
Breif history: Born from a half clan half medicine cat pairing, Leafpool and Crowfeather (SORRY FOR SPOILERS!) Lionblaze was born with the power of the stars in his paws. He stands tall and proud, supporting his adoptive father, his past put behind him.
Markings: Red/gold streaks in his fur.
Crush: Sunspots

OOC: that's a twist! heheh! Lucky Sunspots, but how much older is Lionblaze than her?

BIC: The rest of the patrol proved uneventful, and the cats returned to camp by mid morning. Sunspots's stomach growled; she hadn't eaten since early evening the previous day. No, wait until sunhigh, she told herself fiercely. She dropped the rabbit that had been slain by Windclan earlier onto the freshkill pile, grimancing at the saliva that threatened to seep into its fur.

She spotted her apprentice appearing through the bramble tunnel accompanied by Scorchpaw. She waited for her apprentice by the entrance. "Featherpaw. I want you to get some mouse bile from Sunpaw. Check the elders for ticks. Oh, and make sure you wash your paws in a stream before you settle for some fresh kill. Then after you've eaten something," the warrior's eyes twinkled, "join me outside camp for battle practice."

Featherpaw's ears perked up at the sound of the last comand. Who knows? Maybe Tigerpaw wasn't the only warrior. Or maybe she'd get to participate in a border fight. Either way, she welcomed the idea to prove herself.

((I'm kinda pulling strings since this is an RP, so I'm saying about six moons? He's not THAT old. He's still fairly young, but he's not OLD OLD like Elder Old. He's a mature cat))

Bramblestar exchanged a few words with Scorchpaw, seeing that her paws needed some attention, he sent her to do some light work around the camp after getting bandaged up. He sat in his den and called Lionblaze to him to discuss the plans for the WindClan border.

Scorchpaw mewed sourly to herself, tail flicking as she cleaned up old moss and tossed it aside and started spreading new moss for a few apprentices nests. She stood, admiring her work and shook out her fur and went out to the elders den to help out. A bellowing caterwaul from the apprentices den startled her, turning to see Tigerpaw staring inside.

"WHAT HAPPENED TO MY NEST?!" Tigerpaw yowled angrily. HIs tail lashed, in the den for one day and his nest is already gone! Scenting the den, he spotted Scorchpaw, and his eyes flashed angrily, marching up to her.

"Who told you to change my nest?!"

Scorchpaw wrinked her nose, "It stunk worse than a skunk! Whomever used it before you didnt change it when the left. It's not just your nest I changed, Tigerpaw!"

"Kittypet! I can change my own moss!" he flashed his claws at her, but she ducked away from his swipe.

"TIGERPAW!" Stormfang yowled, marching over to him, his broad shoulders hunched and his fur bristling. "Do not attack your denmates! That is not how a warrior behaves! Scorchpaw did as she was told by Bramblestar, who outranks you. For your actions, you can join Featherpaw and take care of the elders. You are confined to camp until further notice. You will not take your fresh kill till the clan is fed first. Is that understood?!"

Tigerpaw hissed to object, but shut his jaws. "Yes Stormfang..."

"Good." Stormfang whipped around, tail lashing behind him. He stopped and looked hard at Scorchpaw, his earlier suspicions about her being a troublemaker not completely pushed away from his mind. But her intentions seemed true... he let it go and nodded to her, heading to the fresh kill pile for his meal.

Scorchpaw couldnt beleive her luck with that one! She breathed a sigh of releif as soon as Tigerpaws back turned on her. "Watch your back, kittypet! I wont forget this." she heard and she turned to go to Jayfeathers den, gathering more moss from his store and headed over to the Elders den.

Spotting Featherpaw, she nodded to her and began cleaning out the old moss.

Brightheart nodded to the apprentices, purring. "Hello young ones, fine day isnt it?"

"Yes Brightheart," Scorchpaw answered her, continuing to work.

"You dont have to be so formal Scorchpaw, you'll adjust well. Firestar did in his time, you will too." The old she-cat turned and groomed her chest. "Featherpaw? I have a tick on my tail that I cant reach, would you mind?"