[lone]

Originally Posted by Mauve

He was glad to hear that ThunderClan was doing well. Jaypaw wasn't aware of what it was like during leaf-bare, so hearing Kestrelpaw's words brought him some comfort. "Good. I'm glad to hear things are going smoothly," he purred, his eyes and expression revealing that he truly was happy to hear the news. It was a trait that most WindClanners expressed concern in, and most likely why his former mentor had abandoned his training. After all, who wanted to work with an apprentice who might have loyalties elsewhere?

As Kestrelpaw mentioned his new home with the "rabbit-chasers", Jaypaw flinched a bit. He hadn't been expecting the insult to come from one of his old friends, and especially not Kestrelpaw. Perhaps he was wrong in thinking their bond was a strong as it once had been. Of course it's not as strong, mouse-brain, the tom thought, a piercing feeling of sadness clawing at his heart, you left ThunderClan. She believes you're fully loyal to WindClan. "I've been good. Learning to chase rabbits is probably the more fun part. I never thought I could run that fast. I'm not the best," he clarified, offering a shrug, "but you should see my mentor. Shiningfeather can track down and catch the fastest hares in WindClan!" As he spoke of his current mentor, his eyes lit up. He was proud to have her as his teacher, and despite the bumps in their first training session, he knew she had nothing but good intentions.

Silence began to fill in the gaps between his answer to her question, and Jaypaw racked his brain for any other small talk to cover. It felt odd discussing such trivial matters with Kestrelpaw, but he had to remember they belonged to different Clans now. The only time they would be able to communicate without breaking the warrior code was at the Gatherings. He had yet to go to one, and hoped that he would be invited to the next one. His heart longed for the day he could meet with Kestrelpaw without the anxiety of being caught haunting his every sentence. "You must be approaching your warrior ceremony any day now though, right? Are you excited" he asked, feeling as though he had to force the words in order to continue the conversation.

Jaypaw had believed in much higher hopes for his first encounter with the she-cat since he left ThunderClan. He hoped she would understand that he just had to leave. He had no family in ThunderClan, and his father resided in WindClan. Did she really expect him to spend the rest of his life in a Clan that would always doubt his loyalty because of his half-Clan blood? Despite the stares he acquired from his new Clanmates, at least they knew his heritage was here, with his father. In ThunderClan, he would've had no family to lean on. The mere thought was enough to let Jaypaw know he had made the right decision by leaving.

A half scowl settled over Kestrelpaw's maw as she watched Jaypaw disapprovingly. Him being in WindClan was bad enough, but a confession that he was actually getting better at chasing rabbits was almost worst. The thought of her ending up like that, being a sad and pitiful rabbit-chaser, was almost too much to bear for the she cat. Still, she needed to support her friend. Kestrelpaw was torn between insulting the Clan she hated and being happy for the friend who was so close to her. "That's... wonderful, Jaypaw. I'm glad you have a good mentor and you're fitting in there." This wasn't a lie, or at least it was the furthest thing from a lie she could summon up at the moment.

She really was glad that her friend was fitting in, but it wasn't quite as nice to have him so far away. Being here at the border was dangerous - if another warrior were to come along, Kestrelpaw was going to either have to flee or fight, and after her tangle with the WindClanners at the Gathering battle, she would have preferred to keep from fighting. Her wounds were healing and she would be made a warrior when they were - after that had happened, the apprentice would be more then happy to take on all of WindClan if it meant that this could end and the other Clan could be wiped out. The subject change was one that was most welcome to Kestrelpaw, and she smiled a little bit as she watched the other apprentice.

"I'll be a warrior soon, yes. I'm pretty excited for it," She purred as she shifted her weight a little. Her upcoming warrior ceremony was something the apprentice could talk on for ages if she needed to, though no one had ever actually asked her about it. Kestrelpaw was nervous as well, though... what if she messed up? Deep down, she was scared that she was going to get hurt again right before it and that she would have to wait even longer to become the warrior that she wanted to be so desperately. "And what about you? Are your friends in WindClan trusting you more now?" Sometimes, the apprentice held the belief that Jaypaw could make an incredible spy. Being in WindClan and all, and if he could gain their trust... Snowstar would know weaknesses that she could later exploit. Wouldn't that be an incredible gift?