[Mauve]

Originally Posted by Lonestar23

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?

All he wanted was to know that despite their different homes now, at least some or the original friendship still resonated with Kestrelpaw. After all, despite the divide that separated them, he cared for her. She had been one of his first friends, and Jaypaw could only imagine how hard it must've been to learn that he decided to return her favor by leaving the Clan. There was so much he wanted to say, so much that he wanted her to know, but for now he held his tongue. "Me too," he replied softly, fighting against his will to keep his gaze locked with hers. He might not have been able to say all the things on his mind, but perhaps they had gotten to know each other well enough that the ThunderClan she-cat would be able to see just how much he missed her by reading the tiny flickering flames in the depths of his eyes.

Watching her demeanor completely change as he asked about her warrior ceremony, Jaypaw felt his heart do a little flip. It made him happy to see a smile on her face in place of an uncomfortable frown. She'll make one of the best warriors in ThunderClan, he thought to himself as he grinned, watching her talk rather fast and eager about the upcoming ordeal. He was a few moons off from his own warrior ceremony, perhaps even longer with having to prove his loyalty to his new Clan over and over. Jaypaw was well aware of Blazingstar's attention upon him; being an apprentice still fresh from ThunderClan and wanting to train in WindClan was no small passing, and he was sure the leader had taken much grief over allowing him sanctuary within Windclan.

"Eh, mostly my mentor and a pawful of the other apprentices," Jaypaw mewed, shrugging his shoulders and casting his gaze to the ground. "Most of them are just waiting for me to slip up, or go back. But I think with enough time they'll learn that my loyalties lie with them now. I hope." It was all the young tom could do; hope. He knew he couldn't force his new Clanmates to like him or trust him anymore than he could force his paws to run further when they were already exhausted. The apprentice knew he just had to keep his head down, stay out of trouble, and put in hard work and effort to obtain the status his father had in the Clan; a strong, loyal warrior who would give his life for WindClan.

Despite this façade of her earlier excitement, he assumed she was probably nervous as well about her upcoming warrior ceremony.. Without thinking much, he reached across the border and batted her playfully on the shoulder with one paw, the way he used to when they were both apprentices back in ThunderClan. "Hey, you'll do great as a ThunderClan warrior," he reassured her, nodding his gray head as he spoke. Placing his paw back on the ground, not a single look of regret or embarrassment crossed his face as he shrugged. "Plus, if they don't, you'll have to tell me about it at the Gathering. I wanna hear about the great Kestrelpaw tripping on her way to receive her warrior name." A chuckle followed his statement, and his pale yellow eyes glimmered with humor.