WindClan: Life Before 2023's Fire

[doghouse]

Originally Posted by Aquarius

The she-cat wondered why Midgepaw seemed so shocked, but she decided not to question it and let it go. Midgepaw tended to act very strange at certain things Dewpaw said, so she figured it was just part of their personality. Dewpaw's tail flicked triumphantly and she grinned. "Thank you! Maybe one day," she sighed, wondering if her fantasy of leadership would actually ever occur.
She gave an amused mrow when she heard Midgepaw's reaction to the mention of fish, but Dewpaw was slightly surprised the cat hadn't really ever heard of it. Dear StarClan, they must have lived so far away! "Yeah, fish," replied Dewpaw, trying to think of how to describe it. She had only seen them a few times in her small life, but she could always smell the rank stench of them on the passing RiverClan cats. "They live in the water, and they have scales, which are like creepy, shining pieces of bone on their outsides!" She couldn't think of any other less gruesome way to describe it, honestly. "They have really weird beady eyes. And slits on their side, I think they breathe from it. They have no legs or paws or anything, and they just flop around. And they smell absolutely horrid!" She added, wrinkling her muzzle in disgust at just the mere thought. The tortoiseshell wrapped her tail around herself, the chill of the morning finally beginning to slightly settle into camp.
"Mhm," she told Midgepaw, still wondering why any cat would gladly throw themselves into a bank. Why would anyone want to be sopping wet, covered in river scum, and freezing right down to their bones? "The whole idea is... ew. I'd never want to swim, that's for sure," she said, giving a fake shiver as if she had just gotten out of water.
As the conversation continued on, Dewpaw realized Midgepaw maybe had never had a friend before. To the young clan cat, it was a horrid realization, but one she was determined to fix. Her ears pricked happily. "Great!" She replied. "I can't wait until we start our vigils. We'll be great warriors." Frequently Dewpaw thought of hunting and fighting for her Clan, for she was one of the few cats that had never considered being a medicine cat. Of course she was nice enough and helpful enough, but she felt like that was too of a stagnant job for her. She was constantly filled with energy, bouncing off the dens, and she thought hunting and fighting was the perfect solution. "Ugh. I don't want to be quiet for a whole night though!" She admitted, wondering how most cats had survived the vigil.

Midgepaw was amazed that Dewpaw knew so much, and wondered where she'd learned all this, but as she described a fish to Midgepaw, their expression changed from almost excited, to nauseous and disgust, and the stuck their tongue out. “Bleh! Bones! On the outside of their bodies? Weird.... So, are they like water-snakes then? Snakes have weird bumpy skin, and don't have legs or anything....” Midgepaw said, not adding that snakes tasted absolutely disgusting, since they'd had a lot of snakes in their life. They wrinkled their nose and squeezed their eyes shut for a second before looking back up at Dewpaw. “M- me neither.... I hate water,” Midgepaw said, shaking their foreleg as if shaking water out, then ducking their head and drawing their tongue over the scar several times, wincing at the still fresh and still painful memories of receiving it, a bittersweet taste in their mouth as they looked back up, craning their neck slightly to look over Dewpaw's head and at the clouded sky, patches if pale blue just visible. “Yeah. Sometimes I wonder if being a warrior will be easy or hard.... I mean, all the warriors make it look easy... but... I'm used to everything being difficult, so it makes me wonder just how good they are at being warriors,” Midgepaw said, not even realizing that they'd been speaking aloud, the words directed at them self, hushed and thoughtful. “Why do you have to be quiet all night?” the concept of vigils was completely new to Midgepaw, since their concept of what to do when a cat died was that they were left somewhere in the forest as food for the crows. That was the only way they'd ever known up until recently, and it was rather confusing for them. And that there were elders in Clans. Midgepaw had never seen an elder, because when a cat got old, they were sent on a death mission and never returned. Clans were so weird, but Midgepaw actually preferred Clan customs to Syndicate ones.

[Aquarius]

Originally Posted by Bad Wolf

Midgepaw was amazed that Dewpaw knew so much, and wondered where she'd learned all this, but as she described a fish to Midgepaw, their expression changed from almost excited, to nauseous and disgust, and the stuck their tongue out. “Bleh! Bones! On the outside of their bodies? Weird.... So, are they like water-snakes then? Snakes have weird bumpy skin, and don't have legs or anything....” Midgepaw said, not adding that snakes tasted absolutely disgusting, since they'd had a lot of snakes in their life. They wrinkled their nose and squeezed their eyes shut for a second before looking back up at Dewpaw. “M- me neither.... I hate water,” Midgepaw said, shaking their foreleg as if shaking water out, then ducking their head and drawing their tongue over the scar several times, wincing at the still fresh and still painful memories of receiving it, a bittersweet taste in their mouth as they looked back up, craning their neck slightly to look over Dewpaw's head and at the clouded sky, patches if pale blue just visible. “Yeah. Sometimes I wonder if being a warrior will be easy or hard.... I mean, all the warriors make it look easy... but... I'm used to everything being difficult, so it makes me wonder just how good they are at being warriors,” Midgepaw said, not even realizing that they'd been speaking aloud, the words directed at them self, hushed and thoughtful. “Why do you have to be quiet all night?” the concept of vigils was completely new to Midgepaw, since their concept of what to do when a cat died was that they were left somewhere in the forest as food for the crows. That was the only way they'd ever known up until recently, and it was rather confusing for them. And that there were elders in Clans. Midgepaw had never seen an elder, because when a cat got old, they were sent on a death mission and never returned. Clans were so weird, but Midgepaw actually preferred Clan customs to Syndicate ones.

The small tortoishell, hoping her description was adequate, nodded her head vigorously, trying to picture a fish clearly in her mind. "Yeah! It's disgusting." At the mention of snakes, Dewpaw's eyes widened. She had only seen a snake once in her life, and her mentor had told her to stay away from it because it was dangerous, and it could kill her. "Yeah, their skin is kind of the same," she said, trying to remember what it looked like. She didn't really get close to it. "I thought snakes were dangerous! I saw one and I wasn't allowed to get closer. We just ran away," she added, cringing as she remembered Moonsong's calm yet rushing tone when they had spotted the reptile.
Dewpaw pondered hard about what Midgepaw had said. She had never really thought about how easy or how hard being a warrior would be, she had just simply thought about it as something she needed to do. "Hm," she said, needing her paws in the dirt as she was deep in thought. "I don't know. Every single apprentice becomes a warrior, so I guess it can't be that hard. But we get better the older we get, I think, so it will be easier I guess." Dewpaw had also caught something else that Midgepaw had said. Everything in their life was difficult? I mean, it must have been something scary if she moved Clans... and she ate snakes?

Anyways, she shook out her fur, ready to explain what a vigil was happily - she'd only seen one in her life, but she clearly obliged to speak in nearly every situation she was offered. "Well, I don't really know. Not to get distracted I guess? But every warrior has to sit on the edge of camp, near the entrance," she explained, pointing her black-tipped tail toward the entrance of camp, where one of the fellow warriors Dewpaw didn't know well was coming or going. "And guard the Clan through the night. They can't sleep or talk, so they can be on guard. It's to prove they'd do anything for their clan." The apprentice recalled something Moonsong had told her at the beginning of her training. "But I think Honeystep fell asleep at the beginning of her vigil," laughed Dewpaw, imagining how embarrassed the warrior must have been. "She must have gotten in trouble with Blazingstar, but she's a great warrior."

[wickedvirtues]

Originally Posted by Milky Way

Fairyheart looked at her mate brightly, purring and hopping up. She hopped up and down slightly, flicking her tail and nuzzling Hareleap.
(So when should they have kits?)

(Whenever you're free, I suppose.)

Hareleap smiled back, warmth glowing in his eyes and his tail swaying back and forth behind him. This was just what he wanted, a mate, and possibly a family in the future.

[NightWarrior4Life]

Originally Posted by Bad Wolf

Phantom glared at her, but felt the fight drain out of her and just stood there, feeling weak and tired, and for the first time in many, many moons, she cried, letting the tears spill over, her fur spiking up, but she didn't bother making it lie flat and just stood, feeling hot tears soak into her cheek fur and run down her scar, feeling nauseous. “Of course I don't, but I can't come back. I'm in exile, permanently, and how can I leave? It's not easy to betray the Syndicate. There'll always be cats, hunting me down to kill me if I do that,” she muttered, shaking her head despairingly. Phantom just didn't see a way that this would ever work, and then she looked up, her eyes widening. The situation felt hopeless... but maybe there was an answer. “Maybe it's where my heart lies, but not the rest of me. I love you... but WindClan isn't my home anymore....” she said, turning her head away to hide her expression. She loved me all this time? How did I not see this? Maybe I was the blind one.... Phantom thought bitterly, looking back. “Shineflower... I'm sorry,” she said quietly. “Can we be friends again? Or... maybe more than that....” the last part she uttered so quietly, even she had to strain to hear it.

Cavemist smiled and teasingly bumped his shoulder against Brambleflash's, then pulled away sharply and looked up at the sky. “I bet everybody thinks that. Or maybe, I'm just really, really slow, and you aren't fast?” he laughed, looking back at his friend with a purr rising in his chest. He bounced along at a brisk pace, a spring in his step and a smile on his face, ready to get back to camp.

ShineFlower stepped forward to comfort the she-cat and they nuzzled eachother. "Of course...we can be whatever you want...you think you're in this alone? No...If they hunt you down...I'll come for them...if they find you...they've found me too...if they try to kill you...I'll jump in the way...If you drop dead..." she paused for a moment. There was a lot of tension. "We drop dead...together" her voice shook at the last part and soon ShineFlower found herself crying too. She buried her muzzle in Phantom's silver calico fur, soaking up her tears. @Bad Wolf
(Honestly this is probably my favourite part...we have just literally made some of my favourite quotes...this is a movie moment right here...I feel myself crying already)

[lone]

Originally Posted by Brooklyn Trees

His tone was like sharp glass to her and she felt his words cut deeply into her soul. Moonpaw visibly flinched. This was not right, how could it be? Growing up she had always believed that they would be together – as close friends or family – for all of their days. But that possibility seemed to now have fallen from the face of even imagined hopes for the future.
Moonpaw's grey eyes turned darker – not with anger. Not this time. Now her eyes were dark with a subtle pain and the beginnings of a colder desperation.

As Moonpaw began to speak she could feel that her voice was somewhat steely, though also quiet. She knew that she sounded subtly afraid; for this she was not pleased. Not that any of this certain situation was pleasing to her; that is, not beyond the knowledge that he had not lied to her. Though even this knowledge was not without pain. Sounding afraid made her feel weak. She wanted to be rescued by Couragepaw from this, but in a much stronger way she could never bear to have been rescued by anyone but herself.

"Because..." She paused, and then began again.
"Because I knew that I was not good at hiding how I felt; despite my efforts to do so it still seemed so obvious that I... Everyone changes in some way as they grow. I was afraid that you had seen this spot of weakness in me and had decided to use it to... Somehow it seemed to make sense. It doesn't any more, how could it? I caused this between us and now I don't know how to fix it.
"If I had only been less stupid like my regular Over-thinking over-protective self than maybe we would by now be... I'm sorry..."
she was fumbling with words, air and tone dropping into uncertainty and regret.
She had hurt Couragepaw, without any real reason. For that, she did not believe that she could easily forgive herself.

The tom blinked, and then relaxed. His shoulders seemed to droop, partly in defeat and partly out of exhaustion. Most of him had been given to Moonpaw. Trying to let her understand. Trying to make her understand, might have been a better way of putting it. Maybe... he had been selfish. But in a way, she had hurt him and she had been more selfish then she was. So now Couragepaw was left trying to put these pieces together and show her the whole picture, but it seemed every time one piece was put in, another was pulled out. "I..." There was nothing he could think of to say. What did you say in these situations? "I'm sorry." It was so simple, but it pulled his heart out. Gently, the apprentice put his tail on Moonpaw's back and let it stay there. "N - no, you don't... have to apologize. I'm sorry, I'm sorry for pushing you, I'm sorry for being a jerk, I'm sorry f - for... for making you scared. I'm sorry I ever put this on you, I should've -" He stopped with a bitter laugh and walked a few steps away from her, sitting down and curling his tail around his paws.

"I should've been more careful and I never should have tricked you about Fernpaw."

Couragepaw was sorry for that, he truly was. If only he had been less selfish! Less self-centered, he could have seen how scared she was! But there was no way to fix that now. If only they could go back to the days when he had been a cheerful, carefree little kit - and a young apprentice - running around without a serious thought in his mind. If only they could go back to the days when Moonpaw's fur had fluffed out and looked like a dandelion, pretty and elegant and... oh, Couragepaw wished things hadn't changed between them.

"But I wasn't tricking you when I said I loved you, and I'm not sorry that I... that I do. Because I do, Moonpaw, I love you... you can't change that. You can't ever change that. I said I loved you and I still mean it."

There. All the cards out on the table. Maybe he was pushing her again, but Couragepaw was tired of this game. This wasn't funny. This wasn't some sort of a cat-and-mouse game, it was love. It was real. And if she didn't believe him, well, then they were back to the start. But Couragepaw couldn't play this game for much longer. He was sorry he had pushed her. Had told her in the first place, yet now he was telling her again. Why? Maybe there was something going on inside his mind. And whatever it was, it was pushing him to these lengths until he wasn't sure how much longer he could hold on.

[Cosmo]

@Duskflight @RedHead @AbsurdJinx

Okay, So maybe it wasn't a lie. he had told Thea only a little while ago that he had been too busy with warrior duties to visit her in the nursery. It had been kind of true, he had been hunting, and training his apprentice, but honestly, not much more. Of course he flirted, a little bit now that Thea was in the nursery. Because he knew that he would loose the friendship of some of those cats if they found out he was even visiting Thea in the nursery. Of course he had Sageheart, who was more a best friend than a flirt, there was also Lionsoar, his former apprentice. He didn't flirt with her though. Lionsoar was a friend. But the point was, he hadn't lied to Thea when he had told her he was too busy with warrior duties. Weaselshade actually saw that as an accomplishment. Maybe had had lied, a bit, as the whole ThunderClan stealing prey thing hadn't happened yet, but, at least it had come up so he wouldn't be entirely lying. Though it was still a type of lying and he really had been fighting the urge to go see Thea in`the nursery. He finally had decided that perhaps checking on her wasn't that bad. Now he was glad to know it wasn't all a lie.

Weaselshade just nodded when the other tom spoke. Why bother doing anything else? He wasn't paying attention. He didn't feel like he need to. Of course he knew the tensions were high between the clans, and he didn't like it one bit, but really he was too busy thinking of his own personal problems. To him, they were much worse than clan tensions. He wouldn't tell anyone that. He hadn't wanted to go on patrol. Honestly, he had been asking himself if he should go flirt with Sageheart or Sagehwisker, or go check on Thea in the nursery. He had actually been near the nursery, but than there was the patrol. He was loyal to his clan, so he guessed checking on his "mate" could wait.

[Mayflower]

Originally Posted by CandyFlossCat

(Whenever you're free, I suppose.)

Hareleap smiled back, warmth glowing in his eyes and his tail swaying back and forth behind him. This was just what he wanted, a mate, and possibly a family in the future.

(What do you mean? If you mean when I'm open to make a thread, I'm always open to that!)
"What would your ideal litter be?" Paleheart sat close to her mate again, pondering her question. Her eyes sparkled, imagining a future family. The molly flicked her tail, excited just by thinking of a family.

[wickedvirtues]

Originally Posted by Milky Way

(What do you mean? If you mean when I'm open to make a thread, I'm always open to that!)
"What would your ideal litter be?" Fairyheart sat close to her mate again, pondering her question. Her eyes sparkled, imagining a future family. The molly flicked her tail, excited just by thinking of a family.

(I mean whenever you have time to do a little roleplay of them making the decision they want kits for sure and make a thread, :P)

"Three, maybe four." He mewed, imagining it. Their own kits, it was definitely a possibility for their future. Fairyheart and him really wanted them, and he was glad he could have such a kind mate. He wouldn't want anyone else to be with him, or the future mother of his kits.

[lone]

Originally Posted by Duskflight

When was her ceremony, a couple of days ago? It was all a blur to Adderheart, the excitement of it all had overwhelmed her making the memory fuzzy and all she could think about now was her new name. Adderheart. She loved it, loved every syllable of it and believed it was the best name that Blazingstar would ever be able to give her. That's right, she was known for her heart, her heart was in this clan and this clan only. She fought with all of her heart, trained with all of her heart and would die with all of her heart for Windclan. And any cat that knew her, knew that that was exactly true of her. She wasn't sure if Pinepaw had been at her ceremony or not, but it didn't matter, the second she saw him she would break the great news whether he already knew it or not. Wait, when was the last time she had seen him? It's been too long, I need to find him. She thought to herself as she roused from her new nest in the warriors den. She had just been laying there for a couple of minutes, recounting the past couple of days with a stupid grin on her face, yellow eyes sparkling with her happiness and joy. But now she had another goal in mind today. She was going to find Pinepaw. How could she have gone this long without being with her best friend? Maybe it was the last few moons of training, she had been training really hard, pushing because she knew that any day she would be getting that final evaluation and soon after that, her warrior name. It saddened her a little to think that she had put her training before her only friend, she hoped he didn't mind. But.. She had finally made it. Surely he would show the same excitement as she felt!

With that grin of her's fixed nearly permanently on her muzzle, the light ginger tabby would slip out of the den and out into the camp, her eyes immediately surveying the area for a very familiar brown coat. Pinepaw wasn't the only one to have experienced change, Adderheart wasn't as small as she used to be, no, in fact she was completely average sized now. She couldn't be called runt anymore because she couldn't be labeled as small, she was a grown she-cat now. Her muscles were now well defined, rippling with every movement in a way that almost made her look like a lioness, something that she wasn't afraid of showing off either. In a way her face didn't seem as soft and rounded, like that of a kit anymore, but defined and.. Older. Her heart though, that's one thing that hasn't changed. Her love for this clan was.. It was beyond just normal loyalty. This she-cat, she had the love that only a leader could know. These cats, they were her family, and she would fight tooth and nail for their health and prosperity. She couldn't explain it, it just was how it had always been.

There he is! A jolt of excitement rushed through her as she caught sight of his frame, standing in the clearing, looking around, perhaps even looking for her. A purr burst into her chest as she went bounding towards him, tail sticking straight up in the air to show her excitement of seeing her best friend again in what felt like an eternity. Leaping, she would aim to tackle him with a playful yowl; it was one of her favorite ways to greet him, though what surprised her was how he had grown too. He wasn't as small as she remembered; she had been slightly hoping to have outgrown him, but no, he was still slightly bigger than her. Whether she missed the tackle or not, she didn't care and would excitedly mewl out, "Pinepaw, Pinepaw, you'll never guess! But guess anyways, guess what happened!"

--

Now that he has a mate, life seems to have slowed down a bit for Rookpatch, it didn't seem so much like the whirlwind of fear it had been before, and he was grateful for that. While his speech was still an issue, he has been able to work on his paralyzing paranoia and for the most part is able to go most of the day without having some sort of mental breakdown.
Though there is one thing that he is guilty of, and that's not spending a lot of time for Heartpaw. He's tried to take her out for training sessions when he can, days when his paranoia didn't completely shut him down, but even now he feels that that's been much too little. What if Blazingstar decided he wasn't doing a good enough job and revoked his title as mentor and gave her to someone else? He would feel horrible, like a failure. He didn't want that. So he wanted to spend more time with Heartpaw, spend more time training her because if he was going to eventually be a father.. Then he needed to first succeed in raising a successful apprentice. That, and, well, he liked Heartpaw, she was a sweet young cat that deserved to be trained.

Him and Marigoldrise had a special corner in the clearing that they often went to, a patch with a small bush and cover from the sun, it was a spot he went to for comfort, even if his mate was out doing her warrior duties. Lifting his head from his paws, the Cornish Rex would cautiously scan his pale green gaze across the clearing, looking for his apprentice. She could still be sleeping, but she could also be out. If she was still sleeping, he would give her time to wake up on her own, he believed she would get upset with him if he awoke her before she was ready.
But it didn't take long for him to find her. She seemed to be in thought, sitting over by the apprentice's den. Was something on her mind?
Flicking his ears a bit, the tom would slowly stand up on his paws and make his way over. He couldn't help but lower himself slightly to the ground as he went out into the open, his gaze nervously flitting to the sky as if he expected a hawk to be there, ready to swoop down upon him.

"H-H-Huh-Hell.. Hello-oh Huh-Heart-art-paw! {Hello Heartpaw!}" He tried on a cheery tone, but with his wavering, stuttering voice it sounded sort of odd, as if he were trembling with cold even though it was fairly hot and humid out. Settling down beside her, he would look at her cheek as opposed to her eyes. Direct eye contact always made him scared, it intimidated him, the only cat he would comfortably make eye contact with, and that was only for a few moments, was his mate. Most cats thought him strange for not liking eye-contact, but then again, most cats found him strange anyways, whether it be because of his strong stutter or his constant fear of death. "Th-Th-T-Thu-hinking-ing-Thinking uh-of eh-eh-any-e-anythi-hing inter-eresting? {Thinking of anything interesting?}" He asked politely, offering his apprentice a small, but steady smile. That was a small improvement from last time, last time he couldn't even hold a smile in place, it would waver just like the stuttering of his voice, but now, he could at least put on a small smile that wouldn't move or tremble.

Quietly he hoped that Heartpaw would be willing to talk, because it did seem like something was on her mind, but he knew that many young cats liked to keep their problems to themselves, thinking that older cats or just other cats in general won't understand what they're going through. Rookpatch wanted Heartpaw to trust him, he wanted it desperately and he knew that they weren't as close as some mentors and apprentices were because well, I believe we both know why. He just hoped that it wasn't too late to try and form that bond with her.

Training had certainly changed the apprentice. He was no longer as excitable as he had been in previous moons, but there was one cat that it seemed things would never change with... and that was Adderpaw. It had been so long, the tom had almost - but not quite - forgotten what she looked like! He could never completely forget. Nope, he knew what she looked like happy, sad, scared and disappointed. Though disappointed was an expression he wished he could forget. That had only been about... one time, was it? Once. Never again would he disappoint her, because after all, having a best friend - a real best friend - was the best experience of Pinepaw's life. A cheerful voice called out to him, and the Havana Brown's expression changed. Was that really... Adderpaw? Was that her, or was he imagining things? The next few seconds were all a blur as something furry and warm tackled him, sending him rolling over (Adderpaw had always been someone who loved doing that) and the brown tom let out a grunt as he stayed there.

"Some things never change, do they?" The brown tom purred, swatting at her playfully as his green optics met her golden ones. He had missed this. Just being able to play with her. During his kithood, he had never really "played" like this, not for real, anyways. It was always an act or a game with him. But not with Adderpaw, with her... it was just Pinepaw. No faking. No pretend. Not anymore, that was. Now it was just him and Adderpaw. The best thing that had ever happened to him, for real. His green optics narrowed and he batted at her again, playfully, a smile showing on his maw despite the fact that for the past few moons, a true, big smile had been rare.

"Now let me up, you floof-head, and tell me what happened!" He felt like it was probably nothing super important, considering she was always excited - and Pinepaw was always excited for her, no matter what it was. He liked her personality. And found it sometimes worrisome that she was always hanging around him - even though he had a past as a troublemaker. Whatever had made her decide to give him a second chance? Whatever it was, whether it be his skill with words or his attitude afterwards, now they were once again close and trusting each other. Or, rather, she was trusting him again. Pinepaw was surprised that she did, but then again, Adderpaw was a spectacular cat. One who didn't seem like the type to hold grudges forever, because she was just that great. His green optics sparked with excitement as he wondered what his friend had to tell him. He could feel the excitement radiating off of Adderpaw. At least, it was still Adderpaw, wasn't it?

That was what the Havana Brown would think, surely it hadn't been too long... not that long... nah, she must still be an apprentice! There was no way. The tom grinned at his friend, just glad to be around her again. It had been a long time since he had seen Adderpaw. That was, since they had really gotten to spend time together. And even since there had been so much as a "hello" in passing between them! Which was odd... not to mention that for the last few nights, Adderpaw had appeared to be absent from the apprentices' den.

But then again, Pinepaw had rarely really seen her in there anyways. There were more then a few apprentices, both new and not in there, and... well... he was beginning to feel a little overwhelmed with all of the cats that there were. After all, not seeing Adderpaw, it made him feel like he was really... truly alone.

--

Blinking in surprise as she heard Rookpatch's familiar stutter, the patched apprentice glanced up at him with a bright smile. "Oh hi, Rookpatch!" She purred, grinning brightly at her mentor. She liked her mentor. Despite him being nervous, and having that stutter, Heartpaw didn't have a mean thought about him. She was glad that Rookpatch was different from most warriors. Had she not met him, she might have never known that there were cats - cats who had troubles like that. It made her own seem so small. Just knowing that he had trouble saying a single word, it made her feel as though she didn't really have a right to be worried about her and Rainpaw.

"How's Marigoldrise doing? Good, I'm guessing?" The she cat gave her mentor a bright smile. Of course, she knew about him and Marigoldrise. And she had seen the she cat with Rookpatch, and just around camp before - a very pretty, very sweet looking feline. The type of cat that looked as though she would not only be his mate, but best friend as well. She was hoping that the she cat was doing well, it wouldn't be good if something happened to her! Not since it seemed to be a bright light in Rookpatch's own life. His question caught her off guard. For a moment she looked surprised, and then half-laughed.

"Umm... well, sort of, I...guess?" Interesting. No, she wouldn't put it in that category, but it was certainly something else. Something... annoying, really. Her eyes narrowed and she thought for a moment how exactly she wanted to put her statement. "It's just, I mean, you know my friend Rainpaw, right? Grey cat, golden-ish eyes, kind of... a bully." Her ears went back as she said that. Never before would she have put Rainpaw in that category, not before they were apprentices, anyways. But hearing him say hurtful things to Ferretpaw and then just acting all moody and not like himself, now... now she wasn't sure anymore.

"At our apprentice ceremony, there was... a cat that he said some hurtful things to, and then when I told him to stop, he..." Her breath caught in her throat and she stopped with something that sounded like an almost strangled sob. Now, she had never been very close to Rookpatch. The bond that she felt like should be there wasn't very strong, yet she still felt like telling him these things. Because he was easy to talk to... somehow. Maybe it was because she was thinking there should be a bond there, and she was trying to forge it closer that made it so easy. Or maybe she was just desperate for someone other then her best friend... or at least, the cat who had been her best friend... to talk to that Rookpatch seemed like the best option. "He told me he hated me." Her voice was now a whisper and she looked down at the ground.

"I... he apologized to me, but he never - he didn't apologize to F - Ferretpaw, and sh - she's... she's the one he should have apologized to. But ever since then, we just haven't... been around each other that much. And the worst part is I like him, Rookpatch, I really like him and I don't know what to do!"

Never before had Heartpaw "liked" another cat. Not in that sense, anyways. Despite their bond not being very close, Rookpatch was the closest thing that she had ever had to a father. And she was looking towards him for guidance now, because at this point? The she cat didn't know who else to turn to. Or where else to go. She could have talked to Rainpaw's mentor, but that wouldn't have seemed as right. "What would you do?" It was the type of question that she had heard apprentices ask their mentors. It felt wrong and right at the same time. She wasn't sure if it was fair to put that on Rookpatch, because he might feel pressured to give her a good answer, but this was all she had. Asking him what he would do was all that she had. And she was going to take it.

[Role]

( @Undercover @Beam
Okay so the roleplay died, but imma start it back up again)
Willowkit trotted out of the Leader's Den head held high, clutching a rabbit leg between her teeth. She had successfully slipped away from the two toms, and entered the Leader's Den. Willowkit wondered if the toms had noticed her abscence. Willowkit was about to confess that she had talked to the leader of the Clan personally, and got a rabbit leg out of it. "Eburneanpaw! Echokit! Come look at this," she called as she sprinted towards the pair. "Look at this!"