Left Behind

Ashpaw entered the camp at a slow trot, a Leaf-bare thin trout in his jaws. Dropping it on the fresh-kill pile, he took up a smaller, same species fish and sat next to his den on the frigid ground. Chewing slowly at the tough, frozen creature, his eyes unfocused and he lost himself in thought.

His face was blank and emotionless as his mind reeled. I am alone. Why am I not a warrior, like them? Do they not trust me? He shook his white cranium. Almost all of his friends were warriors now; Stormheart, Hailwhisper, Mistyflower, and Swifttalon, all had gotten their warrior names and had left him in the dust. The tom missed their warmth during the cold nights, even when he was kept awake by a quiet chat.

He sunk his small white fangs into the poor fish, sending cold chills down his spine. The shock woke him out of his thoughts, just in time to see his Clanmate walking towards him.

Minnowpaw trudged his legs around camp then spotted Ashpaw. He ambled over to him and sat down "why aren't we warriors yet?" He complained.

Hailwhisper padded silently into camp, dropped a small fish on the pile, and sat down alone, giving the prey a moment of silence for the life it gave. Oh, she was starting to hate being a warrior. She didn't like fighting or hunting or hurting anything in general. She missed her days in the nursery with Stormkit--now Stormheart--when they didn't have really anything to worry about. They played and followed the rules...Or at least she did, while Stormkit was much more daring. Then she became an apprentice, and so much happened. She could never forget Mintcloud and how the she-cat had saved her life, then died before her eyes. She couldn't forget the day her and Stormpaw had fought that badger, and Stormpaw almost getting killed. There were good times too, like having snowball-fights with Ashpaw, Stormpaw, Minnowpaw, and a few others. Oh and Snowkit, the little kitten-picture Ashpaw had crated in the snow. He was a good friend of Hailwhisper, and when she became a warrior with Stormheart, she had wondered why he wasn't there too. He had been an apprentice for just about as long as they had, and Hailwhisper knew for a fact that she hadn't improved faster than him at anything. Sometimes she felt a bit useless, being too scared to fight and not very good at hunting since she always wanted to let the prey go after she caught it. So how had she become a warrior before Ashpaw? She wished she could talk to him again, but he was probably busy or asleep--
The snowy she-cat turned her head to see her old friend sitting alone, Minnowpaw soon joining him. Maybe she should say hello...No, the thought made her feel a little nervous. He was nice and was always there to cheer her up when she was an apprentice, and she had grown to, well, develop feelings for him. He must be feeling down, by the look on his face, maybe because he wasn't a warrior yet either? She overheard what Minnowpaw said, and figured that was the case. Okay Hailwhisper, let's go talk to them. They are friends. She took a few steps forward, looked at her paws for a moment, then padded over. "Um...H-Hey Minnowpaw, A-Ashpaw..." She murmured in greeting, sitting down. She was about a fox-length away still and didn't even notice. Flattening her ears in embarrassment, she scooted a little closer, hoping they had heard her.

Ooc: *Passes muse out like candy*
I have too much right now D: Sorry for the big post

Ooc- No biggie

Ic- The similarly white tom sat up to see one of his few friends left in the apprentice's den, Minnowpaw, coming towards him. At his friend's complaint, Ashpaw simply sighed and shrugged his stiff shoulders. It puzzled him why the other tom was overlooked as well. Had the both of them done something to set back their ceremony?

Movement caught his green eyes to see Hailwhisper padding towards the pair of toms somewhat awkwardly. Wrapping a thin tail around his paws, he gave her a weak smile; an attempt to say, 'I'm okay.' "Hi Hailwhisper.", he murmured.

Minnowpaw looked to where Ashpaw was looking and smiled at Hailwhisper. "Hi Hailwhisper." The small silver tom greeted. "Nice catch there." He complimented and nodded towards the fresh kill pile.

Hailwhisper relaxed a little at Ashpaw's smile. She glanced at Minnowpaw and shook her head. "No, it's really not that much...I-I was never really a fan of hunting." She answered, though suddenly she felt a little bad about rejecting his compliment. Then again, she felt bad about basically everything, so there was less harm in it than what she was thinking. She had a hard time handling her emotions and thoughts, ya know?
"Um, I was wondering why you guys haven't become w-warriors yet...You've both done more than me and we're about the same age." The she-cat decided to speak up about the matter, assuming it was probably on their minds. "I-it would have been nice if you two became warriors with Stormheart and I..." All the time she was speaking, she was looking down at her paws or looking up a them with a lowered head, as if afraid she would insult them by bringing up the matter. After all, she was a warrior now, so she couldn't really empathize with them, could she? They probably didn't want her sympathy. What if they're mad at me? She thought suddenly, growing uncomfortable.

"Yeah, it would be nice," Minnowpaw admitted. Then he noticed how awkwardly Hailwhisper was behaving. Then he added "Hailwhisper, are you ok?" He asked, his tone full of concern.

Sparrowkit, fresh from the nursery, bounded to the three cats. His tail flapped awkwardly against his back, but he seemed to pay no notice to it. "I'm Sparrowkit!" he declared.

Ashpaw just shook his head again. "I wish that as well." Sensing his friend feeling a bit awkward, he added, " It's okay. It probably won't be long." A small, genuine smile crossed his muzzle. It had been so long since the last time he had done that.. Turning his still grinning face towards the playful kit, his happy-go-lucky attitude amusing to the older tom.

Hailwhisper nodded in agreement. "Yes of course...Oh hello there." She meowed, her gentle voice returning when the kit appeared. She was always very gentle with them; she loved kits and sometimes wished she was still one. "Hello there Sparrowkit. I'm Hailwhisper." She giggled quietly, putting on a small smile.

OOC: Minnow and Ash have had their ceremonies.....

Minnowpaw turned to the energetic kit. "Hi there, Sparrowkit. I'm Minnowpaw." the small silver tom greeted.

"You're real warriors?" he asked with wonder