Lets go exploring (for Greenpaw)

Blazingheart's ginger fur seemed like fire in the bright sunlight as he padded to the Apprentice's den. Today, he was going to take Greenpaw out on a border patrol. He was going to show his son around the territory, and maybe teach him how to hunt. The ginger tabby peered into the den. It had been a while since he had slept in there. "Greenpaw," he called. "You ready to go exploring?" Blazingheart didn't want to be the grumpy kind of mentor, he wanted to be a fun and playful one. "The sun can't stay up forever!"

At the sound of his father's voice, Greenpaw leapt up and shook his pelt. "I'm awake, I'm awake!" he huffed good-naturedly. As he padded out of the den, he gazed upon his surroundings. The sun was shining merrily, birds were chirping cheerily, and the temperature was just perfect. "Where are we going, Dad?" he asked. Not to his surprise, he was shorter than Blazingheart and he was extremely thin. Great StarClan, I'm going to have to train a lot more than I have been if I want to look like Blazingheart.

Blazingheart chuckled and licked Greenpaw's forehead. "We are going out on a border patrol. I was thinking we should start at the Thunderpath and work our way all around the territory. I'll even cram in some hunting and battle training as we patrol. Oh! I also need to teach you how to climb trees...do you know how to climb, son?" He trotted out of camp and paused at the entrance for Greenpaw.

At his father's words, memories flashed through his mind of kithood. One memory was of him climbing up Hollyberry's leg when he was little. The other was of him climbing a small stump in camp. Greenpaw nodded. "Yeah, just a little." he replied.

Blazingheart smiled. "Good, Greenpaw. Try to keep up." And with that, the ginger tabby bolted off towards the Thunderpath, jumping over fallen trees and bushes, dodging thorns, and ducking under low-hanging branches. Stopping at the Thunderpath, he turned around to see if his apprentice had been able to keep up.

Greenpaw pushed off, bolting after his father. He winced as a twig poked his nose, but kept running. Panting, he arrived behind Blazingheart a few seconds after his father stopped.

The ginger tabby smiled proudly at his son. Greenpaw had been able to keep up. The apprentice seemed pretty fast. "Okay, Greenpaw. Sniff the air...do you smell that? It's the stench of Monsters. They are deadly, so don't ever cross the Thunderpath unless you need to." Blazingheart smelled the air. "What else can you smell?" He asked as the faint stench of Shadowclan came to him.

Greenpaw stifled a gag as the stench of ShadowClan rolled into his nose. "I smell something disgusting..." he hissed. After thinking quickly, he blurted out two answers. "ShadowClan. Definately... And carrion." he finished.

Blazingheart proudly smiled at Greenpaw. "Well done, son. Let's move on before we both barf from this stench." A monster roared past as he moved on along the Thunderpath. "The border looks ok so far," he purred to his son, looking behind his shoulder at Greenpaw. Blazingheart stopped at a tall, dead-looking tree by the Thunderpath. "Okay, show me your climbing skills," he ordered over the sound of the monsters.

Greenpaw's heart started beating faster. What will I do if I mess up? Taking a deep breath, he scanned the tree quickly, checking for any spots that would mess him up. So far, there were no places he could fall. Bunching his hind legs, he unsheathed his claws and leaped up, grabbing onto the tree. The pushed himself upward with his hind legs and pulled with his forelegs. "I think I'm doing okay..." he mumbled to himself, halfway to the top. Then, when he blinked carelessly, a twig appeared out of nowhere, unbalancing him. He accidentally let go and fell to the ground. Instinctively, he straightened out, pushing his tail outward. Dazed, he hit the ground with a thump, still on his paws. He shook out his fur, took a step forward, then winced as a sharp pain shot up his left foreleg. Shaking his paw, he tried again, this time concentrating and getting to one of the top branches. Glancing down, he couldn't shake the dizziness. "Um, Dad, how do I get down?..." he asked, his voice trailing off.

Blazingheart winced as Greenpaw had hit the ground, but soon watched proudly as he got back up and climbed the tree. "Good job, Greenpaw!" When his son asked how to get down, Blazingheart started to instruct him. "Jump down onto a lower branch, keep jumping onto lower branches until you are on the lowest one, then jump onto the ground," he said, looking up at Greenpaw. "This time, if you fall, I'll catch ya!"

Greenpaw grew bolder at Blazingheart's words. He carefully leaped down onto a lower branch, then continued until he got to the bottom. Puffing his chest out, he tilted his head slightly. "How did I do?" He sounded proud.

"You did great! Your a good climber, son. Lets start making our way down towards four trees along the border. On the way, we'll do some battle training. Just to warn you though, be prepared for any sudden attacks I pull." And with that, Blazingheart raced away along the Thunderpath, running along the border towards Fourtrees. He looked behind his shoulder to see if Greenpaw was following.

Greenpaw nodded, letting his father's words sink in. Though he was being extremely cautious, he was as fast as he was before. Greenpaw steeled himself for any attacks.