Howling in the mud ((CLOSED))

Wolfpaw growled, frustrated with herself for not getting it right the first time. She took quick note of Mudfoot's words and corrected her mistakes. After doing so, she fixed her gaze on a small bank of snow and stealthily moved forwards. A yowl broke from her throat as she leap, paws sending the snow spraying.

"How about that, Mudfoot?" Her eyes glinted with satisfaction. In her head, she pictured her claws had sunk into a toad and she had killed it swiftly. She couldn't wait to try it out for real. I wonder if Eagleheart would be impressed!

Without thinking, she spoke quickly, "Can we go to Skyclan?" She glanced at her mentor to try and read his expression. Remembering the confrontation between Thrushstar, Leopardfang and her father, she wasn't hopeful for a good answer.

Watching the apprentice, he gave a nod of approval, glad that she'd learned from her mistakes quickly. "Very good! You'll be a great hunter in no time!" the warrior chuckled, genuine with his words, though her next question slightly caught him off guard. Could they go to SkyClan? Originally, he'd planned on them going back to camp after some hunting practice, and although the last thing he wanted to do was visit SkyClan, his apprentice deserved to explore the territories more, especially with such a short battle training session.

Letting out a sigh, he looked from the direction of the SkyClan border back to Wolfpaw. "Alright, but then we're heading back to camp," he replied with a small smile and started to pad towards the border. Let's just hope we don't run into any SkyClan cats, the tom prayed to himself, watching as his breath disappeared into the chilly air.

Wolfpaw's eyes lit up with excitement and shock. She had not expected her mentor to say yes to that at all. Will we run into another cat? Will they know Eagleheart? Will he be there?

"We can catch some prey along the way! And I can catch something really nice and bit and then Eagleheart will be proud of me and..." She meowed quickly, excited at the prospect. However, after a moment, she realized what she had said and her ears flattened against her head. Does Mudfoot know about my father? The young she-cat had no idea what Thrushstar, Hazeflight and the few others that knew had told the rest of the clan. But none of them treated her like an outsider, so she wasn't sure.

Giving a nod, Mudfoot started to pad towards their new destination and slowed the pace so that him and his apprentice walked next to each other, and her next statement caught him off guard.

Eagleheart? What did she want with the SkyClan warrior?

Confused yet curious, Mudfoot titled his head to the side, his ears perked. Although he wanted to ask the apprentice what she meant by "Eagleheart will be proud of me," he stayed quiet, not really in the mood for discussing and figured it would be best to ask her later. Giving his pelt a shake, a smile still rested on his muzzle. "Well, let's get going, shall we?" he meowed cheerfully and continued to head towards their border with SkyClan.

I just hope SkyClan doesn't start trouble, the russet warrior prayed silently, hoping Wolfpaw wasn't able to sense his slight nervousness.

"Okay," She agreed simply. The apprentice caught Mudfoot's confusion and was glad when the warrior chose not to speak on it. I need to watch what I say, She berated herself internally for even thinking of her father right now. If she wanted the clan to like her, it would be foolish to bring up her parentage. Her tail twitched uncomfortably as they headed for the Skyclan border, but she was oblivious to Mudfoot's nervousness.

OOC: apologies, but I'm gonna do a lil time skip so this doesn't drag on too long C':

IC: After some quick hunting around the territory, Wolfpaw and Mudfoot had caught a few pieces of prey, though it was hardly a meal and buried their catch. Continuing towards their next destination, they soon reached the SkyClan border. Lifting his muzzle and slightly parting his jaw, he looked around the area, scanning the treeline for any unfamiliar forms. So far nothing seemed to be out of the ordinary, but who knew what could be lurking being the shade of the trees and bushes.

Looking to Wolfpaw, he hoped that she'd gotten to see everything that she wanted to see. I just hope she doesn't ask to go visit SkyClan, the tom thought to himself lightheartedly, seeing that she seemed particularly interested in the neighboring clan. Why she was so interested in them, he had no clue, but he'd ask questions later. Better not ruin their enjoyable patrol with questions that weren't necessary. Besides, maybe Wolfpaw had a decent reason to be curious about SkyClan, he reassured himself, always trying to think positive in unknown situations.

"Everything seems normal here," Mudfoot mewed, breaking the stale silence that hovered in the air around the clearing.

Wolfpaw was pleased with the amount she had managed to catch on her first time out hunting. Sure, there were some mistakes, but with Mudfoot's guidence, the hunting skill came quickly for her. Once they were satisfied with the small, leafbare catch, the she continued to follow him to the Skyclan bored. Excitement knotted in her stomach as the Skyclan scent hit her. She breathed it in deeply, faintly remembering the scent of her own father. Her eyes gazed longingly over the border, wishing her father to appear. But there was no such luck.

Disappointment clouded her features and she looked down at her paws, trying to push away the feeling. After Mudfoot finally spoke, she answered in a flat tone, "I guess so."

About to turn and head back to camp, Mudfoot looked to Wolfpaw and was able to see the disappointment in her expression and wondered what was wrong. Had he said something out of line? Maybe they were wrapping up the patrol too early? "Hey, what's wrong?" Mudfoot mewed softy, unable to hold back his curiosity.

Wolfpaw's eyes shot up immediately to his. Can I trust him? He is my mentor after all. She was well aware of the disdain towards cats with cross-clan blood. While Thrushstar tended to distrust rogues more, she was sure he wasn't thrilled about her being half-Skyclan. The apprentice didn't even feel like Skyclan was a part of her at all. The only thing that said otherwise were her abnormally powerful hindlegs. If she wanted, she could probably leap and climb like she had heard they could. But out of fear of what her clanmates would say, she had never tried.

The thoughts raced through her head and after a moment of debating, she sighed. Wolfpaw was guarded and her words were careful, not blatant, "Mudfoot, do you know any half-clan cats?" Based on his response and attitude, that would determine whether or not she would allow her mentor in.

Did he know any half clan cats? The question was an interesting on, and although he was starting to become slightly skeptical about her motives, he wasn't going to leave her without an answer. Besides, she was only an apprentice, maybe she was just curious? The tom wondered, yet again trying to think the best of the younger cat, like he did with everyone.

"Well, I'd assume that I know of some half clan cats, but off the top of my head, I can't exactly recall any," he started, quickly realizing that probably wasn't the answer she was hoping for. "But if it makes you feel any better, I was adopted into the clan. I don't know of my true origins, but at this point it doesn't matter. I'm practically a ShadowClan cat by blood!" the tom ended in a chuckle, a smile on his muzzle as he looked into Wolfpaw's eyes. Something about her seemed... uncertain, but he couldn't quite put a paw on her true emotions.

"Really?" Wolfpaw was shocked. She had no idea that Mudfoot hadn't been born into the clan. Her body relaxed a little after he finished. The cheerful, older cat's personality helped to put her at ease. Maybe I can trust him. Claws kneading into the hardened earth, she considered her options. While she didn't know Mudfoot all that well, he had a trustworthy air about him. Besides they would be together for quite a while during her apprenticeship, there had to be some trust. And he would most likely find out eventually anyways.

"You know how Hazeflight is my mother, right? Well... my father, he... he's not Shadowclan," Her paws scuffled up the dirt awkwardly, "Eagleheart, from Skyclan. He's my father. I'm half-clan. And no one knows it. I barely knew it myself!" The aggravation ran in her meow. She thought back to the moment she had met him and found out about her heritage. Her eyes fixed on his face, hoping to find some sort of reassurance there. Please don't let him hate me now. Please don't make him want another apprentice. If he does, it'll just make for another cat I have to avoid. Thinking of Hazeflight, her anger rose. Wolfpaw couldn't even image the whole clan finding out.

Listening to the apprentice, Mudfoot's eyes widened when she told him that she was half clan, but his surprised expression soon faded back to his former soft smile. At first, he'd been a bit shocked that she was telling him this, but he quickly realized that he had no right to judge her, since in reality, there were probably plenty of half-clan cats throughout the clans, and she just happened to be one of them, confused and worried for her future in her current clan.

"Well, I'm glad that I know why you wanted to see SkyClan so much now," the tom started softly, meeting her gaze with nothing but kindness. "Half-clan or not, you're still my apprentice and a member of ShadowClan," Mudfoot purred and nudged Wolfpaw on the forehead with his muzzle. She may have had origins elsewhere, but even so, that didn't change any of his feelings towards her.

"Thanks, Mudfoot," She muttered in partially in disbelief and partially awkwardly, not knowing how to react to his show of affection. The tough, little she-cat was not really one for being close to others, except for her sister. Wolfpaw had half expected him to have a poor reaction, though, so she preferred this to the alternative.

"I'm glad I'm in Shadowclan and I wouldn't want to be anywhere else, but sometimes I feel like I'm missing something. My father, mostly. And the siblings I have there who I've never met. I just want to meet them and talk to them without any clan hostility," In a rare moment of honesty, Wolfpaw poured out to her mentor the conflict within. She had kept it bottled up forever, not wishing to talk to or share with any other cat. There was something about the older cat that made her comfortable, though. She could trust him, unlike any other cat that wasn't Puddlepaw.

Glad that she seemed to be opening up to him more, the tom continued to purr and could've stayed out in the territory with Wolfpaw forever, if only the night wasn't getting so late. Looking to the sky, Mudfoot watched the stars twinkle and let out a content sigh, glad that he was able to patrol with apprentices like her. Turning his gaze back to Wolfpaw, the warrior rested his muzzle on her forehead for a few moments before lifting it and gazing into her eyes. "Every cat has a different past, whether they like it or not. You just need to learn how to embrace it," he mewed softly with a smile, hoping she understood what he meant.

Occ: lol can't wait for the next gathering where Wolfy literally just throws his advice in the trash she's a great listener

"I'll have to try," Wolfpaw agreed softly. She too noticed the night sky beginning to start getting a bit lighter. Have we really been out here that long? The realization also helped her to notice how much her muscles ached. As a kit, you didn't do this much. Battle training and hunting was definitely more strenuous than play fighting. The night was slightly chilly and standing around was starting to getting to her.

"We should move on before my paws freeze off," She grumbled lightly in her usual discontented tone, but there was a bit humor underlining it this time.