Instant Best Friends (closed for Shad)

The red apprentice's ears dropped as Gingerpaw easily picked up on his mood change. He was somewhat hoping that he could get away with not talking about it, but obviously that wasn't the case. Instead, he let out a heavy sigh of defeat. "Oh, it's really nothing..." he mumbled for a moment, thinking on whether he should say something or not. "It's just... I have a brother too, but I don't know where he went. The last time I saw him was the night we were first brought here. Then, he was gone..." His eyes dropped to the ground as his tail curled around his paws defensively. "I just wish I knew where he was."

Listening to his friend's story, Gingerpaw looked down at the ground, feeling as if he was intruding on some private moment. He couldn't imagine what he would do if he lost Firepaw. And when they were kits, being taken away from his best friend and playmate would have been unbearable. A sudden rush of sympathy, a previously unknown emotion, rushed the ginger tabby tom. "I... I never knew you had a brother. I'm so sorry." It just wasn't fair that Redpaw had to lose his kin. It made Gingerpaw a little angry. But his brother couldn't be dead, right? No, he had probably just gone back to Twolegplace or wandered off into the forest or something. He had to be alive. Determination flared in the ShadowClan apprentice's green eyes, and he looked up suddenly, his gaze meeting Redpaw's. "Let's find him. I'm sure he's out there somewhere. Maybe if we ask around, someone will know where he is." The tom stood up abruptly, squirrel forgotten on the ground, white paws moving across the shaded grass as he paced back and forth. "We- we can ask Flamestrike. My dad knows everything. And he's the one that brought you here, right? Right. Well, we can ask him. And Honeydrop, she was there too, maybe she'll know something! And, and if that doesn't work, we can ask Leopardstar." Apprehension coursed through his veins at the thought of talking to the leader. "That'll be our last resort, though. He's a little scary, but he's the most awesome cat in ShadowClan. If no one else knows what happened to your brother, he will." A grin spread across Gingerpaw's face at the thought of finding some way to make his friend happy, to reunite him with his brother. It would be an adventure! "What do you say, Redpaw?"

It was fun to watch Gingerpaw as suddenly the tom jumped on any ideas of trying to find Redpaw's brother. It was very sweet, and the more that Gingerpaw spoke, the more excited the red tom was getting for the idea of trying to find his brother. It had been so long since they were separated that he didn't have much hope in actually finding his brother, but he wanted so badly to see him again. At this point, Redpaw would try anything. "Sounds like a great idea! We can start with Flamestrike! I hope he wouldn't mind. If he's busy, we can ask Honeydrop. She should have some answers too. I would prefer not to ask Leopardstar, but I guess if we have to..." his voice trailed off. He really didn't to bother the leader even though he had no trouble talking to him. He was handling all of Shadowclan, after all. He wouldn't have time for silly questions.

OOC: I just realized this topic has been going on for more than a month dear StarClan

Gingerpaw's eyes shone brighter as his friend responded enthusiastically to his idea. He felt super smart for thinking of it, and there was nothing he wanted more than to help out a fellow apprentice. Even though he'd just met the red-brown tom, he felt like they were already best friends. Hopefully Redpaw felt the same way. "Don't worry, I'm sure Flamestrike won't mind. He's the coolest warrior in ShadowClan! And, like I said, he knows everything. I'm sure Honeydrop will have something too. I bet medicine cats hear a lot of things we don't!" His excitement only grew the more he thought about it. Finding Redpaw's lost brother sounded like an adventure- a real one, not like the ones he would play with Firepaw when they were kits. There was a story behind this, and the orange tabby tom was determined to find out what it was! "What are we waiting for? Let's go!" The apprentice started to bound away towards the last place he had seen his father. His tail whipped from side to side in eagerness as he ran, but he stopped short as he thought of something. "What... what was your brother's name, Redpaw?"

"His name is Barkkit. I hope Flamestrike knows something!" Redpaw said eagerly, following right behind Gingerpaw to find the older warrior.

OOC: I know this post is god awful but it's all I have motivation for ;_;