A spark in the soot (a.k.a I still can't title)

Sootpaw sat at the fresh-kill pile, contemplating. Maybe he would still be lively, bright and curious. Maybe he'd still be a massive pain in the rump. Maybe he would be all these things if he had not gone to Fourtrees that day. His ears drooped. He now hated RiverClan with a passion, but he hated ShadowClan too. And StarClan. And every Clan that believes in them. He looked up from his meal at the sky, seeing the faint evening moon and the red sun. The stars weren't out yet. The large tom sighed and lay down, wishing things had gone differently.

A happy she-cat left the apprentice den yawning and looking around the camp with sleepy eyes. She shook her body and then trotted to the fresh-kill pile ready to get a tasty meal for this night. However, her steps stopped when she saw the black and white fur of another apprentice. Her smile widened: a chance to get a new friend! There was nothing that excited her more than that!
Sparkpaw ran once again but this time toward the tom. The cheery she-cat jumped in front of him bouncing slightly from one side to another, playfully. ”Hi! I’m Sparkpaw! It’s nice to finally meet you! How are you? Are you getting a meal? Do you mind if I accompany you?” She purred with her tail flicking.

Sootpaw grunted and reluctantly nodded. This cat was more active than a bee in Greenleaf. He watched as she bounced around in front of him with an annoyed, exasparated look on his face. "Yeah, I'm getting a meal. After you." he let Sparkpaw have first pick of food. Just because he hated the world and all its inhabitants didn't mean he had no basic manners.

The smile of the she-cat widened even more and accepted the offering with an energetic nod.”Wow! Thank you so much! You’re such a gentleman, you know?” She laid down in front of the tom and took a bite of the prey keeping a happy mood. Then she pushed the prey to him, so he could eat too with her. ”So, you’re Sootpaw, right? Who is your mentor? My mentor is Firestone, my uncle! He is super strong and huge! I’m learning a lot with him even if I’m not so interested about being a warrior.”

Sootpaw raised an eyebrow. For such a small cat, Sparkpaw talked a lot. He could hardly keep up with what she was saying. "My mentor's Crowfur, my father. He's great, I guess...
You know, average." While he spoke, the black and white apprentice noticed that Sparkpaw was constantly moving, be it from foot to foot or darting around him excitedly. God, she was annoying. Even when she lay down, her tail and front paws were moving rapidly on the spot. "So, how are things? Anything exciting happen recently?" he asked awkwardly.

The She-cat noticed that the other apprentice wasn’t too social like her but she didn’t mind that. With her waving tail, she continued talking, glad to see that he was listening. Maybe they could be friends! ”Crowfur? Why do you say he is average? I think he is a good warrior too! Loyal and completely loving to his family! And you’re so lucky to have your father as your mentor!” She mewed delighted with bright emerald eyes.

Sparkpaw tilted her head to one side, thinking about his question. ”Nope! Nothing especially interesting! I just finished my assessment a few days ago so soon I’ll go on my Moonstone journey but I’m so excited like other apprentices. I prefer staying here, talking and making new friends! What about you? What do you like to do?”

Sootpaw almost smiled. There was something strangely endearing about this apprentice. He chased the thought out of his head and pondered it for a bit. "I.. guess I like to hunt? I mean,
I'm not the best at it, but... I don't really have any specific likes or goals. I think they're kinda pointless." he hoped this didn't offend Sparkpaw. It was the truth.