New Friends, New Prospects {CLOSED for Ember Pheonix}

Flintpaw had been restless after his apprentice ceremony. He wished that Marshstorm wouldn't have held the ceremony so early in the day. Now, the young tom had nothing to do, except wait until dawn for his mentor, Swoopnose to show him Thunderclan territory.
While the morning had been a huge excitement for the young tabby, the thrill in Flintpaw's heart was beginning to be replaced by a yearning to leave camp.
The tom's green eyes scanned Thunderclan camp, his paws were jittery and his tail wouldn't stop twitching. Flintpaw shook his head, and padded over to the nursery shakily.

He grabbed a ball of moss from his old nest, grinning with a mouth full of foliage. Flintpaw thought back to less then a moon ago, when he and his sisters would toss moss around as a plaything rather then bedding. And then he felt his heart skip a beat, knowing that soon, he would be out of camp, catching mice instead of mossballs.

The very thought made the gray tabby's ears twitch with excitement, but, creasing his brow, Flintpaw stilled himself and carried the moss over to the apprentice's den. He ducked his striped head inside the entrance, sniffing the air. I wonder where Chervilpaw's nest is? The tom lifted his nose, trying to make out his sister's scent amongst the clashing of smells. Clamping his jaw harder around the moss, Flintpaw started forward in the darkness of the den.

"Hey!" The young tom hissed, dropping his moss, and colliding with another cat. He blinked his eyes, trying to adjust to the gloom. Slowly, Flintpaw made-out a she-cat amongst the greenery of the apprentice's den. "Do I know you?" Flintpaw cocked his head, giving his chest fur a lick.

The smoky black spotted tabby she cat had just finished a patrol that morning and had made her way back to the apprentices den to rest when she heard someone outside the den. Pantherpaw had just started to settle down for a quick nap but got to her paws to see whom it was. She then blinked as she heard whoever was come into the dark den. with her pelt practically blending into the shadows she hadn't expected to be ran into until the new apprentice did. She blinked and kept from bristling"hey yourself and no I don't think we've met"She mewed keeping a sort of kind tone."I'm Pantherpaw."She mewed

Flintpaw cocked his head, examining the she-cat. "Flintpaw." The tom introduced himself curtly, eyes narrowing. He sighed and shook his head. "Sorry." The gray tabby mewed. "How long have you been an apprentice?"
As Flintpaw watched the black tabby's face, he could see that she had lost her kitten fluff, and looked more experienced than he or his newly apprenticed sisters were. The young tom felt slightly intimidated? Jealous was it? Flintpaw shook the feeling and put on a grin. Maybe getting to know my clanmates will help pass some time before dawn tomorrow. The apprentice thought, casting a wistful glance at the den exit, and into the forest. Seeing Pantherpaw made Flintpaw even more eager to leave camp and start training. But this'll have to do. The young tom sat down, tail twitching. Maybe I'll make a friend!

Pantherpaw sat down after a moment and relaxed"it's fine nice to meet you. I've been an apprentice for a little while"She mewed looking to him. It was obvious she was her kitten fur had left her and she had a smooth sleek pelt."have you seen the territory yet?"She mewed knowing he was probably a new apprentice what with his kit fur and all.

Flintpaw frowned at Pantherpaw's question, casting another glance out into the forest. "No." He mumbled, toying with the moss on the ground. "Swoopnose says I have to wait until dawn... I don't understand why we can't just go see the territory today? It's not like any foxes will get us, that's what warriors are for, right?" The tabby tom shrugged, flicking his ears. Flintpaw shifted his gaze to the moss lying at his feet. "Are there any open spots in the Apprentice's Den?" The tom asked, looking around. He saw many nests already in place, smelling strongly of his fellow clanmates. "I gotta make a new nest and hopefully get some sleep. Maybe it'll make tomorrow come faster." He winked, whiskers twitching. "I know that's not how it works, but I have to find some way to pass the time..." The apprentice sighed, looking up at Pantherpaw, a glint in his eye. "Any ideas?"

"yeah there's a patch near my nest.....and if you really want I can bring you out I'm sure it wouldn't hurt "She mewed thinking for a moment. "but here let me show you where some empty spots are"she mewed.

A smile quickly grew on Flintpaw's face, spreading from ear to ear. The tom picked his moss up quickly, green eyes shining through the gloom of the den. "You'll take me outside camp??" Flintpaw mumbled through the foliage in his jaws, tail high with excitement. The gray tabby tom padded over to Pantherpaw's nest and set his moss down next to it, kneading it with an eager set of paws. "This is gonna be so much fun! I like you already!" Flintpaw flashed Pantherpaw a grin, his uneasiness about the she-cat giving way to warmth. "Let's go now! My bedding is finished..." The apprentice cast a quick glance over his shoulder at the rumpled moss nest, wincing at the poor quality, "...kind of. But nevermind that! I wanna go see the territory! This'll be so much fun!"

Pantherpaw blinked then purred some smiling"well let's go then"She mewed noticing his eagerness to go to outside. She pushed her way outside the den and towards the camp entrance. Glancing back to see if he was following she pushed her way out of the camp and into the territory.

Flintpaw fluffed out his fur as the two apprentices pushed their way out of the gorse tunnel. "Wow..." He breathed, gazing up at the trees. He flattened his ears as a bird called from above, and jumped at the sound of leaves rustling. "Hahaha!" The apprentice chuckled, head swinging wildly, blissfully overwhelmed by all the sights and sounds. "I can't believe they haven't let us out of camp until now...every cat should be able to see this..." The tom crooned, grinning.
Flintpaw purred at the "crunch" of dried leaves when he stepped on them. His green eyes grew wide as he took in the magic of leaf-fall. His gray tabby pelt was muted by the brilliance of the trees, stained red, orange, and yellow by the changing of the seasons. The wind left a flame-colored rainbow of dried foliage at Flintpaw's feet, as if christening his as an apprentice of Thunderclan.

"Hellooo!" He yowled, purring loudly as he shouted at the forest. The tom's head swung to Pantherpaw, glimpsing her black tabby pelt amongst the trees. "Pantherpaw this is amazing!" He breathed, bounding up to her. "Where's the coolest place in Thunderclan territory?" The apprentice's green eyes were wild with adventure. "Let's go there..." he whispered, kneading the ground with excitement.

Pantherpaw seemed to paused for a moment thinking."to be honest if we still had Sunningrocks i used to think irs cool but hmm in our tereitoey it would have to be Snakerocks"She mewed. She moved heading to snakerocks"though you also have to he very careful your mentor will tell you to be or to avoid it completely because of the poisonous snakes that stay in snakerocks"She mewed.

"Well I have yet to see what Swoopnose is like, buuut I'm sure he won't mind." Flintpaw winked, padding up to walk beside Pantherpaw. His breathing had slowed since leaving camp, although the wonder of the forest still had a hold on the apprentice. The crunch of the leaves under Flintpaw's paws fueled his purr as the two cats trotted along. A new quiet had stilled within the tabby, and he realized he quite liked the grace that the forest held. Flintpaw decided it would be one of his favorite things, to go on walks like this. "Do you like the territory Pantherpaw?" He probed, tilting his head to the side. A part of him wondered if he could consider this cat a friend. She did show him the way out of camp, and appeared able to deal with his sarcasm.

Flintpaw had never really thought about making friends before. While he was still young, the tom's only "friends" were his sisters, Chervilpaw and Bushpaw. And they were friends by default. Chervilpaw was kind and caring, and Flintpaw always felt bad when he teased her too much. And Bushpaw lived up to her name, being prickly around the edges. Flintpaw always felt he needed to use all his wit when speaking with her. I wonder if I would be friends with them if they weren't my sisters?

Gazing over at Pantherpaw's dark tabby pelt, Flintpaw decided she'd make a good friend. At least from the cats he knew. "Let's go hunt snakes together!" He crooned, green eyes lighting up in a joking manner. Part of the apprentice knew that that would be incredibly mousebrained. But before Pantherpaw could give an answer, Flintpaw broke in to a run, leaving a tornado of leaves in his wake. I think snakerocks is his way... He thought to himself, whiskers twitching as he looked back at his new friend, wondering if she'd give chase.

Pantherpaw smiled some quietly "Yeah I'm sure Swoopnose won't mind"She mewed with a smile as she looked to the territory making her way to Snakerocks."But like i said be careful because I don't want to be responsible for you getting bit by a snake and something bad happening"She mewed this time seriously as she came to the small clearing containing the mound of rocks that were capable of hiding the poisonous beasts within. She glanced to him for a moment finding it was kind of fun hanging out with him.

"Ah don't worry! I'm too fast for snakes" Flintpaw stuck his tongue out playfully. The apprentice took in a breath as he gazed at the mounds of rock ahead. He felt a slight stir in his chest, and wondered if it was of fear. The deep crevices in the stone made his eyes widen, and his paws pricked as he wondered what creatures lurked inside.
He cast a subtle glance at Pantherpaw, hoping she didn't notice the quiet fright that wrestled with him. "Let's get going then!" The gray tabby mewed, padding toward the rocks as confidently as he could. The apprentice stopped in his tracks, feeling as if he couldn't take another step without knowing what he was facing. "Pantherpaw?" Flintpaw questioned, turning his head to gaze at the she-cat. "Have you ever caught a snake? What do they look like?"

It was strange, but Flintpaw was glad to have Pantherpaw around. He felt as if he was truly taking his first steps as an apprentice of Thunderclan. Exploring the territory, searching for snakes, watching the trees. That's what warriors did, right? He felt more alive today then he ever had, and he was glad he had a friend to show him the way.