Friend bonding session

Maplepaw walked across the moor, enjoying the sun on her russet-brown pelt.  It was nice to be out of the sickness-stricken camp.  No one understood what this sickness was, or why it came.  She shook her head to clear her thoughts.  She had left the camp so she wouldn't have to worry about it.  She leaped up onto a rock, wishing for company, but Maplepaw knew that most able-bodied cats would be helping the sick in the camp.  She felt lonely, especially now that her mentor was sick.

Larkpaw gave a small huff as she trotted through the moor. She shook out her brown tabby pelt and stretched, with a small sigh. Everyone seemed to be sick. Raventail was sick. Their leader, who couldn't even go and visit StarClan to get his nine lives. What if the plague took him? No. But it might. He had one life, every cat had one life, all it took was one life for everything to be over- No. Larkpaw forced the thoughts out of her head. After all, on her Moonstone journey, she'd listened to Barleytuft say StarClan wasn't behind the Righteous Few. But they must've had lots of power to be able to kill Finchstar, then. But with Morningpaw, the Clans, and StarClan, surely something could happen?

By now, the apprentice had walked for a while. She spotted a rock in the distance, glowing reddish in the sunlight. But no- that wasn't a red rock, that was a red cat! Larkpaw's walking pace increased to a run. She skidded towards the rock and hopped up, landing clumsily beside a russet-pelted apprentice. "You're Maplepaw, right? I recognized you because of your pelt." Larkpaw grinned and watched a butterfly slowly fly past.

Maplepaw jumped at the voice.  She had gotten company like she had hoped for!  
"Yeah," she answered, "what's your name? I've seen you around, but I never got a name."
She swatted playfully at the butterfly in front of them as it fluttered around.

“Oh! I’m Larkpaw.” Larkpaw grinned at Maplepaw. “Don’t hurt the butterfly!” Although her voice was teasing, she really did want the butterfly to live. At least it has a chance at normal life. She quickly quelled the dark thoughts, and turned back to Maplepaw. “I’m glad something’s normal right now- I can hang out with cool cats.” She grinned.

Maplepaw smiled back at her.  Instead of swatting at it again, she stuck out her paw, and the butterfly landed on it.  She repositioned her paw so that the butterfly was right in front of Larkpaw's face.  
"You mean this butterfly?" she teased. When she breathed, it startled the butterfly and it flew into Larkpaw's face. Maplepaw let out a mew of amusement.

"I'm glad that there's this normalcy too." she said, "although I'm not sure you're in the presence of cool cats...  " Her sentence trailed off, and her smile faded for a moment.  But suddenly her mind jumped back into the real world.  She smiled again and puffed out her chest in mock pride, "just amazing ones."