pleaser [C]

Silverkit

The rest of his ventures out of the nursery had gone far smoother than his first. Silverkit was slowly getting older, and camp did not seem so wide or new anymore. It hadn't entirely lost its sheen, but he'd gotten far more comfortable in the space, and the days were beginning to feel less like exploring than they were just... walking around. He was swiftly running out of things to report back to Meadowlark, though she never seemed terribly interested in his findings anyway. Still, he wanted to have something to talk about, and the falling snow wasn't going to be enough.

He was working himself into a huff over it when a returning patrol caught his attention, and his ears shot upright as he examined the faces of those returning. One of the cats he recognized swiftly: the other warrior that had come to save him from vicious apprentices. He hadn't learned her name, though... or remember it, if it was spoken. And she was coming back from the outside– she was sure to have something interesting to talk about! Scurrying over, Silverkit skidded to a clumsy stop right in front of her. His jaw parted to start yapping at her, but he suddenly remembered his manners and cleared his throat first. "Hi! What's your name? Where are you coming back from?" Silverkit tried to hold himself tall and keep his voice steady to look proper, but he couldn't keep the shiver of excitement out of his voice or his shoulders.

Iceheart

Iceheart looked over her shoulder when she heard a voice. She saw little Silverkit come up to her. He seemed to be in good spirits, which was nice to see. Iceheart had worried that he would be discouraged from leaving the nursery because of his first outing. Thankfully that did not seem to be the case. He was as cheerful and eager to speak with other cats as ever. His eagerness to converse reminded her a bit of her own kithood, before she had grown anxious about even looking at another cat. It was not so hard to speak for her now, and she replied, "Iceheart," between the frog in her mouth. She dropped the prey in the fresh kill pile so she could speak more clearly. "I just came back from a hunting patrol. Specifically, from the deep marshes. It is full of icy shallows at this time of year."

She turned and gestured for Silverkit to come with her so they could walk together. "Are you excited to earn your apprentice name?" she asked. He certainly seemed like it. There was an excitement and fire in him that she hoped would not be snuffed out. It seemed all too often that kits in ShadowClan lost that enthusiastic spark. Leopardsun's kits seemed to be the exception, thank the stars.

Silverkit

Silverkit’s eyes widened a bit at her name, and he nodded stiffly. Iceheart. I’ll remember that! He hoped he would have a cool name like that when he was old enough to be a warrior. His eyes tracked the frog as it dropped into place, but his attention immediately snapped back to the warrior as she spoke briefly of her patrol and beckoned him to walk along with her.

Holding back a chirp of excitement, he hurried to follow, looking up at Iceheart with wide eyes. “I want to go to the deep marshes!” He exclaimed, a quiver of excitement running through his tail. He knew it was pointless to ask about going, but he would be sure to go as soon as he was an apprentice– which she was asking about! There was an excited bounce to his paws now.

“Of course I’m excited!” Silverkit was basically cheering. It was hard to keep his excitement down when he wasn’t consciously focusing on it. “I’m going to be the best apprentice ShadowClan’s had! I’ll be the best at fighting, and hunting, and I’ll be the fastest learner, and everyone will be very impressed with me!” He nodded succinctly, and his bright smile was infectious. He couldn’t wait to start his training! But for that– “Oh. Who are the best warriors in ShadowClan? Who do you think my mentor will be? If I’m going to be the best apprentice, I need the best mentor!”

Iceheart

Iceheart listened to Silverkit’s excited prattle. He was certainly confident, which was good to have in kits. That confidence would be needed in their apprenticeship. Iceheart could not help but draw parallels between the Silverkit before her and her own kithood. She was never quite this outwardly enthusiastic, but from proclaiming that he would be the best apprentice in ShadowClan to asking her about the best warriors—well, she could remember an almost identical conversation she had with Ratrunner in her youth.

“We will have to see when you become an apprentice,” she replied. “You will have a hard time beating me out for best hunter. I caught a rabbit in the dead of leafbare when I was an apprentice. I look forward to seeing you beat my record.” There was an almost playful tone in her voice. Was that what she was now, playful? Kits always brought out a different side in her.

Iceheart hummed thoughtfully. “The best warriors, hmm? Let’s see…Nightstar and Leopardsun are of course very experienced cats. Swiftheart as well. You can be certain that any cats on the senior council are well-versed cats also: Snowfoot, Locustcall, Rookfire, myself. Forestbreeze and Honeylight are also as experienced as they are kind.” She looked to Silverkit again. “If you are looking for the best mentor, I am fairly biased towards my own mentor, Thalia.” After a beat she added, “Locustcall was my mentor as well, briefly, but I cannot really speak for what sort of mentor he would be.”

Silverkit

Silverkit’s eyes were locked on Iceheart as she started to respond. The fur along his spine bristled as a playfully challenging purr bubbled through his chest. “I can catch ten rabbits with my eyes closed.” He promised, tail whisking as they walked. “Just wait.” He was trying to imagine what Iceheart would look like, shocked by a pile of prey like that. A delighted trill left him at the thought. He’d be sure to follow through one day.

Ears flicking, he nodded along steadily, mouthing each name as she said it. A few of them– Nightstar and Leopardsun, of course; Forestbreeze and Honeylight, too –he knew immediately. There were others, though, that he’d only known by passing mention and hadn’t put a face too yet. Still, if they were being personally recommended, they must have been worth it. Absently, he looked away from Iceheart to glance around, like he might suddenly catch one of them.

“Why’d you get a new mentor? What happened to Locustcall?” Silverkit mewed before he thought better of it. He paused a step, blinking at himself, then quickly turned to look back towards Iceheart. “Sorry. I probably don’t need to ask that.” His tail curled lazily behind him. “Why, though?”

Iceheart

Iceheart paused, pondering how she should reply to that. “He ended up…being away from ShadowClan for a while,” she finally meowed. She had never asked exactly what happened, but she gathered that it was something forceful and against his will. Given his scars, she knew it was difficult too. Regardless of how she felt towards him and his separation, she still appreciated that he was back. “I’m glad he’s back. He’s working hard now that he’s back, and I know that he works closely with Nightstar. I’m sure he would be as good of a mentor as any other.” Perhaps even better, after his experience out on his own for so many moons.

ShadowClan • Tier 5 • She/Her • 70 | 160 • #6699ff

Credits: code inspiration - 1 2 |  image 1 | image 2 | image 3