A song of Spring [C]

Falconmoon stared up at the blossoming tree as he passed under it. It had a sweet scent to it, one that attracted bees and hummingbirds and butterflies. Falconmoon had seen so few hummingbirds in his life that he felt no desire to hunt them. They were too small to be of much use for feeding the clan anyway. Most of the buds were still closed, but in time, they would open. Once the white and gold tom set his eyes back to the forest floor, he glanced around for prey. Seeing nothing for the moment, he dipped his head by the creek and lapped up the cold water. It was nearing sunhigh. For the time being, the temperature at this time of day was good. His typical night patrols were still something he did, but he was beginning to sleep poorly again. He'd had maybe four hours of sleep before he was wide awake and hoped that going on a patrol would tire him back out so he could sleep again before the night patrol came.

Thornstalker was the only other cat on patrol with him. He didn't know much about her, but he didn't dislike her. He was content to linger by the creek for a moment, both because he thought prey would inevitably show up here and also because the sun was warm on his back. The sweet, unfamiliar scent of new-leaf flowers was something he enjoyed too. His world was no longer grays and browns anymore and he meant to enjoy it as much as he could before it was gone. Nothing good ever lasted, it seemed.

It was rare for Thornstalker to see Falconmoon. Their schedules tended to differ with her sticking to more daytime. Not that she wasn't glad for his presence once he did appear. She always thought he was a good warrior, despite his strange circumstances when it came to sleep, not to mention she always thought he was a rather pretty tom, not that she would mention that out loud.

So here she sat along the creek in silence, choosing to follow the tom's lead and enjoy the moment before turning to hunting prey. Blue eyes lingered on the tom for a moment before turning her attention to the lake. She didn't really know what to say, or even if she should break the silence.

Falconmoon found that he wasn't entirely comfortable with silence once he woke up a bit. He glanced over his shoulder to see what Thornstalker was doing. She seemed content to enjoy the morning as much as he was, but maybe more content with total silence than he was. He waited for awhile... quite a long time even, before he finally decided to speak.

"So... how is my sister's training coming along?" He asked curiously. He hoped Graypaw was doing well. Congratulating her at her warrior's ceremony was something he looked forward to, even expecting it to happen sooner than it had. He didn't think she or Quickpaw would be behind Sunfire for long, yet they were. He tried to keep himself from being too smug, but he had noticed how fast he advanced and was quietly proud of it. Even now, he was barely twelve moons.

"If you're allowed to tell me, that is." He added after a moment. If it wasn't his place to pry, then he would accept that answer and move on to a different subject. What subject? He didn't know. He hardly knew Thornstalker.

Thornstalker blinked, not exactly expecting the silence to be broken. The subject of conversation being Greypaw. Her apprentice had been advancing well. It was a shame that her former mentor had disappeared.. Her learning could have been a lot further ahead than it was now. "She is learning well. Picking up on things rather fast too, it won't be too much longer before she is getting her name." Graypaw still had more to practice on, but didn't they all? Even those who had their names? At least that is how Thornstalker felt. Even with being on the more experienced side.

"How are things with you? Do you feel like you are ready for your first apprentice yet?" She asked, knowing while he was a newer warrior, he showed excellent skill.

"Oh good!" He said, relieved to hear that she was doing well. It was only a matter of time. He was about to offer help with her when Thornstalker asked him a question first. He thought about it for a moment. For some reason he hadn't even considered getting an apprentice. Was that selfish of him? Skyclan had been growing at a fast rate and there were a few kits in the nursery still. Was he ready to teach someone else?

"I don't actually know," He admitted with a shuffle of his toes on the ground. "I've learned the basics fast enough but is that really all I need to know to teach someone else? I think I better know more first. I'm still not where I think I should be." But at least he knew that and was willing to keep improving. He wouldn't be satisfied until he could hunt and fight with the best of them.

"I guess I'll never really know where I am combat wise until... I actually face combat. I mean I fought a predator before but that was a good while ago. I hope I'm not rusty." A thought occurred to him. First, he checked his surroundings carefully, scented the air and strained his ears for anything out of the ordinary that may indicate a predator. The forest seemed normal and he scented no danger.

"Can we maybe spar for a second? I need to get better and I think the best way to do that is to spar with better and smarter opponents."

Thornstalker understood where the tom was coming from, while he picked up on stuff easily it didn't mean he felt ready enough for an apprentice. It was always a good idea to expand what knowledge you had so that way you could be ready for any situation and apprentice might bring.

The small she-cat tilted her head at Falconmoon's question. Sparring? She didn't really do much of that, but it could be worth it. She stood at the ready, giving him a nod. "That's fine with me, feel free to start at any time."