Tour of Home

Reedheart waited just outside camp, surrounded by tall grasses that stood higher than him by a rabbit hop, drooping under the weight of the morning dew as tendrils of mist and fog snaked through the green blades. A pale sun had begun its climb to the morning chirps of small birds, whose songs filled the air and joined the ever-present trickling of nearby streams.

The warrior kneaded his paws in the soft damp soil as he waited patiently for his apprentice. His tabby fur still glistened from icy water that he hadn't bothered to shake off. The feeling was invigorating; it washed away his grogginess and made him alert.

It would also be Reedheart's first day with his new apprentice, Briarpaw. The she-cat had never left camp to his knowledge, and he had decided on giving a tour of the territory first. No doubt the young apprentice was itching to see her home.

ooc: LLLLAAATTTTEEE to see this

Briarpaw bounced up to her mentor excited to see her home. It seemed like the small fluffy apprentice didn't even age in the time she became an apprentice to now. She was happy to finally leave camp after a time of doing nothing. The only thing she didn't really like was swimming. She wasn't very great at it yet so she needed practice. Instead of asking a million questions the apprentice just smiled up at her mentor waiting on him to say where they were going.

Reedheart's whiskers twitched in amusement seeing the young she-cat's enthusiasm. She reminded him of himself when he had been her age, just bursting with energy and a curiosity that could not be sated until he could see everything there was to see. "Good morning, Briarpaw." he mewed in greeting. "We're just going to be checking the borders today. Stay close to me." The warrior kept his greeting brief. Reedheart knew that Briarpaw didn't want to be held up there all day with an introduction, if he knew a mouse tail about new apprentices.

With that, the tom turned around and pushed through the reeds as he padded towards the river, not shivering as icy drops from the tall grass plopped on his fur.

Brairpaw happily followed her mentor into the territory, not necessarily bothered by the dew on the plants around her, and if any water got on her it would stay to the outer part of her long fur. The apprentice tried to keep her excitement contained, but she couldn't wait to see the borders.

It wasn't long before they came across it; you could already hear it from all around. It released a thunderous perpetual roar, and from here it was deafening.

Wider than anything an apprentice could hope to see, rippling and swifter than any Monster. Foam sputtered up when it clashed with rocks jutting from the stony bed and silver glittering fish could be seen fighting the current. It seemed to flow on for forever, wild and frightening and boundless. From its speed and ferocity, it was easy to tell that it was icy cold.

The river, where the Clan drew their power.

"Well, Briarpaw." Reedheart started with a smirk on his face, remembering his own reaction to the sight. "What do you think?"

Lightpaw raced through Riverclan territory. She followed the scent. She was getting close to the river. "Reedheart!" She yelled. She saw the warrior by the river with Briarpaw. Lightpaw stopped and almost came smashing into the young apprentice. "Reed..Reedheart" Lightpaw said between breaths. "I..I wondered if I could come on the patrol with you. I was still sleeping when you met Briarpaw and left." Lightpaw really needed to go on this patrol to become a warrior. Even though Ligtpaw already knew a little bit about Riverclan territory, she could use a good tour. "I hope I'm not to late." Lightpaw said, looking down at her paws. She was a bit afraid that Reedheart will be mad at her for not being up earlier.

Reedheart's fur bristled in surprise, but it was quickly replaced by a friendly smile. "It's alright, Lightpaw. Just try to get here earlier next time." he mewed. He didn't mind another apprentice tagging along on their little tour; a cat needed to know their own territory as well as they knew their den before they could ever hope to become a warrior.

With sudden realization, the warrior's smile broadened. "Well done on tracking us, by the way." he noted. Lightpaw had managed to follow their scent trail through territory still slightly unfamiliar. That would be worth commenting on to Froststar.

Lightpaw stood up straighter when Reedheart had said the last few words. "Thanks Reedheart!" Lightpaw said proudly.

Brairpaw looked at Lightpaw for a moment before looking back to Reedheart. "The river is very lovely." The apprentice commented before turning her head to look back upon the river's beauty.

Rounded pebbles marked the shores of the river, where shells and colored rocks could be found if you looked hard enough. Plants sprouted up everywhere and slippery green moss created a blanket across the sides.

On the other side, a large tumble of rocks caught the eye. They were open to the sky, and the sun bathed them in its warm light. Even if Briarpaw and Lightpaw had never laid eyes on them before, she must have known what they were. It was a popular kit game to play-fight over "Sunningrocks", which was usually the fresh-kill pile or a pile of moss and grass. They usually made as much of a mess as the real battles.

"That's Sunningrocks." Reedheart said anyways, gesturing toward the pile. "At the dawn of the Clans, the first leaders decided that the river would be the border between RiverClan and ThunderClan. The river was much bigger back then, and Sunningrocks was an island that only RiverClan could swim to. But over time, the river grew narrower and into what you see today. ThunderClan claimed Sunningrocks and all of the land up to that side of the river, because the river had been decided as the boundary so long ago. We claimed it because it had been ours since the dawn of the Clans, for countless moons."

Reedheart flicked his whiskers as he finished his explanation, looking to the two apprentices next to him. "Sunningrocks is useless in this day. When it was an island, we could fish in the deep ends of the river easily and we could use it to defend our shores. But now it scarcely provides prey, and we must literally fight an uphill battle every time ThunderClan takes it from us, without the water to help us." He gave a challenging, thoughtful look over the two of them. "The river became narrow long before any cat in the forest was born. Do you know why we still fight for them?"

His father had posed the same question to him when he was even younger than them. Reedheart had not fully understood back then. "A warrior must know why he fights and dies for his Clan, or else he is just a rogue in a pack of rats." He had told him. His words rung true especially now, in such a time...

"Well, because they are rightfully Riverclan's!" Lightpaw said "And Riverclan never gives up?" Lightpaw stared at Reedhearts eyes. She doubt that was the answer but it was the best thing she could think of.

Reedheart smirked at the apprentice. It was just the answer he expected, the same answer that almost any warrior would give, but it was not the right one. "It's because of pride and honor." he said, looking back over the river. "Taking another Clan's territory is like spitting in their face, no matter what reason you have. When you steal land, it means that you think the other Clan is weak and not to be respected or feared." The tom explained. "Warriors are cats of honor. When ThunderClan took Sunningrocks all those moons ago, we could not let that disrespect stand." The warrior again looked back to Lightpaw and Briarpaw. "Does that make sense?"

It was not Sunningrocks, but rather SkyClan he thought of as he spoke. Reedheart thought back to the Gathering that had started the whole mess they were in now.

"I refuse to let my growing clan starve while all that prey runs free and goes to waste. The land is ours and if we must fight for it, we will."
"How come you get the land? I think the rest of us deserves the land too."
"We stood by SkyClan when they were driven out, and were never properly repaid anyways. ThunderClan deserves this land and will take it as it is rightfully ours!"

None had any claim or right to SkyClan's territory, no matter what they said to themselves to justify it. It was an affront to the Code and StarClan. He would never forgive them for their greed and dishonor. Reedheart would sometimes quietly pray for Silentstar's return, with strong warriors behind her. He knew that he'd get RiverClan to rally to her side when that day came... if it ever came.