Featherpaw's Border Patrol

A gray head poked into the apprentices's den. It took Dewclaw a few moments to find Featherpaw among the many young, fury bodies inside until she spotted the white she-cat she was looking for. "Featherpaw." She mumbled, nudging her gently. "Come on out and we can get started with training. We'll let Owlpaw rest for now." She withdrew from the den and sat by the exit, grooming herself. She decided to work with both apprentices, but separately so that she could get to know each one: to learn their strengths and make them stronger, and to identify their weaknesses and help them through it.

Featherpaw groggily lifted her head, stretching her jaws in a yawn. Slowly getting to her paws she stretched, then picked through the dozing cats around her and outside, looking towards the silver she-cat. "What're we doing today? she whispered, gazing around.

"I'm going to show you our borders and teach you about the other Clans." She responded, not as quietly as Featherpaw. She stood up and led the apprentice out the gorse tunnel and up the ridge, starting at an easy trot that slowly progressed to a quick-paced run. Dewclaw made sure not to leave her behind, though.

Featherpaw easily kept up as she gazed around everything they passed. "O-Okay." she muttered as they bounded along the territory.

Ooh, she's a quiet one. Perhaps a good observer; or maybe just a daydreamer. Dewclaw slowed back down to a trot as the sudden scent of monsters mixed with ShadowClan hit the roof of her mouth. "Nasty..." She mumbled to herself. Pushing through the undergrowth, they came to the end of the forest where there was grass and then a long and hard-looking path that stretched out before them. Across from them was ground that gradually got soggier as it went, turning into marshland. "Keep your distance," Dewclaw warned. "the creatures that travel along this path are called monsters, and they carry twolegs in their bellies. They will mercilessly attack anything that steps paw on the path, and many great warriors have died here." She looked left and right for the approach of one such creature. Sure enough, one was bolting their way and sped  past with a horrific growl.

Featherpaw winced, ducking back behind her mentor as the monster furiously rolled past, punctuating the acrid tang in the air. She curled her lip back at the foul smell, watching for more of the strange creatures. "Th-They're scary.." she whispered, her pelt ruffled.

"You're safe," Dewclaw said, backing up and herding Featherpaw back into the trees. "they never, ever, ever leave that path, so as long as you keep a good distance, you'll be fine." She gave her a reassuring smile and continued along the path. An old shoulder wound was being bothersome, so she was walking, though it was a brisk pace.

Featherpaw nodded as she fell in beside her mentor. She gazed warily at the black stretch as another monster darted past, kicking up dust in it's wake and flattening a squirrel that had been crouched on the path. Shuddering, the she-cat turned her attention towards the line of trees and undergrowth, and the welcoming smell of the forest and it's inhabitants. "What's our next border? Is it Sunnigrocks? I've heard of that place before.." she asked, gazing back at Dewclaw.

"No, not this time around. RiverClan and ThunderClan have been having some issues as of late and I would rather not risk you getting hurt in a misunderstanding." She frowned, deep in thought as they continued on. "But I bet you'll like the place we are going." They walked out of the undergrowth and came to a large dip with a big rock in the middle, surrounded by four trees and a lot of space. "This is Fourtrees. The Clans meet here in peace every full moon."

Featherpaw stared at the clearing, her eyes wide as she glanced around. The wind shifted and she could vaguely smell something that reminded her of wind, and it smelled warm. Could it be WindClan's rabbit? She could also smell mud and wet trees. Was that ShadowClan? Maybe. "This is where the Gathering is at? It's so big! Can I go down there?" she responded, her tail twitching excitedly as she gazed about the clearing.

Dewclaw shifted her weight some. "I don't know, I haven't really been here outside of Gatherings..." She glanced at the entry points of the other Clans and sighed. "Why not? It is neutral territory, and we don't exactly look threatening."

She bounded down the slope, beaming as she skidded to a halt just in time to avoid crashing into the Great Rock. Lifting a paw, she placed her pad onto the surface then began to slowly climb it. After many failed attempts, she finally made it to the top and lifted her chin proudly as she gazed around from the new height.

Dewclaw was slower down the hill, smiling when she saw Featherpaw climbing the rock. "You look like a great leader up there!" She called as she sat down at the base of the Great Rock. Truthfully, it was more like a tiny ant on a mountain. She started examining the ages-old rock. She never got a chance at gatherings. Claw marks could be seen where it was the easiest to get up; some were fresh, others were old. It had a sense of history she rather liked.

She looked down in amazement, suddenly realizing how high up the rock really was. She stumbled a little bit, suddenly feeling queasy, then shook her head and force a smile. "Really? You think I could be leader one day?" she called down, as loud as her soft voice would let her.

"Of course! As long as you work hard, follow the Warrior Code, and act only in your Clan's best interest. Anyone can be- from the largest of warriors to the tiniest kit." Of course, that was harder than it sounded, but she'd let Featherpaw learn that herself. "Oh, and don't forget perseverance! Now let's get going, we still have another border to check." She began to climb back up the hill to ThunderClan territory.