Cinderpaw and Viperpaw's Border Patrol

Leopardfang had his paws full with two apprentices, and it didn't help that one was his energetic and ambitious daughter, Viperpaw. But he wasn't going to award her any extra grace nor ignore Cinderpaw in favor of his daughter. The deputy looked into the apprentices' den and summoned the both of them before turning back out and pacing in the snow. This night would probably be as wearying as the rest, but it wouldn't be without its good moments. He was pleased to have the chance to make ShadowClan stronger. But with yet another betrayal by a ShadowClan cat, Leopardfang would have to make certain that these young she-cats were aware of the consequences of betrayal and herded far away from the temptation of code-breaking. It was his job to make sure they stayed loyal, but he didn't know how to ensure it.

A dark gray tabby opened her greenish-yellow eyes and blinked. Yawning the she cat gossip and gave her pelt a quick wash and then padded out to meet her mentor. Cinderpaw greeted her mentor with a nod and a smile. "So what are we gonna do today Leopardfang?" The warrior aged she cat meowed flicking her tail, as she sat down.

OOC:can you make her an assessment that's her final requirement

Viperpaw woke up and groomed her chest fur quickly before jumping out of her nest. She trotted out of the apprentices den and over to her mentor and Cinderpaw."What border are we patrolling?" she asked with impatient curiosity.

Leopardfang nodded back to Cinderpaw and then to Viperpaw, noting the obvious difference between the aged apprentice and the new one. Cinderpaw will be ready soon. He observed, pleased that there would soon be yet another warrior added to the ranks of ShadowClan. To Viperpaw, he said, "All of them. I'm showing you around the territory, and it wouldn't hurt for Cinderpaw to come along as well. We're starting at WindClan territory." He stood and started out of the camp, through the thick snow and towards a distant roaring.

Cinderpaw nodded. It didn't hurt to go over the borders once again.

Viperpaw nodded her head and followed keeping her normal quick pace.

He stopped a good distance away from the Thunderpath. It was too dangerous to bring apprentices near, especially his own daughter. But perhaps Leopardfang was just being overly protective. A huge monster hurled past on the path, sending its disgusting fumes whipping past the small patrol group with the wind. His lip curled at the scent. "This is the WindClan Thunderpath." He began the old explanation. "It's incredibly dangerous. The monsters that travel on it never leave the path, but if a cat gets in their way they will not stop. Survival after a collision is very rare, so keep your distance." The deputy meowed sternly, trying to make sure that Viperpaw got the message. "And across from it is WindClan territory. Those cats are the aggressors of the forest these days. Trouble with SkyClan and RiverClan is brewing, especially after WindClan's recent invasion of SkyClan territory. Their glory days are quickly fading, though. Their leader, Flaconstar, is old. He has very little time left. His deputy, though I don't know her personally, seems to be far more even-minded. It is possible that there may be a season of peace fast approaching. Any questions?" He finished up, looking at the two she-cats with a serious expression on his face.

Viperpaw scrunched up her face as the foul-smelling monster roared past. She listened intently and nodded her head curtly. "I understand, hopefully Windclan will stop pretending that they're the boss of everyone." she replied. "They may have more cats, but we all know that Shadowclan is the real boss of the forest." she replied pridefully, but with a hint of threat as if she was speaking directly to a Windclan warrior. She unsheathed her claws and looked back over to Windclan territory, a growl churning in her throat.

He nodded in approval. That sort of attitude was what ShadowClan really needed right now. "Very well. Let's move on." He headed parallel to the path, turning with it and stopping soon at an area where thick trees were visible on the other side. "On the other side of this portion is ThunderClan territory. Tell me what you know of these particular cats."

Viperpaw followed and listened to Leopardfang's question. She wouldn't know much until the next gathering, but she did know some things from what she has heard from some of the older warriors. "We'll I know that they will sometimes take in non-clan cats to swell their ranks.." she explained. "A sign of weakness if you ask me." she mumbled quietly. "I also know that they are pretty strong and are good at fighting in dense undergrowth. That's all that I know" she finished quickly. She turned to look at Cinderpaw and Leopardfang individually. "Am I forgetting anything?" she asked curiously.

"Their biggest rivals are RiverClan first and SkyClan second. They'll find any reason to start a war with them, the most popular being a pile of rocks sitting next to the river. Fishstar claimed them last I heard, but she hasn't done anything to take them and they still belong to ThunderClan. That mostly covers it." She was decently informed, and she would learn everything else from first-hand experience, so he felt no need to say much else about the ThunderClan cats. They moved on, heading straight for a while before the scents that drifted across the Thunderpath changed suddenly. "This is SkyClan's part of the forest." Leopardfang explained. "WindClan used to hold this land, but SkyClan moved back in and WindClan never retaliated. It was a surprisingly peaceful resolution to what could have been a massacre. I'm rather relieved; having WindClan on two sides was unsettling. Anything else you know about SkyClan?"

Viperpaw followed and listened, soaking up every bit of information like a sponge. When she heard the question, she replied quickly, for she had already been thinking about it. "Well, I know that Skyclan cats are kinda similar to Thunderclan, except they work well in trees, not undergrowth." she replied quickly. "And obviously their first and foremost enemy must be Windclan! They stole all of their land!" she replied with confidence, willing she was correct.

He was definitely pleased with her amount of knowledge on the other clans. "Very good. I think you'll be ready to meet the other clans in the next Gathering. Always remember, though; they are our enemies, but the last thing we want is unnecessary bloodshed. We are to never kill, especially in cold blood or when there is a chance for mercy. Killing clan cats is deplorable and a string of such murders is the exact reason why RiverClan and ThunderClan are always at each others' throats, especially since they're all too prideful to leave a death unavenged. Rogues and loners are a different story. They are codeless and beneath us, but even so killing is a bad habit to get into." He said gravely. Sometimes warriors just assumed that the apprentices automatically knew these things, but some cats just needed to be told. He didn't doubt Viperpaw's loyalty or integrity, but it was better to be cautious and press the point than to risk raising yet another deviant ShadowClan member. He motioned for her to continue on and soon approached a gated area in shambles. He didn't dare enter into the gate, and made sure to keep a decent distance. The stench from the piles of rubbish laying around was revolting. "This is Carrionplace. We don't enter this area unless we absolutely have to. Fortunately, we've not had to this past leafbare. The rats that live here are dangerous and carry with them deadly and nearly incurable diseases, so don't ever bring a rat back to camp as fresh-kill unless you are specifically told to be me or Thrushstar. No one else." He'd heard stories in his kithood of a disease ravaging ShadowClan camp a few generations before him. Leopardfang was going to be make sure that didn't happen again.

A rustle came from the bushes, as Lulu hopped out and looked at the three cats. "Who are you?" she asked growling in her throat

OOC: Is it ok if I join?