Mothpaw's Assessment

Icestorm woke with the sun and trotted to the apprentice den, eager to get started. "Mothpaw, get up." The older cat said softly. He had full confidence in his apprentice and knew he would do great on his assessment.

Mothpaw heard the instruction and woke fully. The brown apprentice stretched himself out in the morning Sun and eyed his mentor with a serious air. "What are we doing today, Icestorm?" he asked, giving his chest fur a brief lick.

"Your assessment." He meowed with a smile, walking towards the camp entrance. "You'll lead this patrol and I'll see how you do." Stopping, the grey tom looked back at his apprentice. "So, where to first?"

An assessment! Eagerness shone in the apprentice's eyes and pride tempered any nerves as he was asked to lead the patrol. Him leading a patrol! Maybe that Dark Forest cat was right after all. He paused and thought for a moment. "We'll head towards the Thunderpath, the one that separates us from ThunderClan," he mewed decisively. He decided to keep his opinions on the neighbouring clan to himself as his long limbs carried him along his chosen path.

Icestorm followed Mothpaw in silence until they were close to the Thunderpath. "I don't mean to sound old, but I miss the days when I was an apprentice." He chuckled, attempting to make conversation.

The apprentice flicked an ear at his mentor's comment. "Really?" he asked, genuinely curious as to why anyone would long for the days of their apprenticeship. "I couldn't wait to be a warrior - even as a kit." Mothpaw twitched his whiskers. "Sometimes I wish I was a warrior already, but I know I need to prove myself first. Being an apprentice is the stepping stone to being a great warrior."

They reached the Thunderpath without incident and Mothpaw became quiet again, not willing to make any noise so close to enemy territory. He wrinkled his nose in disgust as he did every time he was near here. The place reeked of monsters and he could detect ThunderClan scent too. Forest dwellers, he thought with disdain. He pondered whether to follow the border after adding his own scent to the boundary marking and turned to his mentor, a silent question in his eyes.

"Perseverance is always good, keep it up." He meowed with a smile. The two soon reached the Thunderpath. Although he had been here many times, it always made his nose hurt. Looking across the Thunderpath, the tom wondered if any ThunderClan cats were patrolling. Not much was going on so he assumed they should get moving. The grey tom gave a nod of his head, giving Mothpaw to "go ahead". I wonder what he has in mind...

So sorry for lack of info in posting, this week hasn't been my best week.