A Patrol of Loyalty [Closed]

She was nervous beyond compare. Larkpaw sat by the entrance of the camp, her weight shifting between her two paws as she spared glances at the leader's den. She had been shocked when Thrushstar had requested her to join him on a patrol - and only her. There was no doubt about it, it was a final test of loyalty. He wanted to see for herself how loyal she was and a patrol together would do just that. If it would be a simple border patrol or a hunting patrol, she wasn't sure but she knew this would simply be a chance for them to talk and for him to decide if she was truly still a ShadowClan cat. She swallowed hoping that she wouldn't let him down.

"Good evening," Of course, his raspy voice never let him down. Even in the crisp chill air of Leafbare, he couldn't escape it, but he had gotten used to it at this point. As Thrushstar padded out of his den, he held himself high, looking at Larkpaw with a rather calm expression considering how long she had been gone. "Are you ready for your patrol?" he asked, trying to keep the mood light. Sure, it was going to get pretty serious later, but he didn't want her to be nervous. He had heard her reasons for leaving and they were... mostly excusable.

When Thrushstar stepped out of his den and greeted her, Larkpaw quickly hopped to her paws as she dipped her head in response to him. "Yes, Thrushstar," she said in response as she stared at the older tom. The calm expression the leader wore didn't make her feel any better - if anything it made her more nervous. She couldn't tell what to expect but gave him a soft smile none the less. "May I ask what kind of patrol you have in mind?" she said carefully, hoping she wasn't overstepping her boundaries. She hoped it would be a simple border patrol - her hunting skills was still not as sharp as she wanted them to  be but she was getting use back into the swing of Clan life.

"Just a simple border patrol. We need some time to talk," he said simply, walking out of the camp and expecting her to follow. "Let's... get this started! We have a lot of ground to cover," he told her, still trying to keep it light. He didn't want to make her too uncomfortable but it was easy to see how nervous she was.

Talking...It was a sigh of relief for Larkpaw as she followed after the ShadowClan leader. The idea of walking and talking was a breath of fresh air for Larkpaw as she had barely been let out of the camp since her return. Of course, she could only hope the answers she had for him would be the ones he wanted to hear. She feel into step beside the tom, nodding her head as she let her eyes scan the territory as she took in a deep, cold breath. The smell helped relax her, wondering how she could of ever thought of leaving such a wonderful place - her home. "Of course, Thrushstar," she said as she allowed her gaze to land on the older tom. "Where do we start first?"

"We'll start easy. Let's head to... Highpine," he said, turning so that he was heading in that direction. The border wasn't that far away but it would give him some time to ask a couple of questions. Silence filled the air between them for several moments before he began to speak again. "Let's just get to the point. Why... did you come back? No, first of... all, why did you leave?" He already somewhat knew the answer to this question but he wanted to hear it again. It wasn't every day that a Shadowclan cat ran away and came back later. The only exception was Magpiewing but he had a legitimate reason for it.

Larkpaw nodded as she followed after Thrushstar, her whiskers twitching in the silence until he spoke again, this time asking questions. She wasn't surprised at his first two questions, taking in a deep breath as she debated how to go around answering it. "I had gotten into a fight with my father. It was hard knowing that I wasn't fully a ShadowClan cat and that my mother was a rogue. In that moment of anger, I made a foolish choice - to learn more about my mother by going to find her to see what she was truly like." Her ears folded back on her head, her gaze dropping to her paws. "I am not sure what answer I was expecting to find back then but I never found it - I never did find my mother and it didn't take long for me to realize how foolish I was when I left. I tried returning right away only...I got captured by some Twolegs and was forced to become a kittypet when I was trying to leave the Twoleg place."

"Hmm..." Thrushstar mulled it over in his head. This wasn't the first time that twolegs have stolen a clan cat. He believed her when she said that she was taken and held as a kittypet. Even every once in a while there was still the faint lingering smell that stuck to the apprentice's fur. As the thought about it, they came up to the first border. As the mud under their paws turned to hard, dry dirt, he stopped, staring up at the trees that now towered over them. "You remember Highpine, right?" he asked to test her knowledge and retention of the territory.

Larkpaw was left unsure if she was to feel relieved or terrified at Thrushstar's lack of response. Feeling conflicted, she did her best not to let it show as she padded next to him, watching the aged leader with an unsure look. She realized they were close to another Clan's territory when the muddy ground she had grown so used to in her time back became solid, making every paw step feel ridged as the ground no longer moved as she put her weight on it. Her eyes turned to scan the clearing, taking in the shadows of the trees that towered over them as she took in a deep breath. She blinked when Thrushstar asked if she remembered this place, searching through her memories. She could recall only being here a few times but the memories were foggy with age. But, as the tasted the scent of another Clan, her eyes widen as the infomation came flooding back as the scents washed over her. "I do," she said with a small smile, proud of herself. "This is our border with SkyClan and..." She paused as she scanned the trees before spotting one that towered over the rest before dipping her head toward it. "And that would be the Highpine itself, marking the border."