Hello, Again, Hello ((For Leafy))

There's nothing in the Warrior Code that says I can't be friends with an outsider, Redpaw argued internally. Her paws were planted on the edge of WindClan territory. A few trees that dotted the border loomed overhead. The apprentice wanted to see her friend again, but her upbringing caused her to have conflicting thoughts about using her time and energy in this manner. She knew she had to be loyal to her Clan first and foremost. However, Redpaw reasoned, so long as it doesn't interfere with my duties as an apprentice, I'm doing nothing wrong. The she-cat's young brain had been branded with one word practically since the day she was born: loyalty. But, being loyal to one's friends was at least nearly as important as loyalty to one's Clan. With her mind made up and finally at peace with her decision, she moved forward towards the abandoned twoleg place called a barn.

Having crossed the border, all her senses were even more alert incase she crossed paths with an unfriendly cat or other potential dangers. A tiny pitter-patter of feet just ahead made the wary apprentice halt in her tracks once again. Rummaging around on the frozen earth in search of food, a field mouse worked oblivious to its surroundings. Redpaw lowered her red body into a crouch, hoping the tastey creature didn't turn around and spot her ginger fur contrasted with the white snow that had fallen that afternoon. With pain-staking slowness, the agile she-cat gently put one paw in front of the other until she was a few rabbit-hops away from the mouse. A bolt of red fur flashed across the rest of the distance. A heartbeat or two later, Redpaw had the mouse in her jaws and crushed the life out of it. Perhaps StarClan smiled upon her short journey by sending her the good fortune of finding and capturing prey.

OoC: I was going to practice with the hunting system again, but mobile devices don't let you use the dice. Oh well, this works too! ^^

Pepper had busied herself with finding the impossible medium of low enough for her to reach and high enough to be safe from mice. Her herbs now lay on top of a wooden crate. She regretted the decision to put nearly all of her herbs in the loft high above her when Bat still lived here. Now they sat collecting dust and withering. The rapid crunching of snow as Redpaw dove for the mouse woke Pepper from the shelter of hay where she rested after the aforementioned problem was resolved. She poked her head out of the pile and warily looked around. She didn't see anything just yet but, she kept her ears forward, tense and waiting for the moment she needed to hide again.

The ginger she-cat, mouse scent filling her nostrils from the freshly caught prey clutched in her jaws, padded proudly up to the barn. Redpaw was looking forward to showing Pepper what she had caught and offering it to her as a thanks for the mouse the loner had given her the last time she was here. Still standing outside, her red head stretched across the threshold. Her smokey blue eyes adjusted to the light as she scanned the inside of the barn for her friend. She wiggled her nose in an attempt to sniff the air, but all she could smell beyond the mouse was the strong, warm smell of hay.

Witht the arrival of Redpaw, the axious feeling in her stomach went away like snow in Newleaf. She smiled and pulled herself from the hay. "Redpaw! It's good to see you again." she meowed warmly. "Has the season been good to you and your clan so far?" she asked, resting on the wooden boards that covered the ground. "You look well."

At the sound of hay crunching softly beneath a cat's feet, Redpaw's ears strained forward. She relaxed the ruffled fur along her spine when she saw Pepper's black-and-white pelt. The young she-cat fully entered the barn and walked up to her friend before releasing her jaws, letting the mouse drop to the floor. She dipped her head in a respectful greeting and mewed happily, "It's good to see you too, Pepper. WindClan is fairing well this leaf-bare. Just as I crossed the border, I managed to catch this mouse. Would you like to share it and talk for awhile?"

"That would be lovely, this barn gets so lonely at times..." she purred and nodded to the side of her, motioning for Redpaw to sit down. "Besides, it's cold out and overall just bitter." Pepper looked thinner now, finding it hard to catch much. She got lucky sometimes, though, trapping mice in their burrows and then killing them. It felt like she was being mocked when the mice carelessly moved about as if she was benign.

Redpaw moved to sit beside her, as the lonesome she-cat had beckoned her to do. She pressed her pelt against Pepper's so they could both draw from one another's warmth. Redpaw could feel the she-cat's skinny frame and her eyes narrowed in concern. "How has the hunting been? Are you getting enough to eat?" she questioned gently.

"I've had to deal with worse, this is nothing to me. There are some traveling herbs in here and I occasionally trap some mice." she reassured with a smile. "I've just been preparing for sick cats to come. This season is famous for it." she meowed, shaking her head. It got annoying to feel the full feeling of cold on her back where it was burned but, besides that, she loved the snowy view she had. "I've been in WindClan's camp before, you know. How do you sleep in the open with all this snow?"

Redpaw took a bite out of the mouse that sat at their feet and nudged the rest of it in Pepper's direction while she talked. She had swallowed her mouthful by the time it was her turn to answer the other she-cat's question. "You get used to it, I suppose. It was strange at first transitioning from the cozy nursery den to sleeping under the open sky. It's kind of comforting to know that StarClan has its gaze resting protectively over us while we sleep. Our warriors are sheltered by nothing but Silverpelt. That's not to say the other Clans aren't as favored as WindClan. For warmth, we can all hudle together if we have to, and sometimes we do seek shelter if the weather gets really bad." Redpaw hoped she wasn't revealing too much about her Clan, but this outsider seemed to know a lot about Clan-life already. Besides, she hadn't shared anything dangerous. The apprentice's eyes suddenly shown as she mewed eagerly, "I cant believe I've been an apprentice for so long already. My first full moon since the ceremony is only a few sunrises away. I've never been to a Gathering before. I hope Ashstar lets me go!"

Pepper's eyes shown in interest, smiling. "It must help keep the clan bonded, relying on each other for warmth like that." she lowered her head and took a bite of the mouse as Redpaw continued. "I'm sure you'll be able to go," she chuckled, "when I was a kit, I followed my sister to one. It didn't sit well at all with anyone there." she meowed, it felt strange saying it like that, like it was just a slight annoyance. It had gotten worse than that but she wanted the have a lighthearted conversation with Redpaw.

She imagined with an amused purr the shocked, confused, and annoyed expressions on the faces of the cats who had realized their meeting had been crashed by an adventurous kit. "Do you ever wish you'd been able to grow up in a clan?" she asked out of curiosity.

"Not really, not after what I've discovered here. I just want peace now. I'm determined to teach healing to loners and give them a safe warm place to rest their paws. Since I've learned of StarClan and with my knowledge of herbs. I was determined to earn a place in the stars through my efforts. Now, I just want to make a difference for the loners that will never know my name. Maybe even clan cats too." she meowed, her eyes shining. She thought of all the faces she had seen and lives she watched. If she could make a difference that lasted past her crippled body, she would be content to whatever afterlife she received. A deep purr left her.

"StarClan will honor such a noble task you've taken upon your shoulders." Redpaw responded with confidence. She pulled away a little from Pepper and began to lick her long fur in slow strokes. She knew she'd have to leave with no trace of any strange smells on her, but was in no hurry to go anytime soon. The apprentice decided she'd definitely never visit this cat empty-pawed; she'd make it a habit to always bring fresh kill or prey with her.

Pepper smiled at her, warmth "You really think so?" she asked though, she didn't really need an answer. "Any idea on what y our warrior name will be?" she asked after a moment, the question would nag her until she knew the answer. She took another bite of the mouse and waited for Redpaw to respond.

A mrruh of laughter escaped Redpaw's jaws. "O, I don't get to decide that!" she exclaimed and went on to explain, "You probably know our parents pick the first half of our names and the leaders choose a fitting second half. I'll probably get something like Redfur, Redfeather, Redtail, something like that."

OoC: Funny you'd ask, I was originally going to have her named Redfur before I settled on Redfeather ;-)