Marsh's Journey through the Marsh

Ravenclaw sat around near the entrance, shaking the chill of late leaf-bare off her pelt. She never imagined that she'd become a warrior so soon, much less get an apprentice of her own, but if Thrushstar saw it fit for her to happen, then StarClan could witness her try her best. She'd be a way better mentor than Waspstep or that frog-brain Mudfoot. The only thing she had to do now was wait for her new apprentice to show up. Easy enough.

The entrance rustled, Marshpaw emerging on the other side with a brisk shake of his fur. He didn’t sleep much at all, and it showed since his fur was slightly bedraggled. He was too excited about the upcoming patrol, and all the other things he would finally get to do. He wouldn’t have to listen to stories, not knowing anything about what the other cats were talking about. He blinked at the snow covered marsh… he hadn’t seen outside the camp since his misadventure as a kit. Cold as it had been, he missed it.

The snow didn’t penetrate his fur as easily now, but he still felt the chill. He made his way over to Ravenclaw with his tail high.
“Ravenclaw! Where are we going today?” He asked, then paused with realization, dipping his head as his manners caught up with him. “Good morning.”

The she-cat had been in the middle of a rather long yawn when she noticed that her apprentice had finally showed up and made his appearance, standing tall and excitedly. She did her best to straighten up then, trying to look a little more professional or older than she was. "Good morning, Marshpaw," she greeted back, glancing around the territory. It was easy to see far beyond their large territory. There were hardly any trees blocking their line of sight, but even still, it was difficult to see their borders off in the distance. "Normally, ShadowClan patrols and hunts during the night-time. That's when prey comes out and we hide best in the dark, but today, I wanted you to see the patrols and the other lands in the light; so you know well how our land is different from the others." She stood up on her feet, starting to run off from the camp entrance. "Keep up!" Ravenclaw sprinted quick on her feet, not slowing down for the little tom.

He didn't really notice her attempt to straighten up, his eyes moved back to the terrain. Under the snow, there was marsh and grass... and sleeping, scurrying prey. He moved his attention back to his mentor, listening respectfully to her words. Seeing other lands in the light seemed useless if they were going to attack during the night. He kept the thought to himself and sprinted off after Ravenclaw. His smaller paws slipping slightly on patches of ice he was unused to. In camp, everything was in basically the same place.

Out here? Everything was changed. His back paws skidded on a patch of ice, costing him a stride that his mentor outpaced him by. He dug his claws in and pushed off, leaping over patches of snow desperate to not be left behind on his first patrol.

The black she-cat didn't stop in their sharp run until the edge of SkyClan territory in sight. She took in a deep breath, slowing to a crawl and taking in the stench of the Thunderpath. Over the roar of monsters and the early morning light, she couldn't seem to find any opposing patrol. While somewhat disappointed, she took this as a good thing. She was always eager to meet the other clans, and never wanted to wait until the gathering, and hoped to give Marshpaw the chance she never had. Oh well.

"Tell me what you know about SkyClan." she mused.

Panting, Marshpaw stopped next to Ravenclaw. Sitting down to catch his breath in the frigid air. He could smell the different scent of another clan, and even more potently, the stink of the thunderpath. He wrinkled his nose at the acrid scent and taste of the horrible path that seemed to stretch forever.

"That they're part squirrel?" He questioned, looking across the thunderpath to the tall trees. He heard rumours that skyclan cats could climb trees and jump down on unsuspecting cats. Navigating them with ease that made him uneasy to think about.

Ravenclaw chucked under her breath, her whiskers twitching in amusement. "I wouldn't be surprised if that were true," the she-cat mused, gazing across the Thunderpath at the towering pines beyond. "The prey there don't come to the ground often; squirrels and birds and chipmunks, so they have to climb high. Low branches are rare on their lands too." The warrior let her gaze linger for a moment before shrugging and looking the other way. "We have a bit of land on the otherside of Thunderpath, at Highpine, but it's usually not worth crossing for; not with the Monsters around."

As if on cue, she heard the rumbling of one of the furious creatures roaring off in the distance. "Get down!" She spat suddenly, backing into the grass.

Marshpaw frowned, staring over the landscape with worry and unease. So they really did climb trees, and well. The thought of an enemy leaping down from a high branch was hard to shake. He looked up, relieved to see nothing but sky and cloud until a loud thunderous sound carried towards them.

He crouched down immediately at Ravenclaws order. His eyes wide and unnerved as the massive monster made its way towards them. His fur bristled in worry that it might attack them and he unsheathed his claws. Scared as he was, he'd fight it to protect his mentor and his clan.