Patroling with mom ((CLOSED))

Sitting outside the apprentice den, Ryepaw looked around the mostly silent clearing, watching as cats occasionally left the camp for patrols and others returned to get some sleep. Like his father, the apprentice was more of a morning goer and although he wished that he was able to sleep in longer, always ended up waking with the sun, as if the sun and him were in sync and told each other when they were going to wake up. He hated it.

Letting out a yawn and wincing from the pain in his underdeveloped jaw, the grey and white tom stayed where he was, laying down in a patch of grass that he'd cleared the light layer of snow from, his tail tucked over his paws. Perking his ears, Ryepaw turned his head when he heard the sound of pawsteps. Who else dared to wake up this early without a reason in doing so?

Hazefur had woke up early that morning, thank StarClan for last nights sleep. It was one of the few sleeps where she had actually woke up feeling energized, perhaps a patrol would help her burn off some steam.

The warrior paused as she approached the camp entrance, surprise to see her son, Ryepaw, sitting quietly nearby. "Ryepaw!" She greeted, a soft smile covering her muzzle as she grew closer to the young tom. "What are you doing up so early?" She asked, but before waiting for an answer began to speak up again. "Waiting for a patrol perhaps?" Hazefur hadn't yet gotten the chance to patrol with her son now that she thought of it.

Upon seeing his mother, the usually stoic apprentice was unable to suppress a smile and stood up, his left hind leg causing him to slightly stumbled from his inability to put weight on it. A patrol? He hadn't thought about going on a patrol, seeing how his last one with Ashstar went, and although part of him didn't want to leave camp, the thought of patrolling with Hazefur was admittedly nice. Besides, she was his mother, and although most apprentice hated being around their parents at this age of independence, he wanted nothing more than to be at her side.

Giving a nod to her comment, Ryepaw stayed quiet, not really being one to speak much. Hopefully she would join him before other cats wanted to join so they could patrol together.

Hazefur smiled toward Ryepaw's notable excitement, "a patrol it is then." The warrior replied in a cheery tone, turning slightly toward the camp entrance that loomed nearby. "Anywhere specific you would like to go?" She asked, getting over the question now instead of having to decide where to go later on. She understood if Ryepaw didn't want to speak, or what to choose where to go either, but it didn't hurt to ask.

Glad that they were going to go on a patrol together, Ryepaw followed his mother towards the camp entrance. Where did he want to go? Just thinking about the vast moorland and WindClan territory overwhelmed him and he shook his head, trying to calm his thoughts. "No," he replied simply, not looking up to Hazefur, but instead keeping his gaze on the gorse tunnel that would lead them out into the wilderness. This was it, he was going to leave camp again, but this time, it was different. This time, he had his mother with him, and although he was still cautious about leaving the safety of camp, he knew everything would be alright with Hazefur.

"Right then, come along." Hazefur replied, she lead her son out of camp, pushing her way through the gorse tunnel that lead them out into the territory. She decided to avoid the gorge and simply take him along a scenic route, perhaps to try and hunt, or just stick to marking the borders.

Giving a small nod, Ryepaw followed his mother, trying to keep up with her as he drug his hind leg along the ground. Hopefully he wouldn't get too tired by the time they reached where ever they were heading.

Taking a deep breath, the apprentice made sure to keep his eyes on the path ahead and not glance around, knowing that if he did so, then he'd probably get overwhelmed again. Just a little longer, you can do it. Hazefur is with me, there's nothing to be afraid of, the grey and white tom tried to reassure himself as he followed ever so slightly behind his mother. Today was going to be alright, he didn't need to worry so much... right?

~~~~~~

Racing out of the camp, Kindleblaze ran after Hazefur and Ryepaw, following their fresh scent trail. Soon catching up them, warrior slowed to a walk next to Hazefur on the opposite side of where Ryepaw was, breathing heavily. If she'd known that they were leaving so early, she would've gotten up sooner, but in the end, it didn't matter since they hadn't made it very far anyway.

"Mind if I join?" the dark grey she-cat mewed with a smile between huffs, padding along side her mother. Just recently she'd made amends with her little brother, and had to admit, getting most of that weighed down guilt off her chest felt pretty great, and although things were better than they'd been, it was obvious that there was still some tension between siblings. I guess that's what I get for causing trouble in the first place, Kindleblaze reminded herself glumly, staying quiet as the patrol made their way through the gorge.

Hazefur lead the way in peaceful silence, she would cast an occasional glance toward Ryepaw with each step. Their quiet was soon interrupted by Kindleblaze, her oldest daughter. She was surprised to see her but none the less was happy to see that her daughter had managed to show up. "Nope, I don't mind at all, I mean, you're already here anyway so why would I say no?" Hazefur chuckled a bit, a light smile covering her muzzle as she nudged her daughter in a playful manner.

Not looking to Kindleblaze, Ryepaw kept moving forward, not really knowing what to say. Hopefully they'd reach where ever they were headed soon, for he was already starting to get tired, having to haul his hind leg around and not having a very strong build like the rest of his family.

~~~~~~

Purring as her mother playfully nudged her, Kindleblaze stayed quiet, enjoying the moment. Even after her tussle with Ryepaw, she couldn't help but feel like things were better than they'd been and patrolling with her mother put the she-cat in a genuinely good mood.

Hazefur lead her son and daughter through the moor lands, taking her time since she knew Ryepaw would have to go slow because of he wonky leg. Adding to that though, taking her time was nice, the cool moorland breeze felt wonderful as it passed by her pelt. She finally paused, finding that she had taken the pair to the little stub of a hill in just about the center of their territory.

She bounded to the top of it, sitting down and rapping her tail around her paws. The warrior looked behind her at Kindleblaze and Ryepaw. "Figured you would like a break, come and enjoy the view."

Watching as his mother gracefully bounded up to the small hill, Ryepaw titled his head in confusion as he was left standing next to Kindleblaze. Enjoy the view? Weren't they supposed to be on a hunting patrol, gathering prey for the clan? So why were they stopping to enjoy the view?

Confused and unable to understand Hazefur's motives, he looked to Kindleblaze who started making her way up the hill, walking, not running. Well, he didn't really have a choice and even if he did, he didn't want to leave his mother's side. Wait, she wasn't near him!

Heart beating fast, the small cat ran up the hill as fast as his three legs could carry him and past by Kindleblaze, ignoring her lighthearted chuckle. Eyes wide with fear, he skidded to a halt next to Hazefur and quickly sat down so close to her that their pelts were interlocked. Breathing heavily, he let out a relieved sigh. He'd caught up with her and everything was fine, nothing to be worried about.

~~~~~~

Kindleblaze soon reached the top and sat down on the other side of Hazefur, a smile on her muzzle as she peered around the grey and white she-cat to spot her brother. He really couldn't stand being without Hazefur, could he?

Looking back to the vast territory that sat in front of her, the young warrior let out a content sigh. WindClan's territory was truly wonderful, even a non WindClanner could see that. "Sometimes I forget how much StarClan has blessed us with this territory," she mewed softly, breaking the peaceful silence that sat between the three cats.

Hazefur purred as Ryepaw scrambled up beside her, then turned to face Kindleblaze as she sat down at the warriors side. "Same with me," she said softly.

After a few moment of sitting on the small hill, she turned to look between the two. "We should probably hurry up with marking our borders." Hazefur insisted, then got to her paws, flicking the tip of her tail in a rythmic motion as she lead the way toward the border with ShadowClan.

It was a short sightseeing trip on top of the hill, but it wasn't like he really minded. Getting up, he waddled down the hill after his mother, almost tripping over a rock. Making it to the bottom, he padded after her with Kindleblaze at his side and the three cats made their way to the ShadowClan border. Geez, how long do patrols usually take? Ryepaw wondered to himself, trying to keep up with the two she-cats as they padded through the moor.

Eventually the pair arrived at the ShadowClan border, Hazefur lifted her muzzle to scent the air, making sure there hadn't been any trespassing or something of the sorts. She marked a part of the border, waiting for her two offspring to do the same. "When you two finish marking the border we can head back to camp." She mewed.

Arriving at the ShadowClan border, Ryepaw had to admit, the stench of the Thunderpath plus the other clan smelt pretty horrid. Nodding at Hazefur's comment about marking the border, the tom split apart from Kindleblaze and the two cats marked the borders, both keeping an eye out for anything suspicious.

Padding back to her mother, Kindleblaze let out a purr. "This was fun," the grey she-cat mewed with a smile to Hazefur and then looked to her little brother who was as silent as ever.