Falling Larks (Closed Patrol)

"Fallenpaw? Its time to wake up," Larksong gently poked her young new apprentice in the side, having wormed her way into the apprentice den to fetch her. Larksong was eager to show Fallenpaw the territory and the borders along with answering any questions she may have on Clan life. To the tortoiseshell warrior, she didn't care for Fallenpaw's history or mysterious origins. She was a ShadowClan apprentice, that was all that Larksong cared about and she wouldn't stand to let anybody treat her apprentice otherwise. Once sure that her apprentice was awake, she turned and left the den on silent paws, taking a seat right outside as she waited for Fallenpaw to join her.

The tabby apprentice had slept at the very edge of the den, far away from the other apprentices. She jumped as Larksong poked her, eyes flying open and flashing in the dark of the den as she turned to look at her new mentor. She was slowly sitting up as Larksong padded out. She stared at the spot where the warrior's tail-tip had disappeared, eyes narrowed slightly. While Larksong didn't seem to act like all the other warriors, Fallenpaw couldn't help feeling suspicious. But her heart was pounding in anticipation at the thought of seeing the territory; she'd never been out of the camp before.
She quickly groomed herself before padding out of the den and across the clearing towards Larksong, paws hardly making a sound as she moved. Her ears twitched towards the other warriors, and her whole body seemed to be tense. It was clear the cat had noticed that not all of the clan were especially friendly towards her.

Larksong smiled softly as Fallenpaw came out but it faded lightly as she caught on how tense the young tabby was. While she had been eager to show Fallenpaw around the territory she realized that this would also do her some good just to get out of the camp if she was that tense. She couldn't blame Fallenpaw if the apprentice was wary of her but the warrior had no other intense to this warm behavior. She herself could never do anything about her half rogue blood and she wouldn't treat Fallenpaw any differently then she would her other apprentices simply because Fallenpaw was not 'truly' one of them. Blood didn't matter in the end, it was loyalty that would stand to the edge of time. The tales of what had happened to her brother told her that much.

But this wasn't the time to think on misdeeds, it was time to focus on Fallenpaw and her training. Larksong got to her paws, keeping her eyes warm as she gently jerked her head in the direction of the camp entrance. "Come along, Fallenpaw. We have a lot to see today," she purred, gently brushing her tail against the apprentice's shoulder before leading her out into the marshy landscape that ShadowClan called home. Her mouth opened the moment she stepped from the camp's entrance as she tasted the air, noting the scent of prey all around. Perhaps they would do some hunting on the way back, just small training to make sure Fallenpaw knew how to hunt.

//ffffffffffffffff thought I replied, sorry!//

Fallenpaw resisted the urge to flinch when Larksong's smile faded when she looked over at her. In Fallenpaw's mind, it just further confirmed the thought nagging in the back of her head; No one wants me, not even my new mentor. Instead of turning around to go lay down again like she wanted to, she simply lifted her head higher, a determined glimmer in her golden eyes making them glow even more than they usually did. She met Larksong's amber eyes, trying not to feel hopeful at the warmth she saw there. She just nodded shortly at the warrior's words, flinching slightly when a tail suddenly touched her shoulders. Don't touch me. The thought suddenly came to mind, so filled with venom and resentment that it surprised the apprentice. She shook her head to clear it and padded after the warrior silently.
Her eyes widened a bit once outside. It still smelled strongly of cats, but the scent of the forest was starting to wash over her. She opened her mouth and greedily drank in the scents of the territory, reveling in the smells of peat, moss, leaf-mold, and best of all, prey. She was surprised how different prey smelled; she'd assume they'd smell like fresh-kill, but the smell was almost staggeringly different. The tabby started to relax unconsciously as she bent to sniff at a small trail on the ground. It was an old scent, but she thought it smelled like mouse. She'd walked a fox length or so, nose to the ground like a dog as she followed the scent, before she remembered Larksong. She lifted her head and quickly padded back, tail flicking anxiously as she wondered if she'd be rebuked for just padding off, even if just a few steps.

OOC: Its fine~

IC: Larksong paused when she noticed that her apprentice wasn't behind her, glancing around with slight worry until she saw Fallenpaw intently sniffing at a scent trail. The warrior made no movement to gather Fallenpaw's attention but instead simply watched with amusement until the apprentice came padding back. She noticed the nervousness in Fallenpaw's flickering tail but kept a warm smile on her face but there was the slightly hint of pain behind it all. She wasn't sure how she was suppose to calm the apprentice's nerves. Perhaps it was better if they continued forward... "Come along, we will head to the WindClan border first," she said with a slightly jerk of her head in the direction of the Thunderpath, padding forward. After a few moments of silence, she finally had an idea of what to say. "...Are you doing alright, Fallenpaw?" she asked suddenly as she turned to look at her apprentice. "You...Seem on edge. Is something bothering you?" Her voice was light, trying to tread carefully with her words. She didn't want Fallenpaw to fear her but Larksong knew how the apprentice felt about how the others all scorned for her to lack of ShadowClan blood but she didn't want to dare say such things out loud lest Fallenpaw react negativity. She would only bring it up if Fallenpaw spoke of her fears first and then they could work from there.

Fallenpaw noticed the slight flash of something in her mentor's eyes, and she let her ears drop slightly when the she-cat turned away and simply kept walking. Way to go, Fallenpaw. Scent trails are more important than training, are they? She forced her ears back up even while her tail twitched with unease again. Curiosity burned through her when Larksong mentioned WindClan. The small tabby hadn't really heard much about the other clans, but she knew there were three others. WindClan, ThunderClan, and...what was the third? ReedClan? No...RiverClan!
Her thoughts were interrupted as Larksong spoke again. Almost instantly the fur on the back of her neck prickled with unease before she silently cursed and forced her fur to lay flat. She wasn't a kit anymore; she needed to act her age, not let her emotions get the best of her. Still, she took a few moments to think it over. She didn't want to say what really bothered her. Maybe because she didn't want confirmation. She narrowed her eyes and looked at her paws for a moment , then back up. "No, I'm fine. Just my first time out of camp." Her voice was steady, almost emotionless as she spoke. She wouldn't voice her thoughts just yet. Maybe not ever. You're just scared that it's exactly what you think it is.

Larksong frowned with disappointment as Fallenpaw brushed off her concern. Hmpf...So it was no helping it for now, she would have to wait until Fallenpaw was ready to express what truly was getting under her fur. She shook her head before giving her apprentice a small smile. "If you say so, Fallenpaw. But if anything is bother you, let me know. I'm always willing to lend an ear," she purred, half hopefully that Fallenpaw would one day take her up on her offer. But until then, it was time to focus on the training. Already, she could hear the faint roar of monsters. She cleared her throat, knowing that Fallenpaw would like the change of subject. "Our border with WindClan - along with ThunderClan as well, is a strange black path that we call the Thunderpath," she explained as they drew closer, the sickening scent that the Monsters released starting to fill the air just slightly. "Its patrolled almost endlessly by Monsters - strange large, terrifying beasts that never leave the path but come in all sorts of colors. They never seem to acknowledge us most of the time as they stick to their black path. Many cats have lost their lives under their fearsome paws as they have a crushing blow..." she drifted off slightly as her voice cracked and her ears slicked back, her emotions getting the better of her. She had lost her nephew Finchpelt - although he had been raised by her father as his own kit - to a Monster a few moons ago and her regret was that she had never gotten to know the tom all that well before his untimely death. She shook her head, focusing intently on her apprentice. "If you ever go near the Thunderpath, always stay on alert. Monsters are loud but they move quickly, you never want to be on the Thunderpath when one comes by."

Fallenpaw resisted the urge to sigh when Larksong changed the subject, the apprentice's bright eyes turning towards the thunderpath. Her ears flicked towards her mentor at the soft crack in her voice. Fallenpaw's gaze softened slightly at the clear pain in the cat's amber eyes. It was almost comforting to know other cats have gone through things and feel pain as much as Fallenpaw does herself.
The tabby looked back at the thunderpath, nose wrinkling as she eyed the black surface. She slowly crept forward, ears twitching warily as she stepped out of the shadows. The grass underpaw was coarse and cropped close to the ground, the edges of the blades light yellow. A low rumbled sounded to her right, and she looked up in both fear and fascination as she took a few steps back. Her claws sank into the ground as the monster roared past, the sound louder than anything she'd ever heard. She stared at the spot it disappeared for a moment, curiosity mingling with the fear in her eyes. "That's a monster?" She said quietly, ears still ringing slightly. "It's huge!"

The moment Fallenpaw started to stalk slowly toward the Thunderpath Larksong opened her mouth, ready to bark at her apprentice to get away from there but she quickly shot down the defensive feeling that bubbled up knowing her apprentice wouldn't be happy with her ordering around. Instead, she tighten her muscles, ready to grab Fallenpaw if danger reared its claws but to her relief Fallenpaw quickly backed up when the ground started to rumble. Larksong's ears fell back as the monster roared past the duo, her amber eyes dark as she watched it go on its way. "That is indeed a monster," she sighed in answer to her apprentice's question, shaking her head. "I fear to think of how many cats it could fit in its stomach..." she drifted off slightly. She had never revealed it to her Clanmates but she had once been inside its stomach when she had first been captured as a Kittypet. She couldn't describe what it was like, having been forced into a strange silver tree truck that had been placed in the back of the Monster. She sighed softly with a shake of her head, wanting to rid herself of those foul memories. "Luckily they don't seem interested in eating cats...I dare to fear what they do eat with that foul scent they seems to always be releasing..." She turned and started to pad down the length of it, heading toward where Fourtrees laid and where their border with ThunderClan started. "Come along, Fallenpaw. We'll check the ThunderClan border but I'll also show you where Fourtrees lay."