Training for Stonepaw (closed)

Padding through the dimly lit camp and over to the apprentice sleeping area, Smokepelt found Stonepaw's sleeping pelt and prodded it gently with a white paw. "Wake up," the tom mewed and made his way over to the camp entrance. Sitting down and wrapping his tail over his paws, he let out a yawn, wishing that patrols didn't have to start this early in the morning. But then again, he was always up early for some reason, so he might as well take advantage of it and train his apprentice a little.

Stonepaw woke to a paw nudging his side. When he realized it was his mentor summoning him, the large gray apprentice jumped up to his paws with a burst of energy. "Yes sir!" He squeaked, puffing up his chest to look at the ready.

Opening his eyes and almost having dozed off, Smokepelt let out a yawn. "Ready to go?" the tom mewed softly and stood up. Turning to face the camp entrance, he flicked his tail in the direction of where they would be headed and waited for a response from his apprentice.

Stonepaw didn't notice the scrap of moss sticking to his pelt, not wanting to make Smokepelt wait. He scrambled out of the apprentince den, his large body awkwardly snagging on twigs in his haste. "I'm ready!" The tom proclaimed, yellow eyes lit up. He couldn't wait to start training.

Giving a nod, Smokepelt headed out of camp and onto the moor. "We'll be patrolling the Thunderpath border today," the tom meowed plainly, continuing to make his way towards their destination with his apprentice following along.

OOC: Sorry for the late reply!DX

Stonepaw's tail shot up with a whoosh! of excitement flowed through his gray, tingling body. Though he hunted before with his friend, the tom had never gone on a patrol. The young apprentince had been barely introduced to the moors of Windclan, chasing rabbits but never prowling the edges of the clan's territory on a lookout for enemy trouble.

OOC: no worries~

IC: Padding towards the Thunderpath in silence, the two cats soon reached the dark, black path and Smokepelt came to a halt a few foxlengths away from it. Although he'd been here plenty of times, the warrior still couldn't help but wrinkle his nose and looked to Stonepaw. "Do you have any prior knowledge about the Thunderpath?"

Stonepaw looked upon the black, hardened tar that cut through the earth with yellow eyes widened with fear. A rancid stench stabbed his sense of smell like tiny poisionous claws, instinctly wrinkling his nose against the pungent fumes.

He shook his head, too spooked by the unnatural...thing that lay before them to speak.

After a few moments of silence, Smokepelt assumed that he wasn't going to get a response. "The Thunderpath is a dangerous place where Twoleg monsters live. You will most likely be killed instantly if one catches you, so always make sure to stay a good distance from it," he warned and gave his pelt a shake. "Do you know what clan is on the other side of the path?" the warrior asked.

Stonepaw listened to his mentor's words carefully, ears once pressed flat instinctly lifting to hear him better. He tried guessing, peering over at the territory ahead. "Is it...Shadowclan?"

Nodding his head, Smokepelt was glad that his apprentice knew what clan lied ahead of them. "You're correct," he mewed. "As of now we are at peace with them, but anything could happen," the warrior added and gave his pelt a shake. "Well, I think we've done good today, want to head back?" he asked, turning back to Stonepaw.

Stonepaw nodded. "Sure," he replied without any qualms about leaving the thunderpath. It was a horrid thing that only made him feel sick.

As the gray tom padded along with his mentor back to camp, his mind swirled with questions. When he couldn't keep them in anylonger, Stonepaw turned to his mentor. "Smokepelt, why does Starclan let thunderpaths exist?" He couldn't understand why anyone or anything would make something so vile, so unnatural with monsters that ony seemed to serve to hurt his clanmates if they didn't cross fast enough.

Walking back to camp next to his apprentice, Smokepelt looked down to the younger cat when he asked a question. Perking his ears, the warrior had to think for a few moments on the question, seeing that he didn't have an exact answer. It was an honest question, and while he wanted to answer it to the best of his ability, he also hoped that whatever he told Stonepaw wouldn't leave the apprentice confused.

"They are pretty horrible, aren’t they?" the dark grey and white tom mumbled softly, finishing up his thoughts on the matter. "Well… if there weren’t dangers like this, then what would StarClan have to protect us from? As awful as they might seem, if tensions between the clans or cats from the DarkForest weren’t a possibility in life, then StarClan would have nothing to do but sit up in the clouds and watch us," Smokepelt finished. "Does that make sense?" he asked as they neared the camp, hoping that what he said was some sort of answer that Stonepaw wanted to hear.

The gray fur above Stonepaw's yellow eyes moved downwards to give the apprentice a furrowed look as he concentrated on understanding those words. He thought hard about what his wise mentor said. Starclan allowed conflict to give themselves a purpose? He shook his head, frowning at that thought. No, that can't be it, maybe they're making conflict so...the clans would have a purpose! There wouldn't be a need for the warrior code without problems in life, and there's nothing better than those sacred guidelines to the gray apprentice. If there's no bad, then there would be no need for good!

'They're pretty horrible, aren't they?' Smokepelt's words echoed in his brain, as if his mind couldn't help but contradict his epiphany. Stonepaw discarded the thought, deciding that the way he saw it must be right. After all why would Smokepelt, his amazing mentor, say such a negative thing about Starclan?

"Yeah!" Stonepaw replied enthusiastically, but didn't elaborate any further in the fear that Smokepelt would say he's wrong. He can't be-the warrior code is pure and his life inspiration. And Starclan, the code by their will, therefore must be as well.