Curiosity (open)

Asterkit poked her head out of the nursery, nervous, and looked up at the sky. Bright blue, faint white plumes of cloud floating in the distance, with the sun almost beaming down at her. She had no excuse to hide now. In the past, she was more than content to snuggle up against her mother, daydreaming alone.

She was so bored of that now. Her parents could only entertain her for so long until their voices just drove her up the wall. Where were the other kits? Were they out living their lives, going on adventures? Asterkit swallowed, putting one tentative paw out and then another. The crisp air hit her like a claw to the face, but she padded onward. Testing her luck, she mewed out, "Good morning, world!"

"Good morning!" Flowerpaw mewed, offering the small grey kit a smile. "I'm Flowerpaw. What's your name?"

"Oh, greetings," Asterkit said, curling her tail shyly. Momma always told her to be polite but never what to actually say. Gosh darn it, momma. "My name is Asterkit. Are you an... uh, an apprentice?"

OOC: mobile post

Flowerpaw nodded, her eyes bright. "Just you wait- training's really fun!" She mewed happily. "Is this your first time out of the nursery? I can show you around,"

Asterkit smiled politely. "My mother made it sound quite intense. I hope it is fun, and not too difficult." Starclan, was she always going to be this awkward? Asterkit nodded at Flowerpaw's question. "Yes, I've been in there for much too long now though. Looking around the camp sounds like a good idea."

Flowerpaw grinned. She could easily remember what it was like to be with her sisters in the nursery, and yearning to go explore. "Do you know who you want as a mentor? Most kits have some idea of a cat that might be assigned to them," She mewed, starting to walk towards the center of camp. She gave her shoulder a brief lick- her fur was sleek and dry. One of the perks of eating oily fish.

Asterkit cocked her head to the side and tried to think. What warriors did she even know, apart from her father? She hummed, before noticing Flowerpaw starting to walk away, prompting Asterkit to hurriedly run up to the apprentice, until they were side by side. Assured that she was not, in fact, going to be left behind, Asterkit spoke up.

"Maybe Amberpelt? I'm really not too sure, though. I hope whoever I get isn't too intense, though." She paused, looking up to Flowerpaw. "Who is your mentor?"

"Uhh... I don't really, like, have a mentor..." Flowerpaw mewed slowly. "Fishstar didn't have much time and there was nobody open, so...
She cleared her throat. "I just kind of pick up stuff where I can. Amberpelt has been really nice lately though- she's been giving me a few lessons. She'd make a great mentor for you."

"Huh?" Asterkit said, looking at Flowerpaw in confusion. What was going to happen when Asterkit was made into an apprentice? Would she be assigned a mentor, or would she be in limbo as well? She cocked her head at the mention of Amberpelt.

"Didn't Amberpelt used to be a queen? Mama used to talk about her... I hope you get your mentor soon, though."

"It's fine," The lilac apprentice shrugged. "And yeah, Amberpelt has two sons now- Stonepaw and Snailpaw. They're pretty nice. We've gone hunting together once or twice."
She shot the kit a grin. "What are you looking forward to most? When I became an apprentice I was itching to explore the territory and learn to swim."

Asterkit frowned, tail swishing back and forth in equal parts curiosity and concern. Surely Fishstar would get the apprentice a mentor, eventually? In the end, Asterkit just mewed out a quiet, "Alright," and continued to listen as they walked. "Did you learn anything off of those two? Maybe you could try train together or something..."

Asterkit hummed at the question. "I just really wanted, and still want, to explore. The Nursery seems so small now compared to all the stuff out here, and we're not even outside the camp yet." She paused, looked around, and started blurting out questions. "What's it like outside of camp? What's it like at the river? Is it scary out there?"

"Slow down!"  Flowerpaw chuckled. "Trust me, you'll miss those peaceful days in the nursery." She shot her a grin, flicking her tail as the kit promptly began to bombard her with questions.
"The river's amazing, especially this time of year. All the ice from the mountains comes rushing down, filing up the rivers with cold, clear water, according to Mistfeather. It's great for fishing." She mewed brightly.
"And yes, it can be a little scary. Once I got stuck under the water. The current eventually spit me out, but that was rather frightening." She flicked her ear casually.

(holy moly sorry for the late reply!)

Asterkit promptly closed her mouth, somehow resisting the urge to just burrow her head down in shame. She remembered the few times she'd gotten that carried away with her own parents, but they'd never really pointed it out. "Sorry," she said bashfully. She cocked an imaginary eyebrow at Flowerpaw's first answer. Miss the Nursery? Sure, it was basically her home up until now, but to actually miss it? She looked back up to Flowerpaw with a doubtful pout.

The blue-grey kit nodded as Flowerpaw described the river. She tried to imagine it for herself; crystal clear water, fish as far as the eye could see. And then, oh Starclan, getting stuck under the water seemed like a nightmare come true. Asterkit shivered. "That sounds very... uh, frightening. How'd you learn how to swim, especially after something like that?"

OOC: It's fine!
IC: "Don't be sorry!" The apprentice said quickly.

Flowerpaw turned to the kit in surprise. I don't really know," She mewed slowly. "I guess I never really thought that I couldn't learn how after that- I just kept going until I figured it out."
She chuckled softly. "Sometimes not thinking about something is better than overthinking."