Idle Time for Soon-to-be Warriors(Open to TC Apprentices)

Swirlpaw exhaustedly collapsed at the apprentice den entrance, panting as the harsh greenleaf sun reached its highest point. It's barely sunhigh and I've already trained for so long, he thought, What is it with Hawkswoop and training me so early? The white tom's green and blue eyes drooped as he lay on his belly, trying to regain his energy. Nothing but training and training and more training! At this rate I'll die of exhaustion before I get my warrior name...

As the apprentice's breathing slowed, he began to survey the den for someone to talk to. If there was anything Swirlpaw hated more than overbearing and near-abusive mentors, it was being lonely. He liked talking to friends, and if there were no friends to talk to, he liked making new friends.

Birdpaw had just came back from a stroll when she noticed her friend Swirlpaw looking a little lonely. She walked up to him and greeted him. "Hello Swirlpaw!" the she-cat meowed. "What are you doing?" she asked him.

"Well, I was just training with Hawkswoop," mewed Swirlpaw, letting out a deep sigh," The dude's crazy. Has me waking up before the sun rises for training. Does Shadowleaf do that to you?" The tom's ears twitched.

"As of now...nope!" She replied. She took a seat down next to him. "Shadowleaf has been a bit busy so we haven't had much time to train. But i'm sure she wouldn't wake me up at the crack of dawn that's for sure." She thought for a bit. "Why does Hawkswoop wake you up that early?" Birdpaw asked.

"Wish I knew," huffed Swirlpaw, shaking his head,"I guess he takes 'the early bird gets the worm' a little too seriously." The tom laughed for a little, before realizing that Birdpaw's name was in fact Birdpaw. He then laughed a little harder. "How was your morning?"

Birdpaw shook her head. "It's been okay. I haven't had much to do..." she replied. She smoothed down a bit of ruffled fur before saying, "Hey Swirlpaw...are you really tired?"

"Honestly?" asked Swirlpaw. He thought about it for a few moments, taking a second before finding Birdpaw's eyes," Honestly, I'm not all that tired. I was, but I guess talking to someone helped bring me back to normal." The tom thought about that for a bit. Another thought hit his mind." Hey, remember when we talked about exploring the forest?" He'd been thinking about it a lot recently. An escape from ThunderClan and training seemed pretty relaxing and new to him. He'd gotten to know ThunderClan territory a little too well.

Birdpaw's eyes lit up. "Yeah I do remember!..." She looked around. She tilted her head as she looked at Swirlpaw. "You aren't thinking about going exploring now are you?" she purred mischievously.

"I don't know," mewed Swirlpaw, a mischievous glint in his eyes," Hawkswoop is practically forcing my paw here." He shrugged." I won't though. I have to wait for Dogkit to become an apprentice, too. Then we'll go." The tom felt excitement boil inside of him at the thought of adventure outside of ThunderClan. He looked Birdpaw in the eyes. No other cats I'd rather leave with, he thought.

She quickly looked down and smoothed the fur on her chest. "Yeah I was gonna suggest that! I really want Dogkit to be with us!" She looked at Swirlpaw, softness visible in her eyes. 'Though...I wouldn't mind just going with you...' She spaced out for a moment before shaking her head. She quickly got up and looked away. "H-Hey, I'm going to take a stroll. If you want you can join me..." Without giving him a chance to respond, she walked towards the entrance of the camp.

"I guess I will, then," muttered Swirlpaw to himself as he watched Birdpaw walk away. He felt a flutter under his chest, but it was soon gone. Then he followed his friend towards the entrance. The bare ThunderClan trees contrasted with his otherwise good mood. A gust of wind blew through the camp, and once again the smell of ash and decay found its way to Swirlpaw's nostrils. It's so depressing here, thought bleakly.

'What am I thinking?! I WANT Dogkit to go with us! He's our friend...' Birdpaw shook her head, trying to rid of her thoughts. She sighed and looked around feeling a bit better. She went deeper into ThunderClan territory. She heard a bit of movement behind her. She quickly spun around and sighed. Swirlpaw decided to join her after all. She stood there waiting for him to catch up.

Swirlpaw trotted up behind her as she stopped. "You...move...really...fast....when you.... want... to..." the Tom panted. He sat still as his breathing slowed, taking in the scenery. He had never actually been in this part of ThunderClan before. To his dismay, he realized even this part was covered in ash and death. He scowled. I've never seen what this clan looked like before, he thought, All I've known is these dead trees and branches.

She sat down and sighed. She looked around before breaking the silence. "Look at this place...it's filled with death and destruction..." She whispered softly. "I wonder what it must have been like to witness this place go down in ashes and devastation first hand." She said sadly. Suddenly she stood up and held her head high. "No matter what happens, I hope Dogkit, you, and I stay together as friends and that we may prosper in the near future!" She declared. Her eyes held a strong will. All she wanted was for her clan to never give up hope that one day everything will be alright. She looked at Swirlpaw and asked, "Would you like to go back to camp or stay out a bit longer?"

"No," mewed Swirlpaw, " I don't want to stay here. Finally glad I'm not the only one who hates this place." Swirlpaw resisted the urge to look at her too long. When she stood their with her head high and her eyes glowing with determination and hope, she looked like an entirely different she-cat. The white tom felt another flutter under his chest. He began to turn back towards the direction of camp. I hope we're alive for the near future as well. And if anyone has a problem with that, they'll wish they were never born.