The start of something new

The charcoal was growing even more frustrated every day. His mentor was dead, no one in the Clan was helping him out to complete his training and Tinytip was now a warrior who couldn't have time for a silly apprentice like him. Despite he was older than her, Batpaw couldn't reach his warrior name and it was something that made him feel angry.

He growled drowning in those thoughts while he padded closer to the river. The apprentice already passed the Sunningrocks, leaving them far away, and now he was close to the Skyclan territory. His eyes only looked at the tall trees for a second, wondering if he could ever climb one of those. He already knew how to climb since his day in the Beech Copse but the trees there were rather small compared to the ones of the forest.

Batpaw stopped his steps when he caught a glimpse behind the trees a small shadow of a cat. His green eyes, narrowed, stared the place waiting for a possible threat.

The tortie and white apprentice had been exploring the territory rather for the fun of it having done most of the rings she needed to in camp. Flicking her white tail she came to a stop in the treeline at the river near the border of Riverclan. She moved from the treeline slightly distracted for a moment as she looked to the water for a moment taking in the beauty of the river before she blinked amber eyes looking to the shadow of a cat not too far away. She was sure it was a Riverclan cat. She approached slowly out of curiosity but stayed on her side of the border.

Green eyes gazed the tortie she-cat, suspiciously. After the battle on the Sunningrocks that left him some scars over his face the tomcat was very skeptical around cats close to his borders. He preferred to attack first before any possible threat. However, this she-cat was from Skyclan and she didn't know how to swim so it could be dangerous for her to step on his territory.
He approached her slowly and his steps only stopped when the water was rushing over his paws. "Hey, you! Don't think that because you're a pretty she-cat I'm not going to attack you if you plan to trespass the border!" He said loudly so she could hear him from his spot.

"I'm not crossing the border I come here often to enjoy the beauty of the river that and the peace and quiet it brings"She spoke calmly as she sat down taking her usual spot she took glancing to the river before she looked to the tom."I'm Maplepaw"She mewed taking no mind to his hostility. She had no reason to be afraid because she had no interest in crossing the river.

The Riverclan tom relaxed his body and was surprised by the calm reaction of the she-cat. His last experiences with cats from other clans were far different from this one. She didn't even answer back at him with words full of hate like most of the cats did.
Maplepaw... that was the name of the tortie she-cat. He couldn't understand why he had the trust to say her name to him but Batpaw was sure that she was not a threat... at least not for now. "I'm Batpaw." He said, serious. From the other side of the river, the tomcat sat down on a rock that was few paws in front of him, looking at Maplepaw with curiosity. She surely was an unusual apprentice... "I thought that Skyclan cats preferred the trees rather than the river."

She blinked her ear pricked just a bit as she heard his name. Maplepaw smiled some"Well it's nice to meet you Batpaw."She said amber eyes gleaned with a calm kindness."Well I guess I'm not your average Skyclan cat. I find very little interest in the beauty of the tall trees of my territory it's something I see every day. Like I said not too many come to admire the quiet beauty of the river. I come here usually to think and enjoy the quiet and beauty of this section of the territory especially at night when the stars glitter above they reflect sometimes on the river"She fell quiet not minding that she told this tom the times she came and why. She sat down quietly relaxing her white tail that stood out against her tortie pelt curled over her paws quietly.

The Riverclan apprentice flicked his tail as he almost saw the reflection of the little black and white she-cat, who was his first friend, in the silhouette of Maplepaw. She somehow reminded him the way that Tinypaw used to be with him before she got busy with her apprentices because of the calmed and relaxed attitude of the Skyclan apprentice.
He let his expression got softer and more friendly, but still he didn't smile at all. He still remembered the last encounter he had with cats from other clans. "Well... I guess that the stars in the water are very beautiful, indeed. Riverclan territories are pretty great and I can't imagine myself living in another place." He stayed quiet for a second, thinking about the night views he had while he was returning from a late patrol. The cat really enjoyed the night, more than the sunny days. "You're a really unusual cat, Maplepaw. Most of the cats from other clans are quite aggressive when they're in the borders between our territories but you are just so... calmed. How can you be so sure that I'm not a danger, huh?"

She smiled some if only a tiny bit her gaze on the river for a moment but she looked back to the tom before her resting on the rock in front of him."Yeah I'm sure and I don't doubt I would either I enjoy my territory just as much as the next cat even more so that the border is the river in which I find peace when I'm near it"She mewed quietly for a moment. Her gaze then blinked and for a moment she had to think."well...if you wanted to attack you would have. I trust that some cats wouldn't cross a border just because they see another just resting there but then again I wouldn't know I'm only just an apprentice after all"She mewed calmly."and sometimes I guess you could call it foolishness for thinking I wouldn't be attacked here by another cat."She mewed calmly.

Batpaw noticed that the she-cat was pretty honest about everything and she showed calmed all the time while he talked with him. It was almost like she trusted the Riverclan apprentice by just seeing him. The tom also felt like he could trust her as well, at least for these kinds of friendly talks. Maybe... it wasn't so bad to have friends from other clans, after all. "I wouldn't call it foolishness... just naiveness. Not everyone out here is so peaceful and calm-minded like you and me. I can assure you that some cats don't hesitate of attacking you if you are too close to the border and, honestly, I wouldn't like to see you hurt like me. You look like an honest and good-hearted she-cat, Maplepaw, and because of that is why I'm telling to be more careful while you go to the river." He said, showing a second a concerned face.

Maplepaw blinked her amber eyes and nodded slowly"alright thanks for the heads up I guess"She mewed quietly. She laid down slowly relaxed for the moment. She didn't mind the Tom's company and for her that was something different."So what brings you to your border?"She asked.

"I just wanted to left the camp and be alone for a while from my clanmates. Without a mentor, is pretty easy to just leave without being noticed and I can be more independent, despite the fact that I'm not being trained properly." He said looking at the river, remembering the face of his dead mentor, Smokeface. Even in life, he didn't train him too much and he couldn't learn from him more than the basics of the hunting and the territories of his clan.

"Yeah that tends to be the case... I can slip from camp because my mentor seems to be too busy to train me"Maplepaw mewed looking to the tom.

The charcoal cat growled, annoyed by the mentors who didn't train their apprentices. "It really sucks... but we can do too much about it. If they want to be just irresponsible mouse-brains, I won't stop them. I prefer to train alone instead of being trained by that kind of cats..." He complained, looking at his own reflection in the water. He saw his scarred warrior-aged face with frustration. All this delay with his warrior ceremony was Smokeface's fault.
His green eyes looked back at the tortie she-cat, less angry and more friendly. "I'm sorry that you had to hear all that, Maplepaw. It just... I've been an apprentice for so long that is hard to not be angry and frustrated almost all the time. I need.. more situations like this to relax and just be in peace, like you."

Maplepaw blinked hearing his words and her eyes grew round with a bit of sympathy before she pushed it away"it's fine I may not know what it's like but I know what it feel like with an absent mentor"She said after a long moment. She blinked and smiled some hearing his words"well...i mean it's a long shot but would you maybe like to meet here again and just chat and help you...i don't know relax?"She asked smiling softly.

Batpaw eyes widened after Maplepaw's offering. He looked at her, confused and curious about this she-cat he just met. She was so similar to Tinytip when she was a kit and an apprentice... it was strange to find again a cat that was so good and pure of heart to even think about helping him with his problems. It was... nice to have her by his side. "I... think that I like how that sounds, Maplepaw... I mean... thank you." He said looking away a little embarrassed. "I would like to meet you again and talk. Maybe we can chat in the next Gathering, right?"