A Golden Training

Minnnowcall who now had moved back to the warrior den got up from her nest and quickly exited the den. She streatched quickly before she walked towards the apprentice den. She stuck her head inside the den and nudged her daughter and apprentice "Time to wake up" she meowed sofly and then walked over to the camp entrance and sat down to wait for Goldenpaw.

Goldenpaw had spent her first night away from her mother in the apprentice den. Although she missed her mom when it came time to go to sleep, she had still enjoyed making friends with all the other apprentices in the den.

When her mother nudged her awake, she almost forgot she wasn't back in the nursery; surprised at first that her mother left her side so quick. But as the little cat blinked her eyes open to search for her mother, she remembered that she had moved to her new den, and that her first day of training was today.

She hopped up excitedly, and talked to herself, a little too loud for the other cats still in the den, "Oh boy, my training starts with Mommy today!" She left the den and saw her mother at the entrance of the camp. Bounding over, and almost flopping heels over head, she bounced into her mother's chest, "Hi Mommy, let's start adventuring!! I'm ready to show you how big I am now."

Minnowcall giggled a little and smiled at her cheerful daughter "I was thinking we would start of by a tour of the territory and then a do a little hunting? What do you think about that?" she meowed and licked Goldenpaw over her head.

Goldenpaw's head was pushed down by her mother's lick, but the rest of her body was still happily bouncing slightly. "Oh yes! I want to see everything! And maybe we'll see some other cats too while we're out? I can't wait to make more friends outside of camp. And then I can show you how I'm the best at pouncing out of all the other kits and apprentices!"

Minnowcall purred happly and giggled a little at her daughters enthusiasm and started walking outside camp. Once outside camp she thought quickly in her head about what place she should show first but then realized that it wouldn't be to hard for her to choose. Once her daughter had joined her she started walking towards the deep marshes.

Goldenpaw happily followed her mother outside of the camp, and into Shadowclan territory. She wasn't sure where they were going exactly, but she had hoped she would get to see some other territories too. Minnowcall began to lead her toward the marshes, which Golden had seen once before when wandering after another kit outside camp. "Ooh. I've only seen the edges of the deep marshes before", she told her mother.

She turned around and looked at Goldenpaw "What? Have you been outside camp before?" she asked.

"Oh don't worry Mommy," ushered Goldenpaw, "I only wandered a little bit outside of camp with Ratkit. And then Dustpaw brought us back." The small cat looked down, and her smile vanished just for a moment, "She was a little mean, but then she brought us home."

Minnowcall shook her head "She had a reason to be mean, kits are not allowed outside camp for a reason, one of you could have died... Or even both" she meowed with a harsh tone, she didn't like being mad at others but sometimes you just have to.

She sighed and continued walking towards the Deep Marshes.

Goldenpaw sat with her head down, sad that her mother had been angry with her; especially when she had already been in trouble for the incident once, with Dustpaw. After her mother had walked a few paces, Goldenpaw got up and began to silently and downheartedly follow. This was not how she thought the day would be going. She was beginning to see that training wouldn't be as fun as she thought after all.

She stopped and looked at the deep marshes. She glanced at her daughter and sighed "I'm just worried... I did the same thing when I was a kit and now that I'm older I understand what could have happend" she meowed and sat down.

"When me and you'r father was kits we sneaked out of camp and ran over here. Scorchfang caught his first frog here. But all the things that could have happend... We could have gotten stuck in the mud, something could have killed us or we could have gotten lost or..." she stopped and shook her head "Nevermind I think you understand"

The smaller cat listened to her mother, and knowing that her parents had both wandered out on their own as kits made her feel better. And even knowing that she had acted in the same way almost made her a little proud, as if she had carried on a tradition; even if it was an accidental poor choice.

Forgetting her sadness after hearing her mother tell of her own youth, Goldenpaw's attention turned to another piece of the story she had just heard. "Mommy," she began, with her cheerfulness returning to her voice, "will we start hunting today after our walk?"