Good Luck, Kit {CLOSED}

The morning sun brought with it light, and some feeling of warmth. It melted last night's snow and left it rippling in puddles and dripping from the boughs of the trees. It almost resembled rain, icy water falling from the branches, soaking the ground into mud. Thunderclan camp was not excluded from this phenomenon. The normally dry clearing was now brown and sticky, puddles had accumulated throughout the camp, and the wet pawprints of the dawn patrol could be seen in the dirt. Picking his way through the mud was Flintfang, hissing at the sticky ground that clogged his pads.

This will all freeze over soon... The gray tabby warrior told himself, making his way over to the apprentice's den. Better take Dewpaw out before it does... Yesterday morning, Flintfang was -to his surprise- given an apprentice. It was quite a shock, given that the warrior was still young and was considered to be somewhat of a rebel among his clanmates. Not that it bothered the tom, but he still couldn't decide if he liked the idea of being a mentor or not. Flintfang knew he would never be able to bring himself to pass on the knowledge of the skewed and dirty code to his new pupil. Sure, he could teach him to hunt and fight, but if Dewpaw was going to learn anything about the clans, it would be from Flintfang's point of view, not the scandalous ways of the warrior code.

"Kit." The gray tabby tom hissed, head peaking into the apprentice's den. "Rise and shine fire-head, we're going to see the territory." He mentioned Dewpaw's pelt, white and orange, resembling a soft flame. Giving his apprentice time to wake, Flintfang squished over to the entrance, toying with the mud between his claws. Newleaf better come soon...

Dewpaw was already awake chatting with another apprentice. He jumped up and growled. He quickly followed his mentor out of the apprentice den. “I am not a lot and you have no right to call me that!” He growled. “And I have a name you mousebrain.” He lashed his tail. “It’s Dewpaw! Although I wouldn’t expect a lame excuse of a warrior to remember it.” He growled.

Flintfang sighed as shouts were thrown his way. Oh boy... The tom had already made his decision. He was not going to enjoy his mentorship. Rolling his eyes, the gray tabby began to take steps out of camp when Dewpaw hit a nerve. A lame excuse for a warrior...
"Excuse me?" Flintfang hissed, whirling around so that he was a whisker away from Dewpaw's face. The young orange tabby had spunk, saying aloud what the rest of Flintfang's clanmates whispered in secret. The warrior couldn't decide which was worse. The whispers, he had gotten used to. But being called out in the middle of camp by an apprentice? It made his blood boil. "I'll call you whatever I want, kit. Now let's get out of camp before Leopardstar claws both our ears off." Cats were starting to stare, a young warrior fighting with his new apprentice, it wasn't an ideal situation by any means.

Without waiting for Dewpaw's answer, the gray tabby tom stomped out of camp, ears flat. Why couldn't Marshstorm have given me an easy apprentice? He lashed his tail, walking until the two were out of earshot of Thunderclan camp, just in case Dewpaw wanted to disrespect him again. One more word from that fire-head and I'll have him picking the elders for ticks!

Dewpaw growled back when his mentor whirled around. “Leperdstar would claw our ears off? I think you mean yours! I’m voicing my opionions and I have a right to do so! And do you really think you should disrespect a newly apprentice by calling him names in the middle of a camp and continuing on this conversation?” He called after Flintfang, raising his voice so that the cats around the clearing could hear. He rolled his eyes and smiled. Hopefully he embarrassed Flintfang when he heard a snort of amusement from a warrior. “He can’t control his aprentice. And he just walked away without him!” Another shorted and Dewpaws eyes sparkled. He swiped his younger around his jaws and picked up a mouse then delivered it to the elders. Then he grabbed himself a bite of fresh kill. He’d take his own time.

Flintfang noticed quickly that Dewpaw was in fact, not following the warrior out into the forest, further investigation revealed that he was in camp, eating prey. The gray tabby tom found a tree stump outside the entrance of camp, and perched upon it, wanting to stay above the muddy ground as he waited. His tail lashed and his claws dug into the bark in anger, a seething breath was sucked in between his teeth. Dewpaw was on thin ice.
Flintfang's head titled upward to watch the trees as they groaned in the wind. The icy breeze tossed his fur every which way and seemed to cool his mind. The warrior closed his eyes, listening to the soft sway of the undergrowth, the subtle dripping of melted snow, and the occasional gusts that blew through the forest. Flintfang refused to ask himself what a more experienced warrior would do in this situation. He didn't need Beartooth, and he didn't need Burntpaw or Falconpaw. He could handle this himself. With a sigh of frustration, the tom watched as the sun sunk through the trees. If Dewpaw isn't out here soon we'll just stay in camp... Flintfang felt quite generous, waiting as patiently as his dignity would allow. He just hoped Dewpaw would pick up on the signal, and march his tail outside.

Dewpaw yawned and decided to go outside. He sat up and said goodbye to the warrior he was chatting with and padded outside. He sniffed and flicked in tail to tell Flintfang he scented him and carried on trotting. He walked quietly deeper it’ll the territory, fascinated by the smells. He looked around at the forest around him.

Flintfang stifled a sigh of relief as the orange and white apprentice finally emerged into the forest. The warrior guessed that Dewpaw's fiery temper was far from quenched, but at least they were out of earshot of Thunderclan camp. Flintfang decided he would attempt to be more tolerable. It was painful, yes, but the warrior kept telling himself that it wasn't a defeat, but rather a compromise. Hopefully if the tom decided to be civil, the apprentice would too. Hopefully.

"Hey kit- Er, Dewpaw." Flintfang stumbled over his words, ears burning with frustration. "Are you ready to check the borders?" Leaping down from his stump, the warrior trailed after the ginger tabby, eyes narrowed. In a way, Dewpaw reminded him of his younger self. Flintfang doubted that he ever gave Swoopnose that hard of a time, but he certainly was rebellious is his late apprentice days. Maybe he could try and understand the young cat more, but the slightest thought of empathy had Flintfang's teeth grinding. He didn't like to feel that way, but if it could make Dewpaw more tolerable, the warrior would do anything.

Dewpaw ignored his mentor and walked farther into the forest before finally saying; "Yes. I am ready." He let out a little growl as he followed his mentor. He better not call me kit again! HE would not let his mentor treat him like the other cats. They didn't fully trust him. His mother had dropped him off at the TC border and Beartooth had found him and his sisters.

"Alright." Flintfang answered, trying to keep a neutral expression on his face. Being out here in the elements reminded him of his apprenticehood, when Swoopnose first showed him the forest. It caused a small smile to creep on to Flintfang's maw, despite the turmoiled morning. With a glance over to Dewpaw, the warrior wondered whether the tom felt the same awe as he did. Part of the gray tabby wanted to spark the same awe in his apprentice, but the other part was still angry about the fight earlier. Maybe we'll go to the Thunderpath first... Flintfang mused, thinking that the black path could achieve both his ambitions. "We're going to the ShadowClan border first." The gray warrior mewed, padding off through the mud, white paws slick with dirt.

They arrived sometime later, the sun slowly rising through the bare trees. Flintfang knew the Thunderpath well. He had spilt blood on this very path, had sealed his fate and healed his mind. But Dewpaw didn't know of the warrior's secret, and there was no reason to tell him. The hard, black stone that stretched before the two cats smelled unnatural and radiated heat, even with the cold of leaf-bare. Distant rumbles could be heard from approaching monsters, whispering the tale of death. "You've heard of monsters, right? They're terrifying. Look," Flintfang meant Dewpaw's eyes, hoping to convey a serious tone. "...word of advice; stay away from the path, or you'll be churned into crowfood." A red beast zoomed by as the warrior spoke, blowing Flintfang's fur every which way and shaking the ground beneath it. The tom gave a meaningful nod, brow raised, as if to say; See what I mean?

Dewpaw snorted. ”Yay Shadowclan!” He mocked and followed his mentor silently. He held back a gag as anhorendous stench filled his nose. Smells like Shadowclan mixed with dirt! He scrunched up his eyes and nose and looked at his mentor. ”Yes I know what a monster is!” He snapped. ”I’m not taking advice from a kitty pet and not letting him treat me kit!” He growled. A monster zoomed by and he shook his head with disgust. ”Terrifying?” He growled. ”Don’t come here and your worries are gone! That’s some better advice. Kittypet.” He sneered.

Flintfang snorted at Dewpaw's retort, turning away from the Thunderpath and back into the forest. "Honestly, what difference does a kittypet have from a clan cat?" The gray tabby turned toward his apprentice and gave him a playful ear flick. "Yeah, kittypets are fat and can't fight. But that's not because they have kittypet blood, it's because they're trapped in a Twoleg nest and don't know any better." The tom continued walking, steering right to head toward the Windclan border. "You could throw any Thunderclan warrior in a nest with a Twoleg, and they'd be soft within seconds." The two soon arrived at the border, the forest falling away to reveal, four, massive oaks, and a sweeping moor beyond. "Blood means nothing, Dewpaw." Flintfang chose to ignore the spiteful tone in his apprentice's voice. They may have fought the whole way here, but blood insults wouldn't work on the warrior. "Now tell me what you now about these trees."

Dewpaw jumped back at the flick on his ear. "Don't touch me." He hissed, his eyes cold. "Any warrior is a kittypet when their soft and stupid." He hissed. "Kittypets don't deserve to be warriors." He growled. He then sat down and bit his paw, drawing a tad bit of blood. "What would Lepordstar think.. Ya know.. If a warrior hurt an apprentice?" He smiled at his mentor.

Flintfang rolled his eyes at Dewpaw's retort, pushing a hard breath of air from his nose. I guess we won't be talking about fourtrees... Frustrated, the tom turned away from the clearing and padded back into the tree cover, deciding that the exploration was over. He wanted to be back in camp, away from his responsibilities. They walked in silence for a while, trees clicking together, and wind blowing through their fur. Dewpaw's next words, came as a surprise. The younger tom had ripped at his own paw, drawing blood and... is he threatening me? Green eyes narrowed, Flintfang cocked his head to give his apprentice a steely glare. "Leopardstar would think you're a mousebrain for biting your own paw." His voice lowered into a growl and Flintfang pushed his face closer, wanting to portray the gravity of the situation. "Don't test your word against mine, kit, you will lose."

ooc: sorry for the wait! I had forgotten to put this topic on my list of what to reply to!

Dewpaw smiled. “And what would Leopardstat think when I’m wailing and hurt and you say he bit his paw? Hmm?” He growled. Dewpaw and leaned into his mentors face. Not blinking, his piercing gaze locked on his mentors. He swiped at his mentors leg as quick as a snake, paws in sheared. “I was bore a rouge however I have potential unlike the unworthy warrior, also called Dewpaws mentor.” He sneered.

Flintfang hissed as Dewpaw clawed at his legs, stepping back a few paces. He was angry now, and there was no more hiding it. He had tried to be civil, tried to teach and educate, but in return his pupil had given him a bloody leg and insults thrown at his ego. "That's enough!" Flintfang roared, eyes blazing and teeth flashing in the light. "If you won't respect me, then you don't deserve a mentor!" His enraged shout had birds flying from their perches on trees overhead. It seemed to ring through the forest, and silence followed after. "I'm done." The warrior turned away from the smaller orange and white tabby, trudging through the mud to who knows where. Not back to camp certainly. Leopardstar could assign Dewpaw a new mentor. But Flintfang had had enough.

ooc: Saint, how about we end the topic here, and then next time when Flintfang and Dewpaw meet (after the flood) it can be on better terms?