Meet Me In The Woods [Closed]

There was a nervousness to Honeypaw's steps as she carefully skirted around the ThunderClan border and into the location she had heard many tales about - Fourtrees. This was her first time venturing so far from the camp, mostly on her own but she couldn't deny how breathtaking it all was. She stood on the cusp of the hill, her eyes widening at the sight of the towering trees and the lone, great rock that rested in the clearing. On careful paws, she headed into Fourtrees proper, taking in the stale scents. She recognized two of the scents - one being of RiverClan and the other being ThunderClan. The other three stale, but still overpowering scents escaped her but it wasn't hard to imagine that they were the other Clans.

She trotted toward the rock, her neck craning as she drew closer. The leaders sat all the way up there? She reared onto her back legs, planting her paws on the side of the rock as she tried to judge how high it was and if she could jump up there. After a few moments, she sighed as she dropped back onto all fours. No, she doubted she could jump that high, she wasn't a SkyClan cat after all. She felt more at home with all four paws either on the ground or in the water... Her nose crinkled as she realized there were extra scents beneath the Clans - most fresher than she had been expecting. Clearly she wasn't the first cat to come out here outside of a full moon... And suddenly she found herself getting slightly worried that perhaps she wouldn't be alone in Fourtrees for long.

Marshpaw trotted into Fourtrees, looking around him. He knew he probably shouldn’t be wandering off this far on his own...No, he definitely shouldn’t be wandering off this far on his own, but he couldn’t help it: he was bored, and he wanted to explore. And he had been so wrapped up into the crowd at his first gathering that he hadn’t really gotten a good look at the area proper, so, why not? Plus, it was one of the only unfamiliar places he could explore without trespassing.

Marshpaw, wrapped up in his little adventure, did not notice how fresh the scent of another cat was in the clearing; in fact, he did not realize he was not alone until he spotted the pale yellow she-cat right near him.

Oh! Someone else is here? Should I worry…? He thought, briefly entertaining the idea that this other cat might not be happy to see him, and perhaps might even be dangerous...but it wasn’t in Marshpaw’s nature to think badly of anyone for too long, however logical it may seem to do so. Instead, he jumped to the assumption that this other cat was just exploring, like him. From a quick glance, they appeared to be around the same age as him. Maybe they were another bored apprentice? No matter; he was more than happy to see someone else!

“Hi there!” he said, approaching her, with none of the cautiousness that meeting a stranger in a place you were not necessarily supposed to be should inspire. His speech was rapid and energetic. “I’m Marshpaw. I’m out here....exploring, I guess? I was bored, and I wanted to see Fourtrees again. Who’re you, what brings you here?”

Spotting a flicker of movement in the corner of her gaze, Honeypaw nearly jumped as she realized that she truly wasn't alone. She spun to face the cat, her fur standing on edge for nearly a second before she realized that he had a rather relaxed and friendly air around him as he was happy approaching her. She sighed in relief, mostly having run into somebody around her age. The scent rolling off of him was unfamiliar, dark and musty...She had a feeling it was ShadowClan's scent, judging from what stories she had heard about their territory.

"Hello," she returned, rather surprised by his cheery, energetic tone as she perked her ears to catch every bit of his rambles. Mashpaw, huh? At least he seemed very friendly. She slowly sat down, curling her tail around her paws. "I'm Honeypaw! And..." she paused, glancing around the clearing. In all honestly, part of the reason she had left the camp was because it was...Tough, feeling like she could easily feel the space that the recent disappearances had left. But...Marshpaw didn't need to know that, so she decided to go with the other half of the reason. "I'm exploring, just like you. I've never seen Fourtrees before but heard so much about it! Its...Honestly more than I was expecting."

Marshpaw nodded. "I've only been to Fourtrees once before, at my first gathering a little while ago. But I got pretty distracted by everything going on, and didn't really get a good look at the area itself, so...I thought, why not come back? You're right though, it's...more than I had first expected. It's a pretty cool place!"


Now that he was paying more attention to his fellow explorer, he realized that her scent was certainly that of RiverClan. It was a scent he knew well, almost as well as that of ShadowClan's, having spent a good portion of his early apprenticeship in RiverClan's territory, after the whole "StagClan" incident. He briefly noted that he didn't recognize her from that time, concluding that she was either too young or had simply forgotten; a little forgetfulness was not unlike him, after all.

"You're...a RiverClanner, right? I actually lived in RiverClan's camp during the start of my apprenticeship after ShadowClan was...driven from our home. I enjoyed getting to see the territory, though I still can never get how you all are so used to water! I tried to figure out fishing, but it, uh...didn't go so well," he let out a chuckle "But I liked my time there overall, circumstances aside! And I'm so grateful to your clan in general. How are things in RiverClan nowadays?"

Honeypaw simply listened to his rambles with perked ears, interested in what he had to say but had little idea of how to respond or even where to pipe in with a few words. Marshpaw clearly was a high energy cat and she found himself very amused by him, feeling at ease at how happy and excitable he was. It was a nice change of pace, if she was being honest.

Finally, he paused as she quickly spoke up before he could carry on with more rambles. "I am from RiverClan, yes," she confirmed, before pausing as she mused over his words. She didn't remembered the ShadowClan cats in their camp but stories did come to her mind the more she thought about it. "Honestly, I am far more confused by how the other Clans live. Living in the forest seems far to cramp - no proper room to lie around but WindClan lives so out in the open! No reeds to hide in..." she admitted, shaking her head. It was so confusing that SkyClan and ThunderClan preferred to live among the trees - they couldn't see the sun to sunbathe in! Perhaps that was why ThunderClan was so keen on getting Sunningrocks, because they realized what they were missing..

But...It was his final question that caused her to freeze. So much had happened in RiverClan with the death of Jaystar and some of the cats disappearing but...It wasn't really her place to say such major news.. "Things are...Fine, in RiverClan," she said, giving Marshpaw a soft smile, hoping he wouldn't notice the hesitation in her words. "There has been some recent...Issues, but nothing that we can't handle. But what about ShadowClan? I've only heard stories about your Clan, what is it like there?"

Marshpaw nodded along as Honeypaw spoke about the other clans' territories. "That's fair!" he chimed in briefly. "We all live differently enough that I suppose we're all a bit odd in other's eyes, even if to us it makes sense," In the end, he supposed, RiverClan's waters were no odder than his own clan's marshes.

Marshpaw listened as the she-cat said everything was fine in her clan, and smiled happily. He did not hear the hesitation in her voice; those were not the sort of things he tended to pick up on. Sometimes he did, in odd flashes of insight-- but right now was not one of those sometimes. He took what she said at face value when she told him that the clan hadn't faced anything they couldn't handle. And then there was her question-- what was ShadowClan like? Marshpaw was honestly not sure how to answer. He loved his clan, he really did, but he wasn't really sure how to do it justice with a description...and in all honesty, the turmoil that had marked his early apprenticehood, and the movement out of the territory...had left him with less of a connection to Clan and more a connection to clanmates.

"ShadowClan is great! Not that I'm biased," he laughed a little, his slight doubts doing nothing to dampen the humor and brightness of his tone. "I suppose you could say we've had a few issues, too, but I suppose all the clans must, right? Nothing we can't get through, like what you said...And even so, I love my clanmates, and I love our home. It's very marsh-y, which I guess might seem gross to some cats...but I don't know, it's home to me. And with my name being Marshpaw, it's not like I can't like my own namesake" he said, letting out another laugh. "Y'know, I almost kinda think it's too bad we don't all get to see more than our own territories on a regular basis. There's just so much out there and around us that we never get to really see!"

Honeypaw tilted her head as he went on, her curiosity peaking as he described the ShadowClan territory. She had only seen the other Clans' territories from afar, so to hear a direct description was so interesting! They were all so different in their way of lives but...They weren't that different. were they? "I mean, the marsh might be...Gross to some but you also said that you didn't understand why we love water. Its...Kinda we all have our own tastes and that is perfectly fine...Right?" She knew fights and wars were prone to happen between the Clans but most of them were for good, justice reasons, weren't they? But when it came to how the Clans live, if it was sticking to the Warrior Code then what did it matter? They all had their own different tastes.

"You do have a point, it is a shame that we aren't allowed to see the other Clans' territories," she sighed, glancing off toward the horizon of the ThunderClan territory. "We all live so differently from one another, wouldn't it do us some good to get a better idea of how the other Clans live? To understand what drives them and what makes them pick their choices." Her whiskers twitched as she shook her head. "I've grown up hearing so many stories about the battles that have been fought but..." she frowned. "I wonder how many could have been stopped if people just...Talked!"

"Exactly!" Marshpaw said, in whole-hearted agreement with Honeypaw. He followed her gaze for a moment over towards ThunderClan's territory, then looked back at the RiverClan apprentice as he continued. "Sometimes it feels like everyone's a little too willing to just jump to...accusation and anger. It's just, like, battles should be such a last resort, you know? It feels like more harm always comes from them than good...I wish all the clans could be just a little kinder towards each other as a default, y'know?" he tilted his head in thought, his voice growing just a little more serious. "That's why I was so grateful to your clan taking us in, y'know? We should all be willing to do that for each other when we need it," He smiled, and his voice perked up again. "It's really nice to get to be able to discuss this, especially with someone from another clan!"

Her tail lashed in excitement of finding somebody with the same views as her, her ears perking as she listened to him talk. Simple acts of kindness could go such a long way and while she understood fights were prone to happen...Why couldn't there be more an effort on understanding each other than focusing on how different they were. "Yeah, this is really nice," she agreed with a happy sigh. "I hope when I become a warrior, I can became a source of...Good advice, I guess. Be there to suggest talking things out if trouble brews, not be so quick on action." She was sure her father was going to struggle with the burden of leadership, he hadn't asked for it and hadn't expected it so soon...She knew it wasn't going to be her spot to help give him advice - that was what Ivybrook was for but she still wanted to be of help when she could. "It seems a lot of things have been happening and that can lead to stress and stress can lead to...Quick decisions. I just hope that cats will be able to take a step back and think before they act, you know? Save everybody from unneeded heartache."

"I certainly hope that cats listen to that advice of yours! We'd all be better off for it. I hope as a warrior, I can be helpful, too! Marshpaw responded to Honeypaw's first statement "Be a trusted member of my clan...really, my greatest wish as a warrior is to just...help, however possible!"

In fact he thought to himself I'm going to make a promise to myself...any time I can help someone, I will help them. No matter what.. Marshpaw made the silent promise with glee, happy to have his own little code to live by. He thought nothing of situations that might be over his head, perhaps due to the very fact that most situations were at least a little over his head. And he certainly didn't think about how sometimes helping one might be harming another...shades of gray really were not part of his mindset. Goodness was always goodness, kindness always kindness, help always helpful.

"Yes," Marshpaw said, agreeing with Honeypaw again. "I hope so, to. I really do. So many fights happen in the heat of the moment that might not happen if everyone would just...wait. And everyone ends up worse off because of it."

It was funny: Marshpaw was a cat who, in most situations, ran almost entirely on impulse and energy. But violence was the absolute exception. He would never just attack someone without trying to talk first. Perhaps, in an odd way, that was an impulse, too: just an impulse towards stillness, not movement.

"Helping is good," she said with a small smile.Memories of her last day as a kit came flooding back, her smiling fading ever so slightly as she thought about the events that had only happened what seemed like a couple sunrises ago. "I've seen so many of my Clanmates being hurt by grief and I felt so...Helpless, being unable to do anything to comfort them because I was so young," she admitted as her gaze dropped to her paws, kneading the ground slightly as she spoke. "I don't want anybody to feel that pain, even if they are in a different Clan. If I can help somebody, I...I want to do everything I can to comfort those who need it. I just wish...I just wish I know how I am suppose to comfort others who are hurting so much."

"Yeah me...me too, I-- I couldn't do anything...when my clan was chased from our home, I couldn't do anything. I wish I could've. But I couldn't," Marshpaw said, also dropping his gaze downward for a moment. If there was any feeling he hated more than anything in the world...it was feeling useless. And he had wanted so badly to help and he hadn't been able to do anything. But he couldn't do nothing forever. It didn't matter how little he knew...how...out of his depth he almost always was, he had to do something, whenever he could. "I wish I knew a perfect way to comfort others, too. I guess you just have to...try your best, and hope it goes well. That's what I try to do!" he commented, hoping it would go well whenever he tried to be helpful. No, he was sure it would! Because he would be helping, right? How could being helpful go wrong?

Slowly, as Marshpaw spoke, Honeypaw found herself rising to her paws as she padded over to him and gently rested her head on his shoulder as she sat down next to her. "We...Both have regrets on what we couldn't do," she murmured, trying to put her words into action by comforting him. "But...We also seem to strive to want to make amends for our inaction - even if it wasn't possible to help in the first place...And...That's what matters now, isn't it? We can't stop the hurting that has already happened, but we can do so much to try to help what will no doubt come." She lifted her head, giving Marshpaw a soft smile. "How about we hold each other accountable? We make sure that we are doing what is best for our clans and make sure each other don't loose sight of that - of what's truly important...Our famiy, our clans."

"Holding each other accountable...yes, that sounds like a good idea. Make sure we both stay true to our goals," Marshpaw smiled back at Honeypaw. He was so happy he had been bored that evening and had decided to come here. It felt really good to have found someone so closely in agreement with him to talk to. Despite how much he loved his clanmates, the truth was he didn't really have any super close friends yet...so getting to have a meaningful discussion like this, it really meant a lot to Marshpaw. "Y'know, I'm really happy I decided to come exploring here tonight! I'm glad we've met and I'm so glad we had this talk. It was really nice, and really helpful. So thank you,"

Honeypaw smiled as Marshpaw agreed, feeling...Perhaps truly at peace for the first time since she had become an apprentice. Things seemed so much clearing, an idea of who she wanted to be set in her head...And somebody she could hopefully trust would make sure that she wouldn't stray from that path, as long as she kept him in check all the same. "Yeah," she sighed, turning her gaze toward the sky. "This...This was a good idea. It was so great to meet you, Marshpaw. Hopefully we'll see each other at the next Gathering...And I hope we remain friends for a long, long time," she added as her glanced back at him.

It was odd, she always knew that it wasn't all that strange to have friends in the other Clans but she surely hadn't expected to make one so quickly. She could only hope that peace would remain between RiverClan and ShadowClan - so that they could both work together on their goals without worrying if there was chance of fighting between the two...But she had a feeling that together, they could do great things for both of their Clans.