Forbidden Fruit (Closed)

Dawnpaw had trained well with Blossomstep, catching prey, sparring, all that. He'd done his duties for the day, but had no intention of staying in bed this time. Once night patrol had left and the camp quieted down, Dawnpaw slipped out of camp and stalked away into the night on his own. He knew that he was practically a glowing beacon due to his white and gold fur, that now looked ghostly under the silver moonlight. Dawnpaw wasn't Bloodstrike, so he had to come up with a new strategy for hiding in the dark. He purposely slipped through the densest underbrush that he could find, his fur snagging here and there which would ultimately leave a trail if someone were to discover the tufts of fur in the bush twigs. He decided that that just wasn't working... so Dawnpaw tried something different after a particularly nasty chunk of fur has been pulled out of his tail.

Curse this longer fur, thanks a lot mom! He thought to himself before he scaled the trees as a back up plan. The tree branches were much easier, even if most of them were pines. Dawnpaw leaped from branch to branch, some very quietly and others... not so quietly. He made a note to practice being silent as he moved through the trees, as Skyclan cats were known to do. Still, he made it to the edge of Skyclan territory without any problems from other cats or predators. He made a particularly long jump from one oak to another, right above where the Fallen Oak border lie. Dawnpaw then settled himself into a crouched position on the branch. Whatever Thunderclan cat that came along that he felt he could take in a fight, he would attack them without a word. He had skills that he needed to test, as he was sure another Thunderclan apprentice would as well.

Rosepaw scanned the trees and undergrowth near the Fallen Oak for any signs of movement. He interaction with Bloodstrike had certainly taught her to look up. As her honey-brown eyes were sweeping the trees, she instantly spotted a flash of lighter fur. Must be another cat. SkyClan, most likely. Frowning, Rosepaw called up to the mystery cat. ”Hello? Uh...SkyClan cat? I saw you. You can come down now. I won’t attack. Just...trying to be friendly.” Rosepaw gave a nervous smile, before leaping gracefully up the Fallen Oak, preparing herself for a less-than-friendly greeting. I would also appreciate it if you wouldn’t attack me, please and thank you. She added silently inside her head.

Dawnpaw didn't have to wait long at all to get a response. He stiffened a bit at first, clearly he'd been seen already. Foxdung! He thought to himself, once again cursing his bright fur. His eyes landed on a she-cat, similar in age to him... and the worst thoughts possible ran through the young tom's head.

Oh I'll be friendly alright... He thought to himself before he gracefully dropped from one branch to the next, eventually landing in one smooth motion onto the fallen oak. He eyed the other apprentice-aged cat, but his gaze was soft and welcoming.

"It seems I've been caught. Oh well..." Dawnpaw purred in a voice that was calm, soothing... even breathy. "I'm Dawnpaw. Who are you?" He dropped smoothly into a careful sit and wrapped his silver and gold weaved tail around his paws. Perhaps his pretty fur would... entice her. At least sometimes it had it's uses. He needed to get better at lying if he wasn't going to be the champion of hiding, he decided.

Now to see how far he could go with fooling this other apprentice into thinking he was someone that he wasn't.

Rosepaw blinked in stunned surprise. Well...I don’t think I expected this. Im Rosepaw of ThunderClan. Dawnpaw is a pretty name.” Smiling at his kindness, she dipped her head in a greeting. He’s a rather...handsome tom. I guess. Instantly after thinking that, Rosepaw shook her thoughts away. Forcing a smile, she tentatively sat down. ”I guess this is the second time I’ve seen a SkyClan cat here. It’s rather...surprising. I guess. The first cat I met was a warrior.” I wonder if Bloodstrike knows Dawnpaw. Or vice versa. I should ask him sometime, maybe at the next Gathering.

Dawnpaw was very observant for a young apprentice, and he most certainly did not miss the way she looked at him. Perfect. He managed to keep his face friendly, but otherwise neutral, though he wasn't quite as good at controlling his tell-tale bodily signs yet. His tail twitched a bit in excitement.

"You think Dawnpaw is a pretty name, when your name is Rosepaw?" He looked at her sideways and smirked. "You're just being nice." Upon hearing that she had met another Skyclan warrior here already, Dawnpaw's eyes shot up to the trees around them. He almost didn't believe that they were alone now. He sniffed the air and opened his mouth to taste for any signs of another cat around. No one. Just them.

"Well I probably know who they were. It's not like Skyclan is very big after all. I imagine Thunderclan is a huge clan." His eyes settled on her now and his tail went from being curled around his paws to swiping out and behind him. So far... this interaction was going quite well.

Rosepaw’s pelt flushed hot in embarrassment, before she quickly covered it up. What are you doing?No falling for cats outside your Clan, remember? “I doubt you’ll see the warrior here. I met Bloodstrike some time ago. ThunderClan is...rather large. I don’t know many cats there, though. I don’t really have any...friends. Strange, I know.” She swished her tail back and forth nervously as Dawnpaw’s blue eyes met her own. Is he...? No, of course not. Dawnpaw would know better. “I’m a rather newer apprentice, I just got apprenticed last moon.” Her light brown eyes watched as his tail swished to and fro. How could a cat have such pretty markings? Dear StarClan, what is happening to me?

Dawnpaw's claws came out for just a moment at the mention of his father. "I know Bloodstrike," He admitted. "He's my dad... I know I don't look anything like him though." Which Dawnpaw was partially jealous of. It was much easier to hide when your fur was dark like his was. His ears pricked forward at the mention that she didn't have any friends. No wonder this was going so well! She was lonely! This is going to be so easy... is this really going to be good practice for me? He wondered to himself. That and Rosepaw was clearly crushing on him. Dawnpaw knew he wouldn't have many opportunities like this to see just how far he could push someone when he had their trust, but still, the real test would be against his father and similar cats. Bloodstrike was very good at detecting lies and deceit.

Very good.

"What's wrong with your clan that they don't befriend you? I think you're just fine." He nodded once as if telling off a thunderclan cat who disagreed with him. A thought suddenly occurred to him and he couldn't help but smile.

"We should find a Shadowclan apprentice... and make a... what is the word... a club? Just for apprentices who don't have any friends, or just would like to talk to other apprentices without warriors telling them what to do. We could make our own gatherings, maybe every crescent moon after a real gathering." It was all just the ideas of a young apprentice right now, and he wouldn't be offended if she objected to it. It was sort of silly, but he'd go with it if she seemed excited. Besides, if he had to beat the fur off a cocky shadowclanner, he would. Simple as that.

Rosepaw contemplated about the group of apprentices. ”I suppose...that could work. We just need to find a friendly-enough apprentice, or warrior, to befriend us. We wouldn’t want someone to attack us, would we?” She smiled at Dawnpaw, before realizing with a start about what he said. ”Oh...oh! Great StarClan, Bloodstrike is your father? Wow...you two don’t look similar at all. I wonder if you got your markings from your mom then.” But it does make sense, too. They’re both friendly and love hiding in the treetops. ”He seems like a nice parent. My parents...aren’t close to me. They’re too busy doing warrior duties and all that anyways.” Rosepaw shrugged as if it was nothing, but deep inside, a tiny part of her was jealous that Dawnpaw had a great family that cared about him.

"I don't even really look that much like my mom either, except the longer fur, but her fur is even longer than mine. I mostly just have the fluffy tail." He wiggled it behind him so it made a few swishing noises. "My dad thinks my gold colors is his red coloring trying to come through, but can only do it lightly. I have a sister who is gold and white too, then I have two other sisters that are silver and white. Clearly that means they're not as good as me." He stood straighter and stuck a dramatic pose. Only a moment later, he chuckled and looked Rosepaw int he eye again. "I'm kidding." Not really, but whatever. The conversation almost seemed like it might go further into family than Dawnpaw really cared to, so he was getting eager to change the subject.

"You should sneak me around the Thunderclan territory sometime. I can return the favor and show you Skyclan lands. I know when the patrols happen, so we'll be able to avoid them just fine." At this point, Dawnpaw looked into her eyes for a moment. He smiled, a warm smile and softly chuckled. "I would really like you to see where I live..." Now the real test... could he convince her to get into trouble and ignore the warrior code? Truly, he didn't want her to be caught by anyone, but just the temptation to get into some trouble as an apprentice would be a worthy goal. Apprentices were known for getting into trouble and doing risky behavior, weren't they?

Rosepaw twitched her ears in an amused action. “Oh? Then I suppose that if I’m brown that makes me a bit less special, right?” What Dawnpaw proposed next shocked her. “Th—ThunderClan territory? I—no, I can’t break the warrior code. I’m sorry. You’re nice and all, but...this is just going a bit too far.” She bit her lip, looking a bit worried. Would I really risk my own apprenticeship to sneak another into ThunderClan territory? She was crushing on Dawnpaw, she knew that, but Rosepaw wasn’t supposed to crush on anyone outside of her own Clan. Taking Dawnpaw, as charming as he was, into another Clan’s territory would not go unpunished. “I can always just hear what SkyClan territory looks like from you—or any other SkyClan cat.”

Oh jeeze my pelt is the least of the things that makes me better than most, Rosepaw you goof. Dawnpaw thought to himself, but didn't want to say it out loud. Instead, he gave her a nervous laugh. "I said I was kidding! You're fantastic, even if you're not silver or gold it doesn't matter." Yes it does. Dawnpaw's eyes widened a bit at her reaction to him going into Thunderclan territory. And there it was... the Warrior Code. Dawnpaw needed incredible restraint to not sigh very, very loudly at that.

"Okay, okay! Relax! Calm down it was just something that would have been fun." He smiled at her, but now he was determined to get her to agree. It would take time, but now it was a project of his to get into Thunderclan territory with her assistance. He loved challenges like this!

"The Warrior Code... given to us by Starclan... I guess it really is a bad idea to break it isn't it?" Dawnpaw now dove into his acting skills at full force. "I'm a new apprentice myself... so I haven't had a chance to ask questions about it. What if Thunderclan had a leader that told you to kill kits, or maybe they themselves said it was okay to wander into another clan's territory?" He paused a moment and looked at the sky, pretending to think. How far can I push you, little rose? He slowly looked back down at her with a serious face. "What if you had a leader that said... forbidden romances was no big deal?" He betrayed no emotion at this point to give her no inclination one way or another as to how he felt about her, pretending or not.

He would wait patiently for her answer, to see if she could follow where he was going with this or if these concepts would throw the poor thing for a loop. He was about to see how much she really had thought about the Warrior Code...

“I—I don’t...fine. Only the borders. Not any further.” Rosepaw’s tone was serious this time. Oh stars, he really does know how to convince other cats. Shaking her head, she leapt off of the Fallen Oak. “Uh...are we going now or...? I don’t want to be a bother.” Rosepaw groomed herself quickly, beckoning for Dawnpaw to get off too. ”I won’t tell anyone. I don’t do that a lot, but it won’t hurt to just take a peek, right?” A small part of her head told her otherwise. Wrong, Rosepaw. This cat...you just met Dawnpaw. What if he attacks you? This is breaking the code! She shrugged off the other voice, focusing on her goal. He’s a harmless apprentice, like me. If he does attack me, I can handle it myself. Dawnpaw would be on our territory, which means I can just call for help if I need any.

For someone who seemed very concerned about getting in trouble a minute ago, Rosepaw was now willing to show him around, even if it was only the borders. Dawnpaw blinked in surprise. He honestly had just been asking questions, but she caved without giving much of an answer. Was he making her uncomfortable? Did questioning the Warrior Code frighten her so? Good. Dawnpaw nodded once in agreement and casually dropped to the floor from the log. Now, back to his questions...

"I'm just saying..." He began slowly, his voice lowering a bit as he entered Thunderclan territory. "The warrior code says that the leader's word is the warrior code, so what happens when you have a leader that orders you to do something outside the rest of the code? Don't you see how it falls completely flat on it's face? And yet we put so much importance on it. I personally feel like that is just... insane. What do you think?" If she seemed too terribly uncomfortable, he would stop. Besides, he had said what he felt needed to be said already. He would follow her where ever she wanted to take him, his tail tip twitching with excitement. He'd never been out of Skyclan territory before!

”I suppose that whoever chose that horrible leader as a deputy would be very foolish to. At least for now...we don’t have a leader like that.” Yet. It’s bound to happen someday. Rosepaw sighed as Dawnpaw entered ThunderClan territory. ”The leaders break the code sometimes too. No one can really stop them, unless the whole Clan fights back, that is. Anyways, where do you want to go first? I think maybe the edges of the territory would be good.” She flicked her striped tabby tail, the sane part of her screeching inside her head. He. Is. A SKYCLAN APPRENTICE. What are you doing? As the two sides of her mind battled and yowled at each other, Rosepaw lead Dawnpaw into the forest.

Dawnpaw held back a chuckle. She was innocent, more so than maybe she should be, but that was alright. It just made his games that much more fun. She spoke about leaders choosing bad deputies, and yet she had no idea that she was being played right now. Did she not even consider deceit to be an option? Alas, Dawnpaw kept quiet after that and just allowed her to believe what she wanted for now. When she was a bit older, she would thin about it more. Dawnpaw was a similar age to her as well, but he supposed he just thought about things more, whereas Rosepaw had the type of personality to react first and think later.

"You're the Thunderclan cat, you tell me what cool things there are to see." He suggested kindly. Thunderclan territory wasn't that different from Skyclan, so if he needed to retreat quickly, he would do so through the trees like a true Skyclan warrior. He doubted that the heavier, larger Thunderclan cats would have much of a chance practically gliding across the branches like he could.

OOC: Do you want to put another thread in Thunderclan territory somewhere?