Silver Threads [Silverpaw]

The evening sun cast long shadows across camp by the time Swiftpaw returned to camp from patrolling, and the apprentice was happy to part ways with her mentor and stretch out near the edge of camp with a smaller rabbit. Today had been battle training, and Swiftpaw thought she might just get a good night's sleep when she finally took to her nest for the night. As it was now, cats still milled about camp, coming and going on patrols, so she wouldn't bother going to her nest for a while yet. And besides, Swiftpaw could do with getting to know more of her clanmates, anyways. Aside from Softbreeze, her mentor, Nightwind and Sunnyskip, she didn't know many of them as well as she ought to by this point. Being a former rogue, she hadn't been here all that long compared to most apprentices around her age.

It seemed someone else had a similar thought at least, and Swiftpaw lifted her head at approaching footsteps. Silverpaw, if she remembered right, a fellow apprentice. "Oh, hey." She greeted, offering the older apprentice a soft smile.

"What a day..." mumbled Silverpaw as he slowly made his way back into the camp, pawsteps a tad slower than normal. It'd been a long day for the young tom, longer than normal at least. After having patrolled for a while in the morning, most of the day had been spent practicing hunting tactics and a few battle moves, which was more than thrilling for the apprentice. Not long after, he ran around camp finishing up chores then headed back out to catch a rabbit or two. Finally, he had just returned back to camp after having spent some time reviewing all that he'd learn that day at his favorite spot. Normally, by this time of the day, he'd still have plenty of energy left to burn but surprisingly, the gray tom was almost fully burned out. It was a miracle, really.

The apprentice shuffled over to the prey pile and took something random after debating whether he should eat now or a bit later. With the nice-looking pheasant he'd just snatched up hanging from his jaws and his paws ready to finally relax after a long day of apprentice duties, Silverpaw was more than ready to find a spot to relax and enjoy a good meal.

The young tom's green gaze eventually landed on a familiar figure enjoying a rabbit at a section near the edge of the camp. He'd seen Swiftpaw quite a few times around the camp and had spoken to her at least once or twice but hadn't really gotten to know the molly as he'd like to. His social butterfly side was quaking with the need to go start up a friendly conversation. It seemed like the prime time to become better acquainted with her, after all.

As the tom approached with his meal, he heard a greeting from the other apprentice. He placed down the bird once he had gotten near enough and offered the she-cat a friendly grin. "Hey there, Swiftpaw! Is it okay if I join ya here? Just got back from practicin' some battle moves and finally feel tired enough to sit down for a break." The gray-furred tom took a few moments to stretch before continuing, "What've you been up to lately? If you don't mind me asking, of course."

"Of course, Silverpaw!" Swiftpaw smiled up at the other apprentice, waving her tail in an invitation to sit. "I've been doing battle training, too. Tawnyflare is tough, but I'm getting the hang of things. I think I'll sleep well tonight." She added with a chuckle. Windclan had a very different fighting style than what she had been used to as a rogue, so it had been a bit of an adjustment.

"So how's training been going, battle training aside?" She asked between bites of her rabbit. She was curious to hear about the perspective of another apprentice. Swiftpaw was sure that he had to have a better relationship with his own mentor than she did with Tawnyflare, at least.

"Great! Thanks." he answered with a light tone of relief in his voice as he plopped down next to his meal, grateful to finally be resting his paws. He took a generous bite of the pheasant as he listened attentively to what Swiftpaw was saying, head nodding on occasion. "That's good to hear. Even if WindClan's style of fighting is different than what you may be used to, I'm sure you'll master it soon enough. You're quite talented, after all." Although he wanted to, he didn't comment on Swift's lack of details about Tawnyflare, for now. Silverpaw shot the she-cat a smile before nibbling on his bird some more as he pondered her question to him for a few moments.

"My training's been going pretty well, if I do say so myself. Dayspring's a real good mentor despite me being her first apprentice. She's got a lot of duties aside from training me so I kinda have to do some things on my own for longer than most apprentices would have to. I don't mind, though. I try to review everything she teaches me as often as I can so I don't forget and so I can improve. I just wanna make her, the clan, and my mothers proud of my progress, ya know?" There was a wistful expression that had taken over his face as he thought about how far he's come and how much he still has left to do. Remembering that he was supposed to be chatting with Swiftpaw, he shook himself from his daydreaming with a sheepish grin before turning his full attention back to his denmate. "So, you said Tawnyflare was being a bit... tough. Is she a good mentor? She isn't making you do extremely difficult things right? That wouldn't be fair of her to do." Silverpaw hoped he wasn't being too intrusive but he was curious of what Swiftpaw thought about her mentor. He hadn't had a good chance to interact with Tawny but what he's seen of her, she didn't seem too bad.

"She's... Alright, I suppose. I get the feeling that she doesn't like many cats, and wasn't particularly fond of gaining an apprentice." Tawnyflare had been quite blunt about not liking her, actually, but that was neither here nor there. "Mostly she tries to end our training as fast as possible, so I wind up practicing with others." Swiftpaw was perfectly okay with it, if she was being honest. If Tawnyflare wasn't willing to put in the effort, most of the rest of Windclan was perfectly willing to help an apprentice with their training. Tawnyflare's problem with her wasn't something she would let get in the way of doing what she needed to do. Tawnyflare seemed to think that she was fine to ignore her clanmates, and Swiftpaw doubted her attitude would change when she was no longer an apprentice.

"Dayspring seems nice, I can't imagine how busy she must be, though." She hadn't interacted much with the deputy beyond her ceremony, and Swiftpaw thought her words were true enough. "I understand wanting to make your parents proud." A wistful note entered her voice. Hadn't that been what Eleos had wanted, too? The pointed apprentice gave her head a shake. "I hope I can make the clan proud of me, at least."

"Mmm... I guess I could kinda understand why she'd be like that. Not saying it's right of her to be acting like that but with how her life's been..." Silverpaw's heard stories about the Asylum and all the awful things they did to the clans. It wasn't too long ago but after everything that had occurred after the clans' liberation, it sure felt that way. In a sense, he felt bad for the warrior. He'd be distrusting of most everyone if he had a life like hers. However, it was a bit worrying that Tawny was treating her apprentice as if she didn't care if she got her training done or not. What made him feel a bit more at ease was hearing the slight unconcerned tone in Swiftpaw's voice. She was making do with how her training was going rather well. To be honest, it was inspiring to listen about how well she was pushing forward despite little guidance from her mentor.

"Dayspring's a swell deputy and nothing but kind. It's another reason why I really don't mind learning on my own every once in a while. She motivates me to do my best and not give up too easliy even if things aren't going my way..." The older apprentice trailed off as he took a bite of his food. The molly's next words made his chest ache a bit. He'd nearly forgotten that she wasn't born in the clan, seeing as she fit in so well. She didn't have parents here but did have cats who looked after her and cared a lot about her. The young tom thought for a few moments before speaking once more, "Swiftpaw, you don't have to worry about that. You're smart and you train very hard despite... despite the mentor you have. I'm certain you'll make the clan proud and you'll be given your warrior name in no time. Have confidence in yourself. If your parents were here, I'm sure they'd be so proud of how far you've come." A soft smile made it's way onto his muzzle as he spoke with encouragement. Naturally, all that he said, he said with sincerity. It's what he truly believed. Some would say he was too optimistic and not realistic enough but honestly, is there truly a fault in having a bit of faith in others? If someone hasn't done something that would warrant distrust or lack of faith, Silverpaw didn't mind believing positive things about them. It was just how he was.

The gray-furred apprentice got up from his spot while picking up his meal. He walked closer to the other cat and sat down right beside her, making sure to leave a decent enough space in between them. He didn't want to make her too uncomfortable with his sudden actions. "If it's alright with you, Swiftpaw, I'd like to call you my friend. You don't have to agree with that, of course. I just... I just really want more friends around my age. I get a bit lonely sometimes and not many want to hang out with me due to my... energetic personality, I guess. I try to make some friends during ceremonies but I don't have much luck most of the time." Silverpaw wasn't sure why he was telling her all this but he just felt like he could spill his worries and issues to her. Perhaps she reminded him a little of Quailpaw, who he hasn't really had much time to spend with as of lately. He loved his sister and wished they would go train together but so far, his wish hadn't come true yet. Perhaps soon he'd spend a whole day with her, like they used to, but for now, it almost felt like he was a bit on his own.

"Maybe... But the past is the past. Just because I was an outsider doesn't give me an excuse to treat the rest of the clan like dirt and act like I'm not a part of the clan I joined." She shrugged. "Still, I suppose that's her problem, not mine."

Silverpaw's words made her smile slightly. He knew how to talk a good game, that was for sure... And she appreciated the faith he seemed to show despite not knowing her well at all. It seemed to Swiftpaw that he was the sort to want to see the good in everyone regardless. It was an admirable trait that a lot of Windclanners seemed to possess... And Eleos balked at the prevalence of it within the clan the clan that had named her Swiftpaw. They were so accepting, so naïve. They freely gave away faith when it hadn't been earned. What happened when they misplaced that faith in someone who would take advantage of it? Friendship and trust being so freely given away would burn the clan before long, of that, Eleos was certain.

"Thanks, Silverpaw. I... needed to hear that." And she wasn't lying when she said it. He thought she'd do fine as a warrior. He was a born Windclanner, and she an outsider who hadn't even been here a full season yet and who had a much later start to proper training in the clan's way of surviving than most. Maybe her mother would have been proud, if she had lived to see it. More likely, she would have been proud of how well-liked Eleos seemed to be, rather than Eleos herself. Her mother had valued ambition, and doubtless would have seen that as something to be proud of and to use to her advantage. Yet there was no advantage to be gained by building friendships, at least not now. The clans did not operate in the same way as groups of loners did, and in truth, Swiftpaw was content with her role within the clan. Liked, but hardly the center of attention.

"We could all use a friend or two, of course." She responded. And again, there was an air of truth to her words. Having a few genuine friendships never hurt anyone. Maybe they would even help Swiftpaw shed the feeling of the outsider looking in, the nagging thoughts of a past that belonged to no clan cat.

Any trace of fear he had of rejection vanished as soon as the she-cat agreed. A swell of happiness rose into his chest as he grinned. He didn't even pay any mind to the tremble in his tail that seemed to have started as he was too giddy to care. "Absolutely! Swiftpaw, thanks so much! You don't know how much this means to me! Gosh, I feel like all the tiredness is gone and I got my energy back. I could probably go out and run a few laps around the entirety of WindClan's territory... but I won't. At least, I won't right now. Perhaps later I'll go but I'd rather stay here and relax with ya." The tom stopped himself before he could ramble on for too much longer. He didn't want to talk Swift's ears off. He wanted to be a bit less of a chatterbox for his friend... It felt good calling someone a friend. This was his first friend outside of his family. He was so going to cherish this day.

Soon, the duo fell into a comfortable silence, Silverpaw thoroughly enjoying a bit of quiet time. He wasn't much for sitting around and doing nothing but after this day, he'll most likely be more open to take some time to relax in his everyday life. Despite that, the tom itched to say something, to break the silence. After a bit of thought, he decided to go through with it. "Swiftpaw," he began, voice taking on a softer tone that was rather unlike him, "I know that sometimes you might feel like more of an outsider than part of the clan but I want you to know that you shouldn't pay any of those thoughts or feelings any mind. You're just as important as anyone else here in the clan. You're part of our big, crazy family and I wouldn't have it any other way. I hope you know that. I know that some members of the clan may not be so accepting of non-clan born but there shouldn't be anything wrong with those outside of clan life to join and start anew. It's like a second chance or a new experience. Most outsiders become some of the most loyal of clanmates. I guess some cats are a bit stuck in the past and want things to be how they were many, many moons ago. However, things change, either for the better or worse depending on who ya ask. It's just how things are and will always be. That's why I put my faith in others so easily. If you haven't given me a reason not to trust ya, then I won't treat ya any different or less than those closest to me. The whole pile doesn't go bad if there's just one rotten piece of meat. I'll never judge a group for a single cat's past actions. It may or may not be foolish to think this way but it's just what I believe..." Silverpaw was a bit surprised by all that he said but that doesn't mean any of it was untrue. He spoke from his heart. The young tom offered the cat next to him a soft smile, eyes portraying his sincerity clearly.

Silverpaw's response was overwhelming. He was certainly enthusiastic about having made a friend, and quite chatty, too. He seemed so genuine... And Swiftpaw dearly hoped it wouldn't come back to bite the Windclanners one day. They were so trusting it almost hurt... But that also made her like them, too.

"You might be right, and it's a commendable way of thinking, Silverpaw." She mewed, "I hope I can change some of the more stubborn minds, of course... Who wouldn't? More cats should be so accepting... Though I suppose I do understand where some are wary." Anyone in the clan that had misgivings was perhaps smarter for it, if Swiftpaw was being honest. And some of the cats that placed value on bloodlines, while foolish, weren't wrong in their belief that too many outsiders were erasing what their clan had been.