One Paw Forward (C)

Moonpaw stepped out of the medicine den, her black fur soaking up the sun as she moved towards the fresh-kill pile. After the ceremony, she was officially Dovefrost's apprentice, and her training would start soon. For now, however, she had time to learn about her new life, and the new cats who lived in the camp. She couldn't very well operate on an empty stomach and chose something from the pile she had made her way to. She settled a bit away, and watched the cats move around the camp between bites. She hoped that she would feel at home eventually, but right now the she-cat only planned to train and do her job, nothing more.

The chaos between SkyClan and WindClan proved to be contagious; ThunderClan had caught it just by being in Fourtrees with them. Births, deaths, deciding what to do about SkyClan’s own resident murderer… Thrushnose missed the days where bug-hunting had been the weightiest thing on her mind. At least today had been quiet. Maybe she’d have time to look for glowworms later.

Tucking that thought away, she turned her attention back to the fresh-kill pile. One of her broad paws found a finch—the perfect midday snack—and fished it from the pile into her mouth. As she stepped away, her gaze fell on a black pelt. Luna—no, Moonpaw. Had she taken on that name willingly or because she was supposed to? Before she could spend too long wondering about that, Thrushnose blinked to find her paws had steered her toward Moonpaw. Hopefully the younger cat wouldn’t mind having company. Tilting her head, she adjusted her grip on the finch to better talk around it. “Mind if I sit here?”

Moonpaw looked up as a cat approached her. The she-cat looked familiar, but she couldn't place her name or her place in the clan. Moonpaw looked at her for a moment before nodding, "Sure." She went back to her prey, finishing it rather quickly, and instead looked around the camp once she finished.

Luckily, Moonpaw responded with a nod. As she returned to her prey, Thrushnose settled down across from her with the finch between her forepaws. So many of the cats she’d surrounded herself with seemed to be able to strike up a conversation about anything; none of that had rubbed off on her. Still, she’d come over here with a purpose, and she intended to see it through. Moonpaw lifted her head to survey the camp, and Thrushnose opened her mouth. “Do you prefer Luna or Moonpaw?” That was…more direct than she’d intended. She took a hurried bite of the finch in an attempt to buy herself time to think, muzzle wrinkling as she realized she hadn’t picked the feathers off as thoroughly as she should have. “Or both,” she said once she’d swallowed. “You wouldn’t be the only cat here to have two names. It just…seemed important to ask.”

Moonpaw tilted her head, surprised at the cat's directness. For a moment, the she-cat thought about it. She knew that most cats would feel more comfortable with a clan name than her original, but she didn't want to give up her other name completely just yet. She looked towards the other she-cat. "Either is fine, I'll probably respond slower to Moonpaw since it's still new to me." Moonpaw appreciated the directness of this other cat. "It's not fair that you know my name and I have seemed to forgotten yours." She spoke lightly, a slight smile showing through.