On the Outside Looking In [Flurrypaw]

Atalante stretched, yawning as she stared at the den entrance. It was early, and she knew Starlingflare wouldn't come find her for training later, but there was only so long that she could sit in her nest, even so. She couldn't help but fidget, and with the den being as crowded as it currently was (even with her large number of siblings, Atalante wasn't quite used to this level of crowded) she might as well get up now.

Gingerly, the fluffy she-cat made her way toward the entrance, cringing as her paws caught a stray tail. Foxdung! "Sorry, sorry." She muttered softly, trying not to disturb anyone else as she turned and made her way out of the den. Embarrassment warming her fur despite the frigid air. She could see her breath fog in front of her face, hunting today was going to be miserable... It was almost tempting enough to make her turn and crawl back into her nest.

The thought of stepping on another tail flashing through her mind, and Atalante immediately decided against that. No need to ruffle any more feathers than her presence already did, right?

Just outside the apprentice's den, Flurrypaw settled. Not belonging, nor standing out. The sounds of a hushed apology woke the apprentice from her thoughts, though they were nothing interesting. A sideways glance caught a glimpse of a fluffy pelt. It wasn't one she was very familiar with, but she had noticed it was a new addition to the throng of apprentices in the shared den. "Weather isn't the best today... it's better to stay in the den." she meowed, a neutral expression focused on her paws.

"The den's crowded enough." Atalante mewed, sitting a respectful distance away. The other apprentice's tone had been neutral, hard to pick up on emotions with that. She wasn't one that Atalante recognized, though she hadn't spent time with many of her so-called fellows, either. She didn't think this one had been in Thunderclan upon her arrival, though she couldn't be sure, however.

"I'm A- Featherpaw." She still tripped over the unfamiliar name, and while Atalante really didn't enjoy it, she supposed she need to use it to keep up the act, at least. "What's your name? I don't think we've talked before."

"Fair point." The fact that this apprentice hadn't gone back into the den was enough to give her motivation and try to at least be friendly. Even back in Riverclan, the fierce apprentice had been content with hanging around with her littermates. Now, however, they seemed to always have something to do, and having a companion other than Mint or Pebble would be nice. "Flurrypaw. I'm... not originally from here." Disclosing that information was not something she often did intentionally, preferring to let others find out for themselves. There was something different about this 'A- Featherpaw'.

"You different as well, aren't you?" she inquired, her intense yellow eyes meeting Featherpaw's.

Flurrypaw. Clan names still felt strange rolling off the tongue, though Atalante would keep that to herself. No need to be intentionally standoffish and offensive, she decided. Before she could dwell on it, the she-cat went on, however. Not originally from here. Thunderclan, it seemed, had accepted plenty of outsiders, which Atalante supposed wasn't a surprise given Strom himself had been leader. In a way, it was nice to know that she wasn't the only one uncomfortable with not being originally part of the clan. On the other paw... Atalante's thoughts drifted to the yet-to-be-seen Waterlily. Did these other outsiders have ulterior motive like Atalante did? Hers at least was benign, protect the queen and her kits, and report back to her father on how they were. Flurrypaw and any other outsiders, however, were unknowns.

"I'm not from here, either." She muttered reluctantly. The hesitation in her reply could easily be attributed to her seeming discomfort, hopefully that's how Flurrypaw would take it, anyways. "Were you a loner who joined the clan, too?" Her curiosity was genuine.

A loner? Pfft- no absolutely not. A pause let her choose her words carefully, eyes studying, searching for reasons this she-cat was not to be trusted. Oh just lower your guard down already... But should she? Finally, she decided to go for it. "No." her mew was level, and she continued. "I used to live in Riverclan. We... left." Her discomfort was evident, an effort made to seem... friendly.

Not a loner, then. Was her allegiance truly to Thunderclan, Ata had to wonder, or did she still harbor loyalty to her former clan?

"Riverclan?" Atalante tipped her head curiously. "I met one of their apprentices while traveling... Tinypaw, I think her name was? She seemed nice enough." She'd been... reasonable, very reasonable, for a clan cat. And she'd been friendly. She hadn't tried to take her ears off for being at that hollow, though Ata supposed it also hadn't been her own territory.

"What prompted leaving, if you don't mind me asking?" She didn't want to pry... But she was curious. "I can imagine the reason for being here is... Vastly different than how I joined." She added.