A Leopard's Dappled Pelt (closed)

Thorns tugged at Dappledlight's fur as she pushed her way into camp. She followed the other patrol members to the fresh-kill pile and waited to deposit her prey. She had caught a frog and two mice, which was pretty good compared to the harsh Leafbare before. She took one of the mice for herself and padded over to the edge of camp.

Dappledlight lay down and tore off a chunk of flesh. She happily ate her meal and looked around camp when she had finished. There were the Dark Forest guards, as always, but she also saw a black-spotted she-cat she didn't particularly know. While she wasn't much one for talking, Dappledlight felt like spending time with someone. "Hey there," she meowed to her. From when she shared a den with her, she believed her name was Leopardpaw.

Leopardpaw was enjoying the newleaf weather as much as it was possible to, her black-tipped ears perking up slightly when Dappledlight acknowledged her. They had been denmates until recently, when Dappledlight had earned her warrior name. "Hey, Dappledlight! What's up?" The spotted apprentice pulled herself to her paws, tilting her head. She had been getting a bit bored, itching for something to occupy her time. "Did you need something? I'd be happy to help out!"

"Oh, no. I was just wondering if you wanted to talk?" Dappledlight asked. She sat down and wrapped her tail across her paws. She disliked the feeling of mud seeping into her fur, but it was everywhere during Newleaf. At least it isn't raining, she mused, that would be even worse. The cool breeze blowing across the marsh did promise rain, but it wouldn't be until later in the day.

"Oh! Sure," Leopardpaw nodded. While it was the tiniest bit disappointing that she wasn't needed for something, just talking with one of her clanmates didn't seem like a bad way to pass the time. She laid back down once it was clear that they didn't need to leave camp for anything, rolling onto her side. "That's cool! Anything in particular you wanted to talk about, or...?"

Leopardpaw sat back down and asked her if she wanted to talk about anything. Dappledlight sat and thought for a moment before saying, "You'll probably be a warrior soon. What do you think your name will be?" Dappledlight wasn't entirely what she had expected, but it was a good name; it suited her.

The spotted apprentice tilted her head, considering. "I haven't thought about it too much," she admitted. She thought about her warrior ceremony often, true, but less about the name. She looked over to her long, feathery tail; wrapped around her long, wiry legs. "Leopardtail, maybe?" She thought about how long it had taken her to grow into herself, and how often she'd fallen flat onto her face well into her apprenticeship. "Or Leopardfall?"

Or she could be named after someone else. Her mentor, her mother, her father. "Could be something like Leopardgaze or Leopardleap, too... Who's to say? I don't think it matters too much, though, y'know? I'll still be the same me, whatever they decide to call me."

Now a new curiosity occurred to her, regarding Dappledlight. "Did you have something in mind? Like, before you were made a warrior? What did you think they'd say?"