street savoir-faire [c]

Getting used to being back with the Clan was harder than Beetlepaw had expected. He was unsure how much of that was the disappearance of their cats, specifically one warrior who was very special to the large black tom. It didn't help that he still had his apprentice name and had to sleep in their den despite being twice the size of most of them. He felt a little claustrophobic, like he was being squeezed into a much too small hole. Outside of camp he felt much more at home, his paws easily walking the trails he had when he was actually apprentice aged.

It was late morning when he padded back into the makeshift camp, a couple of mice dangling from his jaws. It wasn't much, and he had already decided he was going to go back out, when he overheard a younger tom speaking in a dramatic tone. Beetlepaw's whiskers twitched in amusement as a warrior who he assumed was the cat's mentor ruined the mood of the tale.

"It's still a nice catch," Beetlepaw commented, dropping his mice onto the pile of fresh kill and padding over to where the apprentice was still sitting.

Beetlepaw let out a soft purr of sympathy. He might have grown up knowing nothing other than SkyClan, but he still sometimes had felt a little out of place because he wasn't SkyClan blood, especially now that he had been gone for so long.

"Nice to meet you, Foxpaw. I'm Beetlepaw," his ears twitched a little in embarrassment that he still had his apprentice name. "I, uh, got separated on my way back from my moonstone journey, so I've missed a bit of Clan life." That was an understatement. Foxpaw probably had a better working knowledge of the Clan and who was around and who was missing than Beetlepaw.

The brief surprise in Foxpaw's eyes would have alerted most cats to his confusion over the moonstone and perhaps invited a bit of explanation, but not for Beetlepaw. He completely missed that moment, instead pricking his ears to listen to the younger apprentice's story. He came from Twolegplace, which was not a place that Beetlepaw had spent much time at, but he had seen quite a bit of the farm twolegs while lost. He was impressed at the strength this young cat must have shown, to leave his sister and the easy comforts of the twolegs feeding him behind.

His jaw dropped open when Foxpaw continued on to tell him exactly how he came to be in SkyClan. His heart twisted in a strong longing, and he squeezed his eyes shut for a moment. How many times had he experienced the same, with Dawnfeather appearing from up in the trees? She could practically fly.

"You are very brave," he purred after a brief pause to collect himself, "And you couldn't have been found by a better cat. You must miss her as much as I do."

Beetlepaw nodded in agreement. It didn't surprise him at all that Dawnfeather had taken this young cat under her wing. It was just like her. The older black tom didn't know Blackbear, but he had yet to meet a cat not charmed by Dawnfeather. And SkyClan was full of lovely and brave cats, even if Beetlepaw personally thought a lot of them were a little...harsh. Or they had been. He realized that he didn't know a lot about most of his new Clanmates, and so much of the Clan was unfamiliar to him.

"We were apprentices together for a time, although she got her warrior name before me, obviously. I was so proud of her," Beetlepaw's eyes were soft as he revisited the memories, thinking about their hollow. If he noticed Foxpaw leaning in, he didn't seem to react to it. "But I suppose the real reason I miss her like you do...Is because I love her, too."

It was the first time he had spoken the words out loud, and although he wished desperately that Dawnfeather herself were there to hear them, it felt absolutely right to speak them into existence.