Can i have 20 dollars grandma? [c]

Trudging through the snow, An especially plump rabbit in his maw, Brackenpaw was in high spirits. Or he was just looking positively glowing to suck up to his grandmother and deputy, Wolfblossom. He had nabbed the rabbit from the freshkill pile just for this- to aid in his appearance as her most favouritest grandson. Which, certainly remained to be seen. No doubt Wolfblossom was more than aware that Brackenpaw wasn’t actually this nice, especially for no reason at all. If Wolfblossom were to question her grandson’s motives for spending time with her currently she’d be correct, Brackenpaw was hoping to suck up to her and earn a fast tracked warrior ceremony. One did not get to Wolfblossom’s position by being manipulated and swindled by pigheaded apprentices. Maybe bring her grandson would change that.

Grinning, the cream apprentice approached his grandmother. ”Would you like to share this rabbit with me, meemaw grandma?” he meowed sitting down beside her and placing the rabbit at their paws. The cold snow chilled Brackenpaw’s paws and he curled his bushy tail around them to keep them warm. ”I caught it myself,” he lied, grinning a little wider. “Yesterday. I mean.” he added hastily. His whiskers twitched slightly, and his mouth hurt from the constant smiling. Brackenpaw didn’t know how much longer he could keep it up for.

A warm purr rose in Wolfblossom's throat at her grandson's approach. "Hey Brackenpaw," She mewed, "How are you today? How has training been going?" With so many cats sick, the last thing Wolfblossom wanted was for more to fall victim to this illness that Smokepetal was struggling to cure. She should have probably turned any healthy cat away from her, given her own symptoms and the obvious hoarseness of her voice from coughing so much, but the deputy couldn't bring herself to do so. Especially not to her family.

"Did you, now?" She eyed the catch, a bit dubious of the claim - rabbits were a rare enough sight on Skyclan's fresh kill pile that they were taken note of. "Rabbits are an impressive catch." She added. Brackenpaw was grinning from ear to ear practically, and Wolfblossom had dealt with enough apprentices who had thought they were sneaky to know better.

If it meant spending time with her grandson however, she would play along. "I'd love to... But I also don't want to risk getting you sick by sharing. Maybe... Put that back and grab two smaller items instead?"

Brackenpaw’s eyes darkened momentarily. ”I won’t get sick.” he meowed stubbornly digging his paws in. His ears pricked up, and his eyes twinkled again as he had another bright idea. “You need this, Grandma. You’re sick and the deputy you should eat, and eat a good meal.” he said, chest puffed in pride at his own thinking. Deciding, he was going to continue being stubborn, Brackenpaw folded his legs beneath him, and settled down opposite Wolfblossom, pushing the rabbit towards her.

While the tom waited for his grandmother to dig in he begun to answer her questions. “My training is going very well. I am certain I will be a warrior soon thanks to my own merit. I’m very good at all the physical stuff.” he said with a purr undoubted arrogance ever present when he spoke of his own abilities. His sour mood returned again though “Training with Foxtrot though is nonexistent! He’s lazier than a mole, it is so annoying. At least Shatteredpaw and Honeypaw are getting real training.” he added grouchily, his pelt prickling when he thought about his disadvantage.

Brackenpaw continued to insist that she take the prey, plopping down opposite her, and Wolfblossom sighed. She was hungry, she had to admit... And she had been purposely skipping a meal or two here and there, ensuring what prey was available went to those who needed it more. Like the sick. "Oh, alright... And thank you, Brackenpaw." He might've been kissing tail, but Wolfblossom did not have it in her to say no.

Cocky, she thought as he continued, and confident. Not necessarily a bad thing to be confident... In moderation. Now there was some truth to Brackenpaw's words, she thought. She hadn't seen Foxtrot and him training nearly as much as she should have, and that was a concern. "You can always come to me if your mentor isn't doing what he's supposed to." A sigh left her, "Stars, we have so few warriors capable of taking on apprentices as it is. I can take you out hunting or sparring, if you'd like. And perhaps your siblings mentors might also step in to help." She offered. "I assume you've been tagging along with them, or some of the other apprentices?"

"I know.." replied Brackenpaw in defeat. He almost didn't want the help considering how long he'd been carrying himself alone. Honeypaw was entirely dependant on him, Harekit the same with SkyClan's medicine cats. Only Shatteredpaw seemed to be as independent as him, and they both had clashing personalities as of now. Brackenpaw supposed if he wanted help training his siblings weren't the best options. Nothing would compromise his pride to ask them for help. He felt a little bad at Wolfblossom's comment about the sickness... Maybe he shouldn't be so harsh on Foxtrot...Then again Foxtrot hadn't even talked to him, weren't they family? Brackenpaw grumbled lowly, his conflictions showing on his face, "I would like to train with you, training with the deputy and learning from the best would be great!" meowed the apprentice "Though, only when you're better. At least you're talking to me and trying to heko unlike some cats." Brackenpaw's tail flicked with annoyance as he mused his last coment.

"I'm walking and talking, I think I can handle a bit of training. And someone ought to." Wolfblossom mewed gently. Especially since her own apprentice was missing without a trace... She and Sunfire had been looking, but if Ploverpaw was out there, she hadn't made it to the lake. Or at least, not close to Skyclan's patch of land. It was deeply worrying to the deputy, but she also knew she couldn't focus all of her energy on one missing cat either, as much as she wanted to.

"I'll always listen, if you need to talk. I know the mentor situation is... Not ideal. But you deserve someone who will look out for you regardless." Foxtrot hadn't been as sick as some, but if the apprentice wasn't getting the training he needed, then Wolfblossom would step in. Simple as that.

Well if Wolfblossom were to insist... "If you ever have free time, but I'm doing okay." meowed Brackenpaw. He took another bite of the rabbit, remembering why he'd originally come to speak with his grandmother. "So how long do you think it'll be until I'm a warrior? Surely soon, right? I'm really good at hunting and fighting and all that stuff even with my situation, even ask Honeypaw." he stated proudly chest puffed, to show off how big and strong he believed he was.

"You need to have your-" Wolfblossom paused, seeming to flounder. "-Well, I guess I can't call it a moonstone journey, can I? But Starclan is still speaking to apprentices, it seems. And with your mentor absent I think I'll be giving you an assessment myself, too. I am sorry for not being on top of things, Brackenpaw." She mewed, "I remember how impatient I was for my own warrior ceremony... Each day felt like a moon."

Brackenpaw laughed "No kidding..." It really did seem to drag on, and the tom was restless eager for his next adventure. The moonstone sounded intriguing, it was something he had looked forward too. Perhaps on his own he would be bestowed with some form of knowledge or powers, Brackenpaw, chosen by StarClan... The tom grinned at his own thoughts, as childish as they were. The assessment sounded a little less interesting, but maybe it was something he could train for, and if Wolfblossom were holding it... Is it cheating to ask for the answers...? Brackenpaw dismissed the thought with the twitch of his right ear. He would press Wolfblossom about it regardless, what he learnt could help prepare Honeypaw and Harepaw. "So what exactly is this assessment?" he asked siddling closer to his grandmother,

Wolfblossom's whiskers twitched at her grandson's words. "Hunting, of course... And perhaps a spar against one of your peers." If he was unlucky while hunting and found himself staring down a raccoon or something similar, he would be far from the first and certainly not the last apprentice to do so. And that would count just as well, Wolfblossom thought. "I'd rather do these assessments on familiar ground, back in our own territory, if I'm being honest. Cats born here becoming warriors, without ever seeing their homeland... It's a strange thought." The deputy shook her head, "Not that I can get in the way of that. Nor would I."

"Well... That's good to know." Vague answers... At least Brackenpaw knew he was good at both of those things. Hopefully before his assessment he'd get to see the unfamiliar territory, but who knew with the unpredictable nature of as late. One thing was certain though, he liked spending time with his family, even if this one hadn't ended with his sudden, but welcomed warrior ceremony. The tom grabbed a bite of the rabbit. "So, what's 'home' like?" he asked through his mouthful.

"Our old territory was a rocky forest. Less undergrowth than this, but lots of gullies and ravines, some of them with small streams. There was a larger creek too that prey was always attracted to. It runs from the river and cuts through our territory, the only reason we share a small border with Riverclan. To the southeast of our camp is a hilly area called the great ridge. There's a long fence separating us from twolegs and rogues." A wistful sigh escaped the deputy at the memory of home. "Our main border was a fallen oak separating us from Thunderclan, and highpine, as well as the thunderpath that separated us from Shadowclan. You could tell you were getting close to that one because the ground would become softer under your paws, or the acrid stench of the thunderpath was heavy in the air."

"It's a very different territory than this, or even the moutains we had to cross to get here. You'll get to call it home one day, I hope." They couldn't stay in this frozen wasteland forever, she had to believe that.

Brackenpaw listened intently, trying to picture the territory his grandmother described. It sounded… The way she spoke about it… he was buzzing with excitement to return. It sounded like a dream, so many places to climb and to test his strength. The perfect home for a true Skyclanner like himself. “I cannot wait to see it.” he meowed earnestly.