Out of the Nest [Closed]

Badgermask froze at the sudden display of affection, doing her best not to duck away from it as she gave Larkpaw a strained smile. "Of course," she meowed, turning and stepping away. She stared out at the territory in front of them, at the lake that sat in the distance. She hated it - being so far from home. She knew why they had left but being here...It made her pelt itch - she missed the mud and muck her littermates had despised.

"...We'll see about teaching you stealth in the future. This territory isn't the best for it - its far too different from our standard one," she meowed, swiping a paw at the ground beneath her. "There will be a lot to cover when we do get home, to adapt what you've learned here to succeed in the marsh... But I will concede that at least this territory is safer which is a blessing in these uncertain times."

Larkpaw's ears perked up at the mention of going back home. She never got a chance to see their old territory, which means she could have so many new adventures. She had heard many stories of the marsh-covered land, and she was excited to experience it for herself. 'Think of all the bugs I can play with there' Larkpaw thought to herself dropping in a playful pounce. She looked over at Badgermask, "How long will it be before we return? Do you think leaf-bare will be gone by time we get home? What do you miss most about our territory?" Larkpaw spewed out questions as usual, not waiting for a reply.

Badgermask blinked at the questions, thoughtfully thinking on it - she couldn't be surprised by these questions, of course Larkpaw would be curious about a place she had never seen. "I don't know," she answered earnestly. "We left because the territories were unable to sustain any of the Clans - the idea was put forward in hopes that the territories could...Heal while we were gone, I guess," she meowed with a shrug, followed by a sigh. "But this is...We have no time frame. Could take moons more, could already have been fixed. I would think we would wait until Leaf-bare is over to return but that is up to the leaders to decide."

But then she paused as she dwelled on the final question. What did she miss most...?  There was nothing that stuck out to her, the most notable thing was the mud which was annoying but she hadn't disliked it as much as her littermates. ...But that train of thought caused her to pause, expression falling as she glanced away from Larkpaw. "The memories," she answered simply, taking a few steps away with a sigh. "What I miss the most are the memories of spending time with my family before..." A shadow crossed her face as a soft hiss escaped her. "Before everything went wrong."

Larkpaw noticed a shift in her mentor's posture, had she accidentally brought up a sensitive subject. She sat quietly behind Bagermask then gently mewed, "You must be close to your family. I'm not sure what went wrong but I'm sorry." Larkpaw only had her mother and the two of them weren't really close. She loved her mother, but their personalities clashed. Her mother was a cautious cat and seemed to ruin Larkpaw's fun; and Larkpaw was a spontaneous cat and seemed to stress her mother out.

She looked around at the lake, "How different is Shadowclan territory from this territory we're currently in? What should I expect when we return home? When I am a warrior, what should I watch out for?" Larkpaw's questions took a serious turn. She wasn't afraid just curious. Her warrior ceremony couldn't be that far away, and she wanted to be the best warrior Shadowclan has seen in a while.

A sigh escaped Badgermask as Larkpaw spoke, offering up an apology. What was there to say? She could of course speak of her littermates - of the lives she had failed to protect, who had died in a battle that had ended up meaning nothing. Of how it had ruined her relationship with her mother and that she was only now starting to forgive her... But it was all matters that Badgermask didn't want to talk about. She didn't want to dwell on her failures so she simply focused on the other questions that Larkpaw spoke of, relieved for the chance of topic.

"Rather different - our territory back home is a marsh," she meowed, glancing over her shoulder at her apprentice. "A good portions of it are covered in thin layers water while the rest tend to be muddy - of course during Leaf-bare the mud is less of an issue as the snow covers it," she noted with a flicker of her tail. "Things to look out for is that parts of the marsh are deeper than they appear - and you can easily walk into it if you are distracted. It'll be easier to show you what to look out for once we are home, along with the hidden path - rocks that are just beneath the surface that can be used to cross it."

There was a pause. "...Also the Carrionplace - its best to avoid that place if you can. It tends to be a gathering place for rats, but is used as a hunting ground in desperation. Thought it had somehow been picked completely clean last I saw it..."

Larkpaw tried to picture the marsh, 'Mud could be fun to play in, but I will have to stay clear of the deep spots.' Her tail flickered as she listened to Badgermask, she would have to remind the she-cat to give her a tour when they made it back to Shadowclan territory. She tilted her head when her mentor mention a gathering place for rats. "Hey, Badgermask, do you think rats have clans like we do and that, that Carrionplace, is like their Fourtrees, except sometimes when they get there, predators like up wipe them out?" Larkpaw giggled at the thought. Rats having a clan what a brilliant idea.

The air ruffled Larkpaw's fluffy coat, as she playfully swatted at the snow behind her mentor. She imagined rats gathered around having a grand meeting, oblivious to the dangers lurking near by. The she-cat dropped down into a crouch, watching her mentor's tail flicker in the snow. She pictured it being a juicy rat squeaking away to other clan rats. Her imagination flooded her mind, the cats dashed in swarming the rats. They slaughtered dozens of them while the rest ran off into small holes in the ground. Larkpaw was brought back into reality when she noticed hair in her mouth. She had pounced on Badgermask's tail and had it in her mouth. Larkpaw released the tail and sat up looking at her mentor and then taking a few steps back. "Opps, sorry I must've gotten carried away." She mewed with a sheepish smile.