too uncouth [c]

Hedgepaw liked ShadowClan territory. She liked the marshes, she liked the mud, she liked the cool earth and the tall shadows and the deep scent of ferns and pines. But even she didn't like Carrionplace very much. Her small nose wrinkled slightly as she followed Batpaw into the icky, mucky Twoleg-smelling area. She'd never talked with him much, before--he was a bit younger than her, and somehow Quillsplash had never had them training on a patrol together though they had the same mentor. Maybe they'd just avoided each other accidentally. So when he'd asked her to go walking with him, she'd agreed; maybe he wanted to be friends. This wasn't a fun place to walk, though. It wasn't like going to the Pine Grove with Silverhawk or to look at all the pretty flowers with Nightpaw. Why were they here? She tried to place each formerly-white, mud-caked paw carefully, not stepping on anything unfamiliar or sharp, but the atmosphere of this place was... uncomfortable. Nothing like the rest of the territory.

Finally, Batpaw turned and spoke--but the way he chose to make conversation was strange to Hedgepaw, also. She blinked slowly, her luminous green eyes alight with confusion. "The current... path? Y'mean, the territory that we walk on? The entire Clan? I'm not sure I get it." Her head tilted thoughtfully to the side. This sounded like something that Fernpaw would say, but he always explained himself to her if she got lost. She didn't want Batpaw to think she was stupid. It was apparent, though, that he was much smarter than her. Maybe she ought to answer the questions she did understand first. "Um... I like Quillsplash. He explains things in a way that makes sense, 'n he's helped me get lots better at hunting. I'm pretty bad at most stuff but he's a good mentor to me. D'you like him?" The question after that one was a bit more difficult. Leopardstar and Sablestrike... she'd never spent much time with either of them. "I've never really talked with Leopardstar. I guess she's too busy with leader stuff. But... oh, I think that she was too mean to Nettlepaw. He complains 'bout her a lot, but she prolly just made a mistake. Sablestrike, though..." She thought back. It had been nice when he'd complimented her catch of the big toad, but right after that had been... "He brought back a live bird 'nstead of killing it, once. I think that was kinda creepy. There's something... about him. I dunno what. But I don't like him as much as some other cats. He's not awful-bad though, I don't think."

Was this the sort of stuff that other apprentices talked about? Nettlepaw talked about himself mostly, and Nightpaw seemed happy to do whatever she wanted. Wolfpaw always wanted to fight things and Fernpaw was so super smart that sometimes he got lost in his own mind. Batpaw, though... maybe Batpaw was just better at thinking about important things. That was okay; Mamma said everyone was good at something. Hedgepaw nodded to herself. But then... what am I good at? It's not hunting or fighting or thinking. Hide-and-seek's not a skill. What if I'm not good at anything? But, no, she should be paying attention to the conversation. Batpaw had asked something else. The last question he asked made her grin--there, something she could answer a bit easier. Her tail, sticking up straight behind her, wagged once. "I like toads. I mean, I don't mind most prey, but one time I caught a reeeeally big one and everyone was proud of me. So I think I like those most."

Hedgepaw tilted her head to the side, listening carefully to what Batpaw said as the two of them walked. Squelch-step, squelch-step--but quickly, she'd stopped caring much about their surroundings. It took all of her focus to listen. Batpaw spoke with such large words and such good diction; it reminded her of Fernpaw. But... "I'm sorry you two don't get along," she said with a slight frown. Quillsplash was such a good mentor to her that she couldn't quite picture why he and Batpaw wouldn't click. Maybe some cats just didn't work too well with others. "How is he a... hind'rance? That means he's being unhelpful, right? Maybe you don't understand each other. I hope you're able to find another warrior that can help. I'd offer, but I'm not much good at hunting or fighting, so I don't think that I'd mentor very good." She didn't know why Quillsplash and Batpaw wouldn't work. The former seemed a lot more gruff and often abrasive, though he'd never been so to her. Maybe a misunderstanding between them? Anyway, she wouldn't pry. He was moving on to other topics of conversation, so she had to stop thinking about the former one to keep up.

Honestly, though she knew of Leopardstar and Sablestrike, she'd never thought much about how their "rule" affected ShadowClan, nor about the possibility of it ending. Cats did die, though. Scary things in the woods wanted to eat everyone, whether they were a tiny apprentice or a big strong leader. Hedgepaw disentangled a white foot from a particularly grimy patch of mud before responding with slow, thoughtful words. "Why don't you trust them? I'm not asking 'cause I do trust them--I've just never really thoughta 'bout it. Is it 'cause of the thing with Nettlepaw, or something else?" Her ears twitched at the idea. What if ShadowClan was in trouble not from the scary things outside of camp, but because of cats who were in it? It sent an unpleasant shiver down her spine for a brief moment. "I dunno how Sablestrike being in charge would mean I can't catch toads. Does he dislike them?" Batpaw's offer of catching one for her, though, replaced the strange thoughts with a sudden flood of warmth. She grinned, a little bashfully. "Oh, that's okay--you don't gotta if it would be extra effort. I 'ppreciate it, though. And, uh... you never said what your fav'rite prey was, did you?" If he was gonna get her a toad, she had to know what to get him in exchange.