(Finished!) Another Day, Another Hour

[Wolfy]

The grass around the quiet camp was damp from the previous night's rain. The sky above head was grey and cloudy with an adequate chance of more rain pouring down into the land. ZephyrClan was peaceful yes, but somehow it seemed like there was more going on behind the scenes that no one knew about. Coming out of the apprentices' den, a small, fluffy, orange tom stretched himself out. Last night he had trained hard, trying to please his mentor. It seemed to work and he had earned a good night's sleep. The only problem was that the rain thundered in his ears all night. Firepaw shook his pelt that had gotten a tad bit soggy and pulled himself out of his open den. He was only sharing with one other apprentice and that was Dunepaw. Dunepaw was okay, but Firepaw didn't know him completely well, although he thought Dunepaw was nice. He seems alright. Firepaw shrugged the thought away and looked around his clan.

He could see some cats on the far side of ZephyrClan. They were warriors no doubt. Firepaw sat down and groomed his fur, it was sticky and gross from last night's work. As he licked his fur back into place he felt a growing pain in his stomach which made it gurgle sharply. He was hungry. He looked around and met his eyes to the fresh-kill pile and he began to walk calmly over to it hoping there would be at least something good there for him. As he was nearing it, he thought he saw a shape in the corner of his eye, but he ignored it and then began pawing around the pile in search of something to eat.

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[bg=0A1F29][atrb=width,300,true][atrb=border,0,true][th] × × × × × × × × × × × × × × × The sky was dark and grey, wind blowing crisply through the open moor. Waves of chilling wind blew into ZephyrClan camp, whistling as it briefly touched the tall grass. Cats were milling around camp, eating here, gathering patrols there. The sun was still well-above the tree tops, although the charcoal and grey clouds hid it. Abstract rays sunned the camp in various spots, already occupied by elders and queens. Rain droplets splattered the ground, staining it a silvery green, as paws scuffled through it. The ground was damp with the previous night's rain, soft under paw, making a slight squishing noise as paws stepped onto it. Emerging from the shadows of her den, came Paintedstar. Her fur was flattened, plastered to her skin at various points. Muscles rippling under her pelt with each step, the ZephyrClan leader padded into the center of camp. Pausing briefly to take note of the camps activity, she slid her gaze from cat to cat, surveying their movements. Glancing over her shoulder, she watched as two border patrols and a single hunting patrol formed themselves. With a flash of satisfaction, the she-cat felt pride well up in her chest. The past few moons had been hard, especially after losing the previous leader, Swishstar. Paintedstar has only been deputy, then, but even she knew that the clan was in trouble. Moons and come and gone, though, and ZephyrClan was well on its way to becoming healthy and full again. They had only two apprentices, Firepaw and Dunepaw, but they were training well, it would be only a moons time before they were ready to become warriors. Guilt soon replaced her pride, though, for she knew she had to pick a deputy soon. The clan had lost it's deputy when Paintedstar became leader, and although the warrior code called for a new one to be chosen before sunhigh, Paintedstar had asked her ancestors for forgiveness. She had yet to find a suitable cat for the job, yet. Of course, the judging criteria were hard, but what was to be expected? She would be choosing her successor, the future leader of ZephyrClan; not just anyone would do. Although ZephyrClan had many fine warriors, some of them had yet to prove themselves to StarClan, let alone to Paintedstar. She never doubted her clans loyalty, though. She knew each and every one of them would die over and over again to defend their clan, and her. The thought made her paws itch uneasily, she didn't want them to have to fight. The four clans were peaceful momentarily, but how long would it last? Blood never failed to be spilled in the forest. While making her way to one of the patrols, Paintedstar spotted Firepaw pawing through the fresh-kill pile. He seemed in search of something good, and his luck seemed sparse. Lightly, Paintedstar padded over to the apprentice, watching him briefly, before speaking. "Hello, Firepaw. Find anything good?" She mused, hoping the apprentice would catch her humor. Shifting her paws lightly, the tuxedo she-cat watched the apprentice with curious, sea-foam green eyes.

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[Wolfy]

Firepaw's ears twitched as a voice spoke behind him. He turned and in turn he saw the beautiful, tuxedo she-cat, Paintedstar: his leader. Her tone was light and humorous. She was a really nice cat he was led to believe. He hadn't spoken to the leader officially. At least not one on one. He really liked how she led their clan though so he hoped he would one day be able to talk to her about anything. He flicked his tail, "No, I actually haven't found anything entirely good," his stomach gurgled again. He licked his chest fur in embarrassment. "Sorry, I'm a bit hungry," he said, pawing out a pathetic excuse for a shrew. He apologized himself once more and bit into the meat slowly so that he could nourish his stomach a bit better, despite his growing hunger. As he chewed it, it felt soggy and wet and the taste seemed distant rather than having a fresh turn out. He looked back up to Paintedstar when he had eaten a bit and he licked his lips.
"Paintedstar, do you think we could take another hunting patrol out? I'm sure we might at least find something bigger than these small shrews. We could give them to the queens and the elders. Warriors and apprentices could go on eating this prey, but I'm sure the others would like something a little more..." he searched for a proper term for this type of prey, "fuller," he ended with.

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[bg=0A1F29][atrb=width,300,true][atrb=border,0,true][th] × × × × × × × × × × × × × × × A breeze ruffled the trees on the far side of camp, a delicate leaf floating down from a loose bundle. It landed beside the strong, lithe she-cat. The tip of her tail brushed it absently as she watched the apprentice continue to dig through the piles. Her whiskers twitched with curiosity; couldn't he just pick one? After a few moments, the apprentice seemed to notice her presence. "No, I actually haven't found anything entirely good." He responded, his stomach letting out a sharp gurgle of acknowledgement. The leaders whiskers twitched with amusement. Eying the shrew he had so carefully dug out, she watched as he slowly devoured it. Flicking her tail, she waited until the apprentice had finished before parting her jaw as if to speak. To her surprise, the apprentice spoke instead. "Paintedstar, do you think we could take another hunting patrol out? I'm sure we might at least find something bigger than these small shrews. We could give them to the queens and the elders. Warriors and apprentices could go on eating this prey, but I'm sure the others would like something a little more..." He mewed. Paintedstar's gaze flickered from the apprentice, to the other warriors milling around camp, and back to the apprentice again. His fluffy orange coat was a teeny bit untidy, his chest fur springing outward as if he had just woken up. The tuxedo she-cat thought for a moment, processing his words. He was right, the apprentices and warriors could live on the pile for a moon, but the elders would be complaining of malnourishment, when that was, in fact, quite the opposite. Musing for a moment, the leader thought of the two elders. She remembered when they had been warriors; fast, strong, loyal, and brave. Breezestep had been a kind young warrior, often stopping by the nursery, always making sure the queens and kits were fed. Paintedstar remembered when she had dropped off a shrew one day, and Paintedstar, then Paintedkit, had tried to drag it all the way through the den and to the back, where her mother lay. Cherrystorm, her sister, had tried to help her, but she had been too small. A faint feeling of nostalgia kicked into the leader, making her stop her thoughts and redirect them. While Breezestep had always been kind, Sparktail had always been grumpy. He was always boasting and complaining as a warrior, more so when he was older than younger. Several she-cats had mooned over him, but as time passed, he had lost his spark. The snap of a twig as a patrol left camp brought Paintedstar back to reality. Staring at Firepaw for a moment, she processed his question once again. It was newleaf, and she had warriors to spare. Shrugging, the tuxedo she-cat stood up, shaking mud from her paws. Her tail flicked as she gazed down upon the apprentice. "I don't see why not."

[/color] She said, blinking. Might as well appease the apprentice; he had, after all, had the courage to ask her for something. "Would you like to gather the cats?"[/color] She asked, whiskers twitching faintly with amusement.[/center]

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[Wolfy]

Firepaw glanced at her and for a moment it seemed she was lost in thought. As she was thinking, he bent his head down slowly and began to groom his pelt. He had just woken up and his fur had been sticking out at all angles. That was no way for an apprentice to greet his leader. His most trusted leader, well he probably looked like a pathetic excuse for a cat at this point. As he licked his paw and drew it over his ears, she blinked back to the surface again. He stifled small chuckles and twitched his tail when she drew her attention back to him.

Firepaw felt the air around him and twitched his ear. It was slightly chilly and the air was damp promising rain. The prey would most likely be under their covers being sleepy and lazy. Yet, even though this fact came to mind, Firepaw shrugged it off. He could do with a challenge, for he too had been snuggled away inside his nest, trying to soak up every last inch of warmth he could cope with. Now, he was fluffed up, trying to shield himself from the frightening winds he had heard last night. However, it seemed like the winds had died down, but he wasn't so sure.

When she addressed his question, his eyes lightened up. A hunt! He padded excitedly from paw to paw. He worried if he looked too young to be acting like this, but then he shrugged it off. Paintedstar must have been an excited apprentice when she was younger too. Every cat usually is. "Would you like to gather the cats? she asked him. His whiskers twitching excitedly. "Can I?" That would be so exciting! He was an apprentice and he was being asked to round up the hunting patrol. He calmed himself. He had to act older and more relaxed. He didn't want her to think he was too young to understand things or be a bad warrior when he was young. Although there wasn't anything wrong with being eager, he still didn't want to look stupid. He let his fur lie flat on his body and he bowed his head to his leader. "I mean, may I gather them up?"

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[bg=0A1F29][atrb=width,300,true][atrb=border,0,true][th] × × × × × × × × × × × × × × × The ZephyrClan leader waited patiently for the tom to finish grooming himself. She watched his sandpaper-rough tongue glide over his soft, fluffy fur. He flattened his chest fur, and sat up tall. Resisting the urge to chuckle, Paintedstar thought back to when she was an apprentice. "Paintedpaw? Would you like to come hunting with us?" A dark ginger tom asked. His voice was rough, cutting the air sharply. The camp had grown quiet, only a few cats still milling around. Most were on patrol, from Swishstar's orders. Although it was newleaf, the prey had been running unusually low. Flicking his tail, the tom stared at his apprentice, a tiny, tuxedo she-cat. Her green eyes betrayed her straight face, showing tiny sparks of excitement. The she-cat, Paintedpaw, was fidgeting, trying to decide on whether to go or not. The sandy tom was not her mentor, but her mentor wasn't here, so it would be okay to go, right? Feeling a tug in her chest, the she-cat nodded in agreement. "Now, would you gather up the cats, please?" The gruff tom asked, turning and padding away. Paintedpaw's paws itched uncomfortably, she didn't know which cats to pick. She hadn't payed attention to who had been on the dawn patrol and who hadn't. Sighing, the she-cat felt a pang of regret in her chest. She never paid attention...

[/i]

Movement of Firepaw's paws stirred the leader back to reality. She had been going into way too many flashbacks lately. Did this always happen to leaders? Stifling a sigh, the leader nodded at the apprentices response. "Can I?[/color] She watched as he corrected himself, feeling pity on the poor fellow. She had been addressing him too formally, treating him like a cat of another clan, not an apprentice of her own. Softening her gaze, she nodded slowly. "Of course you can. Just make sure to pick cats who haven't been on patrol already."[/color] She said gently, assembling a list in case the apprentice messed up. A flicker of anger lit inside her; how could she not have faith in the apprentice? Straightening herself, Paintedstar sat down, watching the apprentice carefully. Perhaps he could show his skills, even if they weren't fully developed.

OOC: Sorry I keep going into flashbacks, I'm trying to lengthen my posts, and other than conversation, we don't have much to post about otherwise.[/center]

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[Wolfy]

{OOC: It's actually alright. My posts are so short so it's cool.}

Firepaw fluffed up a bit when she relaxed her voice. His eyes brightened up and he nodded to her before scanning around the clan. He watched cats mingling and noticed some cats coming into the entrance. They had already been out it had seemed. His tail kept twitching as he surveyed the cats. Some looked weary and tired, but that might be just because they either just woke up or the lack of prey in the clan and they hadn't been full fed in a while. He kept glancing at Paintedstar through the corner of his eyes. He was starting to feel nervous, but he took a deep breath. This was just a hunting patrol he had to remind himself. She wasn't going to kick him out of the clan if he didn't choose right. Besides, he tried to relax, she would help him if he messed up. I wonder what she's like as a mentor. he thought, but then he shook his head. This was no time to be wondering about other things! He had a mission! A task! He needed to find cats.

As he scanned through the throng of cats, he quickly spotted Orioleflash, the pretty calico in the clan. Except her tongue was as rough as bark. She was quick to signal out any cat. Except, even though he didn't like her very much, he had to think that she hadn't been on any patrols today because she looked bored, like she had been milling around all day. He thought about her, she would be a good cat to hunt with if she wasn't so bitter. If she was quiet, she wouldn't scare away any prey that might be lingering in the forest. Then he turned his eyes to Stormtrick who was sitting a little ways away from Orioleflash. He looked like he could use some exercise. Firepaw noticed how Stormtrick bounced from paw to paws, he looked antsy. Perhaps a hunt would do him good.

He didn't want to take up too much of Paintedstar's time so he swallowed and looked at her carefully. He hoped his assessment wasn't going to go down hill as he decided his hunting patrol. "I think I'm ready, he said carefully, "I think that Stormtrick, Petrelsong, and maybe my own mentor, Ashstorm if he feels up to it." he assessed. He hoped those cats were good enough for her. He relaxed his shoulders and let his tail sweep over his orange paws, brushing the dusty dirt around him. He looked up at the great tuxedo cat and finished his statement, "Yes, I think they would make a good patrol."

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[bg=0A1F29][atrb=width,300,true][atrb=border,0,true][th] × × × × × × × × × × × × × × × The tuxedo she-cat watched as the apprentice fidgeted under her gaze. She felt a flicker of sympathy. She knew what it felt like to be pressured. Flicking her tail, she watched him study cats in the clearing. Gazing around quietly herself, she noticed there wasn't much of a selection. Starting to regret making the apprentice choose, she opened her jaw to speak and apologize. But just then, he spoke, surprising her again. Well he's just full of surprise, isn't he? She thought amusingly. Tilting her head slightly, she waited for the apprentices response patiently. "I think that Stormtrick, Petrelsong, and maybe my own mentor, Ashstorm if he feels up to it."

[/color] He finished. "Yes, I think they would make a good patrol."[/color]

Paintedstar nodded slowly as he listed the cats. Her gaze sweeped the clan as he mentioned cat after cat. Nodding her head in approval, she twitched her whiskers. "I see, Firepaw."[/color] She said, her voice level and calm. "Good job. I'll round them up and we can leave once everyone is ready."[/color] She finished, giving a brisk nod. Padding away, the ZephyrClan leader couldn't help but feel pride for the tom. She knew he was nervous, but he had done well, and as far as she knew, none of them had gone on patrol. Padding away, the she-cat let her gaze shift from warrior to warrior. They all looked thin, but they were just recovering from a harsh leaf-bare. Prey was plentiful, so they would soon thicken up.

OOC: You can reply, and then I'll wait for the others to reply after I post the Patrols thread tonight.[/center]

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[Dawn]

* STORMTRICK

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If I could I relive those days
I know the one thing that would never change


A greenleaf wind whistled over rolling grassy hills, brushing warm claws through his dark, stormy gray fur. Sharp eyes, the hue and intensity of ice, glowed as they took in clanmates spread about camp, sharing tongues and purring rhythmically. He didn't see Dunepaw anymore, the young tom he had been quite fond of, especially because he was Runningfox's apprentice. I thought I saw him coming into camp again late last night, but even later than usual... Stormtrick rolled onto his side on the grass, a bit of his pale, dusk tinted underbelly fur showing. Runningfox was one of his closest friends, and the cat who made him feel the youngest, but they didn't match well in temperament. All that tom ever thinks about is she-cats. He's just like his father, Ripplesurf, was. Female crazy. But, his good friend had settled down now. Same as he himself had, finally gotten over the past. But sometimes he wondered, when he sat alone in his nest, when he slept into the night, and dreamed of one particular scent, one that haunted him and yet gathered his affection. He wondered about how things had come so far, how he had become so close to some, and yet so far away from others.

Just as the dusty gray tabby rolled over, his jaws parting in a wide yawn as he thought of his friends, he sighted a she-cat coming closer. The senior warrior, all of eight moons older than the leader, Paintedstar, who had not been leader for all too long yet, sighed contentedly. He had seen forty eight moons, and was one of the most senior warriors in the clan, but he still had quite a long way to live yet. It seems like not that long ago, we were Paintedpaw and Stormpaw, Havocpaw and Ripplepaw. Now a new generation has come, and after that, yet another. Time would continue on without needing his help, without wishing for his kits. He had friendship, and though it was unusual to have grown so senior as a warrior and yet have no family in the clan, it was not unheard of. He didn't need anything else than what he had now.

As the lovely female came closer, her deeply colored eyes glinting as though searching for someone, Stormtrick roused himself and pushed to his paws to stretch. It was possible that she was looking for him, though he guessed that the reason would only be to join her for a patrol. I would enjoy that, though. He hadn't been on a patrol recently that he wasn't leading, and it would be nice not to be in charge, to settle back and let the others handle it. To take up the rear, Stormtrick was fine with that. His lean, agile Zephyrclan build stretched, his soft gray belly fur brushing the rough green blades of grass beneath him. Tail waving faintly he padded toward her now, dipping his head to the leader as he approached. "Paintedstar." He greeted with a single word, tone friendly as always with clan members. He held no particular dislike for anyone in the clan. "How does the prey run for you?"

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[Wolfy]

Firepaw watched Paintedstar pick up her paws and head towards Stormtrick who was laying on the ground. When Stormtrick himself saw Paintedstar, he stretched himself up and sat down to greet her. Firepaw had heard stories of Stormtrick from the elders. Breezestep always spoke so fondly of him. Apparently Stormtrick was one of the oldest warriors in the Clan and he had a way with the Clan. Breezestep said that Stormtrick was highly respected and very nice to other clan mates. Breezestep had led Firepaw believe that Stormtrick was very brave and had always had the Clan in his first priority. Firepaw had believed everything Breezestep told him because she was a respectable elder and Firepaw would do all the elder bedding in the Clan if he could help Breezestep. She played an important part in his educational role.

However, there was also Sparktail. Sparktail wasn't the most adequate elder. He loved to complain and anytime Firepaw entered the elders' den, he was sharp to tell him that in his day, the apprentices' wouldn't visit the elders' den as much as he did. Firepaw always flattened his ears when Sparktail was awake. Anyways, Sparktail told him that Stormtrick had a sharp tongue as well which made Firepaw a little nervous. Breezestep was always there to calm him down, but looking at Stormtrick always made Firepaw a little antsy. Yet he would always think that Stormtrick was such a rounded cat. He wasn't perfect and Firepaw couldn't ask him to be. Stormtrick seemed, in some ways, like a cat Firepaw wanted to be when he was a warrior. He wanted to be respected and remembered for all the right reasons.

Blinking back to the present, he followed Paintedstar as she greeted the black warrior. He didn't want to intrude on them so he followed more slowly, coming up behind Paintedstar a bit more carefully. Stormtrick was his role model from a distance and he wondered how casual he was with apprentices. He already felt comfortable talking to Paintedstar and believed she was a great leader, but Stormtrick he didn't know so well. He waited behind the tuxedo she-cat. What would he think of me?

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[bg=0A1F29][atrb=width,300,true][atrb=border,0,true][th] × × × × × × × × × × × × × × × Paintedstar flicked her tail as Stormtrick approached. "Good afternoon, Stormtrick." She said politely. He was a good, loyal warrior. "Hello, Paintedstar. How does the prey run for you?" He asked gently. The tuxedo she-cat leveled her gaze. "Judging this fresh-kill pile, not well."

[/color] She said, narrowing her eyes. "Firepaw here suggested we form a hunting patrol. Are you in?"[/color] She asked, a sterness in her voice. She was asking for his acceptance, but her voice made it clear she was not giving him a choice.

Flicking her ears, the ZephyrClan leader switched her gaze to Firepaw. "Now who else?"[/color] She asked, making it apparent she knew, but wanted to make sure the apprentice stuck to his words. Lazily, the she-cat closed her teal eyes, breathing in the scents of camp. Then, she opened them, and looked back to Stormtrick. A pin prick of guilt stabbed her. But why? Looking down, she knew why. She hadn't included him in her candidates for deputy. But why was she guilty? There was nothing wrong with that. There were plenty of other cats in ZephyrClan of which whom she did not choose, either. Was she going to look at all of them and feel guilty? She certainly hoped not.

Trotting over to the fresh-kill pile, she observed the slim-pickings. A shrew, a skinny mouse, and a starved sparrow. Guilt flooding through her once again, she picked the mouse and brought it over. "Would you like some?"[/color] She asked her clanmates. "We might as well, if we're going on a hunting party. It seems as if the rest of the clan has been fed, as well."[/color] She added, reassuring herself with a glance around camp. Faithful that they would bring back plenty of prey, the she-cat took a bite of the mouse. It was stringy and lacked flavor, but it was food.[/center]

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[Wolfy]

FIREPAW

//Out of the fire, my paws will lead me.\\

Firepaw glanced at his leader when she asked him which other cats were supposed to be obtained for this hunting patrol. She watched as she closed her eyes lazily. He breathed in and shot back into his memories. Which cats had he called for his attention? Stormtrick, obviously, and um, he gazed around and caught eyesight with his warriors. "Yes, Petrelsong, I chose her," he kept gazing around and refused to let himself get caught up that he was talking to a much more stronger, braver, and wise cat before him. It was his leader, who cared about him even if he made a mistake. He twitched one ear. Not that he would allow a mishap to happen in the first place. Okay, the patrol was Petrelsong, Stormtrick, Paintedstar, himself, and... Stupid mouse-brain! he hissed in his head. If he was going on patrol then so would his mentor, Ashstorm! "Ashstorm is the last of our patrol." he concluded.

He still watched with wary eyes in case Stormtrick mentioned that an apprentice was choosing the patrol. He didn't want to let Paintedstar down. Firepaw absolutely refused to let anything get the best of him. He wanted to prove himself worthy. To his leader. To the most respectable warrior in the clan. To the elders, the queens, the warriors, and the deputy. To the other clans. Everyone. He wasn't just an apprentice. He was Firepaw. And he would[/i] make a difference to the Clans.

[breezy]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellspacing,0,true][atrb=cellpadding,0,true][atrb=width,22,true][atrb=background,http://i52.tinypic.com/2niqgja.png] a handsome rusty Abyssinian tom trotted out of the warriors den. he had went in for a rest. as his muscular body emerged from den he stretched his long body. his hazel eyes looked around. he had really nothing to do now. he spotted his apprentice, firepaw, along with paintedstar as he smiled and padded over to them stopping as he briefly licked himself before shaking his pelt once more and greeting his apprentice pressing his nose to the top of his head and nodding in respect to paintedstar and stormtrick. he smiled and meowed, "hello all. how're you today? what are we all up to?"he smiled glancing at them. they looked like they were forming a patrol and of course he would be more than happy to join in also his apprentice was in the patrol so it'd give him an opportunity to see what his apprentice already knows. he thought a moment. he had an apprentice. it had been a while since he had an apprentice and he was happy about it especially to have such a ambitious dedicated apprentice liked firepaw. he was eager to start training firepaw to be the best he could be. he knew he had to start telling firepaw when they could start training. as soon as possible ashstorm wanted to get firepaw on his paws. his last apprentice was a good apprentice but didn't have the ambition and drive that firepaw had. it almost intimidated ashstorm. he did feel slightly worried what if he couldn't train firepaw to be the best he can be. he would feel like a horrible failure as a mentor if that happened. TAGS! hunting patrol MUSE! ehhhhh LISTENING TO! KiCK US OUT - HYPER CRUSH COMMENTS!i feel bad i haven't been responding! i sorry!im back from florida sorry this response isnt so great! i love how this table thing turned out . . .besides the middle. .. im in the proccess of fixing it but i have to fix somethings & im feeling kinda lazy now so. . sorry if its annoying. . .hehe

[Wolfy]

FIREPAW

//Out of the fire, my paws will lead me.\\

Firepaw sat calmly with Paintedstar and Stormtrick only to notice a lithe tom coming out of the corner of Firepaw's eye. He didn't turn as his mentor, Ashstorm approached them. Ashstorm bent down and put his nose to Firepaw's head in a sign of welcome. Firepaw pushed his head up to him, probably causing a surprise on Ashstorm's part. Firepaw was interested in being apprenticed with Ashstorm. He wondered if he was a good mentor. He would hope so. He hoped Ashstorm would be able to fuel his drive, but he wasn't relying on Ashstorm. He relied on himself to make the changes necessary to become a brilliant warrior. And plus, even though Ashstorm was his mentor, he wasn't going to be the only cat Firepaw would learn from. Perhaps Firepaw could learn from Stormtrick and maybe even Paintedstar herself. He would listen and follow directions. He would grow.

Firepaw looked over at Ashstorm as he placed himself next to them, "We're forming a patrol. Paintedstar will lead it and she will be followed by Stormtrick, myself, you, and Petrelsong," he said politely, glancing at Paintedstar ever so quickly and then back at his mentor. He puffed out his chest and made himself seem taller. He was proud of himself for forming the patrol, but he didn't want his pride to interfere with his personality. He was nice. He believed himself and he pushed himself to his limits. Once the limit has been reached, he activated the 'one step next'. He would raise the bar, every single time. But for now, just start out with kit steps. It was the easiest thing to do. He looked at Ashstorm, hoping he would be up for a patrol, but kept all of his thoughts inside of his head. It wasn't right to share everything.

[lace !]

[bg=0A1F29][atrb=width,300,true][atrb=border,0,true][th] × × × × × × × × × × × × × × × The tuxedo she-cat flicked her tail in approval.Firepaw had manged to choose only cats who hadn't been out on patrol before, and he had done it in the correct manner. Pride for her clan made Paintedstar's chest swell. ZephyrClan was already one of the fastest, most loyal clans. Soon, they would be the strongest and have the greatest tactics. No clan would ever be able to beat them. Not TempestClan, not CelestialClan, not even VertigoClan. The only thing ZephyrClan needed now was a medicine cat, but one would come shortly. Paintedstar didn't know how, for they had not had a kit or apprentice show any interest, nor did any of the older warriors have any experience with herbs and such, but she could feel that luck was in the future. StarClan wouldn't let ZephyrClan suffer. The ZephyrClan leader opened her jaw to reply to Ashstorm, the tom who has only just padded up, but noticed Firepaw was already on top of the situation. Ashstorm's dark sandy pelt stood out among the green grasses of the camp, but it would be useful for hunting among reeds and ditches. Paintedstar listened to Firepaw explain, and felt a trickle of irritation prick her paws. It was well he was on top of things and eager to learn and improve, it was wonderful he wanted to strive for success, but Ashstorm was a warrior, although his mentor, and not an apprentice. Nonetheless, the leader pushed it aside and forced a purr of approval. The patrol would go well, and they would bring back plenty for the queens, kits, elders, and all ZephyrClan cats. Flicking her tail, Paintedstar began to feel restless. "Well," She began. "- the prey won't wait around forever. Let's get started, shall we? I'll have one of the other warriors notify Petrelsong of the patrol. She can catch up to us later. A sleeping cat catches no prey."

[/color] She mewed, standing up to lead the way across camp and to the edge of the border. She would lead them into ZephyrClan territory, most likely by the lake side. It would be filled with prey this time of year. The water was just beginning to rise again, for it was once again new-leaf. Waving her tail for the others to follow, she began to pad out of camp.[/center]

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&& You love me you love me not ~

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