(Dylan) Not up to anything

[.:|Fawnzie|:.]

<sup>A splotched apprentice was completely, with all senses focused on it, amused. He had spotted a brown toad on a hunting patrol, and yelled that he was going to catch it. The whole thing had started as he had been trying to swipe at it, and it had jumped a second before. Everytime he had raised a paw to whack it, it jumped a whisker's length out of the way.

And now he was walking slowly through the marshy Shadowclan territory, prodding the same toad with every step. Everytime he touched it, it would leap a few feet away. With a silly grin on Smudgepaw's face, the last thing on his mind was to kill the poor thing.

With every step, he was going towards the Windclan border. And what he didn't know was that he was almost there without realizing it. With a few fast-paced leaps, the lumpy- and now terrified out of it's wits- toad hopped into Windclan's territory. He followed it, not noticing the change.</sup>

[dylan]

Everything had been alright this morning, so far so good. Her father had been feeling guilty about not paying much attention to his kits lately and had decided to take the three on a patrol. Maplepaw had enjoyed every moment of spending time with just her father and brothers. This was a very rare occurrence, and Maplepaw was going to take this opportunity to show Blizzardstar how much better she had gotten. Maybe she was as good as her brothers! Sure she had been on patrols with them, and had trained with them, but there had been others cats with her. Maplepaw didn't do so well with other cats...

When the three apprentices were alone, Maplepaw was so much better and her brothers helped her when they could. The excitement could been see radiating in her bright blue eyes. The she-cat apprentice had never been so happy to be on a patrol. It had made her a little nervous when her father said he would be watching them, to think of this as an assessment.

Maplepaw had made her way toward the border with ShadowClan. Each of her siblings had taken a different clan border. Their objective was to find at least one piece of prey for the clan. She had already done that, stalking a rabbit and killing it swiftly. Now she was just wandering...or well trying not to be scared out of her mind. But then she scented a change in the air. The scent of a ShadowClan cat was coming near her. What should she do? Run and hide? Yes, she should.

Running around and trying to find a hiding place she realized her efforts were futile. There was nowhere to hide, so instead the fluffy apprentice stared at the intruder, her eyes wide with fear. It was another apprentice, but still she had to be cautious...she had to defend her territory. "G-G-G-Ge-e-e-et-t-t o-o-out-t of-f-f W-windClan t-t-territory!"

[/color] she tried to sound brave but failed miserably. Maplepaw was trembling with fear at this point.
[/blockquote][/blockquote][/size]

[.:|Fawnzie|:.]

<sup>The Shadowclan apprentice kept going, the strong Windclan scent in his mouth not registering in his mind. He prodded the toad once more, then heard a voice behind him. Whoever that is sounds scared out of their wits, Smudgepaw thought, still oblivious that the other cat was talking to him.

His multi-colored eyes swiveled around, and he saw Maplepaw, her eyes wide with fear. Then he looked around, and noticed where he was. Foxdung! Looking down at his new 'companion', he picked up the toad gently in his mouth. It let out a large croak and squirmed. Smudgepaw went over the border, then set it down and kept it between his front paws.

"Oh! I'm so sorry; I didn't notice I had crossed the border. I was just... messing with this toad," He meowed, nudging the animal between his paws. "Sorry if I scared you," Smudgepaw apoligized again, eyes round. He looked at the she-cat apoligetically, then crossed over the border again to walk over to the apprentice. Putting his tail on her shoulder, he looked into her eyes with worry. "Are you okay?"</sup>

[dylan]

Well she sure sounded convincing. Maplepaw wished she could be as brave as her siblings, just once in her life. But no, at this interaction with another cat she had once again slipped. Her eyes suddenly found her paws very interesting and proceeded to stare at them like they were something new. She was so embarrassed. What kind of cat would stutter while trying to defend the territory. Obviously her. She would get the border where a cat has crossed. If one of her brothers were here, they would have attacked already. But not Maplepaw, she was more scared of him...of seeing an actual cat.

Gatherings really were not the best thing to take the she-cat to. The leader before her father had quickly learned this when Maplepaw was cowering in fear the entire time, staying as close to her brothers as possible. That had been her first and only Gathering she had gone to. The second, the leader had graciously allowed her to help 'guard' the camp. Her third Gathering would soon be approaching, and maybe her father would be nice and say she didn't have to go. She could go hunting...or something instead.

She did, however, notice that the tom was very interested in his toad. What was so amazing about toads? They were gross and just...gross. She shuddered at the thought of eating one. She listened as he spoke, and he reminded her of one of her brothers, in a way. He sounded nice, even though he was from ShadowClan. "Y-y-yo-u didn't s-sc-care m-m-me. N-n-nothing d-does."

[/color] It was the very first lesson she was taught. Even if you were scared, don't show it to another cat. So she tried the best she could, but she was still wanting to just flatten herself to the ground and pretend she wasn't here.

And then his tail hit her shoulder. She jumped quite high in the air at this motion, scrambling to her paws when she reached the ground again. "I-I-I-I'm f-f-f-f-ine. D-d-d-don't w-w-w-worry ab-b-bout-t-t m-me."[/color] Why couldn't she get herself to stop shaking. Maplepaw sounded so tough, her brothers would have her fur if they knew she was being so skittish.[/blockquote][/blockquote][/size]

[.:|Fawnzie|:.]

<sup>"Are you sure you aren't scared? Because you look like you've just seen a dark forest cat," Smudgepaw meowed, teasing the she-cat lightly. The over-friendly tom jumped back a few paces when Maplepaw got startled, then he went back over to her.

"Well, I was just trying to be helpful. By the way, what's your name? Maybe we could talk at a gathering sometime. My name's Smudgepaw," He said, hoping it wasn't too forward. I hope she isn't freaked out by me now... He shook the thoughts away, and pulled up a dusty-colored paw to lick. The shadowclan apprentice twitched his ears toward Maplepaw, indicating that he was paying attention.</sup>

[dylan]

Maplepaw was still silently chastising herself for her lack of speaking skills. She knew how to speak well, she did it all the time. Her clanmates could vouch for her. But it was always like this around a new cat, her words became jumbled together and she just struggled. This is why Gatherings and her did not mix well. But maybe he could help her, the tom seemed nice enough.

Watching him speak again she took a deep breath. She could do it, just pretend he was her clanmate. "I-I'll b-be f-fine."

[/color] she mewed. Well...at least it was a slight improvement and there was only a little bit of a stutter. But at the mentioning of a dark forest cat she became paranoid once again and began to look around. "D-dark f-forest c-c-cattt? W-where?"[/color] Okay, maybe she was a little too paranoid to be alone. Why was it her father had done this again?

Maplepaw dug down deep. She would need this. It was just a tom, she could form a complete sentence without stuttering, she knew she could. "I'm Maplepaw."[/color] she managed to squeak out. Hey, she actually said her name without stuttering. "T-that sounds good. B-but I don't g-go to Gatherings...too many cats."[/color] Maplepaw admitted. So his name was Smudgepaw. She could remember that, he looked like a Smudgepaw. [/blockquote][/blockquote][/size]

[.:|Fawnzie|:.]

Smudgepaw shook his head, watching the Windclanner look around at the mention of Darkforest cats. He had an amused look on his face, but he was slightly worried. Maplepaw seemed to have some issues with talking. He didn't really care, though, and shook of the thoughts.

"Don't worry. There aren't any dark forest cats," Smiling, the dirty-looking tom shook his pelt and listened to the she-cat. Maplepaw? That's a nice name, the apprentice thought, shifting his weight. "That's a cute name," he said, his mouth twitching into a grin. Then he frowned, listening to her talk about the gatherings.

"Too many cats? I understand. Some cats just don't like gatherings. But, you should try them again some time. They're actually kinda fun, plus if you did go to one you could hang out with me," Smudgpaw meowed, flicking his tail. Not knowing what to do, he sat down right on the border, so if another Windclan cat came he wouldn't be blamed for tresspass. He also wanted to make sure they didn't bring him back to their camp; if they did he'd be the laughing stock for all his friends.

[dylan]

Great, he probably thought she was insane or something. Looking around for Dark Forest cats...what had she been thinking? Of course they wouldn't be here right now. She was just frazzled....that had to be the solution. But she did feel better with his reassurance that no Dark Forest cat was around, even if she was paranoid still. Maplepaw grinned a little as he spoke about her name. He liked it? "My father named me, my mother said he could since she named my brothers. Or...that is what my dad tells me."

[/color] the more time she spent with this time, it seemed she became less afraid of him.

Smudgepaw was right, though. If one good thing could come from a Gathering it would be to see him again. Why couldn't they be in the same clan? She finally found someone she was comfortable having a conversation with, and he would be in another clan. Oh well, no one would mind right? "Maybe I can go to the next one. I'll ask and see, I'm sure if I ask they will let me, I don't usually ask for much."[/color] If Smudgepaw was there, maybe the Gathering could be bearable. Looking to the tom she blinked. "But if I do go, you need to make sure to keep me calm. I don't want to be laughed at for having a panic attack or freaking out."[/color] she added, a bit shyly.

If she went, her brothers would probably go also. They could protect her while they traveled to and from the Gathering, and Smudgepaw could stay with her while she was there. Maplepaw liked this. She had yet to stutter now. She really WAS becoming comfortable around him. [/blockquote][/blockquote][/size]

[.:|Fawnzie|:.]

Smudgepaw nodded, ears forward so that the Windclan apprentice knew he was listening. He grinned as Maplepaw finished, then started talking before he thought it over. "I don't know who named me. I'm guessing it was my dad, it sounds like I name he would pick out. I wish I could ask him." He frowned, saddened by the thought that he couldn't.

The smudged apprentice's smile returned as the subject went back to gatherings. That's nice. It looks like you'll be seeing Maplepaw again, the tom thought, grinning. "It sounds like you're good at persuading them to let you go places," he commented absentmindedly, then regained attention.

He laughed, odd eyes sparkling with amusement. "I'll make sure you don't have a panic attack. You can trust me," He meowed, shifting his weight. "By the way, that's a promise. And I keep promises."

[dylan]

Maplepaw blinked up at Smudgepaw. He was talking again, and she didn't have to. Sighing in relief she listened. Why couldn't he ask his father about his named. Deciding to be somewhat brave she spoke up. "Why can't you ask him? It isn't hard to do."

[/color] she asked, genuinely curious. The thought that maybe his father wasn't around didn't occur to Maplepaw, not in the slightest bit.

She blinked at him and nodded. "Well my daddy pretty much let's me do what I want. I'm his only daughter, and I think I remind him of my mother. He also knows that I am scared of everything and seeing me do something other than freak out gets him excited."[/color] she mewed. Maplepaw had forgotten that Smudgepaw wasn't in her clan for a moment, so of course he wouldn't know she was the leader's daughter. So she would just stick to this simple story. It worked.

Glaring at him she couldn't stop the glittering amused look in her eyes. "Don't laugh at me. I'm serious!"[/color] Maplepaw did, however, sigh in relief. At least she would have someone looking out for her. She could trust him, after all he had said it. And deep down she had to know it, she wasn't stuttering around him. "Good. I've had enough promises broken before. I don't want another one broken. I'm holding you to it."[/color] [/blockquote][/blockquote][/size]

[.:|Fawnzie|:.]

Smudgepaw
_{LIVIN' LIFE, CRAZY LOUD
LIKE I HAVE THE RIGHT TO}

Smudgepaw cocked his head to the side, a troubled look clouding his eyes. "Well... After me and my brother, Mallowpaw, became apprentices, my parents left the clan," He meowed, shifting his gaze to his smudged paws. He choked back a sad tone in his voice, not letting Maplepaw know that it upset him to talk about it.

Looking back up, a smile lit his eyes, though he didn't smile as enthusiastically. He enjoyed getting to know about Maplepaw, and listening to her talk was just as fun as talking himself. Opening his mouth, a curious tone in his voice, he chose his words carefully. "So.... Is your dad... The deputy or something?" He didn't know what else to say, and he was trying to be polite.

Though Smudgepaw knew she was glaring at him, he noted that her eyes reflected amusement. So he decided to mess with her. "You think I don't know that? I just thought that you having a panic attack is an absolutely absurd idea." It might not make her laugh, but he thought it was funny. Truthfully, he didn't, but he couldn't think of anything else.

"I've had promises broken too. And frankly, I'd rather you hold it to me than not care," Smudgepaw meowed, a serious look on his face. He let it soften a bit, and meowed, "Hmm... do you want to have a race? I bet I can beat you." Of course, he was completely bluffing. A Windclan cat like Maplepaw could seriously outrun a cat like himself. The off-white cat was rather stocky and muscular, built for power, not speed.

_{.... BUT I DON'T THINK I'LL EVER BREAK THROUGH
THE GHOST OF YOU}

Notes: D'awww. >3< They're cute together.
Tags: Maplepaw
Words: Two hundred sixty nine words.

[dylan]

Maplepaw's eyes widened as Smudgepaw opened up about his past. They really were more alike than she thought. But to lose both parents? That was awful. "I know how you feel. My mother left the clan when I was a kit, I think I was about three moons. I really don't remember her too well. But at least we have our brothers. I don't know what I would do without mine."

[/color] she mewed. Her glance was now looking at Smudgepaw. She felt better knowing she wasn't the only one who had suffered a loss of a parent.

But then the question of who her father was came up. She swallowed quickly and she avoided his gaze. This was something she didn't want to talk about just yet. What would he think of her if he knew she was the daughter of a leader? Would he still want to talk to her? So she just went along with what he was saying, nodding. "Y-y-yeah. S-something l-like t-that."[/color] she replied. Great, she was back to stuttering. Everyone in her clan could tell when she was lying, the stuttering began. But he wasn't in her clan, so maybe he wouldn't notice.

And now he was messing with her. The glare quickly returned as she looked back up from the ground. This was amazing, she felt like she was talking to her brothers. The comfort level around Smudgepaw was growing.

Good, at least they were once again in agreement about something. And this was another reason why Maplepaw liked this tom. He was very similar to herself. "Glad to know.."[/color] she murmured softly. When he mentioned a race her ears perked up. Her eyes were lit in amusement, and she began to laugh. "You do realize I'm a WindClan cat. I'm built for speed."[/color] she purred. [/blockquote][/size][/blockquote]