LEOPARDPAW.
apprentice of shadowclan
He'd spent so long impatiently waiting for the day he'd finally become an apprentice, setting him that much closer to becoming a warrior, that when it finally happened, it hadn't felt real. His whole first moon as the newly named Leopardpaw had passed in a blur, or at least felt like it had. That might have been concerning, if he wasn't certain he'd been able to retain Thonrbelly's lessons anyways. In fact, he felt like he was passing his training with flying colors already, a real protégé if ShadowClan had ever saw one.
It wasn't all soaring in the clouds and bathing in sunshine, however. As a kit, he'd never considered it would mean less time to spend with his family. Not significantly, but then he did have time with them, he was sad to realize he didn't have very much energy. Perhaps sharing a tongue or meal here or there, especially after the day was starting to wind down, but then he'd have to whisk right off to bed for fear of falling asleep on his paws.
Today he'd woken up at the usual time for training, but was pleasantly surprised when Thornbelly called it off after sunhigh, claiming hardworkers needed a day off every once in a while. The young tom had headed back to camp with a notable pep in his step, a soft smile on his features as he wondered what to do with the time off, until he instantly knew upon seeing his mother in the clearing.
Of course he'd asked Cocoaflower on a hunt, and that's how he found himself back out in ShadowClan's territory, specifically the Murky Swamp. He wanted to show her the new skills he'd learned and catch up on anytime they might have missed out on, as he promised her not too long ago that even if he was growing up, he'd never forget about his mother.
"I'm gonna catch a frog, ma. Thornbelly's told me the best way to go about it, but we haven't gotten to try it yet. I want to be able to impress him when we do," the charcoal bengal explained, setting his paw down with a splash.
✾ ℂ𝕠𝕔𝕠𝕒𝕗𝕝𝕠𝕨𝕖𝕣 ✾
𝕊𝕙𝕒𝕕𝕠𝕨ℂ𝕝𝕒𝕟 𝕎𝕒𝕣𝕣𝕚𝕠𝕣
She hummed softly in amusement as she could see the puzzled expression that her son was wearing. Had she given her mother the same look when she had been told that some frogs burrowed deep in the mud? Perhaps, but she was willing to look as silly as she needed to for Leopardpaw to bring home a frog. Shaking her freezing paw clear of mud and murky water, her bi-colored gaze watched her kit cautious as he quickly stood up, ready to tackle this hunt head first. Noticing his hesitation, his eyes pointed down towards her paws, the Molly purred as she lowered her head to lightly nudge Leopardpaw’s dark spotted flank. “I’m alright.” She promised, stepping lightly after the young tom.
Cocoaflower watched with narrowed eyes as her son took off for the mudflat, unable to help keep a watchful eye on her kit, despite the fact he didn’t need his mother worrying over him. Suddenly her heart took a sharp dive towards the pit of her stomach as Leopardpaw came dangerously close to taking a full bodied dip into the cold water. Ears against her cranium as she let out a quick breath of relief, following after her kit at a much slower pace. “Don’t run on the ice.” Cocoaflower chastised, lowering her head to rub her cheek against the top of his head before her eyes shifted towards the mudflat. “You are going to stick your paw into the mud at the bottom and scoop away all the silt. Best way I can describe finding a frog is, their skin feels like little pebbles against your toes. Cold and hard.” Cocoaflower explained, lowering herself as she crouched beside Leopardpaw, lightly nudging her shoulder with his. “Do you want to try looking for one?” She hummed, her gaze amused.
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