Coldpaw sneezed, his breath scattering a handful of wishflowers. He watched as they drifted lazily on the pre-summer breeze, as the patrol continued onward. He was only distantly aware that he was being left behind. They’d be easy enough to track down again, for him. He closed his eyes and allowed his ethereal senses to wash over the surrounding area, picking up on the hum of life in the forest. Something different pinged on his radar, though.
He allowed his paws to wander that way, risks be damned. He might have grown a bit arrogant in his assumptions that his Leader father could bail him out of any scenario– but it wasn’t like this assessment was incorrect.
He slunk through the uneven thicket, until he arrived at their ShadowClan border. He once more probed the area with his senses, honing in closer to the cat he’d sensed from a distance. A scuffling emanated from just up ahead.
Found you.
He crossed over the border, tail held high as he came upon the other cat.
“Hi there. You’re a ShadowClan apprentice, aren’t you?”
A U B U R N P A W
Every day was the same, unchanging and consistent. Some small things would vary, like whether or not he was assigned to a hunting patrol or a border patrol, or whether or not he would spend the day training with his mentor. But other than that, there was nothing of significance to note. Even the weather didn't seem to falter lately, staying at a consistent warm temperature with a breeze that swept through the forest.
How boring.
He almost couldn't even be bothered to fully pay attention to what his mentor was saying today. Nothing they ever said to him really interested him anyway. The way they spoke to him and interacted with him became less and less riveting each day. They were giving him pointers of some kind on his stance and probably trying to help guide him into something more efficient, but they failed to realize that he was already efficient enough at what they went over today. Did they need to keep pushing it? Almost like they could read his thoughts, his mentor sighed. At least they caught on quickly when he became disinterested and wasn't listening anymore. They dismissed him and left him to his own devices, disappearing into the growth of the plants ahead. Finally, Auburnpaw thought. Maybe now he could find something worth his attention. The ginger-and-black tom took a stroll through the territory, his ears perked casually as he listened to the sounds of the forest.
Then, something very unexpected happened.
Someone came upon him, approaching him casually- friendly, even. He stiffened in his tracks, stopping abruptly from wherever he was planning on going. The scent of ThunderClan invaded his senses immediately, alerting him that whoever this was had definitely crossed the border between their two Clans and didn't seem to give half a rat's tail about it. They had been taught since the moment they were old enough to hear to stay true to their Clan and that anything foreign was against the rules. Surely, this guy knew that too? Different Clans aside, the warrior code remained eternal and firm. What was he doing?
His amber eyes narrowed. He found himself perplexed, but also... Fascinated. Despite the rules that had been engraved in him since his kithood, Auburnpaw found himself with another agenda at hand.
"I sure am." He replied flatly, "But I take it you knew that already." For the first time in his life, he didn't know how to proceed. He couldn't read the other feline ahead of him, didn't know what he wanted or what he was trying to accomplish. Auburnpaw wanted to learn more. Judging by the tom's scent and his dark pelt, it was natural to assume that he was Hawkstar's kin. Did he think that rules didn't apply to him just because he was the leader's son? How conceited.
"And you?" He returned the inquisition. "What exactly do you think you're doing, stepping onto SkyClan territory?"