[ti]Private[/ti]The Escape

[Wind Flight]

Turtlekit was excited. She was six moons old, almost ready to be an apprentice. Surely I can defend myself, then! she thought. So she quietly padded out of camp, and soon started running with a bounce in her step. She purred. Newleaf sunshine shone over her dappled pelt. She scented a mouse. Turtlekit crouched down in what she thought was the right pose and looked for it. It was still skinny from leaf-bare. She pounced. She landed on the mouse clumsily and it wiggled out from under her. She took off running after it, thinking how tasty it would be and how much she liked the name Turtlepaw. She was quicker than a crushed mouse-- she caught it under her paw and killed it with a chomp. Yes! She picked it up and continued running around. A moment later she decided she should be going back. My clanmates will be so proud, she thought. Then she realized she had no idea where she was. 

[gingersnapsdacat]

Multicolored paws silently thrummed on the forest floor. An elegant young warrior was drawing near to Nima Creek, where she hoped to find some good prey. It was the first time that Dappefur had wandered from camp as a warrior. As she walked, her ears were swiveling, trying to detect the faintest sound of a bird fluttering, or a mouse crunching on a seed. Instead, however, it was the sound of a mouse squealing as its life was cut short. With an avant curiosity, the she-cat plunged forward until she was face to face with an unfamiliar face.
"Good catch Pipsqueak ." She said, greeting the smaller cat. Dapplefur's amber eyes scanned the young tortie feline in front of her. Although Dapplefur did not talk to most cats, even her own classmates, she could still recognize their scent. This cat was not of Ivyclan. 
"You lost, kit?"

[Wind Flight]

Turtlekit mewed in surprise and jumped back at the sight of a new cat, then relaxed when she noticed that the cat meant no harm. "Thanks!" she chirped, looking up at the warrior. "Kinda..." she meowed quietly, slightly embarrassed that she'd gotten lost at apprentice age. Although that didn't seem to matter, as the strange cat saw her as a kit anyway...

[gingersnapsdacat]

Dapplefur could not help but smirk at Turtlekit's surprised squeak. 
"Has your mentor not shown you the borders yet?" She inquired, "Or are you just getting an...early start?"
She gave the young she-cat a knowing glance. As a kitten, Dapple was always trying to get outside of her twoleg den and chase moths, or yowl at the neighbors' pet pigeons, which sat in a cage on the porch. Thus, the warrior expected that a clan kit would probably find even more places to wander.  It appeared that Turtlekit was about the right size to be an apprentice, but that didn't mean the ceremony had occurred. 
"Now what's your name? Unless I was right, and you are called Pipsqueak?" She teased the young cat, nudging her playfully. 

[Wind Flight]

Turtlekit looked at the warrior. "I'm not an apprentice yet," she meowed, a bit louder than before. "But I will be soon!" She sat down and curled her soft tail around her little paws, trying to look more grown up. A moment passed before the bigger cat spoke again, asking the kit's name. "I'm Turtlekit," she meowed. "Who are you?"

[gingersnapsdacat]

A multicolored ear twitched in slight amusement when Dapplefur heard of the small cat's rank. Perhaps other warriors would admonish the kit for her wandering, but Dapplefur was not most warriors. As far as she could tell, this was just a kit that lost their way. Now if it was a warrior who had crossed the border, that would be quite different. 
Dapplefur quickly switched gears as she heard the voice of the young one ring out once more. The young kitten was clearly trying to show that despite the fact that she was young, she was still able to speak to a warrior. Dapplefur absentmindedly mirrored that action, and curled her tail around her side. Even when both of them sat in this posture, Dapplefur was just short of a head taller than the kit. Clearly, the young ne was due to rank up very soon. 
"Turtlekit eh? Nice name. I suppose it suits ya better than Pipsqueak. I am Dapplefur."