[ti]Private[/ti]Sticks n Stones

[pants]

The blue tom huffed as he left the Elder's den. For the third day in a row, he was ordered to check the older cats for fleas and ticks and change their bedding. Why couldn't another apprentice do it? It wasn't fair! He wanted to go on border patrol or hunting, but was stuck with the butt end of the chores list. Why couldn't the younger apprentices do the dirty work? 

Creekpaw flicked his tail with annoyance. Whatever. At least I'm done. Maybe I can find Cloverwing and do some training! The tom thought, the idea giving him a bit more pep in his step as he lifted his head to try and seek out his mentor. But everywhere he looked, there were cats. The clearing was crowded with cats from other clans, their scents merging into a reeking mess. The tom twitched his nose, the smell strong. He enjoyed having more individuals to interact with, but it made searching the clearing quite a task. Turns out, his mentor had a mate in one of these clans. He didn't mind, but now it was much more difficult to find her.

The tom idled in the center of camp, trying to avoid the constant flow of moving bodies, his head peeking above the sea of fur. Cloverwing was nowhere to be seen. Oh well... Maybe I can get one of the other apprentices to train with me! This made his eyes gleam with anticipation. Surely he could make a few new friends to find at future gatherings! And just as the thought entered his mind, he felt a bump, a body pushed into him as the said individual tried to navigate the chaos. Creekpaw let out an oof and stumbled a bit, regaining his balance. Shaking out his fur, he looked to the cat who collided with him. "Oh, I'm sorry!", the apprentice chirped, turning his head to look at the one he was apologizing to. 

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mewmehh

[mewmehh]

"Woooahh!" roared Kitepaw in a bright-sounding voice as the minky tom collided with Creekpaw. Despite how it may have appeared in the cramped quarters, the blame of the bumbling was not on the Mistclan apprentice's back, but rather on the gangly young tom who smelled of Rootclan's. Well, it was partially his fault.

It appeared the Rootclan tom had been roughhousing with another apprentice as the long, sleek body of a black Mothclan crashed into Kitepaw in front of Creekpaw as the more mature apprentice made the effort to apologize. At his words, the round gazes of the playing apprentices glowed eagerly in wonder at him.

Rolling over roughly to through off his opponent, the tall Rootclan apprentice clumsily dipped his head and introduced himself. "Hi there! I'm Kitepaw!"

"And I'm Slugpaw," chimed a softer, but equally excited voice as the smoky black tom flashed Creekpaw a glittering aquamarine look. "Did you want to come play with us?"

"Nah, Sluggo! We're training!" Kitepaw chirped loudly, giving the Mothclan cat a playful shove, which resulted in a sharp squeak from a nearby Miredawn as the young toms trampled her tail, sending her scurrying off.

"That's right, Kite. Wanna play, Creek?" Slugpaw stated matter-of-factly with a wheezy laugh before almost completely forgetting himself and circling back around to the thought of play. Clearly these two were two full pawfuls all themselves.

[pants]

Creekpaw blinked with his blue-gray eyes as the scene unfolded. He smiled and raised his tail high. Finally! Some decent playmates! Whitepaw was more of a quiet cat, and now that he was a medicine cat apprentice, would spend his time focusing on his duties. And as of late, the other apprentices around his age were either busy with training or patrols or had no interest in playing with him. So Creekpaw was excited to find someone to rough and tumble with. And maybe if they all become friends, he can show them the cool parts of the territory! And they can go exploring together!

"Yeah! Sounds great!" The tom mused with a laugh. "Bet I can beat ya at tag!" He playfully challenged, dropping to a play crouch with his tail flailing in the air for a few seconds before bouncing forward and touching a paw to Slugpaw's shoulder before pivoting his paws and bounding away, looking over his shoulder to see if his new playmates were following. "Catch me if ya can!" Creekpaw teased. He wasn't sure what he was getting into, as he had heard stories about the other clans, but the young tom was living in the moment, just glad to have something to do aside from his apprentice chores. And his confidence was high, as he knew the camp and territory, and they didn't, so he had the upper hand. What can go wrong?

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mewmehh