Breaking Vigil

[Tigerstripe]

I flicked my eyes back and forth across the wide expanse of the forest. It was the first time I had ever been outside camp, and it felt seperate from everyone-easier to forget that they were there. Even though I was just outside the stone walls that made up camp and the smell of my Clanmates was still as strong as ever, I felt isolated. At least here, though, no one made me feel average. I didn't have to remember Rushingwind and Mothflight and Brightmoon.

I looked out into the trees, seeing the orange and red and yellow leaves that hung from the trees. The sunlight, just now rising over the horizon, filtered clearly through the near-bare branches-leaf-fall was drawing to a close, and already frost would form on leaves if you were up late enough-or early enough, as the case may be-to see them; I had been, tonight.

Usually only new warriors sat vigil-but I was too impatient to start. I knew I wouldn't learn anything more than Rushingwind, or the other dozens of apprentices; I knew I wouldn't be better than them. I could still try to be just average, and not inferior-right?

I took my mind away from these thoughts and turned back to the trees.

It was impossible, looking at the forest, not to notice how much brown there was-on the almost-bare ground, the branches and trunks of the trees, the dried leaves forming a carpet on the ground. None of them were the exact same shade of brown as me, though. But they were all brown-brown like me, brown like my name. Plain brown. It was depressing-brown was so common, just like me. I was average brown.

If I had known that sitting an unnecessary vigil would lead me to thinking this, I would have skipped it.

---

It can be a training topic, Maple. Or it could not be. It doesn't matter. I just really, really love Brownpaw. <3

[Mapleleaf]

Sickleclaw padded out of the warriors' den, impassive. He didn't stretch nor yawn, nor did he look at Brownpaw in surprise as he saw her sitting what seemed like a vigil. Sickleclaw had actually asked Lightningstar if he could mentor the troubled apprentice. He was interested in how she turned out. She may have benefited more from a more loving, caring, complimentary mentor, but she had him, and he wasn't going to make her training any easier than any cat else's.

The gray warrior flicked his black ears, padding, unnoticed, to the freshkill pile. His stomach growled quietly but he ignored it, running his eyes over the pile. He picked a small wood pigeon and lifted it from the carnage, holding his breath so as to not entice his hunger. Slowly and stealthily Sickleclaw made his way to Brownpaw's side. He sat down beside and a bit behind her and lowered the wood pigeon gently to the ground.

He waited for her to notice him, examining the frost that had formed on the young apprentice's coat. She had been here all night in the cold so that dew had frozen onto her pelt. Sickleclaw narrowed his eyes. That was unhealthy and unnecessary. Still, he said nothing as he waited for his presence to be known.

[Tigerstripe]

Brownpaw's nostrils flared, her eyes widening in surprise, as she scented the gray warrior and the wood pidgeon he was carrying; she turned towards him, slightly surprised at how stealthily he had crept up to her. I shouldn't be surprised...after all, he is a warrior. He could probably be about to bite my head off and I wouldn't notice. She shook off this slightly depressing thought, and opened her mouth as if to speak to Sickleclaw.

"What-" her voice was hoarse from being without use for so long, and she coughed to get it sounding right again. "What are we doing today, Sickleclaw?" The low pitch of her voice, coupled with the whispered tone in which Brownpaw said it, made her hard to hear, and she wished that she had said it a bit louder. Only I could be such a mousebrain as to speak to my mentor where he can barely hear what I say. Her tail twitched in irritation at herself. I hope he heard me...

She tried to cover up that she had spoken so quietly with another, louder question that was both an extension of the first and able to stand on its own. "Are we going hunting, or practicing battle, or what?"

Her stomach grumbled loudly at this, and Brownpaw flushed under her fur. Now, of all times. She was hungry, but didn't want to hold Sickleclaw up by going back to camp-and of course she couldn't ask him to share. Brownpaw was caught by indecision, and made up her mind after a moment of thought. If he offers to let me go back or something, I will, but I won't ask.

So Brownpaw turned her attention back to her new mentor, waiting for his reply to her question.

[Mapleleaf]

The gray warrior almost smiled at the nervousness of the apprentice. Almost. Brownpaw reminded him so much of Leafdew when she had first been assigned to him. But she had been less nervous and more sure of herself. Sickleclaw smiled a sigh full of nostalgia, missing the days when Leafdew had been Leafpaw and he her mentor. He longed to train with her again, wishing that he could do over the day where he had led her to be attacked by Nightstorm.

Sickleclaw shuddered with anger, wanting to roar a challenge to Nightstorm so he could destroy him, once and for all. But he contained his anger into that shudder. Suppressing even that, he looked kindly at Brownpaw. He blinked one eye slowly, then the other, before pushing the wood pigeon forward.

"Today we will be patrolling the borders on our own, hunting along the way. It may be clear today, but that won't last long. The clan needs all the food it can get. Have the wood pigeon, it will give you much-needed energy after that unnecessary vigil." He added the last bit in a slightly scolding, paternal way.

When Sickleclaw saw that Brownpaw was about to protest he narrowed his eyes. "Are you going to argue with your mentor on day one? Besides, I don't want to have to stop halfway through the patrol." His eyes were smiling, though it didn't quite reach his mouth. He twitched his whiskers awkwardly and looked towards the rising sun as he waited for Brownpaw to eat.