[AbsurdJinx]

Originally Posted by Queenie

Before the two of them even came to the border Bumblepaw already knew what Clan they would see first. He could tell from the immense amount of trees that were popping up more frequently as their bodies moved deeper, their shade engulfing the two cats and slaughtering the sunny moor. The second clue was the the smell the longer the apprentice stayed in the shadowy place the longer the stench had time to crawl its way into his pelt. Bumblepaw felt he'd never get clean! Shadowclan, Bumblepaw thought to himself. Despite being in unfamiliar territory the tomcat knew it.

The stench curled around Bumblepaw but despite that, the apprentice obeyed his mentor and took a deep breath. His brain wrapped around it, memorizing it. He could smell the marshy grounds in the distance, and the deep undergrowth that churned by worms. The most notable scent was the over-powering minty aroma of the pine trees. It was so strong it gave Bumblepaw a headache. He'd never seen a pine tree before but he knew this was them. He'd stayed up countless nights listening to the older apprentices laugh and joke about trying to climb them, against their mentors rules. Bumblepaw himself would never disobey Smokethorn like that but didn't mind the stories from the others.

The apprentice closed his eyes making sure he remembered. And when he was sure the scent was imprinted in his brain he started pacing thinking about Shadowclan. He knew the warriors had a history of living up to their dark name, but at the moment with Thunderclan lingering in the back of his mind, the pine scented cats were not on his list of immediate fears. That didn't mean the shadows didn't make Bumblepaw uncomfortable, but he was able to mask his nervousness with hard eyes. "They smell." Bumblepaw mewed. "At least I'll be able to notice that if they try and sneak into our territory." He looked to Smokethorn hoping this was a acceptable answer.

``Yes, ShadowClan are a stinky bunch,`` Smokethorn chuckled softly, gazing over the invisible line commonly referred to as the border. ``Though keep in mind that there are a few of them worthy of our kindness.`` As an older warrior, he's encountered many felines who either did or did not deserve his friendliness. Smokethorn was someone who believed that everyone should be respected at first introduction. Then as time passes by, the respect either grows or loses its shine depending on the other feline's actions. He preferred not to make friends with other clans' members and in all honesty, Smokethorn would be perfectly fine with just his mate and his kits beside him. But that didn't mean he didn't care for his other kin or friends, or even his apprentice Bumblepaw, because he genuinely looked out for them. Often, Smokethorn's apprentices became family, and he always watched after them once they became warriors. Most definitely, Bumblepaw and Smokethorn's bond will not falter even beyond death.


``Come, we will visit the ThunderClan border next,`` Smokethorn meowed, glancing over at the younger tomcat. He observed his apprentice very briefly, simply looking the other tom over quickly. ``Tell me if you tire, alright? I wouldn't want to exhaust you on your first day out.`` Smokethorn was willing to end the day short if Bumblepaw weren't up to it. He was quite proud of his patient manner, and was perfectly fine with putting the ThunderClan and RiverClan border off one more day. Smokethorn wasn't even sure if he wanted to visit the ThunderClan border yet, not with tensions so high.