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Redtalon
Finpaw was quick to join up with his patrolmates- well, single patrolmate, once the assignments were given. He watched curiously as Talonstone ducked into the apprentices’ den, snapping clipped instructions to what was presumably his apprentice, and couldn’t help the simultaneous twinges of sympathy and jealousy. While he hoped Sparkpaw didn’t feel too bad about the light chiding, a part of him wished that he’d been afforded a mentor who cared enough about him to go on patrols or train or bother ordering him around at all.
Thoroughly sombered, he followed Talonstone over to the camp entrance to wait. So lost in thought, he was, that he almost missed the question that followed.
“Hm?” Finpaw mrr’ed, blinking up at the warrior.
“Oh! Sorry sir, I hadn’t- my mentor, you said?” He looked away sheepishly, then, shuffling his paws in discomfort.
“He, um... I don’t really have one anymore, I guess. He kinda.. went away, after I was assigned to him. So I’ve just been waiting to be given a new one, which, as you can probably guess, hasn’t really been a priority with everything else going on lately.”
Any time he talked about it, Finpaw couldn’t shake the feeling that his mentors’ absences all had to do with
him, and how he must be performing as an apprentice. Two mentors, two warriors that took one look at him then vanished off the face of the earth. How else was he supposed to take that?
Thankfully, Sparkpaw chose that moment to come scrambling up and save Finpaw from his self-pity fest. Brightening considerably, he offered her the best reassuring smile he could.
“No need to apologize! You’re here now, and that’s what counts. We’ve all been kinda needing the extra sleep lately, anyway.” He glanced aside to Talonstone, briefly, to hopefully gauge that the warrior wasn’t too upset with him for jumping to console Sparkpaw.
“We’re going on a hunting patrol today! So, I guess that answer really depends on where Talonstone wants to take us…?”