A cicada spreads its wings! [P]

[Zero]

Cicadapaw
| He/him | ThunderClan Apprentice (2/100) | @Mr_Possessive

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It was Cicadapaw's first day as an apprentice, and he certainly wouldn't waste it. Early morning light was just beginning to peak over the horizon, the clearing pretty much silent except for a few cats here doing whatever their early clan responsibilities were. For Cicada, it was time to take his first, or technically second, step outside into the territory - but at least this time he wouldn't get lost or in trouble, he just had to locate his mentor first. The orange and white apprentice made his way over to the warrior's den, peaking in his head and scanning the sleeping cats for the warrior he was looking for. "Pineblossom?" He mewed, his voice just barely above a whisper. He didn't want to wake anyone else if he didn't have to.

[Mr_Possessive]

She/Her - 32 Moons - ThunderClan

Pineblossom could taste the mouse. She could feel it in her jaws. Then she heard her name, almost as ifa whisper in the wind. But enough to confuse her.

The large queen's eyes opened, emerald eyes meeting the early morning sunlight coming through the interwoven branches. She took a deep breath in, then out. She sat up slowly, allowing herself to adjust to being awake. She saw a white and orange head peeking through the entrance of the den, Cicadapaw. That must've been the whisper she had heard in her dream.

The queen stepped carefully around the sleeping cats, making her way to the entrance. As she walked out, the brisk air ruffled her long fur. She supposed this was better than leaf-bare weather, and once they got moving, she would warm up rather nicely. "Grab something to eat before we go," the she-cat mewed. "We are going to be out for a while, and we can't carry prey with us the entire tiime," she mewed. She groomed her long fur, blinking the sleep away from her eyes and cleaning herself up for a new day. Her first day with an apprentice nonetheless.

@Zero

[Zero]

Cicadapaw
| He/him | ThunderClan Apprentice (4/100) | @Mr_Possessive

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Cicadapaw perked up as Pineblossom awoke and made her way toward him, backing out of the den to get out of her way as she made her way out into the clearing. "Oh, yeah, thanks for the reminder!" He had completely forgotten about eating something beforehand in his excitement. The apprentice bounded over to the freshkill pile, picking a squirrel from it and practically inhaling half of the creature in just a few bites. It was obvious, you could just tell he was excited by how quickly he completed these mundane tasks.

He grabbed the remainder of the squirrel and brought it to Pineblossom, dropping it at her paws. She needed to eat too and Cicadapaw didn't want to eat too much before they went out, so it made sense for him to share. Hopefully, Pineblossom didn't mind. "For you~" He'd left the better parts of the meal for her to eat. "Best we both keep our strength up." He had a general idea of how large the territory was and knew they'd do a lot of walking today.

[Mr_Possessive]

She/Her - 32 Moons - ThunderClan

Pineblossom watched as the apprentice inhaled half the squirrel, grinning slightly at his enthusiasm. She remembered how it felt, the first day and the first task of being an apprentice.

When Cicadapaw placed the remainder of the squirrel in front of her, Pineblossom felt a tinge of pride. She was glad she had gotten one of the respectful apprentices. She sure didn't have the patience to deal with some of the more rambunctious ones. "Thank you Cicadapaw," the queen mewed warmly. She took the last remaining bites of the squirrel, before taking the carcass to the edge of the clearing and burying it.

Pineblossom stretched out, the breeze ruffling her fur. Now that she was clean and not half asleep, they could start on their adventure. "Alright Cicadapaw, we are going to steer clear of the RiverClan border this time around. We will wait until the otters are dealt with. So do you want to go towards WindClan or ShadowClan's border first?," the queen asked.

@Zero

[Zero]

Cicadapaw
| He/him | ThunderClan Apprentice (5/100) | @Mr_Possessive

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Cicadapaw nodded in return at her thanks, offering her a smile. "You're welcome." He was certainly on his best behavior today. Even though he felt he could explode with excitement, he was holding himself back with more control than he thought he had. The apprentice wanted to leave a good impression on Pineblossom. They were going to be spending a lot of time together for the next few moons after all.

Oh yeah, the otters Bumblestar mentioned yesterday in the clan meeting, He remembered. Smallpines would have to wait until they'd gotten rid of the threat. He shuddered at the thought of fighting something so large.

"Hm, how about WindClan first?" The apprentice didn't have a preference for either border, so he chose randomly. He figured both borders were going to be pretty straightforward since there hadn't been any conflicts with WindClan or ShadowClan in quite a while.

[Mr_Possessive]

She/Her - 32 Moons - ThunderClan

Pineblossom nodded."To the Thunderglade it is," she mewed.

The queen padded out of the territory, ensuring Cicadapaw was close behind her. "As we get closer to WindClan, you'll notice where the trees begin to get sparce and the moor land begins to cover most the hills. There is a treeline that marks the border," Pineblossom meowed. "This is also a very good spot for hunting, just as long as you watch where you are and stay on our side of the border," the queen mewed firmly. As of now, they were still deep in ThunderClan territory, lush forests surrounding them.

Pineblossom studied the territory, purring when she saw new leaf buds and flowers growing in the new-leaf temperatures. She was glad that she would be teaching Cicadapaw in the warmth of new-leaf and greenleaf and not leaf-bare. She shuddered at that last thought. She had been trained predominantly in leaf-bare and new-leaf, and boy was is harsh. That wasn't to mention what had happened at the RiverClan border with her mother, that left her shaken to her core, even today. The queen shook her head. "Not in front of an apprentice," she mewed bitterly to herself, raising her head to stop any tears from falling. She took a deep breath and focused on the scene around her.

"So Cicadapaw, what are you excited to learn about," Pineblossom asked. She figured she might as well make small-talk on the way to the Thunderglade, to both improve her relations with Cicadapaw, as well as to keep her mind off of the past.

@Zero

[Zero]

Cicadapaw
| He/him | ThunderClan Apprentice (7/100) | @Mr_Possessive

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Cicadapaw followed behind, only stopping now and then to sniff at something new before catching back up to his mentor in a few quick bounds. After the initial excitement wore off, the apprentice settled into a steady pace by Pineblossom's side, taking in the heart of the territory. The leaves would emerge soon and cast the forest into shade, but for now the early sunlight was keeping him warm against the brisk morning air.

He listened intently as Pineblossom explained what they'd see once they neared the border. He tucked the knowledge that it was a good hunting area away for future use if he ever got sent on a hunting patrol.

The apprentice did notice that Pineblossom seemed upset for just a moment, catching the teary look in her eyes. However, he chose not to comment on it. She'd bring it up if she wanted to and besides, they were just getting to know each other. He let his fur brush against hers for a few steps in a small act of comfort before moving away once more and giving her space.

"Haha, I'm excited about everything... but I guess more so to learn how to hunt," The apprentice admitted. He was kinda clumsy, so he was hoping that hunting would teach him to be a bit more graceful. That, and he was eager to provide for his clan eventually. "Of course, I do wanna make my dad (Spiderthroat) proud and become as good a fighter as he is one day... but I guess I'm just a little nervous about eventually having to fight other cats in a serious setting."

[Mr_Possessive]

She/Her - 32 Moons - ThunderClan

Pineblossom found herself composed again, listening to Cicadapaw's excited talking. Learning to hunt was something that Pineblossom had thrived in, and she was thrilled to teach her own graceful movements to the apprentice.

"Fighting can be scary," the she-cat began. "The idea of getting hurt, hurting others, it's not exactly enticing on it's own. But when your Clan is being threatened, you often lose that fear and will be ready to fight to the death to protect your home," she mewed, keeping her gaze forward. "That's part of the oath you must take when you become a warrior, to protect the clan, even at the cost of your own life," she mewed. She ran her paw over her ear. "This knick in my ear is from a badger that me and Mushroomfur, my father, had come across while patrolling the border. We scared it off, but not without our own losses," she mewed grimly. She wasn't sure if Cicadapaw had ever met the elder that was her father. Well, an elder by classification. He should still be a warrior. "He lost his hind leg after the battle, from an infection. But damn it we still drove off that badger," she mewed, a slight chuckle under her words. "That was the sacrifice that he had to make to safe the Clan, and even now, he says he will never regret it," she purred.

Pineblossom took a deep breath. "Not to bore you with my stories, I sure am not an elder yet," she purred as they continued walking. She noticed the tree's growing more and more spaced out, a sign that they were edging closer to the WindClan border.

@Zero