To Be a Warrior

 
The-Warriors-Guild roleplay between

bangarain  and AlchemistKitsune


   A cool, dry wind breezed through Dawncloud's fur as the large tom excited the warrior's den.  Taking a deep breath, he shook his pelt, getting rid of whatever grogginess he still had in him.  After all... today was a big day.  today his apprentice, Cloudypaw, needed her assessment.  But today was different.  It wasn't just Cloudypaw who needed an assessment.  Cliffpaw was also in direct need of an assessment, and with Ashenwhite out of commission, Twopelt had given him the duty, a duty he was more than eager to take care of.

    Walking towards the apprentice's den, the massive tom spotted Cliffpaw and Cloudypaw sitting close to the entrance, no doubt waiting for their mentor's to come by, or in Cliffpaw's case, waiting to see who had been assigned his mentor that day.  He knew the mottled tom looked forward every day to having Viperfang be his mentor, but not once had his wish come true.  Well... he would teach him that he was just as fierce and demanding a mentor as any.

    "Oy, you two!" Dawcloud snarled towards them, a disgruntled look on his face.  "Come over here now.  No time to be lazy today, ya hear?"


    Home at last.

    Cloudypaw could hardly believe they were back, back to the arid, dry wind that ruffled their fur, the expansive sky soft and blue stretching out overhead above them, an endless blue high above, back to the hard, warm ground underpaw. Back home. And this time, not with the threat of adders and pit vipers looming overhead, only to return to the Gatheringplace - home for good. She had woken up early that morning, partially to watch the sun rise over the top of the gorge, partially because she knew her mentor would expect her to be up and ready for the day's training. She glanced at Cliffpaw for a split second, opening her mouth to ask him who he thought he'd be training with today, when Dawncloud's unmistakeable bellow snapped her head to attention. He'd be training with Dawncloud, too!

    She let out a sigh of relief and bounded over to where her mentor stood, the large tom looking thoroughly disgruntled. "Y...yes sir!" she mewed, her voice shaky but loud enough for him to hear.


    Dawncloud turned to his apprentice, and a smug smile crossed his face.  His last apprentice, Shortblaze, had been confident, always bugging him as a kit, so lacked the fear this one had, always treating him more like a friend than a mentor.  With Cloudypaw, it was good to feel the respect he believed a mentor deserved, although a small part of him wished he could have done more for her backbone.  Then again... it was hard to grow a backbone that could defy HIM. Turning towards the mottled tom as well, he saw Cliffpaw following Cloudypaw, his face obviously lit up, and something told Dawncloud that it wasn't because he was going to be training with him today.

    "Bright and alert today, are ya?  Good to hear!  Today's an important day for the both of ya.  Today you both get to impress me enough to see if you have what it takes to be a warrior," he sneered as Cliffpaw's eyes grew wide in understanding.


    Th-thump.
 
   Her heart was pounding so hard she swore it threatened to leap out of her chest. "You mean..." Cloudypaw mewed, her voice a hushed whisper as her pale blue eyes grew wide, a mixture of nerves and excitement flashing in her eyes before she snapped her jaws shut once more. Today...already? Was...was this really happening? She took a deep breath and unconsciously scooted ever so slightly closer to Cliffpaw for unspoken reassurance and support as she looked up at Dawncloud with wide eyes, her paws shaking with nervous excitement. There was no doubt she was terrified, yet...her eyes, which had been bright with nerves and excitement, seemed to begin to glow with something else, something more. Determination.


     "It's our assessment?" Cliffpaw finished for Cloudy, his paws shifting with excitement on the ground as he could barely contain himself.

    "That's right!  Now, because Ashenwhite is out of commission, you are both going to be under my very, very rigid rules today," he sneered, a look of contempt on his face.

    His original plan had been simple enough.  Since he knew that so much of their apprenticeship had taken place in MoonClan territory, he was hoping to judge their fighting skills against one another.  Hopefully have Cloudypaw win so he could gloat at Ashenwhite later how his apprentice was obviously superior.  He knew better than that now that he saw them together, though.  There was no doubt neither woul give it their all, and it was almost a certainty that whichever one lost was simply the one who had decided to throw the battle first, which left him with that option out.

    "Now, since I have two of you, why don't we make this fun?  How about a competition?  I've heard you like those, Cliffpaw... ready to give it your all?"

    Cliffpaw's eyes widened even more at Dawncloud's words, and he could feel himself growing hot around the ears in embarassment.  He gave a sideways glance at Cloudypaw and gulped.  Would he really be able to give it his all against this she cat?  He should!  But then... why was his heart pounding so fast?

    "I-I'll do my best," Cliffpaw responded, turning back to Dawncloud, although he made a point of averting his gaze from the warrior's pale blue eyes.


    Swallowing heavily as she gazed up at her mentor, the young marbled tabby she-cat felt nerves rise in her chest as much as she was sure excitement was overwhelming Cliffpaw. She felt herself nodding vigorously as Dawncloud spoke, her determination still there but slightly wavering at his stern gaze, his sneering words. Could she really do this? What if she disappointed her mentor? ...Cliffpaw? Herself?
She perked her ears as the large warrior mentioned a competition, the word triggering a short lived burst of eagerness in Cloudypaw before it quickly waned back down again. She had always loved competing with her brother - who could climb the highest, run the fastest, but they were never serious sorts of things, always just for fun. Never such high stakes and of such importance. And...this one wasn't against her brother. It was against him. She glanced aside to Cliffpaw then felt her fur grow hot as her gaze met his for a split second, before she quickly glanced away again, her heart pounding even more than it had when Dawncloud had first hinted at what they were to do.
"M...me too." she mewed, glancing at her paws.


    The tabby tom did a snarl of approval, a glint of amusement in his eyes.  Despite how naive in matters of the heart the savage tom was, even he could tell that these two were being clouded by their own sappy emotions, and that they would probably be a bit inneficient at anything regarding the other until their feelings were out in the open.  However, he was also serious about how they needed to impress him.     These apprentices were not used to FireClan territory, he needed to make sure that they were capable of surviving in the harsh gorge and sustain the Clan.
 
   "Good.  I expect nothing less than the best from my apprentice and the obnoxious little cretin who claims to be the best apprentice in FireClan.  Now, here is your task.  The two of you are going to race.  I want you two to race from FireClan's camp entrace to the Lonesome Tree.  The Lonesome Tree is the tree that marks the center of our territory, and it is in the most arid, sun baked part of the gorge.  Now, this will not be only a mark of speed, but a mark of stamina.  Running under the shade of the full trees of MoonClan is one thing... but running under the draining sun of FireClan is another story entirely.  Not only that, but I want the two of you to hunt as much as you can in your way to and back from the tree.  Your performance will be rated not just in how fast you get here, but in how much prey you can bring back... and of course, you must do this all before sun high... wouldn't want to risk a sun stroke, now do you?" he asked, a cruel grin spreading on his muzzle.  "Any questions?"


    Cloudypaw, whose ears had been flattened against her head as Dawncloud spoke, perked her ears at the mention of the word 'race'. They...were going to race? She let out a sigh of relief, and gave Cliffpaw a sideways glance as she did so. A race? She felt fairly certain she could handle that, even in the arid, harsh climate of the gorge.
    A whirl of mixed emotions churned in her gut as Dawncloud finished, and she felt her heartbeat begin to escalate as he regarded them each with a particularly cruel smile. S...she had to do her best, to make Dawncloud proud, to make herself proud, but...
She took a deep breath, unconsciously scooting a fraction of a whisker closer to Cliffpaw, almost unnoticeable, before giving her mentor a vigorous shake of the head. "I..th..think...I mean...I'm r-ready." She finished with a flash of determination.


    "Hmph," Dawncloud growled at her response, his sneer vanishing as he grew more serious.  "Well, if you two sure you are ready..."
The massive tom gave a pause, looking up at the sky.  The apprentices had a fair few hours before sun high, but despite his smug appearance, he was worried.  It took more than just speed to survive these arid conditions.  They would have to be FireClan cats through and through to truly pass the assessment, he would not take a half witted MoonClan trained cat as a warrior, even if it meant keeping them back longer.  Suddenly turning his gaze back at them, his train of thought interrupted, he scowled.
"Well?  What are you two still doin' here?!  That gorge ain't going to race itself.  Go!" he snarled, and at that he lashed his tail violently, clearly signaling that the race to become a warrior had just begun.


    "Y-yes sir!"
    Dawncloud's snarl had startled Cloudypaw into action, and with a glance at Cliffpaw she tore off away from camp, the thrum of her paws not soothing today as she usually found the rhythm - this was her assessment! Not just hers, but Cliffpaw's as well. She had no doubts that Cliffpaw would pass with flying colors. Herself...she just hoped she could make Dawncloud proud. She winced as the pink portions of her paws met the searing stone - they had always burnt more easily than the rest - but refused to let that slow her down. She wasn't entirely used to the arid climate yet it was true, but she wasn't going to give up. Ever.

    She perked her ears as she spotted a lizard perched on a small slab of gorge rock, and she slowed her pace to a trot, dropping into a crouch as she did so. She suddenly realized that in she had forgotten to streak her pelt with sand and dust as she had done during her first few moons in the gorge to camoflauge herself, and she swallowed, praying to StarClan that the reptile wouldn't see her. She held her breath, felt herself moving forward, then -
pounce!


    Once the tom had snarled at them, Cliffpaw had not had time to register.  An order being issued made him act almost on instinct.  After all... a warrior was always ready to act at his superior's command's.  It was Ashenwhite who had told him that it was not their place to question, but to follow orders.  A good warrior was loyal, but not just because of a sense of duty, but because in their heart it was what they wanted... but then... why did it feel as though if he did not want to win this race so badly that he might hurt Cloudypaw's chances at becoming a warrior as well?

    With his dilusions of grandeur, Cliffpaw had no doubt in his mind that he would win this.  How could he not?  He had prepared himself for this.  Every day of his training had been for this day!  True... he had hoped it was Ashenwhite who would give the announcement, tell him he was ready to becom a warrior... but he would settle for making him proud.

    As he ran, he felt the heat under his dark, harsh pawpads.  The heat was much worse than it had ever been on MoonClan territory, and he couldn't help but be grateful at the extra padding his SkyClan ancestors had given him, making him be able to tolerate the harshness of their territory.  The fact that it was leaf-bare helped him, but of course, this was simply an added bonus to him, not something to factor in to his immense attributes as a perfect apprentice.  Keeping his eyes peeled as he ran, the mottled tom flattened his ears.  He knew that to win this race, he would have to hunt as well.

    At this though, a small knot seemed to clench his stomach once more, and he had to pause and grimace, wondering what could possibly be making him so nervous now.  It wasn't as though he had ever considered Cloudypaw a threat, but the more he thought about her now, the more his head swam.  As he shook his head clear, determined to show his worth, his eyes caught sight of a gray lump not too far away.     A fuzzy eyebrow raising, he stalked around the lump, and as he got closer, he realized that Cloudypaw was busy already with prey.  A lizard stood in front of her, but as she pounced, the lizard spotted her - no doubt due to her gray pelt - a second too soon, and sprinted away, making her have one of the nearest misses Cliffpaw had ever seen.

    "Oh no you don't!" the mottled tom yowled as he pounced to Cloudypaw's aid, landing in front of the lizard, who jumped in terror, and in frantic confusion turned back to where it had come from, straight back to Cloudypaw.


    Mousedu-
    Her silent curse barely went half finished however, as Cliffpaw - who she had scarcely registered approaching, so focused had she been on the prey- let out a wild yowl, sending the lizard careening towards her in absolute confusion.

    Before she even had a chance to register exactly what had happened the small marbled tabby apprentice scrabbled forward, catching the creature squarely in her forepaws. "Th-t-thank you!" She purred enthusiastically through the lizard now grasped tightly in her jaws, and she gave Cliffpaw a grateful grin.
   
    "That...that was brih-iant!" She purred through their catch, and, so caught up in surprise and nervous excitement she touched her nose enthusiastically to his cheek, before freezing upon realizing what she had done. "S-sorry-" She stuttered, feeling her face grow flush and her fur hotter than her pawpads against the gorge stone with embarrassment as she stumbled backwards, avoiding his stunning amber gaze. "I...ah-" she murmured, before building up the courage to look up at him once more, her pale blue eyes shy, but warm as she repeated more quietly, "Th...thanks!"


    Cloudypaw had quickly caught on to Cliffpaw's ambush, and the mottled tom couldn't help but swell up with his usual cheeky attitude as she gave him her grateful grin, a rather dopey grin plastered over his face as well.  Normally, he would have given the apprentice he had just had to help a lecture over how they would have failed if he had not been around, but the gratitude and happy shine in Cloudypaw's gaze left him unable to do his usual routine, and he found he didn't particularly mind not bragging for once.  However, just as quickly as he had puffed his chest and grinned back, he felt himself deflating.  Whether it was out of glee or excitement, Cliffpaw did not know, but Cloudypaw immediately walked up to him and touched her nose to his cheek, making him feel dizzy enough to stumble slightly to the side as he felt a sudden lightheadedness accompanied by a hot flush on his face that matched hers.  Hating himself for looking so weak, he avoided her gaze, his paws shuffling awkwardly as he regained his footing.
 
   "N-no... It was nothing," he stammered, his ears flat in embarrasment.  "Well... I g-guess I should be going.  O-only one of us can win the race, r-right?" he finished reluctantly, now more nervous than ever about the competition.


     "Ah-r-right..." she mewed, feeling her ears droop, her tone fading from its previous excitement, and she felt a nervous knot tie in her stomach. For a split second she had forgotten it was a competition, a race, the very thing that would determine their warriorship. It wasn't something to be taken lightly.

    Her fur hot, even moreso than before, she tucked the lizard beneath her chin and began gingerly pawing at the ground next to the rock with a forepaw, preparing to bury the plump lizard beneath the stones for when she returned on the way back.  Suddenly, she froze, a paw in midair, and she perked her ears, an idea forming in her mind.

    "Wh...what if...we worked together? Th-that way the Clan has more prey than if we just raced alone. W-we could be a team!"
     She suggested shyly, chancing an excited glance at Cliffpaw as she nudged the lizard into the small deposit beneath the rock, sending up a puff of dust.  "I-I mean, we don't have to, I was j-just thinking,"


    At the tabby she cat's words, Cliffpaw froze.  Working together?  Of course!  Sure, it was a race... but if they worked together... if they tied... they would both finish, and they would feed the Clan as well.  It was like Ashenwhite said... the Clan came first.

    "Y-yeah... I like that idea," Cliffpaw responded, turning his gaze around to look at her as she deposited the lizard beneath the hardened, baked FireClan soil, the snow that had been steadily melting and almost nonexistant now since the morning making it much easier to dig than usual.  "The Clan comes first, after all, and what better way than to help our Clanmates than by teamwork?" he asked, his excitement showing once more as he realized that this was an assesment he much preferred now to going against the sweet natured Cloudypaw.


    "Y-yeah!" She purred, her excitement returning once more as she met his gaze for a brief moment, the knot slowly but surely unfurling in her stomach. Suddenly, the competition didn't seem nearly as bad as it had first been.

    She felt determination rise in her chest once more, and, noting the excess soil from her cache trembling from the faintest of breezes, she quickly rolled onto her side and back, coating her silvery pelt, which would have otherwise stuck out like a single cloud in the sky,  with a thin layer of the reddish clay, the musty scent filling her nose, the excess floating into the air with a light puff. "R-ready?" She purred, giving her head a vigorous shake as she rolled back onto her side and gave him a grin, the dirt still lingering  faintly on her whiskers.

    Cliffpaw's whiskers twitched with amusement.  Whenever he thought of Cloudypaw, the image of a sweet, delicate she cat came to mind, yet here was an apprentice who was obviously not afraid to get dirty to get the job done.  He grimaced slightly inwardly as he realized that he would probably not be so willing to roll himself in filth to blend in, and couldn't help but send a quiet thank you to StarClan for having been born with a pelt that was so perfectly made for blending in on FireClan's desert colors.  Nodding in agreement, he turned around, studying the sky and his surroundings.  They had already wasted some time to go to and from the camp to the Lonesome Tree, but their working together would see to it that they would have more than enough time and prey.

    "I think it would be best if we take the shortest route to the Lonesome Tree and then try to take a longer route back that would meet up with our buried prey.  The real danger is not making it back to camp before the heat stroke sun comes up in the sky.  If we can get to the Lonesome Tree with enough time, however, we should have nothing to worry about as we hunt, and we should be back in way before the heat stroke sun and with plenty of prey... erm... but... what do you think?" he asked, suddenly feeling sheepish as he realized he had taken control of their assessment without meaning to.


    Cloudypaw unconsciously tilted her head to one side as Cliffpaw began to speak, here and there nodding vigorously, her eyes growing brighter and brighter as he detailed the plan. It sounded like a brilliant idea to her - perfect to get safely to the tree and back to camp with as much prey as possible. "N-no, that sounds great!" She purred, her words completely honestly. She was relieved - she had never particularly liked taking the total lead in anything, much less teams, and Cliffpaw fell into the role so naturally she had barely noticed. She glanced up at the sky for a moment, studying the sun's position in the sky, noting that they still had a ways to go before the hottest, most dangerous part of the day.


    As Cloudypaw agreed with his plans, Cliffpaw beamed.  Not only had they already agreed on the course of action to take, it made him extremely pleased that he had been the one to come up with it.  If this all went along smoothly, he would have to remember to brag to Ashenwhite when they returned.  He was certain his mentor would love to hear about his assessment while he was cooped up in the Medicine Cat's den after having so bravely fought off the snakes.  With a nod, Cliffpaw turned and flipped his tail, signaling that they should begin their way towards their goal.

    "Well, now that that's settled, let's go!  We have a lot of ground to cover, and I've heard Dawncloud is hard to impress.  Let's make sure his jaw drops at just how efficient we were.  Heck, he'll be so impressed, he'll not even be angry we decided to work together instead of racing against each other," he mewed in a confident voice, a boyish grin plastered on his face as he got ready to take off, making sure to not leave Cloudypaw behind.


    "Yeah! He'll be so p-proud!" Cloudypaw agreed, purring excitedly at the thought. One of the most nervewracking parts in the anticipation of her assessment had been making her mentor, Dawncloud,  proud. Or at the very least, not utterly disappointed. After all, he was one of the best warriors in the Clan, wasn't he? She had always been scared of disappointing him, but now, as she stood beside Cliffpaw in preparation to bound off, that fear was ever fading as her enthusiasm grew. Beaming, she nodded to him, and leapt forward to begin alongside him, the sting of the heat on her pawpads now barely noticeable, overwhelmed by her own excitement.


    A wide yawn escaped the massive ginger tabby as he looked up at the sky once more.  It had been hours since the two apprentices had left on their assessment, and neither of them had made it back yet.  The sun was high in the sky, and the snow that had fallen the night before had almost melted already, making the ground much more damper and humid than FireClan cats were used to.  Despite it reminding him of their horrible stay in MoonClan territory, Dawncloud couldn't help but be grateful, as his delicate pawpads suffered much less during this season.  Still, even with the ground below them being less scorched than was the norm, it was a harsh trip to make to the Lonesome Tree, espeially to an apprentice who was unused to FireClan's territory.

    'Maybe I should consider telling Twopelt that we might need a search party for them before it's too late,' Dawncloud thought with concern, his gaze still turned to the sky.   

    Lost in thought, the massive tom almost didn't catch the scent of fresh kill that approached.  The leaf-bare breeze carrying the scent of lizards, frogs, and even a hare, Dawncloud turned his head in surprise from the sky towards the path Cliffpaw and Cloudypaw had left at the start of their race.  There, approaching with looks of pride and contempt where his apprentice and the mottled tom she had left with, but while they had left as adversaries, they were not walking side by side, reminding Dawncloud of himself and Windsong whenever they were landed on the same hunting party together.  Hiding a sneer, Dawncloud got up and padded towards the two apprentices, his head held high as he quickly hid the pleased look on his face and replaced it with a scowl.  As Cliffpaw and Cloudypaw approached him, they set their prey on the ground in front of him, Cliffpaw's amber eyes glowing with positive smugness.

    "And there's plenty more where that came from!  We hunted so much, we need to make another trip back to gather the rest.  And we have more than enough time to make the trip, too!" the mottled apprentice drawled with a confident voice, his chest puffing out as he prodded the hare he had been carrying towards Dawncloud.

    "Hmph...  You don't say...  So tell me, which one of you mouse brained cats hunted what?  You do know that part of the challenge was to impress me with your skills, or are you two incapable of doing such a simple task without having to rely on one another?" he asked, his glare on Cloudypaw as he made it clear he wanted her to respond to his question, his whiskers giving a hint of a quiver of amusement that he struggled to mask still.


    Cloudypaw, who had been flushed with enthusiasm and pride upon returning with Cliffpaw, her head held higher than usual and her chest feeling light with excitement, suddenly felt the enthusiasm begin to fade as Dawncloud gave her a pointed glare, and she found herself feeling particularly small under her mentor's hard gaze. The marbled she-cat felt as if she was buckling ever so slightly at his words, and she swallowed, fighting every instinct to allow her gaze to drift to her paws. Had they done something wrong? Was he upset?

    N-no, of course not! R...right? She mewed silently to herself, though she wasn't exactly positive.

    "W-we worked together." She mewed, rather weakly, looking up hesitantly from where she had been looking straight ahead to meet Dawncloud's gaze. She felt her paws trembling at the force of his pale blue glare, and her ears were flat despite her attempt to look brave and confident. She felt her gaze waver until she gave Cliffpaw a quick glance, taking comfort in his own  confidence.

    "W-we figured it would be b-best if we both worked together," she began once more, forcing her ears to waver upward slightly. "As a team. Th-that way we could catch more prey to f-feed the Clan than if we had worked alone." She mewed, feeling herself deflate. What if due to her idea they wouldn't be able to become warriors? "I-it was my idea," she admitted, her gaze firm on her paws despite her best attempts.
    "I'm s-sorry. B-but C-Cliffpaw should definitely become a warrior, even if I m-messed up." She mewed, forcing herself to look up at Dawncloud with bright blue eyes, flashing with a brief glow of certainty. "I-if because of that I need to be h-held back, I..." her voice faded, cracking slightly. "He...Cl-Cliffpaw deserves to become a warrior m-more than anything."


    A moment of silence met Cloudypaw's words while Dawncloud glared down at her.  Cliffpaw stared from Cloudypaw to Dawncloud in shock.  How could Dawncloud be angry at them?  Especially after they had done so well!  Having every intention to argue with Dawncloud, to tell him that he did not want to become a warrior, not this way, he opened his mouth, but was interrupted by the rough, bark like laugh that escaped Dawncloud.

    "So it was your idea, eh, Cloudypaw?  Is this true, Cliffpaw?" Dawncloud asked, a toothy grin on his face.

    "U-um... Yes.  B-but I encouraged it!  If Cloudypaw doesn't get to be a warrior, then I don't think I deserve my warrior name either!  We did this together, either we pass together, or... or we don't pass at all," Cliffpaw spat out in response, confused as to why the massive tom was laughing, but determined to stand his ground.

"Is that so?  Well then, let's be grateful then that yer both passed, and with flying colors, too," Dawncloud snorted, beaming down at the two apprentices in front of him.


    Cloudypaw, whose gaze had by that point rested firmly on her paws, her ears flattened tightly against her head, froze and blinked up at Dawncloud's words, pale blue eyes wide with surprise and confusion.  

    "Is that so?  Well then, let's be grateful then that yer both passed, and with flying colors, too,"

    For a few heartbeats she just blinked at her mentor, not quite registering the words that had just been spoken. Had she heard right? Was this really happening? She had committed herself to the fact that she was most likely not being made a warrior that moon, sure she had messed up somehow. But...

    She felt her heart begin to race, and she exchanged glances with Cliffpaw, before gazing back up at Dawncloud with a mix of surprise and joy shimmering in the sky blue depths of her eyes. "R-really?" She managed to stutter out, her ears perking up and a shocked smile beginning to form on her muzzle as Dawncloud grinned down at the both of them. They...they had passed? Dawncloud wasn't...upset? He was...smiling?

    A loud purr escaped her muzzle as she beamed at Cliffpaw, unable to contain her growing excitement, and she felt her chest begin to glow with warmth. She felt new energy begin to flow through her body, and she turned to bounce over to Cliffpaw and give him an excited nudge on the cheek as she had done before, then hesitated a few whiskerlengths away, feeling her fur grow hot with embarrassment, and instead she ducked her head shyly, and gave Dawncloud a grateful grin, still unable to believe what was happening. "Th-thank you, D-Dawncloud-s-sir!"


    Dawncloud purred with amusement as Cliffpaw and Cloudypaw bounced with excitement.  He could remember his own excitement from when he had become an apprentice himself moons ago.  Dawncloud always loved being a mentor, training rowdy kits and turning them into the future of the clan.  Cloudypaw's triumph was no different to him than any of his other apprentices, and despite her shyness and her inability to form a sentence without stuttering, her loyalty to her clan and friends, as well as her quick thinking made him glow with positive pride.  She would make a warrior he would be proud to boast of having trained.

    "Bah, no need to thank me.  Ya did this yourself.  If you hadn't been a true FireClan cat, if you would have done this by yourself, I would have probably had to send a party for your corpses once the sun went down," he sneered.  "Now..." he added, nudging Cloudypaw affectionately on the shoulder with his paw. "What do you two say we go get the rest of yer haul before the heat stroke sun climbs over us, eh?  And you, Cliffpaw, yer have news to tell that lazy Ashenwhite, don't ya?  He'll be proud of ye, so go git to the Medicine Cat den once we're done.  These are news to be shared, ya know?"

    And with this he turned tail and headed out, letting Cloudypaw lead the way to where their prey had been stored, a kind look not unlike a queen staring at her kit during an apprentice ceremony on his face as he realized his young apprentice was all grown up now.