Newbie Apprentices. [open/knotpaw]

[Marshpaw]

[ @knot and nobody can join until Knotpaw does, please. Once he posts, feel free to jump in. ]

It had finally happened, the newly name Marshpaw had become an apprentice and received his mentor. Pride surged through the Marshpaw like a speeding river, making him feel joyful. With a smile on his face, he walked into the apprentices' den, happy to finally be away from the small nursery. Sure he would miss all the fun tumbling that he did as a kit, but now he had training and time to make new friends. The tuxedo tom entered the den, his yellow eyes glancing around his new sleeping quarters. He hadn't made his nest yet, nor had he even entered the den up until now. Carefully, Marshpaw walked in, doing his best not to tramp on anyone's nest, more so not to get into trouble. He didn't want anyone to be yelling at him when he had just got here, which meant being cautious until he settled in and got to know his fellow apprentices.

Once more, the apprentice glanced around, trying to decide where exactly he wanted to make his nest. "Hmm, where should I go?" Marshpaw uttered quietly as he tried to solve is problem. The worst part was, he didn't have all day to think of where he wanted to sleep exactly, so his indecisive mind did its' best to solve the problem with the utmost speed. That was when he had an idea, he decided to pick one of the corners closer to the entrance, that way if he had to leave in the morning, it would be less likely he would fall on any of the other apprentices. He smiled, and walked over to get to work. Besides, there was no point in lingering inside the den. Sure it was maybe a bit unlikely he would have too many morning sessions, seeing as he shared his mentor with two other apprentices, but it was still a good thing to think about.

[Deleted]

Knotpaw had just been to his ceremony and now he needed a nest. Sunfish had said that it would be best to make a nest near somebody he knew so he planned on putting his nest near Sunpaw since she was one of his only friends. He wasn't exactly sure where he wanted to put his nest, but at the moment he was thinking maybe somewhere nearer to the centre since it was getting colder and a nest in the centre meant it would be warmer for him. Knotpaw entered the Apprentice's Den and sighed. This was his new home.

Slowly Knotpaw wandered around trying to decide the best spot for him to sleep. He quickly found a spot with lots of room around it and it was fairly warm. He was pretty content with his choice and quickly began gathering stuff for his nest. As he went back to the spot the first thing he noticed was a dark spot on the ground. Knotpaw got closer only to see that it was a bug. Knotpaw yelped and dropped his bedding. He quickly back-pedalled and then looked around. The first cat he saw was familiar. Marshpaw was making his bed too.

 Knotpaw walked up to Marshpaw. "Hey buddy listen. I need you to kill this bug for me it's right where I want to make my nest. It's a really good spot and this bug is in the way." Knotpaw explained quickly. He wasn't scared of bugs, but the last time he had killed a big hadn't exactly ended well. His paw had been gross and Sunpaw had mentioned just how gross it was. Now Knotpaw was going to make Marshpaw kill the bug.

[Marshpaw]

Silently, Marshpaw worked on his nest in the one corner of the den, trying his best to make it warm and cozy. He tugged at his bedding, trying to make a shape that would make him comfortable. He wasn't exactly a perfectionist, but Marshpaw knew this would be one of his very few chances to make his nest, which meant he had to take it. With that, Marshpaw worked, not even noticing the other apprentice who was in the den with him. He was going at a snail's pace, testing every piece of bedding he weaved into his nest. He was careless, but the last thing he wanted to risk was waking up groggy eyed in the morning. Marshpaw only took a few seconds to take a few glances around, which caused his eyes to stumble upon Knotpaw, who was making his nest as well. His yellow eyes watched him for only a couple of seconds, before shrugging and getting back to work on his own nest. Marshpaw's tail swayed quietly as he worked, mostly because he was thinking on how exactly he wanted to shape his nest in order to get warmth and comfort. The apprentice had the time after all since his mentor was also a new warrior which meant she would have a vigil that night.

This also made it clear that Marshpaw could possibly not have training since he shared his mentor with two other apprentices. He hadn't thought too much about until now, so he shrugged and continued his work, up until he heard a yelp. Marshpaw looked behind him, seeing Knotpaw back-peddle. "What's wrong with him?" Marshpaw meowed to himself while he watched the apprentice look around, and lay his eyes on him. Marshpaw, feeling slightly embarrassed for staring, just went back to work, acting like he hadn't even noticed Knotpaw's yelp. Naturally, his careless behavior would take effect only a few moments later, re-leaving him of any embarrassment whatsoever. That was when he heard the distinctive sounds of footfalls on the ground. His head turned, seeing Knotpaw was now beside him, and immediately began talking like they were long time best friends. The only reason why he had approached being that there was a bug in his nesting spot. Marshpaw chuckled quietly. "A bug? Are you serious? Alright, I'll go kill it, but you owe me." Marshpaw meowed, deciding he wanted to get something out of this. Marshpaw approached Knotpaw's nest building site, passing the bedding he had dropped and going straight towards Knotpaw's work in progress nest.

The bug Knotpaw spoke of was a small dark brown beetle crawling around Knotpaw's future nest. It didn't look harmful at all, in fact, it looked completely harmless. "That's one dangerous beetle you got there." Marshpaw meowed sarcastically. With that said, Marshpaw reached out his right paw, bringing it down on the foul creature. There was a tiny crunch, and of course the bug's guts stuck to his white paw. Marshpaw lifted his paw in front of himself for a moment, seeing the disgusting messed the beetle had made on it, before shrugging. "There you go, but I still don't see what the big deal was." Marshpaw meowed as he looked at the remains of the beetle.

[Deleted]

Marshpaw agreed to crush the bug right away. Knotpaw felt a little surge of pride at his persuasive powers, but then the other cat went on to add that he would owe him. Knotpaw's eyes widened a bit as he tried to think of what the other cat may have had in mind. Maybe it hadn't been the best idea to ask somebody else to crush it. maybe he should have done it on his own. It wasn't like he was scared of them, they were just gross. Knotpaw followed Marshpaw back to where the bug was.

The other tom made some quip about how is looked dangerous. Of course it was sarcasm and Knotpaw picked up on that. He kept his mouth shut until the bug had been killed and the other kit had finished asking why he had to come over to kill the bug. "I really hate bugs, and the guts are gross so I decided I didn't really want to crush it. That's all." Knotpaw meowed like it was no big deal. In a way it wasn't, but he was pretty thankful that he didn't have to kill the big himself.

[Sunpaw]

Sunpaw quietly entered the apprentice den, seeing that Knotpaw and Marshpaw were already there. She laughed quietly at the notion that Knotpaw had made Marshpaw kill the bug, but she knew exactly why. Careful not to tread on any nests, Sunpaw padded over to the two young toms. There was a spot next to both of them, and Sunpaw decided that would be a good place to build her nest. She had brought some of the abundant moss from the nursery along with her to use, as she didn't know if the apprentice den had a lot of moss. Quickly getting to work starting her nest, she decided it was too quiet, and that she should strike up a conversation. "So, what are you two most excited about being an apprentice?" She meowed.

[Marshpaw]

Marshpaw examined his paw that was now more of a mess from squishing the bug. It was a bit dirty, but it was nothing a quick cleaning couldn't fix. His ears pricked once more to the sound of footsteps as another apprentice entered. Marshpaw lowered his paw and took a brief glance behind him to see who had entered, and smiled to see another apprentice he was familiar with. His one ear pricked as Knotpaw gave a reason for why exactly he had called a "hitman" on the beetle. Marshpaw gave a quiet laugh. "Afraid to get our paws dirty, are we?" Marshpaw teased before turning tail and going back towards his current project. Once he returned to his working quarters, he began to continue making his nest, only taking a few seconds to fetch some moss from what was gathered prior. There were five new apprentices moving in after all, which meant that they had to have a small pile of moss for them to use. He clamped onto a small bundle, bring it back to where he had decided to make his nest, and continued working. Once again, his yellow eyes glanced around, and was happy to see that Sunpaw had placed her nest between him and Knotpaw.

For the most part, Marshpaw was pleased to see that someone he had met was going to be neighboring his nest. His eyes drifted back towards his work, and silence fell upon the apprentices' den. He jabbed, tugged and padded the moss he used for his bedding, waiting in hoped someone else would speak. That was when Sunpaw broke the silence that had fell upon the three with a casual question about what him and Knotpaw were most excited about for apprenticehood. "I like the idea of seeing the territory. Imagine all the adventures!" Marshpaw meowed excited, grinning widely at the thought. He could just imagine the small amount of forest land, the rolling mountains, even the river that had been mentioned a few times. Of course, Marshpaw's predictions were off since he hadn't actually seen any of the territory. "What about you two?" Marshpaw meowed casually.

[Sunpaw]

As Sunpaw continued weaving her nest with the moss from the nursery, she noticed that there had been a pre-arranged pile for them. Oh well, I just get more moss, is what Sunpaw thought. She quickly calculated how big her nest should be. Most of it would be used to make the frame, but, since she had extra, she could use some for padding. As she laid down to take a test in her partially built nest, Marshpaw answered her question, and asked her the same. "Well, I am most excited about learning battle moves! I want to be the greatest fighter in IceClan!" Sunpaw meowed. She knew that fighting took many moons to master, but she was up for the challenge. She would train as much as she could.

[Deleted]

Knotpaw flicked his ear slightly. "I wasn't afraid to get my paws dirty. I would have done it, I just decided that it would be better if you did it." Knotpaw smirked a little at his answer. He had most definitely been afraid of getting his paws dirty, but now he didn't have to. So Knotpaw was pretty proud of himself for getting somebody else to kill the bug for him. Then Sunpaw showed up and began to make her nest. Knotpaw smiled at her but then turned to his own nest.

After Knotpaw had made his nest half decent he heard Sunpaw asked what they were looking forward to about being an apprentice. Marshpaw explained that he was excited to explore the territory. Knotpaw could understand that. There would be adventures and things to climb and he could probably find a wonderful vantage point to see for a long way. Then Sunpaw explained that she was excited to learn how to fight. He was excited for that lesson because it would be interesting and probably really cool. Sunfish had said that they would probably be training together so that was cool too. That lesson would be really fun.

Then the conversation turned to Knotpaw. He thought quickly about what he was looking forward to the most. He liked both of their answers too and could understand them, but then he found his decision. "I want to learn how to hunt." Knotpaw stated. It had just dawned on him that hunting was one of the things he was most excited for. "I want to be able to provide for myself and the clan." Knotpaw was ready to help get food for the clan.

[Sunpaw]

As Sunpaw continued making her nest, Knotpaw responded. He had wanted to learn how to hunt. True, Sunpaw was excited for that, but she didn't want to embarrass herself either. She had never been good at stalking prey, it took forever and you had to stay in place for a long time. As Sunpaw was finishing with her last bit of nest, she realized that she had used up almost all of the moss that she had brought. She quickly walked to the pile and tore some off from there.

[Marshpaw]

Another small chuckle escaped from Marshpaw's mouth at Knotpaw's answer to his question. He wanted to make a sarcastic retort, but Marshpaw decided to stop his series of teasing comments for the time being. Marshpaw quietly worked on his nest while listening to what the other two apprentices had for answers on the topic of what they were excited about. Sunpaw was vent on being the best fighter, while Knotpaw wanted to provide for the Clan. He had already said that he was excite to see the world and go on extraordinary adventures and make amazing discoveries. That's what Marshpaw was like, he was curious about the world, and had an adventurer's spirit. His imaginative and creative ideas simply fueled the lingering spirit with the idea of the world. He looked around once more, seeing Sunpaw go to get more moss while Knotpaw had a decently built nest. He gave a small chuckle at a comment he could make, but decided to hold his tongue and not say a word of it. "Well, all the lessons sound like fun in all honesty, and think about what will happen when we finish. We will be warriors! And if I were to guess, we would be some of the best warriors." Marshpaw meowed, being ecstatic about the idea.

He looked down at his nest, excited to see that he was almost finished it. Like most nests, it was a circular shape, but due to his smaller size, had higher walls. This was one of those moments when Marshpaw was glad to be a smaller size, it made building a nest for himself a lot less time consuming. That was when he decided to ask another question out of his curious mind. "What do you guys think the territory will be like? I heard stories, but I am not sure if they're that accurate." Marshpaw asked, sparing a glance to look through the apprentices' den exit and at the camp's exit. Some day soon each of them would take a trek out of the safe walls of camp and into the wondrous territory that awaited them.

[Sunpaw]

As Sunpaw finished making the frame for her nest, she heard Marshpaw ask a question. It would be polite to answer so she did. "I bet the territory has lots of waterfalls that spray mist. I think there will be big mountains to climb and scary cliffs. And, in the middle of it all, there will probably be a HUGE forest with foxes and badgers." Sunpaw meowed. She chuckled at her fantasy, thinking it was a little too amazing. If that actually was the territory, she'd be happy forever.

[Deleted]

Knotpaw had finished making his nest faster than the other cats. When he looked over at their nests he kind of chuckled. Their nests were so well thought out. Sunpaw had so much moss she could probably get lost in it and Marshpaw's nest was really well put together. He lay down and stretched out on his nest, which was really just a bunch of moss stuff together. He didn't feel the need to make some fancy elaborate nest when all he would be doing in it was sleeping and sitting. He just let it be.

Then Marshpaw said that all of the training things sounded good. Knotpaw nodded. He was just excited to be doing things other than playing games and wandering around camp. Now he could wader around the territory and learn to fight. He then listened to Marshpaw's next question about the territory. From what Knotpaw had seen just from vantage points it was a lot of trees on a mountain. Sunpaw's idea was a little far fetched for Knotpaw's own mind. "I think there will probably be a lot of rocks and trees mostly." He paused for a second thinking. "Maybe a river." That part didn't sound nearly as good as the trees and rocks.

[Marshpaw]

The work on Marshpaw's nest was going along great, and he was happy to see his nearly complete nest. His ears pricked to the replied of Sunpaw and Knotpaw while he quickly got another clump of moss to finish up his nest. A smile was upon his face as he heard all the guesses of what the world outside of camp may look like. Sunpaw talked about there possibly being many waterfalls that sprayed out a mist of water, the giant mountains and scary cliff-sides and lastly huge foxes and badgers. While Knotpaw guessed that there would be rocks and trees mostly, and perhaps a river. He smiled as his own vision came into his mind, a clear picture that he decided to take a few moments to explain. "I think that there will be a great many trees, almost like a small woodland, mountains that almost touch the clouds and dangerous cliff edges that all cats must be cautious of. Maybe a waterfall that trickles into a small river bursting with fish and other aquatic creatures. That's what I think will be out there." Marshpaw meowed, saying a mouth full of words that explained his vision.

With a gleeful smile on his face, Marshpaw went back to work on his nest, hoping to get his finished shortly. His ears twitched, waiting tentatively to pick up any words the other two apprentice may speak. A few seconds later, and Marshpaw's cautiously built nest was done, leaving a smile on his face. He turned his head to check on the other two, from what he saw, Knotpaw was already done, while Sunpaw was working with a great abundance of moss. Marshpaw had to admit, having a lot of moss in a nest would make it awfully soft and warm, but he didn't want to take too much from the reserves, so he decided to sit down in his nest and keep talking with the others. Marshpaw stepped into the soft moss of his nest, he sat down, curling his black tail around his white paws.

[Sunpaw]

While looking around, Sunpaw noticed that the other two apprentices were already done with there nests. Sunpaw had her frame done, but still needed to add extra moss. Listening Knotpaw and Marshpaw explain what they thought the territory was, Sunpaw started attaching pieces of moss to the frame to make the nest more comfortable. "Marshpaw, your description sounds a lot like mine." she meowed.

[Deleted]

Knotpaw listened to Marshpaw's explanation of what he thought the territory would be. Knotpaw would be more happy with the other ideas that the two had given. Having a cool territory sounded better than his explanation of a bunch of trees and rocks. Their idea had waterfalls and cliffs and it sounded much cooler and would probably be more fun to explore and play in. Sunpaw stated that Marshpaw's idea kind of sounded like hers. They did sound similar, but there were many difference's in Knotpaw's mind.

"Have you guys thought about what you want you warrior names to be?" He asked. Knotpaw knew that you didn't really get to chose, but they could always have some say in it. Knotpaw hadn't decided what he wanted the last part of his name to be. Knotfur was the most obvious choice, considering that the first part of his name was knot because of the knots in his fur. He still wanted to know what the others had in mind for their warrior name.