Company

[Gladetail]

Gladepaw was stalking a mouse in the perfect crouch making sure she didn't step on anything near her. She was getting even closer to the prey and her mouth watered with anticipation. Right now her head was a mess. Everyday it seemed as if Goldenblaze and Roseflight got closer and closer. They were hiding something... she just knew it... Suddenly she realized she was sheathing and unsheathing her claws. Drawing all attention back on the mouse, Gladepaw stalked a little closer. When she almost thought she had it, the sound of a bird squawked above her head. She looked up and saw the annoying bird fly off, as well as her morsel or prey.
Mouse-dung!
"Is someone there?" Gladepaw called, holding back anger and calling in a friendly tone. Something had to have made that bird squeal.

[Mudface]

Arching his back in a long, drawn-out, luxurious stretch from his shoulders to tail-tip, Mudface blinked his eyes toward the apprentice tail-lengths below. She was searching for the cat that had scared away her precious mouse. Following the branch towards where it ended, he smiled slightly at her, and meowed, "Ah, yes, that would be me."

"I was having this wonderful dream! I was chasing this squirrel and it scurried up this tall, tall tree, and I was on his tail ... " He quickly licked a front paw and drew it over his ear. "Ah, yes, and, so, I followed it into the branches, and I began to stalk it. I was so close to the sky, it was magnificent -- !"

The apprentice seemed to be looking at him weird, so he muttered, "Time to start over ... " Mudface sat down, tucking his tail over his paws in a comfortable position. From up so high, the wind stirred his black-blotched fur, so that it tickled his nose.

"I'm Mudface," he said. "Sorry about scaring away your mouse. I must've hit a branch by accident with my tail. What's your name?"

[Gladetail]

She stared at the warrior strangely. "Um my name is Gladepaw, nice to meet you?" She was having second thoughts about this warrior, but yet he seemed calm and relaxed. "What are you doing out here?" She flicked her tail refering to the mouse he just cost her.

[Mudface]

"And it's nice to meet you, as well!" He flashed her a grin full of sparkling white teeth. His tail twitched, so he got up and curled himself into another long, full-hearted stretch. "Ahh ... " he sighed satifactionally. "The sun could not be nicer these days. I'd sleep here every chance I got if I could ... "

Smiling again, he lowered himself into a crouch, pushed all of his weight to his muscle-thick haunches, shook them a few times, called out to the apprentice, "Watch out, Gladepaw!" and sprung into the air. Everything he saw from that moment was on green, brown, yellow, and blue as he dived toward what awaited him below. He was truly flying, and all that climbing to the highest spot in that tree did not matter. He was flying!

Mudface, careening closer and closer to the ground -- and Gladepaw, stretched out his front and back paws, preparing to catch himself in a bumpy landing. He hit the ground, the force jolting into him, but this time, he only rolled once. As he spun into an awkward sitting position, he shook himself out, and stared at Gladepaw spritenly. "That was amazing!" he said, as he gasped for air. "You've gotta try it sometime!"

Her question threw him off a little. He measured her for a few heart-beats. Was she worth the truth? No, no. No one was. Pausing, he murmered, "Just getting some fresh air ... "

"Would you like me to catch you a new mouse? I have plenty experience!" He grinned at her, friendliness radiating from his fur.

[Gladetail]

Gladepaw's ears flickered as she stared in amazement, then shook her head in an attempt to forget about it. There was something this tom was hiding, he was mysterious that was for sure, and yet he was able to seem like he's flying so high. A strange warrior... but surely qualified to be part of SunClan... Thinking about what he said, the tone in his voice seemed neutral, but when she noticed his body language, he seemed defensive over the topic. Hmm... She was still considering the fact that the tom offered to find her a new mouse, but then again she didn't want to seem weak to him, even if he was part of her Clan. "Hmfph, I can catch another piece of prey on my own thanks." Regretting her tone of voice she decided that it was time to forgive and forget. "You wouldn't mind accompanying me, other than having your, 'daily fresh air stroll'?"

[Mudface]

Mudface flicked his ears, holding back the habit of rolling his eyes. Apprentices were so predictable -- especially the she-cats. Be nice to them, and they react like you're trying to cut their tail off. To Mudface, though, and his love for mentoring, even if he found this slightly annoying and immature, he felt it was his job to kick this bossy little smart-mouth out of them before it was too late. He must've seen that in Sedgeclaw when he was an apprentice. "Okay, that's fine," he meowed emotionlessly.

"Of course, not! I wouldn't mind a little company." Smiling, they padded off. His tailing twitching around and nose beginning to track a vole, he asked her, "So, Gladepaw, who's your mentor?"

[Gladetail]

Gladepaw's senses were everywhere. A vole was somewhere, and also what seemed to be faint was the smell of a... rabbit? Keeping alert she mewed, "Sleetmask is my mentor, and a great one at that." She smiled brightly to herself and still remembered the first sight of the gorge. "There are kits that should be starting apprenticeship soon, so you might not have time for your, 'daily strolls of fresh air'." She snickered playfully to herself, then focused back on her target.

[Mudface]

"I can't wait to meet him," Mudface told her, flicking his tail. "I'll tell him all about this hunting trip -- be it good or bad." His pale green eyes glimmered faintly with the occaisional spark of maliciousness. His lip curled into a slight smile. He chuckled softly.

"Well, I'm glad," he replied. "Mentoring is my passion." And it was. The thing he imagined doing with his endless seasons of being a warrior would be mentoring every last apprentice he could. The leader at the time would have to force him into the Elder's Den before he would stop teaching the younger cats how to become fantastic warriors. Battling was not his hobby, and hunting was okay, but mentoring -- mentoring brought a smile to his ink blotched face.

"Even if I won't have a lot of time left for being by myself, I'll find it!" He twitched his ears, as though it settled the matter.

His eyes grew a-light again, and he slowly looked over at Gladepaw. "So, you got the hots for a tom yet?" He started chuckle, and stepped off the path to leave her in peace when her reaction to his words settled in.

[Gladetail]

Gladepaw who was intent on her prey snapped back to realization on what the tom had just said. "Hey! I don't think that's any of your business!!" Snarling slightly out of annoyance she turned her head around to focus on her catch, yet she still mumbled angrily to herself.
What's up with this tom?
She took a sudden pause with she saw a fluffy white tail popping out of the grass. Motioning her tail for Mudface to come take a look, she noticed in the far left a vole was also near. She smiled. A vole and a rabbit...
Turning her attention to Mudface, without speaking, her tail waved, asking the silent question, Which do you want?