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Description
"Hi, I'm Hawkpaw. Who are you?"

The white apprentice spun around, her green eyes widening.

"I—I'm Whitepaw."

She eyed the apprentice. He was just a little older than her, but he didn't look it. He had big, sturdy muscles that seemed to jut out of his pelt, threatening to rip through it at any given moment. He had a dark brown-striped tabby pelt and a snow-white chest. She blinked in surprise. She didn't see how such a dark brown could suddenly fade to white in one piece of fur. She couldn't help but shrink down under his pale blue gaze.

"It's okay," he mewed, obviously sensing her discomfort. "It's a truce, remember? We can just talk."

Whitepaw let her shoulders relax. There was no use getting worked up over nothing, at what was just her second gathering.

"So you're from Thunderclan, right?" The brown apprentice tilted his head to one side.

She nodded. "And you're from…Riverclan? You're the rouge kit, aren't you?"

Hawkpaw bristled. "Hey!" he growled. "Your clan has been known to take in outsiders, too!"

Whitepaw flinched. "I—I didn't mean it in an offensive way!" she meowed. "My own father was born a kittypet, you know."

Hawkpaw's muscles relaxed, those large, brawny, too-big-for-his-age muscles.

"Sorry," he apologized. "I didn't mean to get snappish there. I just hate when cats hold it against me that I'm not clanborn."

"My father was always made fun of, too," she told him. "Firestar brought him to the clan when he was a kit. No one trusted him for a long time, even after he was a warrior."

"I never knew my father." Hawkpaw's icy blue eyes grew wistful. "But I know he was a warrior."

'So you do have warrior blood!' Whitepaw bit back the realization. It didn't matter where a cat was born. If he proved himself to his clan, he was worth what any wild warrior was. That certainly had been the case with Firestar, who didn't have a drop of warrior blood.

Hawkpaw glanced over to where the medicine cats were chatting near the Great Rock. Cinderpelt and Leafpaw were on the edge of the crowd.

"Do you know Leafpaw?" Hawkpaw asked suddenly.

"Sort of, yes." Whitepaw actually barely knew the pale brown she-cat, who hadn't shed her kit fur yet. She had been apprenticed a little more than a moon ago, and was shy and illusive. Her best friend was Squirrelpaw, a fluffy ball of neverending energy.

"She's friends with my sister." Hawkpaw flicked his ear toward a golden she-cat sitting next to Leafpaw. "I'm pretty sure Mothpaw wants to train as a medicine cat."

"Why can't she?" Whitepaw asked with a shrug.

"Mudfur says he's waiting for a sign." Whitepaw wondered why Hawkpaw's eyes glimmered with mischief when he said "sign."

Whitepaw nodded. "That makes sense. Who's your mentor? Mine's Brackenfur."

"Mine's Leopardstar!" Hawkpaw puffed out his chest. Whitepaw felt a pang of jealousy. He was really going to be someone.

She pushed her envy away and purred. "Congratulations. I hear that's a big honor."

Hawkpaw grinned. "Yup! Don't worry, though, I'm sure you'll be a great warrior."

Whitepaw hoped he mean what he said. "You, too," she meowed. "A good fighter, especially."

Hawkpaw leaned closer. "I'm hoping to become leader one day," he murmured in her ear.

Whitepaw smiled. This sure was one determined young cat! "Pay attention in your training, and you just might get to be deputy," she advised.

"I sure hope so," Hawkpaw sighed.

Blackstar let out a yowl from the great rock, silencing the watching cats. It was time for the meeting to start.

Whitepaw padded over to Sorrelpaw and settled down next to her. She felt an odd sensation run through her as Hawkpaw followed her and parked himself beside her, his dark tabby pelt just barely touching hers.

~~~~~~~~~~

Battle yowls rang out across the rocks, and claws flashed in the early morning sunlight. Blood splashed out onto the sandy riverbank, and the fighting cats' fur was stained crimson. Whitepaw unsheathed her claws, ready to defend her territory. A troublemaking Riverclan patrol had gone just a smidge too far into their territory, and the border skirmish was very heated.

'Trying to claim Sunningrocks again!' she thought with a hiss. The white apprentice slunk into the undergrowth, preparing to set up an ambush. The unsuspecting warrior was wrestling with Thornclaw, trying to pin him to the ground. Whitepaw crouched behind him in the shadows, calculating the distance between her and Heavystep's back.

As she turned to back up, blue eyes flashed in the shadows behind her. 'Reedpaw!' Whitepaw spun around, arching her back and flexing her claws. She was ready for a fight.

As the cat sprang out of the bush, her fur bristled with recognition. The newcomer wasn't Reedpaw, it was Hawkpaw! Embarrassment overtook his handsome features as he realized who he was attacking, and he backed up slowly, his fur hot.

"I'm…sorry," he stammered. "I didn't recognize you over there."

"It's a border skirmish!" she hissed. "Aren't you going to attack me?"

To her surprise, the brawny apprentice shook his head. "It's not a fair fight," he replied. "I have better things to do than pick on puny little apprentices who can't defend themselves."

Whitepaw bristled, though she was more relieved than annoyed. She didn't like the idea of fighting any cat with muscles that big.

"I wouldn't want to hurt a scrap like you," Hawkpaw taunted. "You don't deserve it."

With that, Hawkpaw turned away and rushed down the slope, flinging himself onto Shrewpaw. Whitepaw watched him go, puzzled. Though Hawkpaw's words were meant to mock her, it seemed to her that a cat like Hawkpaw would rather beat up a tiny apprentice than hurt her with words. As mean as Hawkpaw's statement had been, he had seemed to favor her at least over Shrewpaw. 'But why?'

Whitepaw focused back on her ambush. She turned to see Heavystep was gone, and in his place was Reedpaw, fighting Spiderpaw. Unsheathing her claws, Whitepaw rushed out to defend her clanmate.

As she ran, Whitepaw still couldn't help but feel a pang of awkwardness. Hawkpaw hadn't attacked her…why hadn't he? Surely he didn't see anything special about an undersize white apprentice?

Description
"Hi, I'm Hawkpaw. Who are you?"

The white apprentice spun around, her green eyes widening.

"I—I'm Whitepaw."

She eyed the apprentice. He was just a little older than her, but he didn't look it. He had big, sturdy muscles that seemed to jut out of his pelt, threatening to rip through it at any given moment. He had a dark brown-striped tabby pelt and a snow-white chest. She blinked in surprise. She didn't see how such a dark brown could suddenly fade to white in one piece of fur. She couldn't help but shrink down under his pale blue gaze.

"It's okay," he mewed, obviously sensing her discomfort. "It's a truce, remember? We can just talk."

Whitepaw let her shoulders relax. There was no use getting worked up over nothing, at what was just her second gathering.

"So you're from Thunderclan, right?" The brown apprentice tilted his head to one side.

She nodded. "And you're from…Riverclan? You're the rouge kit, aren't you?"

Hawkpaw bristled. "Hey!" he growled. "Your clan has been known to take in outsiders, too!"

Whitepaw flinched. "I—I didn't mean it in an offensive way!" she meowed. "My own father was born a kittypet, you know."

Hawkpaw's muscles relaxed, those large, brawny, too-big-for-his-age muscles.

"Sorry," he apologized. "I didn't mean to get snappish there. I just hate when cats hold it against me that I'm not clanborn."

"My father was always made fun of, too," she told him. "Firestar brought him to the clan when he was a kit. No one trusted him for a long time, even after he was a warrior."

"I never knew my father." Hawkpaw's icy blue eyes grew wistful. "But I know he was a warrior."

'So you do have warrior blood!' Whitepaw bit back the realization. It didn't matter where a cat was born. If he proved himself to his clan, he was worth what any wild warrior was. That certainly had been the case with Firestar, who didn't have a drop of warrior blood.

Hawkpaw glanced over to where the medicine cats were chatting near the Great Rock. Cinderpelt and Leafpaw were on the edge of the crowd.

"Do you know Leafpaw?" Hawkpaw asked suddenly.

"Sort of, yes." Whitepaw actually barely knew the pale brown she-cat, who hadn't shed her kit fur yet. She had been apprenticed a little more than a moon ago, and was shy and illusive. Her best friend was Squirrelpaw, a fluffy ball of neverending energy.

"She's friends with my sister." Hawkpaw flicked his ear toward a golden she-cat sitting next to Leafpaw. "I'm pretty sure Mothpaw wants to train as a medicine cat."

"Why can't she?" Whitepaw asked with a shrug.

"Mudfur says he's waiting for a sign." Whitepaw wondered why Hawkpaw's eyes glimmered with mischief when he said "sign."

Whitepaw nodded. "That makes sense. Who's your mentor? Mine's Brackenfur."

"Mine's Leopardstar!" Hawkpaw puffed out his chest. Whitepaw felt a pang of jealousy. He was really going to be someone.

She pushed her envy away and purred. "Congratulations. I hear that's a big honor."

Hawkpaw grinned. "Yup! Don't worry, though, I'm sure you'll be a great warrior."

Whitepaw hoped he mean what he said. "You, too," she meowed. "A good fighter, especially."

Hawkpaw leaned closer. "I'm hoping to become leader one day," he murmured in her ear.

Whitepaw smiled. This sure was one determined young cat! "Pay attention in your training, and you just might get to be deputy," she advised.

"I sure hope so," Hawkpaw sighed.

Blackstar let out a yowl from the great rock, silencing the watching cats. It was time for the meeting to start.

Whitepaw padded over to Sorrelpaw and settled down next to her. She felt an odd sensation run through her as Hawkpaw followed her and parked himself beside her, his dark tabby pelt just barely touching hers.

~~~~~~~~~~

Battle yowls rang out across the rocks, and claws flashed in the early morning sunlight. Blood splashed out onto the sandy riverbank, and the fighting cats' fur was stained crimson. Whitepaw unsheathed her claws, ready to defend her territory. A troublemaking Riverclan patrol had gone just a smidge too far into their territory, and the border skirmish was very heated.

'Trying to claim Sunningrocks again!' she thought with a hiss. The white apprentice slunk into the undergrowth, preparing to set up an ambush. The unsuspecting warrior was wrestling with Thornclaw, trying to pin him to the ground. Whitepaw crouched behind him in the shadows, calculating the distance between her and Heavystep's back.

As she turned to back up, blue eyes flashed in the shadows behind her. 'Reedpaw!' Whitepaw spun around, arching her back and flexing her claws. She was ready for a fight.

As the cat sprang out of the bush, her fur bristled with recognition. The newcomer wasn't Reedpaw, it was Hawkpaw! Embarrassment overtook his handsome features as he realized who he was attacking, and he backed up slowly, his fur hot.

"I'm…sorry," he stammered. "I didn't recognize you over there."

"It's a border skirmish!" she hissed. "Aren't you going to attack me?"

To her surprise, the brawny apprentice shook his head. "It's not a fair fight," he replied. "I have better things to do than pick on puny little apprentices who can't defend themselves."

Whitepaw bristled, though she was more relieved than annoyed. She didn't like the idea of fighting any cat with muscles that big.

"I wouldn't want to hurt a scrap like you," Hawkpaw taunted. "You don't deserve it."

With that, Hawkpaw turned away and rushed down the slope, flinging himself onto Shrewpaw. Whitepaw watched him go, puzzled. Though Hawkpaw's words were meant to mock her, it seemed to her that a cat like Hawkpaw would rather beat up a tiny apprentice than hurt her with words. As mean as Hawkpaw's statement had been, he had seemed to favor her at least over Shrewpaw. 'But why?'

Whitepaw focused back on her ambush. She turned to see Heavystep was gone, and in his place was Reedpaw, fighting Spiderpaw. Unsheathing her claws, Whitepaw rushed out to defend her clanmate.

As she ran, Whitepaw still couldn't help but feel a pang of awkwardness. Hawkpaw hadn't attacked her…why hadn't he? Surely he didn't see anything special about an undersize white apprentice?