Ask to Join Therapy with Soot

Ever since earning her name, Larchsong had felt no different. She hadn't felt like she had actually earned it. It was more like she had been given it so she didn't look like a failed apprentice. She took to patrols on her own now, hoping that maybe one day someone would notice the effort she put into serving her clan. She took to the thunderpath today, either hoping to drown her sorrows out with the stench, or perhaps she was hoping to catch a glimpse of an old friend. 

Her cream paws trailed along the rough surface of the thunderpath, her green gaze occasionally drifting to the other side. Had Sootpaw gotten his name? He seemed no younger than she was, so Larchsong would be surprised if he was still 'Sootpaw'. Would Palestar have given her her name late? She wasn't mad at Moosestar at all, it was only herself that she was disappointed in, but sometimes she couldn't help but wonder what it would be like if she had been born into a different clan. Her family was in ThunderClan though, and she would never leave them. Cats like them meant the world to Larchsong, even if she had been avoiding most of them as of recently. 

She took another look across the path, expecting to just see the tree lined border of ShadowClan, but instead saw the snow white pelt of a cat, whose gaze was trained across the path just as hers was. She noticed his familiar black ears and felt herself perk up a little. 'Hey! Sootpaw! Glad to see you on the right side this time!'

Sootbounce jumped, not actually expecting to hear a friendly voice. But once his gaze landed on Larchpaw, his purr could probably be heard from Riverclan.

"Larchpaw!" He only just stopped himself from immediately hopping the border. He had taken an oath after all. "Or Larch..." He hesitated only for a moment before brightening again. "Oh! Let me guess. Larch...feather! No... Larchtrill!" He sat, genuinely in thought about what his 'rival' from Thunderclan's name would be. "You are pretty good at fighting, gave me quite the scare... what about Larchswoop? Larchpounce! Hah, our names would rhyme!"

"I am on the right side! And I'll stay here! I took my warrior oath, I'm not supposed to travel across border. Or clan borders? It was vague if I could go the other direction, I don't know if there are any rules against exploring non-clan lands but honestly I've been so busy hunting I haven't really had the chance to look. My friend, she has kits... or will have? Having? Anyways - kits - and it's a whole thing, great really! But super busy-" He hadn't really had a chance to talk with anyone for a while. Everyone was so busy and honestly most cats in Shadowclan were a bit of a liability in the snow. They destroyed his camouflage. So it was better to hunt alone for the time being. "-Ah. I was rambling. Palestar always put up with it but some cats find it annoying. Are you okay? Where's your patrol? I don't want to get you in trouble." His ears swivelled, looking for additional cats in the Thunderclan trees.

She bounded over to the line, her short fur fluffed up in excitement. He was guessing her name... why- OH of course! She had graduated since she last met him, and she could presume the same for him as well. She paced the border, eyeing her snowy white ShadowClan 'friend'. 'Rhyme you say? So then you must be Sootbounce!  I'm Larchsong now, named after my wonderful personality, though I like to think it's after my brother Bravesong. He's the best.'

'I don't think there are rules against the non clan lands. Maybe we could go that way one-day. Oh and how was your assessment? I bet you failed like ten times before you got your name? What were you named for? Did anyone else get their names? My sisters got their names. Brindlespice and Dovethorn. A bit intense if you ask me, but then again I think Larchswoop is pretty cool.' She hardly new the tom, but seeing his energy, and talking to him right now, it reminded her how much she missed it. Her voice had faltered for a brief moment when she had mentioned her sisters, but she didn't want it to show. She had come out here to mope, but wasn't meant to be seen by anyone. 

'Rambling? I ramble too. Some cats hate it, but I love it. I can talk and talk and talk and talk. Probably until someone's ears fall off!' The mention of his friend's kits had breezed over her head. 'I'm not on a patrol. I came out here because I was-' She couldn't actually say. That was way too embarrassing. 'I was stretching my legs. Been cooped up in camp all morning.'

“Larchsong.” He echoed. He did like the sound of that. At the mention of her wonderful personality, he laughed. “I’m sure. Wish you had introduced it to me at Snakerocks!”

“I passed perfectly fine, thank you very much! Well – Palestar says that a pass is a pass anyways. I hope she didn’t just pass me because she’s the leader… But I did try my best! The warrior code is just a lot to remember. I’m probably not the best cat to ask about the non-clan territory then, huh?”  Matching her energy was easy – and since she had already passed over the invisible line, surely it was fine if he did too… right?

No. He had an oath to respect. Still, he threaded the line as closely as he considered acceptable. “Palestar named me for my enthusiasm! Pretty easy pick – guess its because I bounce around a lot in camp. My sibling, Ashpaw, he got named Ashcloud. He’s stoic though. I don’t know if he’s ever even considered talking to other cats at the gathering.” He paused.

“You mentioned you have a lot of family in Thunderclan. I don’t think I could ever pick a favourite. If I had more than a few.”  He did have a couple of siblings after all, but they all ranked kind of the same on his radar. Hickorystorm was an elder now, Hollyclaw was busy as a Senior Warrior… and Sunpool was kind of quiet these days. Really, he was alone in the ‘energetic, friendly’ group of his family. “My family is intense too. Maybe having a deputy as a sire should motivate me more. But I’m really just happy to be a warrior and in charge of my own schedule.”

Sootbounce’s attention latched on to Larchsong’s falter. “Did something happen to them?” He tilted his head. “Did something happen to… you?” It wasn’t safe to wander without a patrol these days. He had been there when Thunderclan had announce a rouge on their territory. After a moment of deliberation, he paused at the border.

“I… could be your patrol. That weird loner is still wandering around, right? I don’t want you to get bitten like that Sunstrike cat.” His tail flicked thoughtfully. “I dunno if stretching is worth getting attacked by something way less friendly than me.” There was still a playful twinkle in his eye despite the genuine concern he seemed to have for her.

'I did, I showed you my fierceness, and I let you go, and I saved you. All wonderful things.' She reminded him, green gaze flashing. 'Much better than my sisters, they would have dragged you all the way back to camp, where Moosestar woulda' had to deal with ya.'

Passed perfectly fine? Huh, Larchsong wished she had. Well, it wasn't like she had failed, she just wasn't given the opportunity at all! 'Well, that's good to hear at least. I don't think a leader would just pass you 'cause they can. Wouldn't that be stupid? They have to wait until you are ready. It's what they do.' At least, it was what they did in ThunderClan. Would it have really made a difference if she graduated with her sisters? She would have learnt the same stuff anyway. 'Ashcloud. Maybe I'll see him oneday, and then I can decide whose the better sibling' she added with a wink, 'Oooh that reminds me of one of my clanmates. He hates me but I find it funny to talk to him. He refuses to talk at gatherings, and one time he pretended to be sick so no one would approach him. The names' Greypebbles, small guy, no tail. If you ever see him, do go talk to him for me! Sounds like he would get along with Ashcloud.'

'Oh Bravesong is the favourite of my kin for sure, no shame. I'm pretty sure most of ThunderClan is my kin in some way or another, 'cause of our fancy bloodline thing, but surprise surprise, Bravesong and I skipped it. That's probably why I prefer him, and myself. Gosh and my family is intense too. I reckon in a few moons someone will come up to me saying I have to have kits and blah blah, or if not me to one of my sisters.' She remembered her mother telling her that during the earlier days of her training, just so she would be aware of her families nature. While she could leave the job to Brindlespice or Dovethorn, would they even be willing to do that?

Sootbounce caught her falter, and she felt herself almost shrink back from the border at his questions. 'No, no they are fine, I'm.. fine. I was sick when I was a kit, started my training a moon or two later than my sisters. They- graduated before me. I had to wait so long just to get my name, while they just moved on without me.' Her voice had turned quieter now. He could know a little bit,but would she tell him how she actually felt? No way, not yet at least. She hardly knew him!

He be her patrol? That was an interesting suggestion, but hey, it might distract her a little. 'Uhh, I dunno, haven't heard any recent news about him since Sunstrike. Plus, I'm so strong I don't need a patrol, just my appearance scares off all the rogues.' The twinkle in her eyes matched Sootbounce's, indicating she was only joking. She knew her capabilities to an extent. 'What if someone sees us? I dunno about you, but if a clanmate sees me 'patrolling' the borders with a ShadowClan cat I'll be sent to the rogues before I can call for help!' Either way, the cream tabby she-cat flicked her tail, indicating to Sootbounce that he could walk by her side if he wished. 

He laughed at her comeback. “That is true! You did let me go rather than leave me to the snakes. I don’t think Sootbite is nearly as good a name.” Was her family really that aggressive? Sure, he came from a bloodline too, but he liked to think they were somewhat reasonable. They would talk before attacking – or something like that. Well at least Moosestar seemed reasonable. At least from what he had seen of him.

Sootbounce puffed out his chest a little bit. He had never really felt the need to compete with his brother but now that Larchsong said she would compare the two, he wanted to come out on top. Her ramblings about Greypebbles were somewhat lost on him. He came back around when she started talking about her favourite brother though.

“Bravesong? I’ve never heard of him. Is he a warrior?” He settled, now listening attentively. “Does your family have a lot of problems because of the aggression? It probably isn’t easy to make friends in the clan. I know my sire has a lot of cat’s respect. I feel like that might be better to get somewhere in the clan – not fear of a temper or whatever.” He tilted his head. “Kits? Aren’t you real young for that?” He paused. “I… maybe don’t do that. Some of my friends… their dame was young and she…” He looked away. He hadn’t been around when Earthspeckle died but he knew how badly it affect her kits. It was scary thinking about what might happen to Emberdust… she was the same age as her mother after all.

“Just… think about it real hard first. It’d be kindof messed up for your kin to be responsible for you getting hurt.”

No recent information about that rouge… that was good! It meant that at least Shadowclan borders were also safe for the time being. “Well.. you can pretend you are chasing me! I’d make you look super good to any oncoming patrol. We just stay down wind and we can act like we are fighting.” He wasn’t quite sure how his clanmates would react but honestly, they would probably just think he got lost or wandered too far.