| abstract | - "Dapplepaw will be mentored by Thistletail." The dappled tortoiseshell forced herself not to flinch as she realized the crouchiest cat in the Clan was supposed to be her mentor. She reluctantly stepped forward to touch noses with the feathery gray she-cat., but Thistletail only stared at her down her muzzle. Embarrassed, Dapplepaw coughed and turned away. "Dapplepaw, come with me, I want to talk to you." Dapplepaw stared curiously after Bluestar as she padded towards the enterance to camp. She glanced back at Thistletail, wondering if she wanted her to stay so they could train, but her mentor only turned and padded away. Dapplepaw sighed and raced after her leader, trying to keep up; her short legs and slow speed made her trip countlessly, and she always stayed a few tail-lengths behind Bluestar. Eventually, the pale gray leader stopped and turned. "I wanted to tell you why I chose Thistletail to be your mentor," Bluestar mewed as Dapplepaw tumbled after her, panting. The tortoiseshell sat, chest heaving. "Well, I...I was hoping you could cheer her up. She's been in a sour mood ever since her mother died, and I hope that having such a happy-go-lucky, energetic apprentice will pull her out of that." Bluestar shrugged. "And she is a good warrior, no matter how sharp her tounge may be. I trust her." Dapplepaw nodded; it seemed logical enough. She licked an outstretched foreleg, trying to hide how out of breath she was. Her tounge froze midlick. "Ew, what is that smell?" Dapplepaw squealed, shrinking back. Bluestar sceneted the air; Dapplepaw could see her eyes cloud over as the smell caught her nose. "SwampClan," Bluestar replied. "They live on an island, on the swamp. StarClan knows why they like it." Bluestar licked her nose and shuddered. "Do you want to see the swamp? There's a hill, up high, in our territory. If you stand at the top, you can see the SwampClan island to your right." Dapplepaw nodded eagerly and found she could speak. "Sure!" Bluestar purred in amusement and turned tail, weaving through the bushes and trees, still at top speed, like a snake. Dapplepaw followed, but at a slow trot; if she found herself falling behind, she put on a burst of speed to pull ahead. But mostly she let her mind drift. It was a nice day; the sun was warm, but not hot or uncomfortable. There was a slight breeze blowing, reaching through Dapplepaw's sleek fur and tickled her skin. Whispy clouds lazed across the sky, but seemed to dizzolve away before they could cover the sun. She leaped into the air, clapping her paws, as a butterfly flitted overhead. The breeze picked up for a heartbeat, and the insect was blown out of reach. Dapplepaw huffed frustratedly, but chased after Bluestar; though the leaders scent was nearby, she's lost sight of her. She found herself climbing a hill, then she was sitting next to Bluestar, staring out at forestland. Bluestar's thick gray tail flicked past Dapplepaw's nose. She stiffled a sneeze and turned to see where she was pointing. It looked like a big pond, but it was dark, dirty, and smelled strongly of mud. Scraggly bushes and trees shot up from the murky water, their roots hidden in the dank smelling swamp. And there; a small stretch of land near the left side of the pool. A fallen tree obviously served as the way to get from the island to the shore. She thought she could see shapes flitting about on the island, but the trees were so thickly clumped she couldn't be sure. "Oh!" She gasped as the smell, times three since they were so close, hit her. She groaned and crouched down, covering her nose with her paws. Bluestar's face was scrunched up as well. "So, that's SwampClan. Not the prettiest campsite, but it works for them." The leader shrugged her gray shoulders. "Duststar seems to think so, at least." Bluestar licked a paw and drew it over her ear. "Want to see the GlimmerClan camp? There's another hill that overlooks the stream." Before Dapplepaw could reply, the gray leader shot off, paws thrumming. The she-cat took a deep breath before pelting after her. She's so fast! I hope I run like that when I become a warrior. Eventually, they were standing on another hill, smaller, yet with a steeper slope. Dapplepaw was huffing, out of breath, when she came to a stop beside her leader. She stopped, followed Bluestars gaze, and gasped. The stream was beautiful, glittering, silky silver. It reflected the sunlight in a beautiful way. The shingle was made up of pebbles of every color, and every stone shone brightly, obviously giving the Clan it's name. The source of the stream was a decent sized lake. There, on the far side of the camp; was that the camp? Her jaw dropped in awe, and Bluestar let out a soft mrrow. "Pretty, isn't it?" Dapplepaw could hardly reply; she only nodded. Bluestar was smiling absently at the water. "I used to come to this hill and pretend I was a GlimmerClan cat. I was jealous of them; they had the prettiest territory ever." Her eyes grew glassy for a while, then cleared. "Come on," she mewed, shaking her fur. "It's getting dark. We should get you back to camp." Dapplepaw looked up in surprise to see that the sky was growing dusky. She turned back to Bluestar, but the leader was already padding away, uncharacteristacally slow. Dapplepaw blinked and trotted after her, wondering, Was is something I said?
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