``secret assignment [Ternkit/ open to Yarrowkit]

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Maskpaw padded into the camp through the entrance. There was a particularly plump vole in his jaws that had crossed over the Thunderpath from the Thunderclan border. The young apprentice was proud of his catch despite his quiet personality. He was in a pretty good mood at the moment. He was happy do be doing some hunting on his own after needing training on how to do it. Maskpaw had learned it very slowly due to his partial lack of interest. Though the tom enjoyed learning, hunting wasn't the biggest thing on his mind though he knew he would need the skills to survive. Despite his slow learning and lack of care, Maskpaw enjoyed hunting quite a bit. It gave him time to stop learning everything else and to just relax. Not to mention it was also useful to the clan. So he could do something relaxing that was useful. He was also in a good mood because Shalefall had mentioned to him that Ashcloud needed him for a special assignment. Wondering what it was, Maskpaw didn't hesitate to accept the offer. It would be interesting to see what she needed so that he could learn something more to help him grown into a good warrior. What her assignment was, however, he wasn't exactly prepared for. ......................................................... And now Maskpaw stood completely dumbfounded as he watched Ashcloud walk out of the Nursery and into the Medicine cat's den. He was now stuck watching Ternkit and Yarrowkit in the Nursery until the queen came back. Upon finding out his new assignment the dusky tom had absolutely nothing to say, and no knowledge of how to take care of or even treat his own sisters let alone two kits. Oh Mouse-dung... Not to mention they're Froststar's kits. He was going to have to be extra careful with that information. Shifting his composure he quickly calmed his beating heart and then took a moment to think. How did Ashcloud treat Ternkit and Yarrowkit? How did Blackrose treat him and his sisters. Snorting softly he realized that his own mother wasn't the best example of a queen. Then he squinted his eyes with irritation. Shalefall... he had set this up with Ashcloud hadn't he. I'm going to get him back for this. he thought bitterly. Then he felt a brush of fur on his paw and it was all he could do to not flinch and send the kit flying into the Nursery wall. "Hi Ternkit." he said in his normal not-so-mature-puberty-voice.

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Ternkit was not an average kitten. He was approaching his sixth moon quickly, the moon in which he should earn his apprentice name – begin training to become an adult, and a warrior of his mother’s clan. He was massive, to be sure. He was easily the size of the other apprentices (unbeknownst to Shadowclan, he had inherited his father Lynxstar’s unusual bulkiness). He was even beginning to lose some of his downy kitten fluff in place of true fur. Yet despite his growing body, his outward appearance of maturity, there was still something distinctly childlike about him. Perhaps it was the glazed shallow appearance of his eyes. It was as if the world he saw around him wasn’t quite getting all the way through – as if he wasn’t quite all the way there. And in truth, he wasn’t. He was developmentally delayed, his mental and emotional growth was slowed so though he had the body of an apprentice – he was still very much a kitten. Unbeknownst to him, within the next moon when his sister would be made an apprentice – Ternkit would continue to reside in the Nursery, until his mind caught up with his oversized body. And even then, his apprenticeship would be a slow one, tedious and careful.

But for now, none of that mattered. Young Ternkit had parked himself outside the Nursery. Anxiety was clear in every facet of his little body. His head was canted sadly to one side and his eyes were glued on the Medicine Cat Den across the clearing. Ashcloud had vanished, limping heavily as she always did, into the darkness of the den moments ago. And though Ternkit was nearly apprentice aged, he was thrown into a fit of anxiety at his perceived solitude. Other times when Ashcloud had gone – he had been distracted by the presence of his mother, Froststar, or one of his sister’s well-timed games. But now, he felt utterly alone. In a moment, it appeared he would dissolve into an utter panic. And though he was well capable of following Ashcloud across the clearing – he was bound by the Nursery rules that no kitten leave without the company of an adult. He wasn’t rambunctious, mischievous like other kittens. He followed rules exactly. He turned his head sharply at the sound of his name, his wide brown eyes falling on an apprentice whose name escaped him. His fear and wavering tears were clear in his face. His voice wavered, despite the fact that he was technically only a moon younger than Maskpaw. “What’s going on? Everyone left and I can’t find Mother!” His lip trembled and any moment he would burst into heartbroken fearful wails.

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seeing ternkit outside the nursery, maskpaw quickly stepped out of the entrance and out into the open. the kit beside him whom was merely a moon younger then him then looked at him with very sad eyes. he was about to cry and maskpaw didn't know what to do. it was kind of a strange sight, if only because ternkit was a bit bigger then maskpaw himself and was about to cry for his mother. he had heard that ternkit wasn't as "smart" as a normal kit his age, this was what some of the other apprentices whispered about. however, maskpaw had spent some time in the nursery with ternkit and yarrowkit. he wasn't the biggest fan of the sister, for to his observation she was kinda snobby. but he admired the way she took care of and treated ternkit. in maskpaw's opinion, ternkit was smart, that wasn't the problem. the kit was just kind of slow and didn't understand as much as his sister might. it was like he was a two moon old kit in the body of a five moon old kit. maskpaw had never really spent time with him. he had always been wrapped up in talking with raccoontail, or when he disappeared, worried about what might happen the next time he visited blackrose. maybe it wouldn't be so bad, this babysitting thing, if he knew more about how to treat ternkit. "um... its ohkay ternkit. ashcloud will be back soon. she just went to see briarleaf about something and she'll be back before you know it. come on inside the nursery and we can play a game. do you want to play a game ternkit? you can show me your favorite one to play." he forced himself not to react to the own sound of his voice. he had not spoken to ternkit in a long while and the last time he did he remembered it was before he could even really respond. after that they didn't see each other much.

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Ternkit blinked his massive brown eyes at Maskpaw. Now that the other tom had spoken, every ounce of his attention was focused on his apprentice-friend. His mind wasn’t narrow, but it was only capable of so much. And the mental exertion of both staring at the Medicine Cat den watching for Ashcloud and speaking with Maskpaw was too much – so as default, Maskpaw won out. Ternkit’s anxiety was rising, his breathing fast. His eyes were beginning to water. His lower lip trembled visibly. And unfortunately for poor Maskpaw, it would take more than a few comforting words to calm the little tom down again.

His eyes widened further, a certain desperation in his gaze. “Promise?”

[/color] He looked anxiously back towards the dark den into which Ashcloud had vanished. “Ashcloud only leaves when Mother is here. B-but Ashcloud is gone and Mother isn’t here!”[/color] His voice was raising towards a wail. He was beginning to shake slightly, even sniffling. He stood and padded quickly over to Maskpaw, burying his face in the other tom’s chest. He had to almost crouch, duck his head to nestle into the other tom’s fur. “Promise she’ll come back again?” To Ternkit, it didn’t strike him as inappropriate or unusual to cuddle a fellow cat or seek affection when his usual sources of physical and emotional comfort weren’t present.

Yet a part of his youthful mind had also latched onto Maskpaw’s offer of a game. He had still kept all his “childhood friends” tucked away in his nest. There was a particularly round little pebble that he kept especially close. One time Yarrowkit had tried to bat Pebble around, like a game of chase. Ternkit had wailed and cried for nearly an hour, insisting that Yarrow had hurt his pebble. It had taken the combination of Yarrowkit, Ashcloud and Froststar to calm him back down again. But that didn’t mean Ternkit was immune to the allure of a good game of chase, tag, anything that wouldn’t threaten his beloved pebble friend.
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feeling completely unsettled about babysitting ternkit, maskpaw wondered whether he was really qualified. He was never very good at being very social and now that ternkit was about to break down in front of him he had to search desperately for something to say and keep ternkit from feeling his anxiety at the same time. before he could come up with something, ternkit padded over to maskpaw sadly and stuck his face into the apprentice's fur for comfort. a bit over whelmed, maskpaw lifted his paw around ternkit's larger body to comfort him. a group of words quickly formed in his mind to calm the kit down. "ternkit, i promise that ashcloud will be here soon. i promise that you are safe with me. i will not let anything happen to you." his voice was calm and he tried to be as kind as possible with his words. he also hoped to the ends of the forest that ternkit would not sense his fear or uneasiness. he needed to seem confident around the kit. if he did not, he wasn't sure how ternkit would react. "come on ternkit, i promise ashcloud will be back soon. don't worry. look, lets go see what we can do or find within the nursery. maybe we can make the den look nice for ashcloud when she gets back. yeah? it'll make ashcloud feel happy i think." he wanted to get ternkit doing something that didn't have anything to do with crying. gently he attempted to nudge the kit into the nursery. he thought that maybe, since ternkit cared so much about ashcloud, that if he got the kit to do something good for her, he could lighten the mood.

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Ternkit almost immediately quieted. The feeling of Maskpaw’s hesitant embrace was enough to calm the little tom’s worries. And, as Ashcloud had always taught him, promises couldn’t be broken. He tilted his head back from his awkward crouched position. In a normal sitting position he would have had to look down slightly to meet Maskpaw’s eyes, but from this vantage point he was able to crane upwards. A watery smile flitted onto his features and he found himself nodding. A little purr rumbled in his throat. The promised words of the older apprentice were enough to soothe him, to chase away his fears and worries. Almost immediately thereafter, his attentions turned to the prospect of a game. It was in this aspect, too, that Ternkit’s mental disabilities came into play. His attention never lasted long, always flitting from one thing happily to the next.

Ternkit withdrew from Maskpaw’s embrace, his eyes lighting up. He turned, bounding into the Nursery. Towards one side were a cluster of little nests. There was Ashcloud’s, neat and tidy as the queen always was. Beside hers were two slightly smaller nests. One of the two was in disrepair, obviously underused. Most nights Yarrowkit and Ternkit shared a nest, due to the latter’s night anxiety and unwillingness to be alone. And Yarrowkit had always been happy to oblige. Ternkit strutted over to the nests proudly. His nest was rather haphazard, “I made it myself.”

[/color] His voice was filled with pride. But he quickly turned away, poking a paw at Ashcloud’s abandoned nest. “Ashcloud loves feathers! Do you think the warriors would let us have some from the quiet birdies?” He of course referenced the prey that the warriors brought back, but his little mind hadn’t quite held onto the concept of death yet.
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it didn't take long for ternkit to relax under maskpaw's promises. knowing that since the kit had relaxed so easily it meant that those promises went into ternkit's heart and he believed them right away. maskpaw felt uneasy about that. how was it that the kit had so much trust for other cats? taking heart the tom's behavior maskpaw told himself that he would keep these promises. they wouldn't be empty like other cats promises to him. he would not let that go. he followed ternkit back into the nursery and saw his nest. it looked like a 3 moon old kit had made it instead of a six moon old apprentice, but maskpaw smiled at it anyway. it made him happy to see how ternkit was so proud of himself for accomplishing the task of making his own nest. "you did very well ternkit. good job." he nodded at the kit's excitement and then turned to ashcloud's nest as ternkit moved on. would he be able to find feathers for her nest from the quiet birdies? what quiet... oh... maskpaw understood. he meant the freshkill pile. the crows and voles and other birds brought to be eaten. "I don't see why not. feathers don't get eaten anyway, so why don't we go and see if we can borrow some for the quiet birds." he nodded his head toward the nursery entrance to indicate that they could go out to the freshkill pile to find some. come on.

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Ternkit’s chest swelled with pride under Maskpaw’s praise. Ternkit turned to the nests, prodding at them slightly. Every few weeks or so, some unfortunate pair of apprentices would be assigned the duty of cleaning out the Nursery. They would scrape away excess dirt, clumps of dry brittle moss. They’d come in and pad the place with fresh spongy soft material. It was a miniature renovation, like moving into an entirely new home. Ashcloud was always quick to whisk Ternkit out of the Nursery when the other apprentices came grumbling in. He hadn’t yet noticed, nor learned to interpret, the looks shot at him. But Ashcloud sheltered him as best as she could, fearing the day he learned to fear what he was, to resent the outcast that birth had made him.

But for the moment he was blissfully ignorant, and concerned with nothing more than the task at hand. He bounded joyfully behind Maskpaw. As rambunctious and mischievous as some kittens were wanton to be, Ternkit was unusually obedient. He hopped along in Maskpaw’s pawsteps. Had he been human, he might have even hummed a little off-note tune. Any warriors that noticed the odd pair quickly averted their gaze. Ternkit’s parentage, specifically Froststar, prevented any outright comments – but not a general air of unease and pity that followed the massive tom-kit wherever he went. He approached the pile, prodding a dead blackbird with one paw. He turned to Maskpaw, “Mother says the warriors and apprentices bring these back. Do you get to do that?”


OOC: sorry...ternkit muse is weird today, ignore crappy post

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maskpaw was very glad that ternkit had followed him and had stayed right next to him as they crossed the clearing to the freshkill pile. he had expected a little bit more kit behavior from ternkit. but he soon realized that despite the immature part of ternkit. he was, in some ways, more mature then other kits. if he could obey every command given to him, he would. there was something deep down in maskpaw that made him just a little bit jealous of ternkit for being so obedient and yet at the same time, being so naive that he had the ability to be careless for most of his life. he only knew the good and was protected, for the most part, from the bad. how would the kit react when the bad was laid out right in front of his nose and he couldn't explain it? well truthfully, it wasn't maskpaw's problem to answer that, but at the current moment, it was his job to protect him from those bad things that he couldn't understand. now that he was standing in front of the freshkill pile, he knew that here was one thing that ternkit needed to be protected from. the term "death" or essentially, "never coming back." he looked down at the bird that ternkit was poking at. what was he supposed to answer to a question like that without making it sound like the terrible thing it was. he almost shivered visibly at just the thought of taking another cat's life. why shouldn't he not tell ternkit and allow him the luxury of being completely ignorant to the matter. "um... i'm still learning how to bring them back. i've brought back a few but they are too fast for me to... uh... talk to properly." oh shadowclan... is his mentor going to have a tough time teaching him the warrior code. is he ever going to even make it that far? suddenly maskpaw felt a familiar fear. one that had been haunting him for the past moon or two. if he wasn't a good enough warrior, would he survive for long? what about ternkit? if he can't protect himself how long is he going to survive? he quickly pulled himself together and another thought overwhelmed his mind. i'll protect him. i'll be by his side if he ever steps into a battle. i'll help him with moves and techniques he doesn't understand after training is over! i'll... you hardly know him! i mean sure you grew up with him, but not really. you hardly ever saw him! what has suddenly compelled you to be his full on body guard? you can't always be there anyway? what makes you think you could? besides. why would he need you anyway? he has yarrowkit and froststar and ashcloud to do that. he probably doesn't care much about you anyway. quieting his mind, maskpaw looked down at the dead blackbird. "come on. shalefall taught me yesterday how to take the feathers off the quiet bird. its ohkay. it won't hurt the bird and she won't mind."

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While Ternkit hadn’t fully grasped the concept of apprenticeship or training, he understood enough to know that new liberties would be granted when he reached such an age. He often watched from the Nursery entrance as mentor/apprentice pairs came and went. He used to see Froststar leave, a little brown tabby she-cat at his side. But the little tabby was gone now. He didn’t know where. And Ashcloud had told him not to ask, because it made his mother sad. In reality, Froststar’s apprentice Cedarpaw had been crushed by a falling tree earlier that moon. The loss of her second apprentice had sent Froststar into deep grief, but Ternkit was oblivious to all of this. But, in terms of apprenticeship, all Ternkit saw was the companionship. He longed for that time, for the attention it could grant him. He wanted his mother’s gaze, her pride. He’d watched her praise Cedarpaw, compliment her. He’d watched and longed for such a time. Other kittens had escaped for short periods of time. But they never earned praise or pride, only a tongue lashing and quick punishment. Ternkit might not have been mentally mature or very capable, but he understood enough to know that breaking rules would do him no good.

He looked up to Maskpaw, a sudden reverence in his gaze. Maskpaw got that pride, that praise. Of course Ternkit knew nothing of Shalefall or their relationship. He simply assumed they had as amicable a relationship as any. He smiled, prodding the bird once more. Perhaps a small part of his brain registered that the bird was no longer living. He understood at least that it wouldn’t get up and fly away. But he didn’t understand the dark side of it all, it simply hadn’t occurred to him. A purr rumbled in his throat. He looked up to Maskpaw, a fond memory glazing over his eyes. “When I was little, Pinestep would come and visit Ashcloud. He always brought me mouse friends to snuggle with.” And, true to form, Ternkit thought nothing more of these visits – despite their romantic nature. He sat promptly down, crouching down on his stomach. His eyes were wide as he looked between Maskpaw and the bird. His eyes were wide. He shuffled his paws awkwardly. “Maybe you could show me how to do it?” He wanted to learn. And in time, when understanding of his condition fell on him, he would struggle to prove himself each and every day.

Perhaps this was the advent of maturity, the advent of understanding. And when such a time came, it would be painful. It would be merciless. And he would be powerless. But for the moment, he was innocent – so blessfully beautifully innocent.

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maskpaw saw the looks and stares from the other cats around camp. he saw how they would pity the young kit and maybe even maskpaw himself. he saw how they couldn't speak to him just because they were different. but when maskpaw looked at ternkit himself, he didn't feel awkward because of him. he felt more awkward because of his own self esteem. maskpaw felt pity for ternkit, but it was more like a concern rather. he suddenly became concerned about ternkit, as before he had not cared for him at all. now he could see ternkit's true self and he felt protective over his innocence. something that maskpaw could not even reach. ternkit was the definition of good. was maskpaw the definition of the opposite? there was so much fear in his heart. he felt something forming in side himself and he wasn't sure what it was. he wasn't sure whether he wanted it to be there either. but what could he do? he sat next to ternkit and the dead bird. he needed to show ternkit how to take the feathers off the bird. it was quite an easy task, at least to him, some of it was a little bit irritating because the feathers were quite small. but it wasn't too hard to do, just time consuming. "ohkay, first you have to take the birdie under both paws, like this." as he spoke he put one paw on the birds head and the other on it's wing, opening it to its full length. "Then you have to use your teeth to take the feathers out. the bird won't feel a thing." with that said he leaned down and plucked a bigger wing feather out of it's place easily. he would have ternkit take out the bigger feathers for ashcloud's nest and he himself will pull off the smaller ones and he'll eat the rest later so the prey didn't go to waist. cause as shalefall had told him. all freshkill was provided by starclan and he needed to thank them for preparing it for the clan. maskpaw didn't believe that. he didn't even believe that starclan existed. but he did it anyway, both to make shalefall happy and to make sure his mentor didn't find out that truth. dropping the feather beside him he let go of the bird and turned to ternkit. "why don't you give it a try?" it would have been so much easier to do the whole task himself, but he wanted to interact with ternkit more. to find out more about him and to teach him anything if he could. he may even ask ashcloud if he could hang out with ternkit more often. maybe even kitsit him more if he could. but he would also like to find out more on how to treat ternkit. what was he to say and when should he say it? he seemed to be doing good so far, but he really didn't want to upset ternkit. he also didn't want to lie to him at the same time. if ternkit found the truth to things that maskpaw had lied to him about to protect him, how would he react to that? he needed to be careful about what he said.

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