Mud Slinging

“Can you scent anything?” Minnowsplash prompts Shellpaw as they walk beside the apprentice, their gaze drifting away from the tomcat to look around the unfamiliar terrain of Ravenclan’s territory. The tabby cat feels out of their element in this place, but they’re forever grateful that they can continue Shellpaw’s training in spite of the smoke and fire taking hold of not only the valley, but their home as well. The apprentice beside them is quiet, and then Minnowsplash feels a tail bump against their flank gently, frustrated. 

“No.” The typically cheerful apprentice mumbles, his shoulders hunched as he frowns up at his mentor. “Everything just smells like smoke, or the Ravenclan border…” Shellpaw explains, making Minnowsplash offer a sympathetic nod of their head. “I know, it makes it especially hard to find anything.” The Snakeclan warrior agrees, nodding their head a little in understanding. Shellpaw still seems down, though… Not that Minnowsplash can really blame him for feeling such emotions. 

“I’m sorry that we just have to make do,” Minnowsplash meows softly as they continue treading on the ground, their voice full of honesty. “I’m not having a very good time with hunting around here, either. So at least you’re not alone?” The tabby tries to cheer Shellpaw up, a sad little smile tugging their muzzle up as they turn their head to look at the apprentice, their tail bumping gently against his shoulder. Shellpaw draws his gloomy gaze up and offers a smile in return to Minnowsplash’s efforts, but the tabby can tell that his apprentice’s happiness isn’t really… There. 

And again, it’s not like they can blame Shellpaw for being upset — it’s good for him to be upset over all of this, really, instead of taking the situation lightly. But that doesn’t mean that Minnowsplash likes the look on his face, or knowing that the apprentice feels just as torn up as he does about everything going on right now. If Minnowsplash could, he would take all of this upset away from his apprentice. And more than just his apprentice, really, he would take it away from Larkwhisker, Cloudfur, Pollenpuff, Vulturemoth, Dovekit… 

They swallow the lump that’s forming in their throat before looking away from their apprentice and continuing their careful pacing, Shellpaw surprisingly ( and maybe even worryingly, considering his tendency to go running off ), close behind. Minnowsplash enjoyed being a mentor, even if Shellpaw was vastly different from his former apprentice, Pollenpuff. Teaching was fun, when he knew what to teach. But what could he teach about Ravenclan? Maybe he could talk about their history while they hunted… Minnowsplash had heard tales of when Flintstar left Ravenclan — but would that leave a bad taste in Shellpaw’s mouth? Would his apprentice not want to be here if he knew what Minnowsplash had to say? 

The thought worries him to no end, especially when he figures that Shellpaw has already heard dozens of stories in the Nursery before his apprentice days. Maybe telling Shellpaw a different story, something happy could help? Oh, but what stories does Minnowsplash have about Ravenclan cats, or their territory? The tabby had heard they liked to eat frogs, but they weren’t very certain that was true… And the idea of eating a frog is upsetting to them, they feel sick to their stomach just at the idea alone. 

Screw it, they could figure this out as they go, couldn’t they? Parting their jaws as they ready to take a leap of faith, the tabby turns their head to where they had last seen their apprentice by their right side. Only to see that Shellpaw was no longer there, an empty space beside Minnowsplash taking his place. They blink as they stare at the shrubbery only a few paw steps away, and then begin to feel a panic rush to their heart as they recall how some of the other cats had gone missing recently — had Shellpaw disappeared with a plume of smoke that Minnowsplash failed to see? Oh stars, what were they going to do? 

The warrior’s head and body twists around wildly to look for their missing apprentice, their panic only causing their heart to feel as though it's worked its way into his throat. What were they going to tell Shellpaw’s parents, or Flintstar? Oh stars, what were they going to d —

SPLAT! 

Minnowsplash can’t help the surprised yowl that comes out of their mouth from somewhere deep in their chest when they feel something heavy, cold and wet slap their shoulder with a loud, startling sound. The air is heavy and silent as they look down to their shoulder, blinking in both confusion and surprise at the sight of a… A mud ball? The mass of wet dirt comes sliding down their short fur and slowly onto the ground, leaving a trail of brown-colored slime in its wake. Minnowsplash blinks once, and then lifts his head to make eye contact with Shellpaw. 

The apprentice is only a few fox tail lengths away from Minnowsplash, grinning from ear to ear. One paw is covering his mouth, clearly trying to hide his laughter — his other paw is covered in mud though. It’s not hard to piece two and two together, and if Minnowsplash was any other cat? They likely would have been upset with Shellpaw for just running off without telling them anything. They almost want to be mad, but Minnowsplash can’t deny the joy that fills their heart when their apprentice begins to cackle. 

Shellpaw’s laughter is such a relief to hear, especially in these difficult times. The gloominess that resided on the apprentice’s face is temporarily gone, and Minnowsplash can’t help but feel joyful as they grin, ready to laugh along — until Shellpaw suddenly tips backwards, and a surprised cry sounds from the apprentice followed by another sound of wet mud hitting… Something. 

Minnowsplash doesn’t hesitate to bound forward and after the apprentice, finding himself on a small incline that had a little drop. Looking down, he caught sight of his apprentice once more. Now rested on his back in a mud puddle, looking a little dazed… Until he makes eye contact with the adult tabby above him. Said tabby stares back down at his apprentice, and blinks once before his own laughter suddenly erupts into the air. “Are — are you okay, Shellpaw?” Minnowsplash manages through wheezy laughter, a paw lifted to their chest in an attempt to regain their breath. 

Shellpaw grins up at his mentor, no longer looking stunned and rather, yet again, very amused. Very happy. Very… Himself. “Y—yeah, ‘m okay!” The young cat mews, shifting his weight to begin rolling in the mud. Minnowsplash can hear a purr building in Shellpaw’s throat as he watches the apprentice stand to his paws, now thoroughly caked in the dirty substance that he had landed in. “You should come in, too, Minnowsplash! It feels good after all that heat!” 

“I dunno…” Minnowsplash finds themself mumbling, their eyebrows furrowing together. What would Cloudfur, or even Dovekit, say if he came back to camp soaked in mud? Dovekit held similar manners to Minnowsplash, meaning she probably wouldn’t want him in the Nursery, dirtying everything up — Cloudfur was so fashion inclined that Minnowsplash worries that she would faint at the sight of them. But Shellpaw frowns up at the warrior, and Minnowsplash feels his resolve break as he takes a few steps back, readying himself to leap into the puddle. “Fine, fine! But watch out — I don’t want to land on you!” They call in warning to their apprentice. The only sound that they receive in confirmation that Shellpaw listened to them is laughter, but they don’t  mind that one bit as they charge forward.