~And We Fly in Shadowed Skies~(LoonxElm)

[Cloud of Diamonds]

Loonstep had nearly rolled his eyes, but had managed to restrain himself. It was only natural the brown tabby didn't understand; he was barely more than a kit, after all. It was the warrior's job to instruct him correctly.

He'd spoken carefully, trying to sound like a strategist and not an emotional defender of his best friends.

"It's not good for either Clan because no matter what happens, someone, somehow, will suffer. If it's the winner, it's because whoever they took territory from will want revenge, leading to more fighting. And if it's the loser, well then, they're seriously damaged, aren't they? And our real duty, living in Clans, is to make sure that less cats need suffer, no matter who they are. That's what makes a true warrior, and I know you can be a true warrior, Elmpaw."

Then there'd been a long trip through the forest, and now they were here. The northern border, which didn't have another Clan on the other side, so there wasn't much to see here. Just trees, sky, undergrowth, and prey.

"Well, here we are. The northern border. What do you think?"

Soon they'd go west, then back to camp, then to the MeadowClan border...then south toward FogClan.

[thistle.]

"'Kay, I think I get it." Elmpaw nodded. It was sort of simple, really. They had to try and avoid fighting other cats, even if PineClan needed more territory and prey, because as Loonstep put it, it would 'not be good for either Clan'.

"That's what makes a true warrior, and I know you can be a true warrior, Elmpaw." Well, he definitely knew that. He nodded eagerly and mewed, "I'm gonna be the best hunter and fighter! Watch!" His green eyes searched for a possible victim and he found one: a large, slightly rotting leaf. He stalked up to it and pounced, shredding it with his claws. In his enthusiasm, he didn't know he had crossed the border until his black-and-white mentor mentioned the invisible line. "Oops." He quickly stepped back onto the PineClan side, although he didn't look as abashed as he should.

So... this was the northern border. It looked rather boring, to be honest. Pretty similar to his territory. If Loonstep hadn't mentioned it, he wouldn't have known that a border even existed. Unless, of course, he paid more attention to where he was going so that he could notice the scent markers. "This is it?" Elmpaw's expression was clearly one of disappointment. "It's sorta... I dunno. Um, dull? Are all the other borders like this? I thought it'd be really cool, y'know, with new smells and diff'rent trees and maybe other cats walkin' 'round their terr'tory." The tabby was quickly losing interest.

[Cloud of Diamonds]

The brown tabby tom was bored. No doubt about it. Well, he was young and had probably been dying to get out of camp and have some action. Still, they'd pause here a minute.

Crossed the border, had he? Oh well, it didn't matter here. Still.

"Mm, we're not supposed to go across the scent marks. It doesn't really matter here, but it's good to follow the rules when we can. Which reminds me, I'll teach you the warrior code as we walk. You probably know the basics, but..." He shrugged.

"...there are complexities to it."

Complexities? More like solid barriers that blocked his heart's desire. Oh well. Elmpaw still had to learn the code, as it was, after all, an essential part of Clan life. Still, there were times when the big tom despised the code and what it did to him. He smiled, remembering how Duckstripe had been so reckless with it. He'd always admired her bravery, silly though it had sometimes been. But those days were gone now.

"It is rather nondescript. Don't worry, the FogClan and MeadowClan borders often have plenty of excitement, sometimes too much so." The black-patched warrior said with a hint of a smile. "I was going to show you the western border next, but I'll take pity on you and do MeadowClan's first. Let's go." Heading to the very corner of the northern border, he then turned and began walking along what would eventually become the MeadowClan border. It technically was anyway, but you couldn't tell it here.

[thistle.]

MeadowClan. He wondered what they were like; he didn't know anything about them except a) many ForestClan cats resided there and b) they lived in a meadow. Then he remembered that he didn't know much about the other Clans either, except for maybe FogClan. They dwelled in a mist-choked forest, and believed in silly fairytales. Stories for kits, but definitely not PineClan's kits. Elmpaw almost snorted aloud at the sheer ridiculousness of it all. Bonkers, they were. Completely bonkers. He doubted he'd like them. And he would train extra-hard just in case a battle broke out between the two Clans; he knew Gingerstar would invite him to join the fighting patrol. If only Loonstep would teach him something...

Too bad he had to wait. Elmpaw hated waiting.

The tabby tom trotted briskly at his mentor's side, his legs working hard to keep up with the fully-grown warrior. The silence wasn't exactly awkward, as Elmpaw was too inconsiderate to care about that, but it was boring. So he broke it with a question. "What happens if we meet some MeadowClanners?" How he hoped that he would be given the chance to fight them. But then again, he didn't know any except for the ones that, when he was a kit, he had learnt from procrastinating apprentices. "An' what if they attack? Are you gonna teach me some moves just in case? An' what if-" He stopped mid-sentence, his cyan green eyes wide.

A huge meadow stretched out before him, the tall, lush grass hiding the dark earth from view. There were a few trees here and there; otherwise, it was a sea of green stalks. "Woah," meowed Elmpaw. "This place is way cooler than that borin' north border! But it looks really open..." His territory's pine trees felt like a cozy shelter, while the meadow looked unguarded and unsafe.

[Cloud of Diamonds]

The black and white tom sighed. Again he was reminded of what it was like growing up in a Clan, learning to hate everyone different from you. He knew, of course, but for a long time he'd felt like he was hardly a Clan cat at all, just one tiny part in a huge, moving group. The Journey mentality was still with him, wherever he was. He wondered if the other three felt like this, too.

Well, I won't teach Elmpaw hate, he thought determinedly. I'll teach him fairness, understanding, and peace. And all that other stuff required to become a warrior.

Then he was forced to stop and think about a reply to the many questions the light brown tabby shot at him like acorns from a squirrel.

"I doubt we'll meet any MeadowClanners. If we see any, we usually just ignore them or if not, we greet them politely and move on. Trust me, Elmpaw, you don't want to get into fights at borders if you can help it. I'd hate to have to tell Gingerstar we broke the code on your first day as an apprentice." He said with a hint of humor.

Loonstep, like the young tom beside him, looked out over the expanse of emerald. "It is open. But don't be fooled by appearances. There could be warriors anywhere." He thought of one female cream tabby in particular. Just get on with teaching him - whatever you have to teach him, Loonstep!" He could imagine her saying. So, back to the warrior code.

"Uh, the warrior code. You know, you're not allowed to cross borders without permission and you have to hunt for the elders before you feed yourself, unless I or another warrior gives you permission. Oh, and if you ever see a kit from another Clan in trouble, you have to help them. And you must never attack a medicine cat." He felt a bit awkward being all...mentorlike. He hoped Elmpaw wouldn't think he was boring.

[thistle.]

"Oh." Elmpaw looked rather disappointed as he craned his neck, trying to spot a glimpse of a MeadowClan cat. He definitely didn't want to be caught breaking the warrior code on his first day... although he would undoubtedly do so sometime later in his apprenticehood. The temptation to break all these tedious rules was hard to resist. A thought suddenly popped into his head; why would it be breaking the code if they attacked first? He surely wouldn't get in trouble. After all, he was fighting back in self-defense. The brown tabby straightened his posture, appearing a bit more cheerful than he had been a couple minutes ago. It was hard to concentrate on both Loonstep's words and the large field at the same time, though, so he reluctantly turned to listen to his mentor.

Yadda yadda yadda. Whatever, he thought, his jaws gaping in a yawn of boredom. The a part of Loonstep's lecture aroused a couple questions, though. "Warriors can helps their own kits, can't they? An' I'd be breakin' the code if I crossed a border to save some kit from uh, a badger or somethin'. Wouldn' I? The code is dumb; it can't even get it's facts straight." If one thought about it, they'd realize that most of Elmpaw's chatter consisted of questions. And there he was again. "Loonstep, d'you have any friends in other Clans? What're they like?" The apprentice couldn't imagine being pals with cats of other Clans, but maybe his mentor had some. Then Elmpaw would know what he was up against, whether they were meek cowards or wild daredevils.

[Cloud of Diamonds]

The muscular warrior looked at his apprentice thoughtfully. Clearly he wasn't totally thickheaded - of course not. Although, he'd have to answer his other question without appearing disloyal...he sighed. And of course, he'd have to explain about the warrior code as patiently as he could.

"They can, but sometimes they may not know the kit is trouble. If it is and you see no warriors nearby, you won't be breaking the code if you cross the border and rescue it. If you ever have to do that, go find a warrior to take the kit back to camp before you go back over." HE shook his head and rolled his eyes. "The code's not dumb, Elmpaw - it was made for the safety of all cats. What if when you were a kit had been near a border, cornered by a fox, and a warrior from another Clan saved you? Think about it." He tried to sound gentle and not impatient and annoyed.

And now for the other, much harder question. Well, not hard, the answer was obvious. What was hard was how to answer it. Oh, his friends, his beloved brother and sisters...He tried to gaze off into space too much. The yellow-eyed warrior cleared his throat and prepared to answer.

"Yes. My brother, Cranetail, is a FogClanner, and I have two best friends in StreamClan and MeadowClan. We grew up together in ForestClan." He almost regretted saying it, but knew it was the truth, no matter what his apprentice thought of him. A brother in FogClan...no doubt the brown tabby would wonder how THAT had happened, and he didn't want to recount the whole, painful story.