the winning choice was 𝗖𝗛𝗢𝗜𝗖𝗘 𝗧𝗛𝗥𝗘𝗘: throw a remark at the tom—cat, call him a name in return for all he's said so far.

stonechatpaw squared up to the apprentice. ❝ you're not supposed to be here, ❞ he growled. he flexed his claws into the earth as he spat, ❝ get off our territory, you soggy, fish—breathed feline! ❞

the dark tom's expression was haughty and he let out another cackle. ❝ do as your protector ordered. go, run home to daddy, and tell him what's happening, ❞

stonechatpaw bristled, his ears flattening against his head. his muscles coiled as if preparing to pounce, but before he could retort, tallskunk's tail slapped against his chest, halting him.

❝ i told you, kid, to go back to camp, ❞ tallskunk hissed lowly. his eyes burned with frustration.

the waterclan warrior toed forward, growling. his blue pelt flicked with agitation as he whipped around to face his apprentice. ❝ enough, batpaw. your little sister and brothers are far more mature than you, and they are still suckling from your mother, ❞ he snapped. ❝ if you don't shut that mouth of yours, i'll shove you into the river myself. maybe then you might learn to think before you speak, ❞

batpaw flinched at the words. he crumbled and his ears flattened, tail tucking between his legs. ❝ sorry, bleakriver, ❞ he muttered. without another word, the black tom—cat turned and stalked off, shoulders lowly draped and his paws dragging across the dirt.

stonechatpaw's fur prickled with unease as he watched the apprentice retreat. despite their tense encounter, the warrior's harsh words toward batpaw left a bitter taste in his mouth. he flicked his gaze back to the retreating bleakriver, who dipped his head toward tallskunk in a gesture of apology.

❝ forgive him, ❞ he said gruffly, ❝ he's young and very foolish. i'll make sure he learns to respect borders, and his elders, ❞ with that, he turned briskly and followed after his apprentice, tail flicking sharply as they both vanished into a thick bush.

for a moment, there was silence. but the peace didn't last.

tallskunk's fur bristled, and his jaws parted to let out a low growl. ❝ what was that, stonechatpaw? what were you thinking? ❞ he snapped. ❝ i told you to back to camp. that was a direct order, and you ignored it, ❞

stonechatpaw flinched at his tone but held his ground.
❝ i didn't want to leave you to deal with them alone, what if something happened, ❞ he protested. ❝ and i couldn't just let him talk to use like that, ❞ the tom mumbled with a jerk of his tail, ❝ we are fine, aren't we? nothing bad— ❞

tallskunk's eyes narrowed, his tail lashing. ❝ that isn't the point, ❞ he barked, ❝ you ignored me, and you put both of us in unnecessary danger, anything could've happened. what if they ambushed us? what if that warrior attacked you? do you really think you'd stand a chance in a fight like that? ❞

stonechatpaw opened his mouth to argue, but nothing came out. he knew tallskunk was right. instead, he let out a frustrated whine. ❝ i just wanted to help... ❞ he uttered, lowering his stare to his paws.

tallskunk sighed, the anger in his posture softening slightly as he shook his head. ❝ look, stonechatpaw, being a good warrior isn't about jumping into danger or picking fights. it's about making smart decisions for the good of your clan — and sometimes that means following orders, even if you don't want to, ❞

stonechatpaw nodded reluctantly, his ears burning with embarrassment. ❝ sorry, ❞ he whispered.

tallskunk's expression softened further, and he rested his tail lightly on stonechatpaw's shoulder. ❝ you will be a great warrior one day, i mean it, ❞ he said gently and quietly, ❝ but you need to learn for your actions. a lot has happened recently — this is the second time you have let your impulsiveness lead you into some sort of dangerous situation, ❞

stonechatpaw swallowed hard, his throat tight with shame.

tallskunk simply sighed. ❝ i hope you've learned from this, ❞ he said, ❝ lets be back to camp and report this to whisperstar. we'll need to keep an eye on the border in case they try something like this again, ❞ he added with a gentle nudge of his shoulder, ❝ next time i give you an order, i expect you to follow it, yeah? ❞

stonechatpaw nodded silently, his paws feeling heavy as he followed his mentor back toward camp.

the soft chatter of voices and the occasional rasp of a tongue on fur filled the elders' den. stonechatpaw sat nestled between puffincrest and oakfern. a slither of golden sunlight streamed through the entrance, and it cast blotted patches of warmth on their pelts.

❝ so, what trouble have you gotten into today? ❞ the elderly tom teased, his whiskers twitching as he looked down at his grandson.

stonechatpaw huffed. ❝ nothing! tallskunk and i just got back from a patrol. we... had to deal with some waterclan cats, ❞

puffincrest's ears perked with interest. ❝ waterclan, eh? i remember the days when those fish—munchers thought they owned every puddle of water this side of the territory, ❞ he chuckled. ❝ what happened? did you show 'em who's boss? ❞

oakfern interrupted before stonechatpaw could reply, letting out a sharp sniff. ❝ i hope you didn't do nothing reckless, ❞ she hissed lightly.

stonechatpaw shifted uncomfortably under her stern gaze. ❝ tallskunk handled it. i... might've said some stuff to their apprentice, but it wasn't anything too bad, grandma, ❞

❝ you are lucky it didn't escalate. the last thing we need is trouble from them. recklessness will get you no where in life, boy ❞ oakfern chattered with a narrowed stare.

puffincrest waved his tail dismissively, breaking the tension. ❝ oh, leave the boy alone, darling. he's got a fire in him — that's a good thing, ❞

oakfern shot him a withering glare. ❝ what happens when that 'fire' gets him in over his head? ❞

stonechatpaw glanced between the two elders, unsure whether to speak or stay quiet. puffincrest's eyes just softened as he turned back to his grandson. ❝ don't worry about her, lad. just be smart about it, ❞

oakfern sighed, shaking her head. ❝ at least he's here instead of getting into more trouble. ah, speaking of which, why don't you get some more moss? ❞

stonechatpaw nodded quickly, grateful for the chance to escape the growing tension. he listened to the two bickering while he pushed and plumped new moss into their nest.

g the time he finished, the sun had dipped even lower, painting the sky in soft hues of orange and pink.

❝ good work, kid. you're gonna be a fine warrior one day, ❞ puffincrest chuffed, giving him an approving nod.

stonechatpaw dipped his head respectfully. ❝ thanks, granddad. i best be going now, ❞ he purred, brushing his head into their before he stepped out the den.

the cool evening air brushed through his fur. his paws thudded softly against the packed dirt, his ears pricked at the familiar scent of his mentor. across the clearing, tallskunk had just returned with the patrol, a large hare dangling from his jaws.

stonechatpaw's eyes widened at the size of the prey. he bounded over, his tail waving high in greeting.

tallskunk set the hare down, his orange eyes warm as he looked at his apprentice. ❝ well, there you are, ❞ he said, whiskers wriggling. ❝ stayed out of trouble i hope? ❞

stonechatpaw ducked his head slightly, a sheepish grin spreading across his face. ❝ i've been good, ❞ he replied, ❝ spent time with puffincrest and oakfern. they told me a couple of stories, ❞

tallskunk chuckled, his tail flicking lightly. ❝ i'm sure your granddad's tales were... exaggerated? ❞

stonechatpaw couldn't help but laugh. ❝ he said one time he caught a rabbit as big as that hare. but oakfern called him out, said it was just a very fat squirrel, ❞

tallskunk's eyes crinkled with amusement. ❝ that does sound about right, ❞ he nudged the hare with his paw, before grinning. ❝ this was a tricky catch, ❞

the coloured tom titled his head. ❝ how did you catch it? they're so... quick, ❞

tallskunk's eyes gleamed as he sat down, curling his tail neatly around his paws. ❝ i was patient, ❞ he said, ❝ it's all about waiting for the right moment. i spotted it grazing near the edge of the grove. took a while, but i crept close enough to make the pounce, ❞

stonechatpaw's face wrinkled. ❝ didn't he try to just run? ❞

❝ oh, it ran alright, ❞ tallskunk said with a smirk. ❝ i just happened to be much quicker than he was, ❞ he added. he gave the apprentice a light nudge with his muzzle and picked up the hare. ❝ i'm going to go drop this off at the fresh—kill pile ❞

tallskunk returned as quick as he had left, trotting over at a steady pace. ❝ i was thinking — since the day's still young, why don't we make the most of it? we could go on a quick hunt with your sister and redtail, or i could put you through some solo training, ❞

stonechatpaw's ears pricked with interest. he opened his mouth to respond, but before he could, a cheerful voice cut through the air.

❝ stonechatpaw! ❞

gravelpaw bounded across the clearing, her small paws kicking up specks of dust as she hurried over. her eyes gleamed with excitement, and her grey fur glowed in the fading sunlight.

❝ hi, tallskunk, ❞ she greeted quickly before turning her attention to stonechatpaw. ❝ nightmask and i are heading out on a herb patrol, and i thought it would be fun if you joined us! i mean, if you're not busy or anything, ❞ she added, her voice slightly breathless from her enthusiasm.

tallskunk tilted his head, his whiskers twitching with amusement. ❝ well, kid, looks like you have plenty of options, ❞

gravelpaw's eyes widened hopefully, her tail curling behind her. ❝ it'll be fun! you've never been on a herb patrol before, right? ❞

stonechatpaw hesitated, glancing between his mentor and gravelpaw. the offer of a new experience with the medicine cats was tempting, especially since he rarely got to spend time with gravelpaw outside of camp. on the other paw, hunting with robinpaw and redtail sounded like a good way to mend what had happened recently. and then there was always the promise of honing his skills under his mentor's guidance.

❝ what do you think? ❞ tallskunk asked.

the young tom flicked his tail, his decision forming as he met gravelpaw's eager gaze.

𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘵𝘱𝘢𝘸 𝘥𝘰:

━━ 𝗖𝗛𝗢𝗜𝗖𝗘 𝗢𝗡𝗘 ... join gravelpaw and nightmask. he hasn't been on a herb patrol, it sounds interesting and he could spend time with gravelpaw too.

━━ 𝗖𝗛𝗢𝗜𝗖𝗘 𝗧𝗪𝗢 ... go hunting with his sister and her mentor, with tallskunk. he'll be able to spend time with his sister and see how she's holding up since their incident.

━━ 𝗖𝗛𝗢𝗜𝗖𝗘 𝗧𝗛𝗥𝗘𝗘 ... spend some time alone with his mentor. he ruined it earlier, by not doing as he was told. and who wouldn't want to turn down some extra training?