▪️STRIPE▪️

Stripe heard a distant yowl, and curiously stalked towards it. It led her towards ThunderClan's border, at the edge of the lakes. A ginger apprentice lay sleeping on the rocks near the water.

Her whiskers twitched in amusement, /Stupid-furball! Sleeping out in the open, just for any rouge or animal to find him!/ She thought. The moonlight shone brightly and when she looked up she noticed that it was almost full.

The wet rocks glittered among the moonlight, as Stripe silently made her way over to him. She kept further back, not wanting to get her paws wet. As she neared, her paw stepped on a stick and it snapped.

The ginger apprentice lifted his head, his wide amber gaze searching. Stripe winced and shrank away, trying to hide, but it was no use. The ginger apprentice had already seen her and stood up, unsheathing his claws, though he seemed to lack the confidence of a trained apprentice.

He snarled, standing his ground. Stripe stood up, her hackles raising as she gazed at him. Her claws were sheathed, and she glared at him. They stared at each other for what felt likes moons, before Stripe finally spoke. "What are you doing out here? Kit?" She mocked him.

Hurt flashed through his eyes, before anger shoved it away. Stripe stayed still, her eyes not betraying anything. They looked about the same age, but Stripe was slightly bigger. "Why should I tell you, rouge!" He retorted.

Stripe only huffed, not taking any offense. She despised the clans, even though she was part of one. A burning rage lit inside of her the day she left, and she'd been training alone by herself.

Silence seemed to stretch forever. The shrill call of a owl made Stripe look up, but all she could see was stars and the moon. The ginger apprentice looked around, glancing nervously at the sky. Stripe sighed, it was going to be a long night.

A cold breeze ruffled her fur, as she stared at him. Stripe muttered under her breath, and was going to leave. She was half back to the forest, before the ginger apprentice yowled something. "Wait! Who are you?" He asked, walking up to her. Stripe rolled her eyes, obviously he hadn't heard about her-yet, at least.

"I could ask the same..." She meowed, not quite comfortable to share her new name.

"Well.. if I tell you mine, will you tell me yours?" He asked and Stripe sighed.

"Fine."

"My name is Flamepaw... so what about yours?"

"It's Stripe, and I best be going." She grumbled, and quickly turned away.

"Can we meet again?" Stripe stopped in her tracks.

"Meet again? There's no point! I'm only a rouge, and you'd get in trouble if someone found out!" She hissed, her fur bristling. /What's wrong with him!/

He looked taken aback a bit, but quickly hid it. "Well... can I at least know where your going?"

"Near the twoleg place." She muttered and disappeared into the woods. After a while, she finally reached her den. It was small, but it would do her for now. It was barely more than a fox-length away from the Twoleg place.

"Who does he think he is? I shouldn't have told him where I live!" She growled, sinking her claws into the ground, but something felt odd about him, something she didn't know.