the winning choice was 𝗖𝗛𝗢𝗜𝗖𝗘 𝗧𝗛𝗥𝗘𝗘: go and apologise to tallskunk. his actions have affected his mentor too.

stonechatpaw drew in a long, shaky breath.

the scolding from whisperstar and his father had left him feeling minute — like a tiny speck of a bug in the dirt. but there was one more thing he knew he had to do — something that twisted his insides with guilt even more than the punishment itself.

he had to face tallskunk.

his paws felt heavy as he made his way across camp. he could see tallskunk sitting near the warriors den' next to redrail.

he stopped a few paw lengths away, his stare fixed on the ground, too ashamed to meet his mentor's eyes. for a moment, he hesitated, and wondered if he could just turn and leave, avoid this conversation altogether. but he knew he couldn't. he had to take responsibility for what he'd done, no matter how much it stung.

redtail was the first to notice him. she glanced up, and at stonechatpaw before standing up and padding away, leaving the apprentice alone with his mentor. he felt the silence between them stretch out. until he couldn't bear it any longer.

❝ i'm sorry! ❞ he blurted out, his voice splintering as he spoke. ❝ i'm sorry i snuck out camp. i know i won't be able to train properly now because of it. i'm sorry i let you down, tallskunk, ❞

there was a long pause, during which stonechatpaw felt his heart thumping in his chest. he forced himself to lift his head, meeting tallskunk's gaze, expecting to see disappointment or anger reflected there.

instead, tallskunk's eyes held none of the harshness stonechatpaw had feared. the older tom's expression was calm, almost amused, and after a moment, a small smile tugged at the corners of his mouth.

❝ it's okay, ❞ tallskunk purred, ❝ everyone has thought about sneaking out at your age, and some have even done it too. i'd be lying if i said i hadn't considered it once or twice when i was your age, ❞

stonechatpaw blinked, surprised by his response. he had expected to be scolded, to be reminded of the rules he'd broken and the trust he'd betrayed. but tallskunk was... understanding?

❝ really? ❞ stonechatpaw asked.

tallskunk chuckled softly and nodded. ❝ really. we've all made mistakes. what matters if that you learn from them. i'm not happy that you put your lives in danger, but i'm glad you're here to learn from it. you'll still be able to train — you'll just be tending to the elders for a bit, too, ❞

stonechatpaw's ears perked up slightly. ❝ so... you're not angry? ❞

tallskunk shook his head. ❝ no, i'm not. disappointed that you got yourself into such a risky situation, yes. but more than that, i'm relieved that you're safe. and i'm proud of you for coming to apologise. that shows me that you're taking this seriously, ❞

the you tom didn't expect tallskunk to be so forgiving.

❝ i won't let you down again, ❞ promised the coloured tom—cat.

tallskunk's smile grew wider. ❝ i know you won't, ❞

stonechatpaw yawned and blinked sleepily.

tallskunk's smile softened. ❝ why don't you go and get some rest? it's been a long night, and you've got a few days ahead of you that'll be busy, ❞

stonechatpaw nodded. he was exhausted. he turned and padded away back to the apprentices' den, and he glanced back at tallskunk, who had already resumed his conversation with redtail, as if nothing had ever happened.

he quietly trotted inside. he blinked towards his sister, who was already warmly curled up in her nest, fast asleep.

stonechatpaw stood there for a brief second, watching her. he could still see traces of that fear etched into her expression even in sleep — an occasional twitch of her whiskers, or a flick of her ear. stonechatpaw's felt his gut twist. he was angry with her for leading them into such danger, and he was equally as angry with himself for foolishly following his sister.

he let out a quiet sigh, shaking his head as he turned and clambered into his own nest. the comforting smell of the moss washed over him, adding to his sleepy state, and he curled up tightly, drawing his tail around himself. the weariness of the night pressed down on him firmly, and it didn't take long before sleep claimed him, pulling him into a dreamless slumber.

when stonechatpaw woke, it was several hours later. the apprentices' den was filled with the muted light of early afternoon. ne blinked a few times, adjusting to the light, and slowly stretched out his limbs, feeling a slight stiffness from the night before. he felt better, though — more refreshed, the haunting edges of his exhaustion finally gone.

he glanced over at robinpaw's nest. she was still asleep, her body twitching as if caught in a dream. he was a little curious about what she might be dreaming about, but didn't dwell on it. instead, he stood, gave himself a thorough stretch, and quietly slipped out of the den.

the camp was calm when he emerged into the clearing. the sky was clear, with the sun high overhead, and a small amount of white clouds dappled the blue canvas. a few warriors were gathered near the fresh—kill pile, sharing tongues, while others, like his mother, milled about, carrying out their duties.

stonechatpaw turned his nose around camp, watching the world go by. his belly gurgled, and a painful twist pinged in his gut. he felt so hungry he could eat prey that had been left in the sun for days.

the camp was still, and stonechatpaw was determined to make the most of the day.

𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘵𝘱𝘢𝘸 𝘥𝘰:

━━ 𝗖𝗛𝗢𝗜𝗖𝗘 𝗢𝗡𝗘 ... quickly grab a bite to eat off the fresh—pile. last nights running made him hungry.

━━ 𝗖𝗛𝗢𝗜𝗖𝗘 𝗧𝗪𝗢 ... make a start on his punishment, by cleaning out the dirt—place.

━━ 𝗖𝗛𝗢𝗜𝗖𝗘 𝗧𝗛𝗥𝗘𝗘 ... make a start on his punishment by dropping into the elders' den.