stonechatpaw wiped away a bundle of webs from the corner of the warriors' den with a swipe of his paw. he paused, looking over the clean den with a satisfied grin on his maw. the den was spotless, each nest lined with fresh materials, and the ground cleared of debris. the warmth of the sun behind him, just outside the den, burned on his back as he stood up and stretched his aching muscles.

he'd spent days proving his dedication to the duties his father and leader had set following his and his sisters reckless decision. the tasks whisperstar had given to him and robinpaw were tiring, to say the least, but he welcomed them as a way to show his commitment. he wanted to demonstrate that he was serious about becoming a capable warrior.

stonechatpaw crumpled up the old bedding that he needed to dispose, and the heavy footfall of his father sounded behind him. he straightened up and turned to face him.

his fathers usual stern stare softened as he watched his son work. ❝ son, ❞ he began, ❝ you've done well these past few weeks. you've worked hard, and whisperstar has noticed. you no longer need to continue with your punishment, ❞ he purred.

stonechatpaw blinked, his ears twitching with surprise. the words took a moment to sink in. ❝ thank you, ❞ he said with a dip of his head.

❝ i'll finish up here, why don't you run along now and find something to do, ❞ rookwhirl chirped, stepping in the den properly, brushing past his son.

stonechatpaw stepped out of the warriors den.

a familiar voice chimed across camp. ❝ what great news, stonechatpaw! ❞. tallskunk padded over to him. he'd overhead the conversation. the tall, lanky tom flicked his tail. ❝ how about we head out on a patrol, to celebrate? you deserve it after your hard work, ❞

stonechatpaw's stomach fluttered with excitement. the idea of bounding out of camp and going on a patrol, instead of being cramped in camp cleaning the dirt of his clanmates, or being scornfully scowled at by his grandmother, was thrilling. ❝ i'd like that, ❞ replied the young coloured tom.

tallskunk purred in approval. ❝ good! now, i'll let you choose what patrol. we've got a few options, ❞ he then began lifting them off one by one, with a flick of his tail with each option. ❝ we could go on a hunting patrol, by the grove, where prey is plentiful. or, we could patrol the border near waterclan's border — there's been some chatter about them pushing boundaries. lastly, we could go to the fields and get some practice in, ❞

stonechatpaw stared at tallskunk. he'd given him many options, all equally as good at the last.

𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘵𝘱𝘢𝘸 𝘥𝘰:

━━ 𝗖𝗛𝗢𝗜𝗖𝗘 𝗢𝗡𝗘 ... go to the grove, and hunt. maybe he and tallskunk can get plenty of prey for the clan.

━━ 𝗖𝗛𝗢𝗜𝗖𝗘 𝗧𝗪𝗢 ... patrol near the border. waterclan knows where their border lays, fishbrains. perhaps he will come across a waterclan patrol — he's never seen waterclan cats yet.

━━ 𝗖𝗛𝗢𝗜𝗖𝗘 𝗧𝗛𝗥𝗘𝗘 ... go to the fields and practice. he can practice his battling with tallskunk, it's one of his favourite things to do.