Tawnypaw woke to the sound of birds chirping and mysterious words ringing in his ears. He'd heard of cats receiving prophecies in their sleep and well, he had to assume or to at least hope that that's what he'd just experienced. He wished he could remember more about it, but if the words were real, than today was going to be the best day ever! Before his mentor could come grab him for a morning training session, Tawnypaw figured he may as well just leave camp and do whatever he wanted for the day. After all, he'd probably get away with it.

Abandoning his warm nest, the apprentice padded out of the den. The air was cool and the sun had yet to rise, but soon would start its ascension. There wasn't a warrior in sight, which was just his luck. Stretching with a pleasant hum and then beginning his trot to the tunnel exit, he froze when he heard the tiny scurrying of paws behind him. Looking over his shoulder and then down, he spotted a single kit.

Tawnypaw winced at the mention of the prayers. He had completely forgotten about them and wasn't very interested to begin with. With Bloodystar's new reign, the religious aspects of the clan seemed to become even more frequent and strict. As Ferventkit's paws found his chin, he felt even worse about the whole situation. Part of him wanted to cave to the kit's pleas and out of fear of Bloodystar, but today was supposed to be his day. Anything he wanted, he could get away with. Might as well put that to the test. Clearing his throat, the scruffy apprentice eyed the kit carefully. "Actually... I have to go. On a secret- very secret mission! Yes! To find the... Sun God?" The poor excuse of a lie slipped out of his mouth before he could even process its merit. How was he going to find the Sun God? There was no way she'd believe that.

He hadn't planned for this at all. Yes, she was a kit, but his lie was so obviously that. How could she take him for his word and why did she want to come with!? Didn't his prophecy say things would go his way today, and Fervantkit didn't fit into his original plan. But if he left her behind, there was the chance she'd tell Bloodystar or some other cat that he'd gone on some "mission". And Tawnypaw couldn't see a warrior falling for that. They'd think he'd ditched prayers and with how many SunClan cats were being thrown in prison these days, he could come up with at least one possible consequence.

Sighing, he crouched down to her level. "If you can't keep up, then we're coming straight back here and the Sun God will stay lost for who knows how long. Okay?" He couldn't believe he was agreeing to this.

The frustration he felt at taking Ferventkit with him dissipated at her determination. Kits were cute and he had a soft spot for them. It wasn't that long ago, that he was one himself after all. However, the Sun God meant very little to him and it saddened him to see someone so young blinded by the clan's cult mindset. "Alright, let's get going then," he mewed, turning back towards the entrance of the tunnel. Tawnypaw had been given plenty of time to commit its winding path to memory, so he felt fully confident to lead a kit through it. "Stay close. There are a lot of fake exits that could kill a cat if they're not careful."

As he started leading Ferventkit through the tunnel, he felt troubled. Right now, he should be happily anticipating their journey, but he couldn't stop thinking about the she-kit's earlier words. Hesitantly, he glanced over at her and asked, "What did you mean by saving your parents?"

Of course! He hadn’t realized this was one of Littlecrow’s kits. After everything had happened, so many litters were moved around and the stolen kits brought into camp didn’t make it any easier for him to keep track of who was related to who. Not that Tawnypaw cared much to try on a good day. He wasn’t very invested in the clan or in its religion and politics, yet hearing Ferventkit’s explanation made his heart go out to her. She was so young to have to suffer through the cruel usurping of her mother and the changes Bloodystar continued to subject his clan to. Glancing around the tunnel, he feared his next words might echo through the caverns, but he hoped the morning prayers would keep anyone out of earshot. “Your mom isn’t bad. Bloodystar took advantage of her weakness after the gathering so that he could rule SunClan. Anything he says to you is done to trick you into obedience and support of his ways,” the apprentice whispered, not really understanding why he was saying this. He’d never voiced his opinion out loud before—hadn’t even realized he had one. “When the Sun God returns, Bloodystar will get what’s coming to him, and you’ll have your mom again.”

"Yeah... You're right. I'm not a big fan of the guy or anything, but I'm sure he means well?" The words tasted funny as he said them, but it wasn't really in Tawnypaw to hate anyone. Even someone like Bloodystar after all he'd done. And thus far, the apprentice had yet to be affected by any of the chaos the new leader caused, other than a boost in the number of prayers. If anyone had a reason to hate him, it would be someone like Ferventkit, but she seemed very forgiving. Clearly, she had a good head on her shoulders, and here he was manipulating her so that he could go exploring. His concious seemed torn all of a sudden as he battled between his favorite passion and the feelings of the she-kit beside him. Not yet reaching a decision, Tawnypaw gave a little chuckle as he tried to brighten the mood around them slightly. "You seem to know a bit about him. Could it be??" His lips twitched as he glanced down at the kit with rounded eyes, "Do you like like Bloodystar?"

Finally, they were outside of the tunnel and Tawnypaw became momentarily distracted by the dazzling change of scenery. He hated being cooped up in camp and even though he was beginning to grow used to the clan's territory, it did still captivate him every time. Because of this, he found himself unbothered by her lack of understanding--nearly forgot what he'd even asked her. Part of him wondered if her words were caused by her innocence and kindness or if she had in fact, been brainwashed to some extent. Biting his lip, he turned a questioning gaze down to her. It seemed very odd for her to consider the tom her father even if she was a kit. Obviously Ferventkit had some understanding of what he'd done to her real parents. "Do you really believe that?"

No matter his feelings on the subject, Tawnypaw was reluctant to chastise her for thinking one way or another. She was still young and oblivious and she'd probably be happier if she stayed that way while she could. Although, he worried about how deep Bloodystar's claws had already gripped into her.

"Oh, yeah. He sure does," Tawnypaw replied absentmindedly, not meaning the words whatsoever. He was, however, pleased by Ferventkit's excitement at the new scenery. He wished he would have been able to step outside of camp when he was her age. Waiting to get a glimpse of the territory was torture. With a dreamlike glance around, his gaze eventually returned to her and he took a meaningful step forward. "So, where do you think we can find him? I have a few ideas myself, but I could use a second opinion."

Tawnypaw nodded at her answer, understanding how she'd come up with the idea. Even though she was suggesting they cross into another clan's territory, the prospect gave him no cause for concern. In fact, he was more eager because he'd be travelling into unknown lands. The only issue was bringing a kit along with him, but no clan would harm a little kit, right? "Yeah, you're right. How about SummerClan? That's far away and sunny. If he had to choose a clan to vacation to, I bet it would be that one."