He didn't know how he had managed it, but he was able to slip back into camp under Nightmare and Skink's noses. He sighed with relief, curling up near a bush at the edge of the clearing. He had actually made a friend today. Granted, they were in ThunderClan and her first impression of him was drowning... But hey! It's something, right? Muddy convinced himself. For once, he wasn't dreading Nightmaretalon coming back, as he was in high spirits. "Hey, Mudspatter... do you have a moment?" Beestar had padded up to him, his brown and yellow tail swishing. Mud was very surprised to be called into the leader's presence. He wasn't even that important. "Yes, of course," he murmured following Beestar into the woven den around an ancient willow tree. His fur brushes the lichen as he went into the open space. It felt a bit damp, but he didn't complain, last thing he needed was Beestar to think of him as a kit. "We need to talk about what you do for this clan. You never go fishing because of your... erm... fear, and you don't fight in battles either," Beestar meowed sternly. Mudspatter's heart sank. Beestar had only wanted to talk to him because he wasn't useful. What did you expect? It's the truth, Muddy scolded himself, but it still stung. He caught mammals, and... and.... "I, um..." he stammered, averting Beestar's stare. He felt his fur crawl uncomfortably, his earlier happiness vanishing in heartbeats. What was Beestar going to do with him? Make him an elder? Exile him? Make him go in the water?... He shivered at the prospects. Why can't I just be normal like all the other warriors? "What is RiverClan supposed to do with-with a faulty warrior?" Beestar said. The words hit Mudspatter like a tsunami flooding his brain and suffocating his lungs, unable to speak. "Maybe you could become medicine cat or mediator... yet that's probably to much to trust you with," Beestar mused suspiciously. Mud gulped, looking at his paws. Beestar pondered for a while before speaking again. “You will become an apprentice again, it seems to me you didn’t learn enough of the skills to begin with. I don’t think Nightmaretalon was a good mentor for you, and he already has another apprentice, so your new mentor will be Minnowleap.” ”You what?!” he yowled in complete and utter shock. “But-but-” “My decision is final. Now go. The re-ceremony will commence soon,” Beestar sighed, flicking his striped tail and turning around. Mudspatter slowly walked out, feeling like claws were being stabbed through his heart.
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