Let's play Stuck in the Mud! (babylonranger)

[nomstar]

Babylonranger

The tortoiseshell apprentice was stuck. She had arrived at the training area way to early and decided to go for a walk. She knew the territory pretty well. Or at least she thought. Maplepaw had been thinking about what the snow would be like in Leafbare when she had suddenly found that she couldn't walk. Looking down, she had realised that she was stuck in a bog. Struggling hadn't done any good, it had done the opposite. She had gone from her paws being submerged to the mud touching her usually white belly fur. She tried to swim out but only managed to fling mud around her. At least the boggy ground was cooling her down. The sun was hot, despite the fact that Greenleaf had already passed. Just then, Maplepaw saw a branch nearby. She reached over as far as she could and grabbed onto the end with her teeth. She tried to drag herself out, but made one huge mistake. The branch was loosening from the bog and all of a suddenly flew out of its holder, hitting Maplepaw on the head. The world spun around her as she tried to focus on what had just happened. the mud was now almost covering her back. She let out a mew as distress as everything started to go fuzzy. Help me! 

[Babylonranger]

A muscled white-and-black tom padded into the training clearing, his yellow eyes bright for the early morning. Not seeing his expected apprentice, the young warrior paused in confusion. Where was Maplepaw? Lightningflame knew she had left camp before him; the calico she-cat should have been there by now.

Inhaling and sniffing deeply, he searched for Maplepaw's scent. It seemed like she'd arrived earlier, but then she'd left for some reason. Grumbling to himself, Lightningflame followed the trail his apprentice had laid. Slowly, the black-masked tom came to the realization that the younger she-cat was headed straight for the Boggy Land.

Heart sinking and fur bristling, the warrior picked up his pace. Please, Starclan, not that, he begged. but her scent trail didn't veer or change course. With a fearful hiss, Lightningflame sprinted forward, not letting his black paws stay long on the treacherous ground. Hearing a faint mewl up ahead, the distressed tom raced toward the sound.

He found Maplepaw slowly sinking in the muddy bog. Leaping onto the closest tree root, Lightningflame stretched out to grab his apprentice by the scruff of her neck. "I'm here, Maplepaw. Stay with me!"

[nomstar]

She looked up hopefully as Maplepaw caught her mentor's scent. She saw him emerge from the bushes and hop out onto a tree root. He bent down to grab her scruff and she breathed out a sigh of relief as teeth met her scruff and she was lifted out of the bog. She still felt a little dizzy from the branch hitting her on the head and as her paws touched the ground, Maplepaw's legs buckled underneath her. She hit the ground with a thump, to dazed to spek. The mud clung to her fur and made her feel hot and uncomfortable. but she was glad to be out of the bog. Thankyou Lightningflame...

OOC: Sorry if I power-played a bit there, I just didn't know what to type... I drew this random picture yesterday:

[Babylonranger]

((Ooc: It's alright, it works here. Love the picture!))

Lightningflame managed to pull Maplepaw out of the mud, shuddering slightly at the squelch the bog made as it released the apprentice. The white-and-black tom quickly set the young she-cat down and checked her over, concerned by her silence. Her eyes looked slightly unfocused and most of her body was covered with mud, but the warrior couldn't find anything else wrong with her.

Aware that they were still in the Boggy Land, the black-masked cat nudged the little calico gently with his muzzle. "Maplepaw, can you get up and walk? I'll carry you out if you can't, but I need you to try for me quickly. We can't stay here long."

[nomstar]

OOC: Thanks!

Maplepaw staggered to her feet and blinked open her bright yellow eyes. She was feeling a little stronger now and bean to pad a little unsteadily out of the Boggy Land.  The mud covering her body had began to dry and crumble off. It itched and irritated her but she was afraid that if she stopped she would sink into the mud again. Maplepaw looked back at Lightningflame to make sure that he was still there. Suddenly guilt began to rise up in her. I'm such a mousebrain! She always ruined her training. I'm sorry Lightningflame...

[Babylonranger]

Lightningflame closed his eyes in relief as his apprentice rose and started to walk. He followed close behind, ready to offer support if she happened to stumble. Thankfully, they were close to the edge of the Boggy Land and it did not take long for the pair to leave.

"We'll stop by the Bubbling Pool to help get the mud off," the young warrior said. "If your head is still bothering you after that you should stop by the medicine cat den."

[nomstar]

She padded on, numbness spreading throughout her limbs. I've ruined everything. She kept on padding, listening to the soft crunch of the leaves underneath her paws. I am a horrible apprentice. Crunch, crunch. Now Lightningflame will never like me. Crunch, crunch. What if he asks for a new apprentice? She realised how scared she was that her mentor wouldn't like her and how desperately she wanted him to like her. Soon they had reached the bubbling pool. Maplepaw stumbled into the warm water and relaxed. She closed her eyes and dipped her head underneath the water. That feels better. She could feel some of her strength coming back as she washed off the dry mud. Soon she was all clean. Anxiously, Maplepaw looked up at Lightningflame. Will he ever like me now...

[Babylonranger]

The white-and-black tom padded in silence next to his apprentice. He knew Maplepaw tended to be quiet, but she still hadn't said a word since he'd found her. Lightningflame suspected she was in shock, and the little she-cat's unfocused yellow eyes had worried him as well. but the warm water of the pool would help with some of the shock, as well as washing the mud off.

Once they'd reached the Bubbling Pool, the young warrior sat and waited for Maplepaw to clean the mud off, thinking about what he needed to do. Glancing up, he noticed that she had finished and was looking at him. With a small sigh, Lightningflame beckoned her forward with a swish of his black-tipped tail. "Come here, please," he gently asked as well. Giving her some time to get out of the water and stand before him, he asked, "Maplepaw, why did you go to the Boggy Land by yourself?"

((Ooc: Tagging nomstar, just in case.))

[nomstar]

She padded out of the water and up to her mentor. Maplepaw, why did you go to the Boggy Land by yourself? She felt panic rising up inside of her. What should I say? She took a deep breath before everything rushed out of her. I got there early and I decided to go for a walk and I thought that I knew most of the territory and so I want for a walk and I accidentally got stuck in the bog and then I couldn't get out and then you came and then you got me out and then we came here and then... She sighed. I'm sorry.

[Babylonranger]

Well, at least whatever was wrong with her head seems to have cleared up, the white-and-black warrior thought as he blinked in incredulity at his apprentice's stream of words. Lightningflame's feathery black-tipped tail flicked slowly while he thought. He wanted to be absolutely sure that he did not speak out of frustration. There was already little chance that Maplepaw would take what he had to say well; the Stormclan tom did not want to make things worse for her.

"Maplepaw," he said, "if you ever get the urge to wander again, don't wander alone, not while you're still learning the territory. If I'm not around, you could always ask one of your fellow apprentices. And if I keep you waiting for a training session you can always feel free to ask me to hurry along." Lightningflame paused, hating what he was about to do, but feeling it was necessary. "We will not have a training session today. I want you to attend to the elders instead. If their nests need changing, come to me and I will show you where to gather fresh moss. If they complain of ticks, go to the medicine cats and they will get you what you need. Do you understand?"

((Ooc: She has that dream with Deadheart and the others after this right, nomstar?

EDIT: Ok, since Nom adopted Maplepaw out to you, Flight of the Thunderbird, I'm tagging you to this thread.))