It was weird, living in a new den. Mudpaw felt as if she had just finally gotten used to sleeping in the Nursery, only to now be forced to move her nest across the camp. Not to mention that she'd have to do it again once she was made a warrior...though at least that was still a ways off. According to the older cats, becoming a warrior didn't have a specific time limit like being a kit was; it happened when your mentor and the clan leader decided you were ready. The chocolate-brown Havana glanced up as she exited the apprentices' den, spotting Ravenstar by the fresh-kill pile eating. Mudpaw, feeling still so new to Summerclan even after four moons of living there, gulped nervously. Was it a good thing or a bad thing if the leader was your mentor? All she had been told after her promotion was that it was a huge honor; which meant that there was a lot of pressure on her shoulders to make a good impression.

Mudpaw froze as Ravenstar made her way over to her, though her tense muscles relaxed a bit when she saw the leader's kind smile. There was really nothing to be nervous about, she knew that. It was her mentor's job to train her into the loyal and skilled warrior she knew she wanted to be. Even still, when the older she-cat suggested that she grab something to eat, any words she could've replied with got caught in her throat, and the young apprentice was only able to nod mutely before scampering past towards the fresh-kill pile for breakfast.

Her yellow-green gaze scanned the prey quickly, before finally resting on a decently sized sparrow that Mudpaw began to chow down on. As she chewed, she forced herself to breathe slowly to calm down, easing her restless nerves. 'You'll be fine,' she told herself as she spit out a feather. 'It's not like she's gonna judge you or anything'.

Gobbling up the last of her bird, Mudpaw glanced up and, not seeing Ravenstar by the apprentices' den where just was a short time ago, scanned the camp until her gaze finally rested on where the leader was talking to the newly-promoted Lupinepatch and Pantherclaw. A soft smile crossed her face as she watched the older she-cat give her son an affectionate lick, and for a brief moment felt a longing for the mother she never knew. As the two young warriors headed into their den for a well-deserved sleep, Mudpaw approached her mentor, suddenly feeling much more understanding and confident. "So..." She mewed with a sheepish grin. "What are we going to do today?"

Mudpaw's eyes lit up when she realized that she would finally be allowed to go outside of camp, and the she-cat nodded eagerly. In truth, she had been in the forest before; Greythorn had found her of the very outskirts of Summerclan territory, and she had attempted more than her fair share of escape attempts as a kit alongside her other denmates. But this time she'd be able to travel the woods freely, able to investigate every nook and cranny without fear. She followed close behind Ravenstar, taking in the first sights and sounds of the new environment around her.

Mudpaw had been so preoccupied in taking in the sights, sounds, and smells of the forest, that she almost didn't notice when Ravenstar began to pick up speed, and the brown she-cat had to scramble to catch up with her. Her ears twitched as she picked up the rushing sound of the river before she even saw it, and a giggle escaped her and stared down at her own reflection in the running water. "A-Alright," she replied absentmindedly, once again getting distracted enough to miss the leader's cue until she realized that she was being stared at. "O-Oh! R-Right, sorry!"

She stared at the flat stone ahead of her uneasily. It looked so smooth and slippery; what if she slipped and fell into the water? Mudpaw gulped. Though the water wasn't frozen, it was still Leafbare, so it would certainly be a freezing swim.

Mudpaw took in her leader's words but did not reply, instead lowering herself into a half-crouch as she focused on the open rock between them. She could do this. She just had to be brave. Deciding it was better not to second guess herself, the chocolate she-cat suddenly sprung forward over the river, landing on top of the stone and digging into it with her claws for balance. As soon as she had landed, the apprentice had squeezed her eyes shut in fear that she would slip and fall into the icy water, but after a few seconds of nothing happening, she slowly blinked her eyes open and grinned. "H-hey! I did it!"

Mudpaw grinned, feeling much more confident after making the first jump. She first watched Ravenstar leap across to the other side of the river, intensely studying how the older she-cat did it. Then, it was Mudpaw's turn. The proud apprentice put dramatic theatrics into every jump between stones, taking long pauses in-between bounds to steady herself for the next one. Personally, she thought that showing off like this would make her look cool and brave in front of the Summerclan leader, though in reality, her short, high pounces made her resemble a brown fuzzy grasshopper in form. After what was probably a painfully longer time than necessary, the naive cat finally landed on the dirt beside her mentor, tail held boastfully high.

Mudpaw felt her face grow warm as she bashfully flushed at her leader's praise, though quickly hid her sheepishness under a diligent nod, waiting for Ravenstar to take the lead once again. For a brief moment, she glanced over her shoulder back at the stepping stones and the river. How long did it take for the other apprentices to cross them for the first time? She immediately tried to push those thoughts away; there was no reason to be comparing herself to everyone else. Someday she'd be better than all of them!

"Hmmmm, weasels, I think?" Mudpaw retorted jokingly, before looking out over the wide expanse of the open field in awe. She had remained within Summerclan's camp deep within the forest for so long, she couldn't recall if she had ever seen such a large, treeless patch of land before. "So that line of trees on the other side of the meadow..." she began, following close behind Ravenstar into the grass. "That marks Fallclan's territory? I've heard stories about the other clans from the older apprentices and some of the warriors, but what are they really like? You must have met them before, right?"