Tawnypaw trotted over to Innocentlament with the biggest smile he'd had in a while. Already his cheeks were starting to feel sore, but he couldn't help beaming at his promotion. He offered a low dip of his head to his mentor before his eyes snapped back up to hers, wide and full of excitement. "Hello! It's so great to be an apprentice--your apprentice! Finally. Longest six moons of my life waiting for this, ya know?" The words tumbled out of his mouth so fast he barely even knew what he was saying. "So, when do we start?"

His expression shifted into one of awe at hearing her describe the dangerous tunnels. He'd heard a little about them as a kit and it had taken every queen to stop him venturing that way. Now, he'd finally get to see the tunnels and who knew what else! As neat as the maze would definitely be, Tawnypaw was really looking forward to the territory beyond it. "Awesome!" he squealed. The possibility of getting hurt went in one ear and out the other.

Tawnypaw followed eagerly after his mentor, but paused as they entered the tunnel. His head rolled back as he gaped around the cavern. As plain as it may seem to others, he was fascinated by it. If these tunnels were natural, then they were a great wonder. And if they were carved out by animals, then that too was amazing. He wanted to explore every twist and turn whether it brought him to a dangerous incline or not. But he was getting ahead of himself. Seeing that Innocentlament has stopped a few paces ahead, he scrambled over to her with a lopsided grin.

He held onto her every word but made a slight noise of protest when she told him his sight would be useless here. He wanted to look around so badly! Still, his eyes fell shut as he inhaled deeply. The air felt cold in his mouth, surprising him for a moment, but he concentrated on the scents that caressed the roof of his mouth and swirled in his nose. Besides a musty, earthy scent, one smell stood clear as day to him.

“I smell... cats?” He answered cautiously. “Like the ones from camp.”

His lips quirked into a small smile when he realized that he was on the right track. "Hmm, let's see..." he mewed, taking in another whiff of the tunnel. He was starting to recognize some of the cat scents by name and as his mentor had said, the freshest ones belonged to apprentices. Keeping his eyes tightly shut, he started walking forward with his nose leading the way. Tawnypaw noticed a spot where one scent trail split off from the rest and he wondered if one of the apprentices had made a wrong turn then. Chuckling a little, he followed the path with the stronger scents until the cold sand felt warm under paw. Slowly, his eyes opened only to squint shut as he blinked in the harsh sunlight.