Life 2:8

Beginning their journey, Graystripe and Fireheart soon caught up to Tallstar and the odd apprentice that garnered their interest. They had a long ways to go, so filling the time with chatter would make the journey all the easier.

"So, what was this about names? You called out me being a Stripe." Graystripe began.

"Yeah. The thing is, the name you receive upon becoming a warrior always describes an aspect of you, usually your personality. There are some exceptions like cats with the suffix Tail." Snakepaw lectured before being cut off by Tallstar.

"Hey! I was a Tail." He mewed.

With his head cocked slightly, Snakepaw gave a leading response. "And were you known for having a lengthy tail?"

"Well, yes, but…" Tallstar answered with a stammer.

A small grin graced Snakepaw's face, having successfully trolled his mentor. "Maybe I should have led this with a preface. The suffix you receive is not the end all be all of who you are. Names like Tail are usually used to note identifiable features. Usually, names like this are chosen because the cat has an obvious personality or is otherwise well known. They usually come from famous families and need no introduction. Then there's other feature names such as Face. Face is a name usually used to denote that the cat is handsome or pretty. Pelts and Furs tend to have this same name scheme." Snakepaw mewed before Graystripe cut in.

"Can we get back to my name please? What do you mean by me being a Stripe." He asked, not really wanting the full lecture on the symbology of names.

"I apologize, but names are one of my favorite topics to discuss. There's just so much to them. Anyways, Stripe is a rather fascinating one dating back several generations. To cats of old, a stripe represented a crossing of lines and strong loyalty. The catch being that Stripes rarely ever hold that loyalty towards their own clans. Stripes are generally passionate cats focused on family and love. They're also tragic because they are prone to receiving abuse or their love being unrequited. That's something for you to watch out for in your future Graystripe. I can already tell you that your brother is in a negative spiral because of his unrequited love." Snakepaw stated.

"To who?!" Graystripe near yowled, completely thrown off by the very idea of a romantic Darkstripe.

"Tigerclaw, obviously." Snakepaw mewed, rolling his eyes.

"Darkstripe is into toms?!" Graystripe burst out.

"You mean you couldn't tell? He keeps an aggressive façade, lowers his own voice, and clings to Tigerclaw like moss to stone. Tigerclaw is as straight as they come, so he doesn't reciprocate Darkstripe's affections. Honestly, this'll only result in heartbreak. I'd honestly suggest an intervention with some of the cats he's close to so he can see that his pursuit is going nowhere. Though, it may already be too late. Stripes can develop powerful obsessions." Snakepaw lectured.

Silence hung heavy over the group before Fireheart decided to break it with a lighter topic. "What about mine. You said Heart suits me."

"You want this one Tallstar? I think you've named a heart before. What went through your head?" Snakepaw queried.

"I have indeed named a Heart before. Unfortunately, they didn't live too long after receiving their name. Shame too. Anyways, heart is a name reserved for the compassionate. Cats with the suffix Heart usually care beyond even their clan, seeking to care for the wider world. They have a strong sense of empathy and are generally good mediators. Though, they do suffer one major weakness. That same kindness they give out can be weaponized against them. The Heart I mentioned earlier gave their life to save a rogue. They're also prone to being deceived or abused via their good intentions. I advise you temper your kindness with caution young Fireheart, or it will be your undoing." Tallstar answered.

"Do you have a particular favorite or disliked one?" Fireheart questioned, deciding to put off mulling over Tallstar's words.

A look of disgust crossed Snakepaw's face after a moment of thought. "You'd think it would be something like Claw, Fang, or Talon for their violent natures, but no. My least favorite is Flight. The main reason is because the cats themselves generally aren't the problem or are dislikable themselves. Flight is a suffix reserved for a cat who goes against the norm, making changes, and have a strong sense of curiosity. I do like these aspects of cats with that name, but Flights have a nasty habit of getting caught up in a problem and dragging everyone else down with them. The most infamous for me being Mothflight, the medicine cat who made the no kits for medicine cats' code. Instead of rectifying the problem by looking into the individual issues with medicine cats having kits, she instead put out a blanket code that continues to make cats miserable to this day. Did you know that medicine cats' kits used to be revered before that code? They were kits that were treated equally to a leader's kits. Many great leaders and medicine cats were kits of medicine cats until she made that rule. My point is that Flight cats are generally pleasant cats, but they can bring a lot of pain. They don't mellow out. They get miserable. If you ever meet a calm Flight, then you've met a cat who is hiding a secret and making themselves and likely their clanmates miserable." Snakepaw near snarled.

"You really hate Mothflight." Tallstar mewed, sensing that was the origin of Snakepaw's hatred.

"No… She was just such a sad cat to witness. After her kits died due to poor planning on when to have them and who would care for them when she was unavailable. She was a cat who got lost in her grief, never really recovering. Before, she was a cat who garnered much respect and pioneered many of the medicines we still use to this day. It was painful to see her just go hollow like that. She eventually reclused herself until she died, leaving the lasting impact of her grief as a permanent mark on the clans. Even in Starclan, she stubbornly claims her ill advised code is necessary. I've seen many medicine cats since suffer due to their inability to accept love due to that code. From my many lives, I've found love is the most wonderful and pursuit worthy things, code be damned. It is also the most irrational. More cats than you know are from interclan affairs. Honestly, codes that restrict love simply do not work and actively harm the clans. If it were up to me, they'd be revised, but I'm just an apprentice, so my words aren't worth much." Snakepaw mewed with a sigh.

"Have… Have you ever been in love?" Fireheart asked gently.

"No. I've never actually gotten old enough for those kinds of emotions to develop. I've had crushes and unfortunately experienced sex from some unwanted encounters, but I just never reach the stage where I could consider it. I've fantasized about it. It's far more common when I'm reborn as a molly, but it's just something I'll never get to have. That's why it's so precious to me. I want to experience it, to feel it, but it's just out of reach." Snakepaw answered in a somber tone.

Unfortunately, their conversation had to be cut short because they were coming up on a Thunderpath.