pallidpaw's amber eyes flicked to ryepond's orange ones, nervously studying his mentor's expresson. ryepond's gaze had become narrower at his presence, for what he was not entirely sure, and it was the uncertainty more than anything that scared him. pallidpaw's mind started to race through excuses - a reason, an explanation, some sort of weak justification. 

still, ryepond did not speak. and still, pallidpaw had no excuse. "i really am sorry," was all he managed to come up with, the words strained as if his voice had been pulled taut and trembling slightly like a fragile leaf in the wind. "i... you know i'm usually not like this. here, let me sort the herbs."

without waiting for an answer, pallidpaw scurried into the herb store. his tail flicked out behind him, the sudden movement accompanied by a slight rush of air, scattering several mounds of herbs. with an embarrassingly high-pitched squeak, the apprentice stumbled backwards, taking in the chaos of leaves, seeds, and flowers he had just created, if only to avoid making eye contact with ryepond. 

for a heartbeat, there was silence. pallidpaw tensed, ears tilting downwards in visible trepidation, his amber eyes afraid. those eyes would attempt to escape ryepond's furious gaze, flicking from side to side. shoulders hunched, the apprentice lowered his head in apologetic deference towards his mentor. 

"i'll clean it up," he managed to murmur, making no attempt at excusing his sleeping though ryepond's words stung. "and i'll... clean out the nests in the nursery, and the elders' den, and - and search the elders for ticks." he peered up at his mentor, the twitch of his ears fearful but his honeyed eyes hopeful. 

—— whoa, did you make that yourself? it's nice! maybe a softer yellow though, to match the image? like #f5d778, #e6c253, or #ddaa22

—— nice!! the floating image looks so cool :o

pallidpaw nodded - a quick bob of his dainty head so vigorous it made his downy ears loll forward. "of course," he agreed, trying to embody quiet obedience in his soft cadences, his round eyes, his unassertive posture. the apprentice started to pick up the disarray of herbs that lay on the ground, teeth taking hold of their stems, his jaws firm but careful not to break the delicate tissue. 

his amber eyes would search for the place each herb belonged, and the tom would put them there, every action deliberate yet done with great care and caution as to avoid disturbing the other herbs lest he make another mess. "we could sort them by season," pallidpaw suggested through a mouthful of bitter-tasting, jagged leaves. he deposited the yarrow with the rest and continued, "or location, but that might be more complicated..."

pallidpaw finished sorting the herbs, resisting the urge to spit their harsh-tasting juices from his mouth - albeit with difficulty. he allowed himself a brief wrinkle of his delicate nose before turning to ryepond. "okay, i'll do that now," the apprentice obliged.

pallidpaw started with the yarrow, pulling the herbs furthest from him forward and sniffing at their fine, serrated leaves. the scent that clung to the herb was a stale one, reminiscent of hot days beneath a scorching sun.

he took the older leaves in his jaws before nosing the sharper-smelling herbs into the back. at last, he placed the oldest herbs foremost. "sorting it by season might be more practical," pallidpaw mused. "some herbs can be found in lots of places, so sorting it by location would be a bit confusing."