[ and i'd stay up with you all night ] (duskpaw)

[Crowzerplorodon]

The river was... unexpectedly high despite the drought that held the forest. There was a distinct difference between its water levels now and the normal water levels for Leaf-Bare, but it wasn't like the river's bed could be seen. In fact, there were still flashes of silver every now and then, a sure sign that minnows still lived in the water. Or maybe it was just the strange warmth of today that made the fish want to come out and swim in the cold water. Cloudstar knew it was the warmth that drew him out today.

Warm days by the river always reminded him of that time moons ago when Dappledflower had come to trade for fish. That had been the most lively day Cloudstar had ever had in all his moons of living, no doubt about it. But it wasn't the pushy MeadowClan she-cat that had made it so great, nor the polite Mistystream who had accompanied her. It was the time he had spent with Rookfang and Rabbitheart, his own clanmates, that had made that day memorable. Since then, visiting the river brought fond memories.

But right now was not a time for dwelling on the past. Oh no, today was one of the few days Cloudstar could spare to his apprentice. He feared that Duskpaw wasn't getting proper training lately. Sure, other warriors had been picking up his slack and taking her out with them. But one on one training? Well, he was sure that the feisty she-cat had not been receiving enough of that. And since today was one of the first free days in a long time, Cloudstar had naturally taken it upon himself to bring Duskpaw out here to the river, to teach her something that all StreamClan cats knew well.

Fishing.

The white tom smiled, remembering when he had first learned to fish. It was long before he had even heard of the clans, of course. His parents had taken him to a river just like this one. In fact, it might even have been this one. It was so long ago, Cloudstar hardly remembered. All he did know was that it had been a proud day for him. Fishing had been the only thing he even beat his sister in. “Duskpaw, how well can you fish?”

[Cloud of Diamonds]

It was an unusual day. A day that her mentor had taken her out himself, only them together and no one else. It was a nice change of pace, for her leader was one cat at least she was somewhat comfortable around. It wasn't too hard to talk to him; just be respectful and obedient. He would help her become a warrior. And maybe that would one day make her have more friends.

But a disadvantage of having the leader as your mentor was that it wasn't exactly easy to be naughty around him. It was too...awkward somehow. It felt wrong to let loose around a cat who was so much higher than you. In both ways. She gave a little snort at this. Yup, he was certainly taller than her and quite a few more branches up on the imaginary tree.

Suddenly, she felt angry. For no reason. At the back of her mind, she groaned at herself while the anger raced through her, making her want to bite, scratch, hurt...anything. Maybe it was because Cloudstar was asking her her skills....and sometimes she just failed at things. Maybe it was because he was so much smarter, older, more experienced, fitting in his Clan...and she hated him for that because she couldn't. Or maybe it was just completely random. Who knew.

But she had to answer him, so she tried making her tone as light as she could (which unfortunately wasn't very much) and said, "I can fish pretty well."

Indeed, it was one of the only things she could do well. Water had always been a favorite place of hers. Somehow killing fish wasn't quite the same as killing a furred animal like herself.

[Crowzerplorodon]

“Show me.” Cloudstar had no doubt in Duskpaw's ability to fish. None at all, actually. But he wanted to watch the she-cat do so, to see how much progress she might have made since the last time they went out together. And when (not if, when) the young she-cat impressed him, they could move on from hunting in the river to maybe trying some dry ground hunting. Or perhaps battle practice, that was always something apprentices looked forward to. Perhaps they would even go on a patrol once more. Along the MeadowClan border, he decided. No patrol had been there in a while.

Watching both the river and his apprentice, Cloudstar pondered over the fact that maybe today there would be no large enough fish. Yes, little minnows swished through the water. But fish that were of a size one could catch? He had yet to see any. Hopefully Duskpaw would be able to catch some. He didn't want the young apprentice to be frustrated by the lack of fish in the water. Especially on one of their first training sessions together in a while. In retrospect, maybe coming out to hunt by the river had not been the smartest choice.

The white tom smiled softly, waiting for his apprentice to begin fishing. “When we are done here, Duskpaw, is there a particular aspect of warriorhood you would like to become more well versed in?” He would let the dark color she-cat pick their next activity, to prove fair after this seemingly-impossible task he imposed on her.

[Cloud of Diamonds]

The question caught her by surprise. Of course there were aspects of warriorhood she'd like to become more versed in. It was hard to pick which one. If she were completely honest, it'd be nice to get over her aversion to killing anything but fish. That alone would really, really help. But how he could help with that? Was it even possible? Would she look really stupid for asking that?

How dare Cloudstar ask her that? Didn't he know, couldn't he tell his apprentice was so inept at things? No, because he hardly bothers to spend any time with me, she raged inside her head.

The anger was speaking up again, and it wasn't going to play nicely and take turns with sense and reason.

But a hint of reason returned to her briefly, telling her she was supposed to be fishing. She tried to focus her anger on that; let it sharpen her senses and make her want to simply murder one of the slippery things. No good; she was still illogically mad at Cloudstar. But she did manage to make herself move to the edge of the thick band of water and look in.

Ugh, why were there only bite-sized fish in there? She could probably catch one; but what what would be the use of bringing it back to camp? The tortoiseshell might eat it herself right when she caught it for how much hunger it would satisfy. Stupid fish. Why couldn't they be bigger?

Well, at least she was mad at the fish now. Lovely.

She adjusted her position so her shadow didn't fall over the water. That would alert the stupid fish and send them running...er, swimming away. The multicolored she-cat cackled a bit at that one, imagining fish with legs. Heh. The StreamClan apprentice looked over the little fish again.

Oo...there was one a bit bigger than the others over there, just waving its tail back and forth. She swiped a paw at it, but her claws just missed and she grabbed a tiny one instead. Well, at least she'd gotten something. Whipping her paw back on the bank, she turned her pad upward so Cloudstar could see her catch. "Here's the fish. Not much bigger than a flea, though." She spoke just a bit spitefully. Dumb Cloudstar. Why'd he take her here anyway?

The anger was beginning to fade, though, and she felt a bit ashamed at the thought.

[Crowzerplorodon]

He watched the apprentice with uncertainty. Something seemed to be distracting the bi-colored she-cat. Perhaps it was the seemingly impossible task that he had set her to? After all, there didn't seem to be any fish in the river that day, let along fish one could catch and bring back to camp. Not that it wasn't expected, as the river was freezing over and most fish probably left the waters in search of warmer ones.

That was quite a thought. The river was freezing. The river was freezing. Cloudstar had never spent a leaf-bare here - no one had - and he had no idea how to deal with a frozen river. StreamClan would surely lose one of their key hunting spots once it iced completely. And the other prey from around the territory would have fled for the winter as well. The white tom stared blankly at the waters, listening to the soft noise with a sad smile.

Leaf-bare. The horrid season of the forest. Other clans were most likely experiencing the horror that now seeped into the leader's thick, white fur. Snow would come soon, and it would bring cold like no other, as well as ice and hail and devastating weather until new-leaf returned and the sun melted it all away. "Good job, Duskpaw," he said, returning to the real world. "Catching a small fish is a difficult task. I'm glad you were able to do so."

He padded off, walking a few feet before speaking again, green eyes clouded with thoughts of the up coming leaf-bare. "Come, let's see if land prey provide a better catch than their aquatic cousins, shall we?"

[Cloud of Diamonds]

It was one of those times. One of those times when the tortoiseshell's mind simply turned blank and most coherency was limited to the realms of grunts and nods - when she remembered what was going on. Um...so. Time to dredge a response to her leader out of what had just become tumbleweed central.

Putting an unusually bright smile to cover the fact that all focus had been lost from her head, Duskpaw spoke.

"Thank you! So glad I could help! Wait, mice are related to fish?"

The StreamClanner giggled at that. It was ridiculous. How could two such different animals be related? The only thing they had in common was that they were both prey and they were yummy and...I have a much bigger problem killing one than the other.

That sudden thought was enough to bring the apprentice (somewhat) back to earth.

She sombered, remembering that..she hated to kill furred animals.
It did not sit well with her at all. The tortoiseshell groaned inwardly. Typical, first time out with her mentor in moons and he had to ask her to hunt.

Grim determination slowly grew in the she-cat's mind. She had to impress Cloudstar if she ever wanted to be a warrior. And she did. And he wanted her to hunt. So, there was no way around it.

Besides...if Cloudstar said fish and land prey were related...killing one of them couldn't be that different from killing a fish...could it?

Agh, who was she kidding. I'm a wuss, Duskpaw thought bitterly. Maybe that's why I have no friends.

Well, better answer my mentor before he realizes I've spaced out, she thought. Might as well get on with it.

"So...yeah. Let's go hunt."

As soon as she opened her mouth and spoke, the multicolored she-cat realized she'd already answered him! How embarrassing. She looked down, hoping he couldn't see how awkward she was.

[thistle.]

ooc: Spottedpaw's here for her final assessment with Duskpaw. :3

Stalking undetected through the forest had never been one of the calico's strongest points. Dead leaves, half covered with light frost, crunched and crumbled underneath her paws. Brittle bracken and twigs brushed against her long-furred pelt, either snapping or letting loose a shower of snow. Not to mention that she was already noisy enough anyway, skipping and dragging her catch on one of the many overgrown paths that led to her territory's borders. Her kill-a squirrel-was large, but even full-grown it was a pitiful looking scrap with quite prominent ribs. The Clan would have to endure another hungry night if the rest of the warriors' and the apprentices' catches were similar. Spottedpaw, however, was still as carefree as a kitten and it seemed strange that very soon, she would be a warrior. Unless Cloudstar delayed her warriorship due to the fact her mentor was busy and hadn't been able to give her enough training...

She snapped back to reality when she realized her steps had led her to the river. And she wasn't alone. Dropping the squirrel, she pricked up her ears and breathed in cold, crisp air. "So...yeah. Let's go hunt." Duskpaw! Forgetting about her prey, the apprentice bounded toward the direction of her den mate's voice. "Hey Duskpaw! What're you doing? I just caught a squi-." She halted, almost crashing into the latter's mentor. Her leader. She was more startled by his sudden appearance than frightened that she was caught wandering alone, without someone else, so close to the border. Funnily enough, the authoritative figure before her didn't dampen her lively spirit at all. "Morning, Cloudstar! Are you training with Duskpaw? Can I join? I'm going to be a warrior soon, remember?" Her yellow eyes shone with delight and she waved her fluffy tail gleefully.

[Crowzerplorodon]

"Mice and fish?" The leader said, an eyebrow raised at his young apprentice's question. "I think not, they dwell in different terrains and differ in appearance." Then again, a lot of things differed in appearance but shared a common relation. Like the large cats in elder stories - lions and things of the sort. From their description, they looked nothing like the cats he knew of. But they were supposedly related, weren't they? "Perhaps, long ago, they shared an ancestors, though." He paused. "Perhaps, long ago, we all shared ancestors."

But that was too much for the apprentice. He had heard of cats who went off on explorations of the mind to solve problems like that. They never returned quite the same, if they ever did. Minds just weren't meant for knowing everything. "Yes, let's go hunt. It's a good time to use the strip of forest we have." The sun was fairly high in the sky, and had warmed up the chill that froze the air. He nodded, moving to walk toward the strip of trees on StreamClan territory.

And almost hit Spottedpaw. Green eyes went wide as the she-cat didn't seem startled at all, and it took the leader a moment or two before he could focus on what she was saying. "Yes, Spottedpaw, I'm training with Duskpaw. We were just going to hunt, you're very welcome to join us." It was true, Spottedpaw was almost warrior age. He could send both of the she-cats out on an assessment today, and then talk to Spottedpaw's mentor about her getting a name soon.

[Cloud of Diamonds]

Duskpaw blinked as another apprentice nearly careened into her mentor. Spottedpaw.

Could she join...the tortoiseshell shrugged. She didn't see how it would be bad, so why not? Yet she also felt a bit of..naughtiness coming on. A temptation to make some mischievous joke. How, though? And in front of Cloudstar? Yet the temptation was growing in strength...but if she did make some brash, snarky statement, would he think her immature? Undeserving of warriorhood?

Oh, the questions. How she brooded on them.

“I’m, uh…standing here wondering about somethin’ special, you know?”

The StreamClanner giggled for no reason.

As the white tom spoke again, her attention somewhat focused on his words…

Mmm, true. When you considered them they generally didn’t seem much alike.

Forest…oh dear. Back to having to kill furred creatures again. She barely suppressed a groan. Why? Why did the Clans need to eats such cute little things? Their faces were so funny…she laughed a little thinking of a mouse’s pointed face…

Shared ancestors?

The words were so monumental in nature that Duskpaw’s scattered thoughts actually came to a halt. All animals sharing ancestors…the idea was almost too big to grasp. Did that mean that long, long ago, even before when creatures like the Cat Gods had existed, there had only been one type of being that everything, Twolegs, foxes, cats, badgers, stoats, mice, fish – had all come from? Was it possible?

The dark-pelted apprentice felt she might be dizzy from such deep thinking.

But still, hunting was hunting. And she did want to pass her assessment. So sucking it up it was. Especially if Spottedpaw was going to be there to watch.

Tail whisking slightly, paws shifting in the earth a bit, she waited for Cloudstar to lead the way.

[thistle.]

ooc: total fail. :c

Snow crunched underneath the calico's white paws as she spun around in a circle, much like a dog chasing it's tail would. Whiskers bristling triumphantly, she swayed slightly on her feet as she faced her leader and meowed, "Yay! An' by the way, I already caught a squirrel! It's sorta thin and scraggly though... Hey, if I hunt good, can I be made a warrior a lil bit earlier, Cloudstar?" She glanced at her fellow apprentice. Her ears could just detect a faint groan coming from the latter. Didn't she want to go hunting with Cloudstar? But a few seconds later, Duskpaw seemed all right, waiting patiently. The patched she-cat must've imagined it.

If 'patient' was a trait needed to become a warrior, Spottedpaw would never be one. Restless, she paced on the frozen river's shoreline, peering through the cloudy surface. The Clan wouldn't eat fish until the river thawed, but personally, she didn't mind. She wasn't a sure swimmer and hated the feeling of cold water weighing down her long fur. And fish wasn't a favorite prey of hers, with their slimy skin and tasteless flesh. Pricking up her ears and glancing up at Cloudstar, she mewed, "Can we go hunting now?"

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