Out and Around {Sorrelpaw}

[Sare «]

Frozenstream was prided to have earned the responsibility of training another apprentice. He would not let his clan down - he would train the young Sorrelpaw to be a good warrior, to serve her clan well until it was her time to join StarClan. He would teach her everything about the warrior code and how to hunt fish properly. The white tom cat could feel it within him - Sorrelpaw would learn quickly and be willing to listen to everything he said. At least he hoped so.

He padded towards the fresh-kill pile, taking long strides as he thought of how he would train his apprentice. When he reached the pile, he looked down and took the smallest fish he could find. His stomach churned with excitement, and surely he could keep nothing but a small piece of prey down for the rest of the day. Leaning down and taking the first bite, Frozenstream chewed quickly and swallowed it down within a matter of seconds. Today he felt as fresh and eager as an apprentice, ready to go out and explore and learn the mysteries of being a warrior.

Finally finishing his fish, Frozenstream got to his paws and looked around the camp, searching for the ginger-furred she-cat whom he was supposed to train. "Sorrelpaw!" he called out, "It's time for training!"

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[♥ Riro ♥]

--Sorrelpaw opened one eye and yawned. The world seemed to bright and she just wanted to go back to sleep. Then Sorrelpaw remembered that this was her first day training, her first day of being an apprentice with her mentor, Frozenstream. It had been her first time sleeping in the apprentice den last light, and it was kind of uncormfortable.

--She heard a yowl outside the den. "Sorrelpaw! It's time for training!" Sorrelpaw streched and got to her legs. Her excitement got her running out the entrance, not wanting to be late, and into the clearing where she managed to spot her mentor by the pile of fresh-kill, he was eating a small fish. Sorrelpaw was suddenly aware of her own grumbling stomach. "Sorry," she meowed. "I am here." She took another fish and began to eat, scarfing the meal down.

--"So, what are we going to do today?" Sorrelpaw asked conversationally. "Could you show me the territory?" she asked excitely. "And the other clans? I heard that Thunderclan was just a bunch of kitty-pets. And you could teach me how to hunt? Or we could go on a border patrol and I could learn the clans scents? Or we could do battle training?" Sorrelpaw could think of so many different possibilities, but it was up to her mentor.

[Sare «]

Frozenstream looked over at the apprentice's den and watched as his apprentice dashed out of her den, and towards him. He smiled, his first day had been like that also - so eager to learn and become a warrior. Hearing the sound of Sorrelpaw's stomach growl, Frozenstream stared at his apprentice and meowed, "Well, first you can start by getting something to eat. You'll scare off all the prey if your stomach doesn't stop yowling across the territory." His voice was serious - no hint of a joke or any kind of silliness or sarcasm in it.

'Well, I started off my old apprentice by cleaning out the elders' den, just as my mentor started me out. But I guess I shan't disappoint this young and eager apprentice. Hmm. We'll go on a border patrol, where she can learn the scents of the other clans and perhaps I cant teach her how to hunt fish on the way. Yes, that is what we shall do.' Frozenstream nodded slowly as he looked over at his apprentice again, beginning to imagine the days that he had become an apprentice.

Memories flashed before his eyes - his first catch, his first battle-training, his first border patrol, cleaning out the elders' den, and eventually coming a warrior. Pride swelled within Frozenstream, but, taking note that he was now the mentor and not the apprentice, and that the events he had been reliving had occurred several moons ago, decided to restrain himself from showing it.

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[♥ Riro ♥]

--Sorrelpaw looked up to her mentor, awaiting his words of wisdom, but all he said was, "Well, first you can start by getting something to eat. You'll scare off all the prey if your stomach doesn't stop yowling across the territory." Sorrelpaw blushed, it was probably true. She bent the to the pile, picked out a piece of fish, and muttered "Sorry." Then she went on to eating. The fish was good and kept her belly from growling, but it was tasteless to her because she imagined how good fish would taste if it was caught by her.

--Frozenstream was silent for many more minutes. Sorrelpaw wondered if something was wrong and went to look at him. He seemed to be staring off into space, as if thinking. "Frozenstream," she mewed, softly and cautiously. "Frozenstream, are we going to go now, are you going to show me around the territory?" Despite her excitement, Sorrelpaw tried to hold it in and be patient while she was talking to her mentor.

--Her thoughts then flashed to what she thought of the other clans from the tales that she had heard. Her mother said that Shadowclan's scent was so horrid that you could smell it from many leagues away. Her father had said that Thunderclan was just a group of kitty-pets living together. And he had also said that Windclan was a skinny bunch of things liviing on dry land. "Our clan is by far the best," Sorrelpaw thought to herself.

[Sare «]

"Frozenstream, Frozenstream, are we going to go now, are you going to show me around the territory?"

[/b]

The voice of his apprentice carried him from his thoughts, and he looked down at her with a look of surprise. "Yes, of course. We're going to explore the territory today, and I will show you our borders." he replied, dipping his head to his apprentice in apology, feeling that an apology was necessary for his own slacking off. She seemed surprisingly calm for a cat who had rushed out of the apprentices den and was eager to explore the territory - maybe the prey had calmed her down. 'I'll take note of it. From what I've seen of her as a kit, I may just need to get her to be quiet sometimes.'

The white tom cat began to stride out of the camp, looking over at his apprentice with his crystal blue eyes. "Right, let's go. First I will show you the border with WindClan, and then I will show you the border with RiverClan." he explained as he beckoned his apprentice to him with his bushy tail.[/blockquote][/size]

[♥ Riro ♥]

--Sorrelpaw looked into Frozenstream's eyes to make sure he was all right, and then he shifted, as if in a daze, but now he was better. "Yes, of course. We're going to explore the territory today, and I will show you our borders." As soon as the words left his mouth, Sorrelpaw was filled with excitement. Her first time out of the clan! She wriggled, no longer trying to hide her energy.

--Frozenstream then turned around and padded towards the entrance away from camp. Sorrelpaw assumed that she was supposed to follow him, she she ran after her with little, tiny paws. At the barrier to the camp, Frozenstream paused and said, "Right, let's go. First I will show you the border with WindClan, and then I will show you the border with Thunderclan." Sorrelpaw sqeaked again.

--She was going to smell the scents and see that cats of the kitty-pets and the skinny kitties. She was amused for a second, but her mind soon snapped back to where she was for real, on the island, standing next to Frozenstream. Sorrelpaw padded obediantly after her mentor, trying to make small talk along the way. "I am going to train hard and be the best warrior this forest has ever seen!"

[/i] she pronouced with glee.[/size][/blockquote][/blockquote]

[Sare «]

Frozenstream noticed the squeaks that came from Sorrelpaw as he spoke. Excitement was no doubt coursing through her veins, causing her to make every exhilarated pawstep as she explored the territory. Her excitement seemed to wrap up the loyal RiverClan tom, and he could feel only the emotions of the moment. He had been excited when he first left the camp, he could remember his first pawsteps onto RiverClan territory, however many moons ago that had been.

But Frozenstream was quick to shake himself out of his thoughts. No, he would not distract himself - it was Sorrelpaw's shining moment, not his. "Now let me warn you." Frozenstream began, and his seriousness seemed to interrupt the happiness of the moment, "Stay by me. The WindClan border is a dangerous place, we don't want you falling into the gorge." The white tom cat continued to walk forward, not caring if his apprentice had been frozen by shock or fear, not caring if his words had left her unnerved. He expected her to follow behind, unaffected by his words of warning, and still excited to explore. Hopefully her excitement would blind her, for now.

'I'll prepare for her to go into shock as soon as she sees how easily she could fall victim to the gorge. If a cat falls there will be no mercy for it - an enemy that does not abide by any code, but rather runs freely, ready to claim all ignorant enough to forget about it. Maybe she'll rethink being the greatest warrior as soon as she sees how helpless we are to such things. Or maybe she will just continue on, a brave little soul ready to conquer anything that stands in her way.' he thought, wondering what his apprentice's reaching would be as soon as they reached the WindClan border.

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[♥ Riro ♥]

--Sorrelpaw looked up at Frozenstream as they walked, excitement coursing through every fiber of her being. What it was like to smell fresh air? And to drink water straight from a stream? What it was like to know all the cats from clans, and there scents too. And to know you were protecting your clan! Sorrelpaw would look forward to those moments in the furture as an apprentice.

--"Now let me warn you," Frozenstream spoke suddenly, his tone very serious. "Stay by me. The WindClan border is a dangerous place, we don't want you falling into the gorge." Frozenstream kept walking and Sorrelpaw, who had paused for a moment, quickly scrambled to keep up with him. She was still happy, but now nervousness had scrambled into her also. Sorrelpaw just nodded, knowing that Frozenstream could not see her, but she could not speak either.

--They continued one for many more minutes in silence. "What was a gorge?" she thought. "You could fall into it? So it must be rather like a hole. Who dangerous could it be?" she was thinking as she tried to picture a gorge. As hey got closer to the Windclan border, Sorrelpaw thought she could smell the change in the air. "Are we almost there? Is this what Windclan smells like?"

[/i] she asked her mentor excitedly, her enthusiasm unstumped.[/size][/blockquote][/blockquote]

[Sare «]

"Are we almost there? Is this what WindClan smells like?"

[/i] Frozenstream's apprenticed asked with excitement.

Frozenstream was quite surprised, he knew that his enthusiasm had been killed when he heard about the gorge. But this apprentice was different, her excitement was undying, and Frozenstream wondered how long it would last. 'Will the gorge move her in any way? Will she be taken aback by it, or will she still be as ready as always? Perhaps she was meant to be always prepared for whatever comes her way.' The white RiverClan tom could hear the noise of the rushing water up ahead, and he knew that the WindClan border was near. "We're almost there - can't you hear that running water?" Frozenstream asked, the tone of his voice hinting that the question was rhetorical, as he continued walking.

The sound grew louder and Frozenstream could see the drop in the ground up ahead. They were almost there. He slowed down the pace and slowly padded forward, getting near the edge of the gorge. "Now you see this? If you don't like being high up, I don't recommend looking down. It's a dangerous place - there is no surviving if you fall. You either fall and break your bones or fall into the river and are swept away by its strong current. But we're RiverClan - the latter results in a less likely chance of death for us." Frozenstream twitched his whiskers and looked down into the gorge. It had always been a source of discomfort, as all he could imagine were cats falling to their deaths or drowning in the river. But he shook off those thoughts, curious as to what his apprentice's reaction would be.[/blockquote][/size]

[♥ Riro ♥]

--Frozenstream seemed taken aboack by Sorrelpaw's steady enthusiasm. But he kept walking on saying, We're almost there - can't you hear that running water?" Sorrelpaw sqeauked out the words, "Yes, yes I can hear it," and ran ahead of her mentor to see what the gorge actually was.

--Frozenstream slowed and Sorrelpaw did with him, though she kept fidgeting in place. "Now you see this? If you don't like being high up, I don't recommend looking down. It's a dangerous place - there is no surviving if you fall. You either fall and break your bones or fall into the river and are swept away by its strong current. But we're RiverClan - the latter results in a less likely chance of death for us." her mentor said. Sorrelpaw thought about. "But we could survive it, right? Riverclan would be the only clan with a chance, right?"

--Without waiting for an answer, Sorrelpaw ran ahead, straight to where the gorge was and almost fell in. She stopped so abruptly that a bunch of rubble and dust fell in with her almost along with it. Sorrelpaw ran back to firm ground and her mentor, her eyes very wide.

[Sare «]

Panic surged through Frozenstream as he saw his apprentice almost run straight into the gorge, and his heart rose into his throat and his fur pricked up with anxious worry. 'No!' By some sort of luck, Sorrelpaw was able to stop in the nick of time, right when she was about to fall victim to the gorge. Frozenstream breathed a sigh of relief, his fur once again resting on his body. He looked over at Sorrelpaw, who had run back to his side and whose eyes were wide with the shock of the moment.

'That would have been terrible, losing my apprentice the first day of training! To come back to camp and say, 'Sorrelpaw's dead, she fell into the gorge.' How respected would I be then? I'd forever be known for losing my apprentice by letting her carelessly explore the gorge, and then I'd never have RiverClan's respect.' Frozenstream closed his eyes as thoughts raced through his head, and then he looked over at his apprentice. "Yes, we do have a chance of surviving it if we happen to jump into the river without landing on any sharp rocks... but don't do that again, okay? My pelt nearly fell off I was so scared." Frozenstream meowed, trying to hide the shakiness and nervousness in his voice, yet failing to do so. The senior warrior trembled with fear at the thought of being responsible for the death of a clanmate, and he tried to shake off the thought, but in vain.

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[♥ Riro ♥]

--Sorrelpaw was still getting over the shock of almost falling into the gorge. Now that she knew what they were, she was very scared of them. She stayed by her mentor, her sides heaving tremendously. She knew she should be punished severly for what she had done, but when she looked at her mentor's face, all she saw was fear and nervousness.

--Frozenstream looked at Sorrelpaw and said in a very shaky tone, "Yes, we do have a chance of surviving it if we happen to jump into the river without landing on any sharp rocks... but don't do that again, okay? My pelt nearly fell off I was so scared." Sorrelpaw hung her head, ashamed. "I am so sorry," she whispered in a voice that was bearly hearable. "I will never do it again, and I will be more careful from now on."

--They stood there in silence, both shaking quietly in nervousness and trying to get their hearts to stop beating so quickly. But Sorrelpaw's never ending energy could not be contained. Now that she knew that it was better, her mentor was not mad, and she was still alive, she asked, "So where are we gonna go next?"

[Sare «]

"Your apology is... accepted." Frozenstream's whiskers twitched as he tried to shake off the trauma of the moment. He shook his head and looked over at the gorge. He knew that he would have to stop shaking and acting so nervous - what if a WindClan patrol spotted the two shaking and breathing heavily? It would not go over well - especially not if it were mentioned at the gathering. He had to get over it, and quickly, before any cat came and saw the both of them acting as if they had just outrun a horde of badgers.

"So where are we going to go next?"

[/i] Sorrelpaw asked, as if the incident had never occured. 'She's recovered, and I should too.' "The border with ThunderClan. It's less dangerous than here." Frozenstream announced, seeming to have take back the serious tone he had assumed earlier, or he was really good at hiding any remnants of anxiety there may be in him. "Just a river." he added in a murmur, so quiet that it could barely be heard.

"And maybe I can teach you how to fish there, too. We rely on that spot for most of our prey." Frozenstream meowed as he turned towards the border with ThunderClan and started heading that way. His paws were still slightly trembling, but the trembling was minor and barely noticeable. The white tom kept his crystal blue gaze on the land in front of him, as if still trying to get the images of Sorrelpaw nearly falling to her death out of his mind.[/blockquote][/size]

[♥ Riro ♥]

--"Your apology is... accepted," Frozenstream meowed in a shakey voice. Sorrelpaw nodded her head, thankful. They padded on for a while and then her mentor answered her question. "The border with ThunderClan. It's less dangerous than here."

--Though from what Sorrelpaw had heard as a kit, the Thunderclan border was a river. "Knowing me, I will probably fall in," she thought to herself.

--Frozenstream muttered something to himself that Sorrelpaw could not quite make out, she didn't know whether to ask him what he said, or if she was not supposed to know, but then he kept talking, so she figured she shouldn't point it out. "And maybe I can teach you how to fish there, too. We rely on that spot for most of our prey."

--Excitement once more filled Sorrelpaw. "Oh, I have always wanted to know how to fish. And maybe when we are there, you can teach me how to swim, too. I bet I will be the best swimmer ever!" she said with confidence in her voice. They kept walking along the path to the Thunderclan border and the river.

[Sare «]

"Oh, I have always wanted to know how to fish. And maybe when we are there, you can teach me how to swim, too. I bet I will be the best swimmer ever!"

[/i]

"Of course, swimming is a vital skill if you're going to be a RiverClan cat. We all know how to swim, and we're the only clan that can." Frozenstream meowed, most of the shakiness gone from his voice as he puffed out his chest with pride. Yes, the incident at the gorge was over and he had no need to think about it anymore - all he had to do was focus on what a blessing it was to be born in RiverClan. His strides became longer as he grew more confident, until the two eventually reached the ThunderClan border.

"This is the ThunderClan border. If you look into it you may see a few moving masses of silver - those are fish." Frozenstream then looked down to see if he could see any fish swimming around in the stream. Sure enough, two or three of them were lingering in the water. "Don't get too close or you'll scare them off with your shadow. You have to be patient and wait for the fish to come to you." Frozenstream sat by the river, careful not to let his shadow scare off the fish. "Just wait until they come close to you and then you scoop them up with your paw. Sometimes cats put their tail in the water to bait the fish, and it helps from time to time." he added with a whisper.[/blockquote][/size]