;x; Nothing In Particular ;x;

[Blair ;;]

This will be long posts only. Must be 700 words or more to post in this thread. . Because I'm in the mood to write. And I'm in the mood to write A LOT. > Rosepaw was walking quietly towards the waterfall. Her tail slashed behind her, slashing the cool air. Even though the sun was shining very harshly, it wasn't that hot outside. She smirked. She loved the cold more than the heat. The Darned heat.. Her claws unsheathed from annoyance, but resheathed themselves as she approached the water. Ah, water.. The soft flow of it showed that it liked the cold as well. One of the reasons she did. Her eyes watched as it flowed down the top of its very spout, then flowing all the way down to a small pool that you could swim in.. Of course she wasn't going to swim in it. She didn't want to interrupt how.. peaceful it looked. Her small black paw lowered into the water. It wasn't warm like she had felt it last time. No, it was a cool being now. It seemed happy, the flow seeming to increase. The fish in it seemed happy too, staying beside where the water seemed to 'fall' into the pool. Ah, water.. The thought of it made her smile. She wanted to jump in, feel the cool of all of it envelope her and her own fur. "But I mustn't put my worries before yours," she whispered, seemingly to the water. Rosepaw knew that if she jumped in the water would ripple, continue to ripple as she moved, and she would also be stepping on the soft pebbled that may feel good to her but probably hurt the water. She didn't want to hurt it. She wanted to soothe it. She purred softly and easily stuck her tongue into the water to take a droplet. Mm.. It tasted so good. It was almost.. Sweet. She apologized with a dip of her head towards the water, and it flowed a little bit faster, or seemed to be, in response. It had accepted her apology, just to not do it to much. It could run out of water. She shivered at the thought. No water source meant no happiness. And for the rest of the cats who only found water as a source to live, it would mean that they would die. Oh, Rosepaw would die. But not from the lack of water, but from the happiness the water brought her. In the summer, it was usually annoyed, but in the winter, the thin layer of ice that covered it showed that it didn't want to be bothered. She hated how that when the water was iced over, kits would run across the ice. Oh no, she was a good kit. She would never run across the ice when her mother told her not to. Not even when she told her to go have fun. The water had feelings, too, she knew. Who didn't know, that the beautiful water had feelings? It's color represented as well. It was too beautiful to be emotionless, too beautiful to only be something for others to drink. No, it was so much more than that. The water was the source of happiness that should bring every cat's every day lives. No matter how you think of life, you should think of water as the all natural being that will always be loved, always be cherished. Who ever didn't know about that, Rosepaw thought, should never be able to go to StarClan. But the thought of StarClan stirred her as well. StarClan.. The faith most cats had in StarClan partially.. sickened her. She didn't like that cats made so much of a big deal out of something that they couldn't prove. Sure, she believed it, but she wasn't going to rely on it for the simple things, such as how to win a fight. How to hunt. And so much more than that. It was stupid. She looked back at the water. Maybe the warriors should worship it. No, there was no 'Maybe' About it. They should. She knew this. Rosepaw sighed, resting her own head on her paws. Eh.. She wished she could just stay like this. She rolled onto her back, blocking out all the sounds but the water flowing. It was so soothing.. She could fall asleep to it. The soft sigh supressed from her again as she silently closed her eyes. [bg=0588c3][atrb=width,450,true] [atrb=border,0,true]

[Clove]

Wildstriker's skin prickled as he padded beneath the burning sun. Its embers shone down through the blue sky. The sun was high in the sky, sitting there. He felt like it was glaring at him mercilessly. He thought the sun cruel at times, so he had to remind himself the large, yellow/orange star in the daytime atmosphere brought them all life. He just wished that it would let up more often. He wasn't too weak to tolerate the heat. It was a nearly daily occurrence. In fact, there were hotter days. It was cooling down lately, especially at night. He strode over the rocks.

He eyed the water. It rippled softly. The blue, cool water. The pool was so inviting. He felt like it was calling to him. He stared into the depths, curious of its mysteries. He almost smiled at the gentle water, but that would be foolish. He looked up at the towering waterfall. A crashing sound filled his ears as he neared his apprentice. She seemed to be entranced by the water. He wanted to scoff. However, he wasn't another young, immature apprentice. He was a warrior, and he would teach his apprentice nothing by making fun of her peculiar ways.

His mainly blue orbs followed the fish as they flitted about the pond. He watched their shimmering scales where the sun hit the water just right. He wasn't a cat that could be called deep. At least, he wouldn't let other cats think that. It might make him seem weak. He just found the scenery peaceful, that's all. It's not like he'd ever be 'peaceful' in battle. Not at all. In a fight, he was all claws and teeth. His heart stayed back at camp and awaited his arrival. His heart belonged to his clanmates only. Even then, he kept it closer to himself. He never let it stray too far.

Nature could be powerful, and beautiful. Oddly, it made him think of She-cats in a way. Not all them were both of course, but he was sure a good pawful of them were. He doesn't dare think too much on such a subject. He rolled his eyes slightly at his own frivolous thoughts. He needed to think about duties right then. His apprentice was sitting right there! He decided to relax for a moment and let her get lost in her own thoughts for a while. He crouched down by the pool to get a closer look at the fish. He angled his ears. They were too far away to catch though. Maybe they were being smart.. as smart as a fish could be anyway. He would almost bet that they only get near the sides when it would rain. That's a laugh, for he has seen fish stray closer. He doubted he'd get lucky.

A gray tabby tom's paws dangled over the edge a little. His nose nearly touched the surface of the pool. He had to focus and make sure it wouldn't pull him in if he got lost in its depths. That was metaphorically speaking. He extended his paws more. The cool water caused him to desire to leap in. He forced control over his wants. He couldn't just give in to stuff like simple desires. His tail twitched behind him. He sighed and heaved himself to his paws. He turned his head to scan his eyes over his smaller charge. He trotted over.

Flicking his tail on his apprentice to get her attention, but he stopped short. His eyes narrowed as he watched the young cat's behavior. He tilted his head and she seemed to study the water. Very focused, he was surprised to hear her purr. Afterward, she lapped some up then appeared to dip her head toward it as if it were an important cat. He sniffed, unsure what to think. All cats had their quirks. He would have to tuck this away and never mention it. He didn't want to invade her private.. whatever you would call the things she was doing. He strained his hearing when her mouth moved. That would be considered invading privacy.. like he really cared. 'As long as I don't tell her what I witnessed, it doesn't matter,' he reassured himself mentally.

What an odd thing it is to witness that Wildstriker couldn't help but wonder how much Rosepaw felt for the water. Did she treat it like it was another cat, if not better? She seemed hypnotized or something by the flowing liquid. He had never encountered such a quirk as this. He didn't know if it would change his view on her. Certainly not. It's just part of who she is. He didn't really have anything particularly interesting about him. All of a sudden, he found this quality she possessed quite intriguing. Every cat was unique, but it just added to how special she was. He felt proud to mentor her. Apprentices always made him feel awkward. He liked having control of what another cat does, but at the same time it felt.. well.. just awkward. He couldn't explain it to any cat. They wouldn't understand.

Finally he swiped his tail across her flank, hoping to alert her. "The water is really something, huh Rosepaw?" He meowed discreetly, hoping he hadn't given anything away. He had let out a simple sort of greeting and waited see where it went from there. He didn't know yet if he intended to train her in some way. Perhaps they would stay and just enjoy the pleasant water. He would think of something if it came to some form of training. He wasn't one to mind lazing about, but work needed to be done sooner or later.

[Blair ;;]

Rosepaw opened her eyes while she was on her back and stared back at the sun. She smiled slightly. Even though she hated the sun, because of its heat, it was still such a beautiful, shimmering star. Two-legs had called it a star, at least. It was bright enough to be one, and maybe there were no other stars like it. Because they looked so small, of course, from their own planet. She sighed softly. In the winter, the sun was almost glazed, like it had a thin layer of ice on it just like the rest of the world had. She liked it that way; it was unable to usually heat the rest of the clan up when it was like that. And the snow.. She purred softly, quietly. Even though it iced over the beautiful being called the water, it was still beautiful. The white particles falling from the sky.. She loved to reach her paw out and touch them. Oh, and snow flakes, which is what they were called, usually changed into water. So it was just frozen water falling from the sky. She loved it because of this. And the rain was beautiful as well. She looked up at the harshly, partially clouded sky. The chances were it wasn't going to rain today; the balls of cotton fluff in the sky called clouds were still a hazy white color, and not the grey or black color they needed to be for a storm. Rosepaw was about to turn to the water, to admire its beauty, when she felt a tail flicker against her. A voice. She twitched, disliking the feeling of another cat inhabiting the water just as she had. She looked back up at the cat. His body was muscular, much larger than her own. He was a tall character, and most of it looked to be from fur, but was really from muscle. His pelt was grey, and his body is mainly grey with white streaks. A tabby, she thought. She was mainly black, of course. Much different than her other beside her. She recognized him well: Wildstriker. He was Rosepaw's own mentor. Her own amber eyes shone into his as she looked up at him, blinking. She automatically released her eye contact with him, not wanting to speak, but at the same time, her response was needed. Because he had asked her a question. Her tail curled in front of her paws as she looked steadily at him. "Oh? The water is rather fantastic, yes." She responded simply. Then, she partially wondered, if he had heard her speak to the water. No, she would have heard him, would have known what he was doing and stopped. But of course she wasn't paying attention, blocking out everything around her.. For someone to know her secret? No one except her sister ever had. And her sister she barely remembered.. She thought about how her sibling had simply disappeared, and she shook the thought away, not even wanting to think about it. Well, it wasn't a secret. It was water. The most great being on the planet, better than the rest of the clans, better than anyone on anything. Why would anyone dislike such a thing that brought everyone life? That brought herself happiness? Rosepaw didn't really care if the mentor knew, she thought finally. It didn't matter. Her body movement turned to where she was to the left of him, and slightly farther in front of him, so she could stare out at the water. She loved the water so much, but she was careful not to block him out again. If she didn't realize he had responded.. Well, it didn't matter. She didn't want to talk to him, much less anyone, at the moment. No one but the water. It truly understood her, no matter where the source was. No cat had the capacity of brain level to know what she went through just about every day. Sure, she had a normal life, but no mother or father. Or her sister. But she guessed that he sister didn't care about her. Her fluffy pelt shone as she looked on at the water. The sounds made her smile. Only slightly. The trees rustle around her. And, before she could think about what she was saying, she said quietly, "Oh, nature is so beautiful. How could you not find everything around you astounding?" She wanted to bite her lip for speaking, take it back, but she only stared out at the blissful lands, her eyes trained on the rest of the world. [bg=0588c3][atrb=width,450,true] [atrb=border,0,true]

[Clove]

Wildstriker always almost flinched when he saw her very amber eyes. He stared as she talked, in a subtle non-creepy way. She was too young for him to think of her like that, nor would he want to. It would be nice to have his bloodline flowing through the clan when he was dead, but he didn't make it a dominant thought. Her pelt was so black, lacking color but in a way, it seemed like every color combined to make the color of her dark pelt.

He saw clouds floating in the bright blue sky. He had to squint because of the shining sun. Leaf-bare wasn't very far away and soon the sun would be distant. In that time it appeared as if the sun had gone into some kind of partial hibernation. Practically like it was barely paying attention to what the creatures and plants did below. The clouds were too light to rain sadly. He wished they were fuller, but at the same moment he was sure he wouldn't care whether it rained or not. It wasn't something he concerned himself with for very long.

His blue eyes darted over the ground. There were slightly ridged rocks. It wasn't as rocky as the terrain by the river, not at all. The rocks were less ragged. There appeared to be some dirt. There were definitely more prominent shrubs and grasses. He felt quite hungry then, wondering if he should hunt. His duties would probably oblige him to teach his apprentice how to catch her own. He would feel scared to ask her, if he was a coward from a weaker clan. If he decided he felt like it, he would announce what was on his mind.

There was a faint sound. A gray tabby tom tensed at the noise. Blue-green eyes darted in the direction. They belonged to the same tom. The tip of his tail twitched and his ears followed. He concentrated. The waterfall usually wasn't the most ideal place to hunt. Despite it being by water, there often wasn't many prey items that came around. If there was anything, only scrawny mice. The fish could be tricky to catch and the birds required swiftness of more experienced warriors. Apprentices could catch birds if they were lucky. He licked his jaws at the though of birds and fish. All he had this morning was in fact a scrawny mouse. Some apprentice or incompetent warrior probably caught it. The pathetic creature made his stomach upset. Well, that was his fault for waking up late.

Not the one to make mistakes, he surprised himself. However, pickings aren't usually that thin. The recent heat has made the prey hide. Then thunderstorms made it nearly impossible to concentrate on catching fish with rain pounding the cats. He about snorted at the thought. He kept himself composed. Then he had another thought that made him feel better. It's likely other clans didn't even venture out when it rained like the spineless critters they were. He had to smile at that. It vanished when he saw a mouse scurry from one cover to another. He wasn't going to waste his time. It wasn't worth the energy.

Frustrated, Wildstriker growled, wishing a bird would come along. He wanted to taste the flesh of a flying creature badly. The feathers would fly. He wondered what it was like to fly. It was a silly thing to ponder, but he did nonetheless. If he had wings, he could simply take off into the air and catch birds in flight. Unfortunately, life wasn't that easy. Only in his dreams. Though he doubted he dreamed about such things. He hardly ever remembered his pointless dreams. He didn't know why normal cats dreamed. Medicine cats needed it to speak to Starclan, but warriors didn't need it because most, especially in Cardinalclan, didn't need to speak with any dead cats.

The large tom rolled his eyes. Starclan. Sure, it helped to know about events before they happened, but he couldn't help but think cats who believed in Starclan were wasting their time. He was almost positive they could trust the Medicine Cat to some degree, but what use was it to care about 'their ancestors' if one were a warrior. How do they know about the future anyway? Maybe some cats are born crazy and in the past a bunch of crazy cats convinced their leaders that they could help out. Were they all insane? No, then how would the predicted stuff happened? Perhaps it was just guessed. Things could happen that Medicine Cats could cleverly guess. Were they insane geniuses? He would probably never know.

A voice snapped him back. He turned his head in the same manner as his thoughts went away. He was amazed that she was speaking on her own will. She can be extremely quiet. He scrunched his eye muscles at her words. He tipped his head to the side in a odd manner, but he quickly corrected it to its normal position. Nature was astounding, in fact. He never really bothered to think about it. He nodded. How could he not agree? Nature seemed under appreciated. He felt sad for it as if it were a living creature. In a way it was. Was there something that controlled nature that could hear thoughts and make the wind move, the water flow, or the prey run? He doubted it, but it was interesting thing to think about occasionally. He had to make sure not to get carried away with such a frivolous consideration.

"Indeed, cats should give Nature more respect and.. attention," he mused, smiling lightly.

[Blair ;;]

Rosepaw bit her lip slightly, not really wanting to say another word. To utter anything other than maybe to hum towards the water, but especcially not in front of her mentor, of all cats. It's not that she didn't like her mentor, she liked him. She just didn't like openly speaking to him, openly speaking to anyone at all. It made her feel like she was intruding. She didn't like intruding others' privacy, nor did she like speaking. It felt like they were knowing things they didn't need to know, and Rosepaw didn't like it when others were invading her own privacy, so why allow them to, or do the same to them? When he spoke, she briefly nodded. She agreed with him, but spoke no words that showed that she did. She looked around, glancing at all the nature around her. It was so beautiful, the swaying of the trees and their leaves falling to the ground at some points. The grass blades slightly moved in the wind, and she smiled without thinking. All of the nature was so beautiful, no matter how it was given off. It almost brought her to speaking again, but this time, she held her tongue. She didn't want to embarrass herself, if it was possible to do so. Also, she didn't really like speaking in general. It wasn't fun to do. She had a slight loathing for it. Her ears could hear something scuttering across the grass. She looked up questioningly, wondering what it is, those frightening amber orbs of light looking around the forest. Silence was all she heard after that. She frowned, looking up at the sky. Still sunny. She wished it would rain. Maybe the heat would simmer down. Most likely always would the heat simmer down when it rained. A rainbow would come out, another beautiful form of nature. The colors would illuminate the earth, and it always made a slight smile come to her face. That no matter what happened, the rainbow was there, it would guard all of them, much better than any other. Rosepaw's black ears tilted back. She couldn't hear anything, other than the soft, distant sound of a bird chirping. The sweet calls of a blue mocking jay filled the air. She wished she could locate it, find it, and kill it. But mocking jays were too fast for even a warrior to kill. And besides, the mocking jay had already flown off, into another territory or another land, somewhere far away from her. The thought of blue feathers spraying everywhere as she brought the large bird called a mocking jay filled the air. It made her claws unsheathe with happiness. She loved the thought of the bird, to feed herself and the rest of the clan. Now that it had left for another clan, she thought, it was now theirs to catch. To feed their kits and apprentices. To make them stronger. Why had to mocking jay left? Did it believe it was never to be killed by the warriors of the water, the warriors of the forest, the warriors of the plains? It would, eventually. An easy thought came to Rosepaw's mind: How much of these lands were there? Surely they didn't end with the two-leg places and the small plains on the outer skirts of the lands. Were they inhabited by other creatures? Maybe fox clans, or badger clans lay at the ends. But how much of the world was there? It must have millions of squirrels for the cats to devour, or too many two-legs to count. She wanted to smile and fall backwards beside the water, falling asleep to the sound of the water spraying against the pond. But that couldn't happen with her mentor around. She must stay alert. Did she want to stay alert? She had already made that clear. But she did want to catch some sort of prey. But how should she ask? Or maybe she could teach herself. Rosepaw didn't want to ask her mentor, because it would require a conversation when he taught her. And she hated that. But they had to do something. Or maybe he'd get bored and leave? To an extent, she didn't really want him to leave. She liked being alone, sure, but.. Eh, she liked having something to do also. [bg=0588c3][atrb=width,450,true] [atrb=border,0,true]

[Clove]

Wildstriker watches his apprentice. It would be a lie if it was said that his watch was without interest. His gaze is slightly narrowed. She's quiet apprentice; he knows this. It just irritates him. His pelt prickles with the feeling. He finds himself lashing his tail. He just doesn't know what to do with her. Why'd he have to be the cat chosen to become her mentor? He bites back a sigh of frustration.

He nearly wanted to pounce on her or say something, anything just ludicrous, to make her speak to him. He flicks a pebble with his claw. It flies across the ground. His eyes study the pebble as it lands on the edge of the pool. It is sitting right on the edge. He expects if the wind blows, the pebble would surely fall in. 'That's what I feel with this clan. If I make a mistake, I'll fall into a deep pool with a current so strong even I wouldn't be able to swim up! It's like I'm right on the edge of perilous danger, but I'm still dry,' he contemplates. It would be all too easy to make a wrong move. One had to be careful and alert in a clan like this. Especially when that cat didn't know where he stood.

'You could take my frustrations out and just push her into the pool. Maybe you could hold her under too,' mumbles the high, snide voice of his mother. He looks at Rosepaw. He is easily stronger than her. It could take only a nudge. His muscles tense and he's about to when another voice fills his head.

'No, no you are her mentor. You are supposed to teach her, not hurt her. Besides, every cat has a meaning to the clan, down to the last kit and elder. You should try talking to her. You're not a shy cat after all. It's the sweet voice of Skycloud. He closes his eyes for a moment. How can he miss her and hate her at the same time? His tail twitches.

'Rosepaw is such a quiet, distant cat. Is she really any use to the clan? What if she can't learn to fight or hunt well enough?' The anxious voice of Eagletalon makes him wince. The two were friends before that tom stole Wildstriker's future mate. He never spoke to his ex-friend again unless he needed to for some reason. Obviously, he didn't miss Eagletalon when his torn up body was dragged into camp. He stands abruptly and glances around. He doesn't know what to do.

He remembers the voice of his apprentice Sleetpaw. He had a strange, almost nasally voice. It was extremely annoying to most cats. Wildstriker tolerated it somehow. His apprentice was a fairly muscular tom just like the gray tabby tom himself. They had much in common, meaning he was easy to teach, just like Wildstriker when he was an apprentice. When Sleetpaw was near to becoming Sleetfang, his voice had changed. It was a weird incident in which Sleetpaw fell down the rocks by the river and hit his head. It's the voice before that filling Wildstriker's mind.

'Teach her how to stalk! That's the simplest thing isn't it? You could get lucky a bird might come by! Don't just attempt to harm or kill her just because she's quiet. Try being more friendly for once and not be like some of your snobby, malicious clanmates you fish-brain!'

His smile is evidence enough. Sleetpaw's voice in his head makes sense, whether it's only his diseased way of thinking or not. He gazes at Rosepaw before forcing his paws into movement. He soon finds himself standing right by her. He had not realized the distance before. He doesn't move. He isn't exactly sure how to start this. He looks away for a moment. He sees a bird land on a bush not too far away. He wills it to stay put. He nudges Rosepaw, deciding to shove down his weird nervousness.

'You could always ask the leader to change your apprentice or give her to another warrior that's willing. After all, you'll seem pathetic if you can't train her,' Embershimmer's voice nags him again. He is so annoyed by it his jaws almost pull back into a snarl, but he stops himself. It's not really her. He's going crazy with indecision, that's all.

It'll be fine Wildstriker, you've been a mentor before, you can do it again!' Skycloud purrs in his head. He stares at the ground thoughtfully. He takes a deep breath.

Sleetpaw's meow follows,'if you taught me well, you can teach her well. She won't bite, I don't think, unless you provoke her! Go for it you spineless kittypet!'

Not knowing what's going on with his thoughts, Wildstriker shakes his head. He wonders if he looks mad on the outside. He hopes there didn't appear to be anything wrong with him. The words fill his mouth and tumble out before another voice can protest or he has any chance to stop them.

"Well, you have to learn how to hunt sometime! Might as well be now," he meows, his voice sounding a bit rougher than he expected. He's relieved that some progress has been made. He flicks his tail towards the bird and gives a nod. He is signaling that the bird is what she will learn to stalk and if she does it right, catch.

He starts to pad slowly closer to the bird, waiting for his apprentice. It's a wonder he moves so lightly with a body that appears bulky. Despite his appearance, he can actually be agile when he needs to. His muscles ripple under his pelt as he moves smoothly over the almost barren ground. He feels less stressed now that the voices have subsided, and he has decided what to do with the situation.

The bush is a spiky thing, as expected for this terrain. However, it's very leafy and green for a bush. The bird is a brown-gray color. He isn't sure. The tiny creature clings to the bush with its small feet. The wings are pulled in to where they're unnoticeable. This is because the bird is out of flight. he couldn't explain why the wings seem non-existent. Sounds escape the bird's beak, ones that he and other cats can't understand. Their strange, unknown bird language is probably a bunch of mindless chatter anyway, if he could understand what they were yapping about.

Stopping once he's closer to the bush, but not too close as to frighten the potential prey, he glances over his shoulder to see Rosepaw's progress. Taking mental notes, he waits. He will show her how to stalk and catch this bird. That is, if it doesn't fly away. He can teach her how to stalk, but it's harder to teach a cat how to catch a piece of prey if there is none to be caught. He could explain it, yes, but the proof that the cat has learned is in their ability to actually make the kill. His haunches are on the ground as he mulls over in his mind what he learned as an apprentice and what he taught his previous apprentice. Why did he have such a problem before? This isn't hard at all. Now battle training; that's hard.

Miraculously, the bird remains on the bush. He gets to his paws again. He leans down into the perfect position. His legs are under him. His hind end is up just a tiny bit, but that's to be expected. He's pretty sure his hind legs are longer than his forelegs. He sticks his tail out and forces the twitchy appendage to be still. He starts to stalk towards the bush from the side. His paws hit the rocks softly. He can't produce a single noise. He turns his head slowly, for if the bird happens to glance toward them, the fast movement might cause it to panic and fly off. He checks to be sure his apprentice is copying his actions.

[Blair ;;]

Rosepaw sighed softly, looking out to the waterfall. A small leaf fell from an above, swaying tree, and blissfully into the water. The water rippled, but made no noise. She smiled slightly, barely. She glanced over to Wildstriker hesitantly. He looked odd, as if he was having his own conversation. Her eyebrows furrowed in question. What was he doing? Surely when she thought about the water she didn't look like that, did she? Her ear twitched at the thought. No, she remained easy. But how does she know this? Something made her look away from him. She didn't want him to think that she had any relationship with him. She was only his apprentice. She didn't really care about him. She didn't care about anyone except the water. Her eyes stared harshly at the water. It understood her, right? It knew what she'd been through. It was the only one that did, actually. The only one that she could ever trust with her secrets. The only one that she ever would. She sat up. Inside, she wanted her mentor to go away. She liked the fact that she could just sit here alone, with only the water and nature around her. Without him. When she glanced back at him he was still having a conversation in his own mind. Ttch. She wondered if she could slip away. When she silently stood, she could hear him speaking. Well, so much for that. "Well, you have to learn how to hunt someday! Might as well be now." Said the mentor harshly. She flinched, not wanting to even sit beside him. How could she even let him teach her how to hunt? She felt that it was.. Stupid. That she had to be taught. Couldn't someone else teach her? Or better. Maybe no one had to teach her. Maybe she could just be alone and learn herself. She wanted to walk away without a word, but that would get her no where. In the back of her mind she realized that his words were true; she needed to learn how to hunt someday. And what better with someone who was obviously wanting to teach her? No, she thought. She wanted to sit alone. Not that she was lazy, she just hated having to speak. And when she was hunting, there would probably be a conversation involved. She flicked her tail. It was going to happen sometime. Why not now? She wasn't busy or anything except with the water. So Rosepaw made sure he was looking at her and briefly nodded, standing and walking beside him. He seemed to be stalking a bird. Miraculously, she continued to watch his every movement. Every small limb that moved him closer to the bird. The bird that was obviously stupid enough not to move. Rosepaw continued to watch, but also had her senses remaining to listen to other things; the scent of a vole filled the air. That was what she was going to catch, she thought. A brown, juicy vole. She would eat it, or another cat would eat it. Either way, it would be stalking and killing. And that was something easy she knew what to do best. Rosepaw had never caught much prey, even though she was an older apprentice. Most cats steered clear of her, when she was near the waterfall. So why had Wildstriker even gotten close to her? She barely had any conversation with him beforehand. So why did he want to get to know her now? She didn't care at all. She just wanted to continue doing what she was doing every day since she was born; having a nice clean conversation with the water. It's what she was born for. When he came close to catching the bird, she began to look over it. It seemed to be a sparrow, and it was beautiful. It had a good amount of meat on it and was good enough for a full meal. Birds usually weren't that good. If he missed this, then she could get something else. Maybe that fat and juicy vole. Or she'd scowl at his mishap. [bg=0588c3][atrb=width,450,true] [atrb=border,0,true]

[Clove]

Sun glinted off Wildstriker's gray tabby pelt. It made him almost seem to shine. He moved carefully. His paws hit the ground without noise. He stepped over stones and twigs. They would alert the bird. He froze as the bird moved, but it stayed on the bush. He continued to inch forward. He was really close now. He resisted the urge to glance at Rosepaw. No distraction could be afforded when he was so close.

Powerful muscles in his hind legs tensed, ready for action. He leaned back slightly before the muscles released. He flew over the somewhat rocky ground. If one could slow down time, which was a preposterous though anyway, the sound of his large paws pounding the rock could be heard. However, he moved with enough swiftness that the sound of his movement went by in a blur. He leaped over the bush with surprising agility. He caught the bird in between his forepaws just as it was taking flight. He scooted across the other side on his hind legs, spraying up dust.

Giving hardly a though to it, he simply ended the bird's life with a bite to the neck. He picked it up and circled the bush, glancing absentmindedly at Rosepaw on the way. He saw a good patch of dirt beneath the bush. He buried the bird there. He wondered briefly what possibly complex thoughts might've raced through his apprentice's mind. Did she think a lot? What did she think about? He was always curious how deeply other cats might think. Perhaps most of them didn't. Maybe it would be a good idea not to dwell upon such things.

Wildstriker stared at the water. For some reason he suddenly imagined the smooth pelts of cats moving smoothly through the liquid. He assumed other clans might swim. They weren't the only ones with a fairly large amount of water in their territory, were they? He tiled his head. In his imagination, he saw cats fighting by the water and in the water. They pushed either other over the edge. Two cats clawed at each others' ears while they somehow kept afloat. He saw himself hurling his body into another cats' and dragging it underwater by the scruff. He held the cat down for a long moment. He managed to take a breath of air while still holding the enemy down. It struggled desperately. He finally let go as the cat swam back up, sputtering.

He felt his fur prickle along his spine. Why was he thinking such gruesome things? Where would this battle take place anyway? Oh, no bother. It was just a pointless daydream. He realized it would make more sense if it would be shallow water that cats would fight in. Would anyone be able to fight and keep afloat at the same time? It didn't sound possible. He lashed his tail. He had an itch for battle now. He wished his leader would decide to put another clan in its place. He wished another clan would overstep some line to give them a reason! Maybe he should try to provoke somebody. Say that he swore he saw cats hunting in Cardinalclan territory. Maybe he should convince the leader to take him and other cats to try and take another clans' hunting territory. With Leaf-bare not all that far away, they could use all they could get. Sure, the Green-leaf heat remained, but there was a chill in the morning and night air.

A low growl came from his throat. He was making himself frustrated. He wasn't helping his sudden desire for blood by thinking about ways to spark a fight with another clan. He tasted the air to get his mind on something else. He scented vole. He took a few meaningless steps. He wanted Rosepaw to try and catch that vole. He wanted Embershimmer to be wrong. Even though it wasn't really her, it seemed as if she was really talking to him. What the voice he imagined has said sounded like remark his mother would've made, after all. He found himself very freaked out that he was hearing voices. It would be wise not to mention, not that he had anyone to tell. His clanmates might think him mad, just like their leader. Though he really doubted he could ever be quite as insane. The idea of the possibility was extremely disconcerting.

Shuddering as a breeze passed, Wildstriker was reminded that the heat of the sun on his back would soon seem like a distant memory. Once the cold winds pierce their pelts and snow coats the ground, it would feel like the sun and heat never existed. A lesser cat would feel anxious. He had experienced Leaf-bare before. There was the threat of sickness, but he saw himself as too strong of a cat to be weakened by ailment, causing him to be coped up in the Medicine Den. It would waste his hunting skills. His clan needed him, so he didn't have time for petty illness. He was determined to survive and conquer the harsh season that would arrive too soon.

Besides, maybe another clan would brave crossing the border for more food, or his clanmates would want to cross a border, hopefully encouraging the leader to listen to their wishes. That is, if he didn't speak first.

Then Leaf-bare wouldn't be so bad, once he had the blood of the weaker half of their kind on his teeth and claws. They didn't deserve their territory. Cardinalclan was the strongest of everyone. His clan deserved more; they needed to thrive, not just get by.

A rather menacing smirk graced his face for only a heartbeat, at those tempting thoughts. before he put on a blank expression. There was no need to express what he secretly pondered through facial muscles. His tail twitched as he relaxed, not even realizing he had been tensed up from the darkness of his wondering mind.

[Blair ;;]

Rosepaw watched him catch the bird with such agility that seemed to amaze her. She didn't say anything, only watched as he buried his prey. Her lips pursed, looking away. She could smell the vole, the scent on her tongue growing. Should she go get it? The contemplation ran through her mind. Yes, she would. Later. She smiled slightly, then looked off to the water, realizing that Wildstriker too was watching. She wanted to shelter the water from the looks of others. It seemed wrong; for them to look at the water that was only hers. Well, it was every one else's too. But they didn't understand it. How could they understand it? They were lower than the water. They didn't even come close to understanding it. Hatred prickled against her backbone, flowing through her body. No one deserved the water. No one deserved it's warmth, it's freezing point, the fish that it gave, the cats that it kept alive. Not even young Rosepaw deserved it. No one did. No one was good enough. No one was thought of like that. No one. The word prickled through her brain, making her claws unsheathe without a word. No one. As she thought this, the water rippled at the edges, a pebble plopping straight into it. She smiled slightly. Yes, the water understood. No one understood her like the water, and no one understood the water. Out of all cats, she thought, Rosepaw was the only one that even came close to understanding the being called the water that was in front of her. She glanced over to her mentor, and realized that he was tense. What was he thinking about? The water? Or perhaps, a fight? The expression on his face showed a fight, but the water could express any kind of emotion on someone's face. Rosepaw wanted to jump into the water and bury her whole body into it, letting the beautiful abyss take her in without warning. But she didn't. No. No one deserved that. No one.. The word expressed through her brain once again. She shook the thought away, opening her mouth to scent for the vole again. Rosepaw was standing fully now when she scented the vole. Her mouth opened all the way now, trying to find where the scent was coming from. A nearby bush. Rosepaw crouched abruptly and began to move closer, her ears laying back so she wouldn't get caught. Soundlessly, she stepped over the leaves and the rare twig that would get in her way. She continued until the vole's ears perked, when she was a few feet away. Her eyes narrowed as she froze. The vole seemed to be debating on running away, and clumsily, she ran fast to close in on the vole. Automatically, she jumped, missing the vole by inches. The vole seemed stunned that some cat had actually tried to attack it, and it began to run away, but Rosepaw was faster. She landed her paw harshly on its back and bit swiftly into the back of its neck. She turned around to see if her mentor had been watching her. A purr of content ran through her body as she dropped the vole. She looked at it's size, studying it with a smirk on her face. It was a brown vole, she noted. It's eyes were closed in pain, and it's blood was dripping from it's neck, where she had bit into it. It wasn't very fat, but it was a good peice of meat. Something that a queen could enjoy. Or maybe even herself. Rosepaw automatically looked up to the water. It's flow was increasing, and the less shadow water at the bottom was absolutely beautiful, the fluttering that ran through it. The water seemed to be congratulating her. She wanted to gasp in happiness. Congratulating her? The water? She smiled slightly, wanting to mrrow a thank you, telling it that it could have the prey if it wanted. At the last second, she remembered her mentor was near, and looked swiftly back down at the vole. What was he going to say about her first catch? Would her mentor be proud of her, or displeased? The thought prickled through her pelt. No, he wouldn't be displeased of her. He would like that she had caught something for the clan. .. Right? [bg=0588c3][atrb=width,450,true] [atrb=border,0,true]

[Clove]

HE FOCUSED ON HIS APPRENTICE.

She had caught prey. He had been watching on the edge of his mind. He roamed his emotions carefully. He didn't know how sensitive such a quiet cat would be. If he offended her, he doubted she would show it. Despite this, he didn't want to cause her any inner turmoil. It's not that he cared about her feelings, it's just that a cat that's depressed won't do good in battle or hunt well. That's all that really matters. Some small part of his mind disagreed, but he chose to ignore it, for now.

He padded over to her and nodded. The nod was very slight and one could hardly tell he had moved a muscle beyond walking. "Well done. However, next time, try to keep more on balance. Don't fumble. Honestly, the prey almost escaped, but luckily you were faster. Put more power in your back legs when you jump and extend your body. Focus your entire being on that prey, and you may be more likely to pounce accurately. Nonetheless, that's quite a nice piece of prey, good catch Rosepaw," he informed his apprentice. His eyes scanned her face, as he hoped she wouldn't react badly. He was firm, but he tried not be harsh.

He turned away. He didn't turn around all the way. He had only slightly shifted his forepaws. He expected her to bury the vole. Perhaps more prey would come around. In reality, they were lucky these two pieces even showed up. The waterfall wasn't the most prey populated place in the territory. He was kind of proud his apprentice caught something. He suddenly wanted to leap into the water for no reason. Of course that would be a ludicrous thing to do, so he held himself back.

HE FLINCHED VISIBLY.

A large bird flew by. It was likely an eagle. He growled deep in his throat. His claws unsheathed and the fur on his back stood up. He lashed his tail. The bird was really far away, but it still alerted him. He watched it with a fierce glare. He was already snapping the bones in the wings and tearing the feathers from its head and back. He scraped his claws across the ground. He relaxed a little when the creature disappeared, but he remained on edge.

His hatred for large birds of prey was unfathomable. They frightened him and made him furious at the same time. He saw in the corner of his vision; he was standing closer to his apprentice. He was no longer standing somewhat slouched. He stood to his full height. He was leaning sideways almost protectively. His pelt slacked down when it seemed like the bird wasn't going to return. He shuffled to his original spot before the sighting. He licked his chest fur self-consciously. He sat down as his heart stopped racing.

There was a weird twist in his stomach. He felt kind of stupid for his actions. What was wrong with being protective of his clanmates, though? He had every right. He could get food for himself, but he couldn't fight off an army of cats. They let him reside in camp and patrol alongside them. He is allowed to repay the clan by hunting and fighting as well. He wouldn't really deserve to linger around otherwise. That would make him a useless blob that ate prey and gave nothing back. They would have chased him off he acted in such a manner.

He darted his blue-green eyes around the surrounding area. He had the need to check for any other dangers. He breathed deeply. No suspicious scents. The area was safe. Did Rosepaw know any battles moves? He searched his brain. He doubted it. She might have known a few simple ones. He wasn't really in the mood for battle training at the moment. Hunting was enough for now. He promised with is mind he would find the motivation to teach her more advanced moves sometime.

The water rippled, catching Wildstriker's eye. Curious, he strode over to the edge. A fish was shockingly close to the edge. He sat down. He knew not to lean over the water. He didn't want to scare it. The scales were glittery on its grayish body. He played with the idea of taking it as prey. He wasn't sure. He tiled his head. He flicked his paw to the edge of the rock. It would be too easy for an experienced warrior such as himself. His tail twitched with conflict.