D`isfor.DANGEROUS. [ember&reed]

[! R E E D F i S H E R]

The rain pelted down, forcing the tom under the cover of the pine trees. His eyes shone blue through the rain and the darkness, and he blinked the water out of them as he took shelter beneath a large holly bush. His dark tabby pelt was even darker in the rainfall, and it clung to his muscles in a way that it only did when wet.

"curse it," he muttered, shivering slightly. The storm had grown bigger and heavier since he had left Emberpaw in the training hollow, and his good mood had long evaporated. He had yet to catch any scent of prey, and he hoped that Emberpaw had better luck. He wanted his apprentice to do good on his first assessment, even if they hadn't really trained yet. Hopefully, Emberpaw would show as much promise as Reedfisher had seen in him at their quick meeting a few hours before. He already liked the fiery orange tom, the way his green eyes sparkled with enthusiasm. He saw something of himself in the small apprentice, and it made him feel proud.

Glancing around, Reedfisher waited for Emberpaw to appear. He was facing the tunnel, almost longing for the shelter the overhang provided from the rain. But he hated the stench of crowfood, so he kept his distance. There weren't any monsters roaring across the dark Thunderpath, which was good. Reedfisher didn't want to put Emberpaw into any danger on his first hunting assessment.

His thoughts drifted to Foxtail, the fiery she-cat he had fallen for a few moons ago. She was beautiful, that was for sure, but lately she had been distant. His heart sank as he recalled her short words and cold eyes. It hadn't quite worked out the way he planned. But that was life, wasn't it? You had to try things out before you found the right one. And he clearly hadn't. Still, he regretted not being closer to her. She had been fun, that one.

Maybe there was someone else?

[short, but it's there. :3]

[ember2]

emberpaw bounded out of the training place, in the opposite direction of reedfisher. his heart was pumping with excitement, he was determined to do his best on his first assessment, and he would be sure not to let reedfisher down. as soon as he stepped out from the shelter of the tree, he felt the pouring rain drench his coat, making the bright orange fur an ugly brown.

but the tom did not care how he looked, only worrying about the rain. luckily, thunder hadn't roared, and lightning had not ripped open the dark sky, so if he was quick, he might at least catch something. it was not long before he came to the edge of the thunderpath, and he paused. it had only been the night before that lilypaw and him had sat, listening to the crickets chirp and watching the fireflies light up the world.

the young tom shook his head and wet drops flew in every direction. he couldn't think about that now, he had to train his focus on catching prey to feed the clan. he sniffed the air, hoping to catch faint traces of some prey, and then, it was so very faint, but it was some traces of a squirrel. without pausing, he followed it, praying with all his might to starclan that flashes of lightning or roars of thunder would not alert any kind of prey.

soon he came to a great tree close to the thunderpath and it surprised him that a squirrel would make it's nest here. but then he looked at the ground and noticed how it was littered with millions of seeds that would provide food. he smiled and crouched down, waiting for the squirrel to make it's presence known.

emberpaw felt like he was a statue, and his patience was running low. what was only a few minutes felt like hours to him and he brushed his tail across the ground. the squirrel must have heard him, because it poked its nose outside its tree hollow, and emberpaw was suddenly glad that lilypaw had taught him how to climb trees.

he waited until the squirrel retreated back into its hollow and then he slowly placed his paws into the rough, wet bark. he knew that he would have to be careful, if he slipped then the squirrel would dart out. luckily he made it to the branch without any mistakes. one paw after the other, emberpaw made his way to the small hole. and of course just then, the wind decided to blow harshly.

he hugged the branch with all his might and as soon as the wind died down again he shoved his paw into the hollow. pain erupted in his paw as he felt small teeth sink into the fur and flesh. he pulled his paw back and smelled the salty tang of blood. he began to claw at the bark making the hole wider and soon he was able to push the squirrel out and quickly kill it. he was proud with his first kill, even though he hadn't used any special hunting skills, it was still his first kill. and he wouldn't have been able to do it if lilypaw taught him the special thunderclan technique of climbing.

OCC |

[/b] sorry i ramble a lot. xD my muse is in between and i just couldn't end the post. xD[/size][/justify][/blockquote][/blockquote][/blockquote]

[! R E E D F i S H E R]

A slight noise in the brush made Reedfisher start - he had been dozing off, something that was often frowned upon. Shaking himself lightly, the tabby warrior blinked his sleepy blue eyes and scanned the clearing. There.

A flash of dark red pelt streaked through the rain, sheltering beneath a large oak. Reedfisher licked his dry nose and flicked the rain from his ears, trying to catch sight of his apprentice. He was . . . climbing the tree? What did he think he was, a squirrel?

"crazy apprentice," he muttered to himself, but a gentle smile was forming on the corner of his mouth. He had done the same thing as an apprentice, just to impress his pretty friend. Unfortunately, he had fallen down, and he hoped that Emberpaw would not make the same mistake. The bark would be slippery and wet due to the rain, and he didn't need his apprentice stuck in Brittlebreeze's den for the next few moons.

He moved forward, trying to remain covered and keep his eye on Emberpaw at the same time. Reedfisher managed to get close enough to where he could look directly up at Emberpaw without revealing himself. Perfect. He settled back on his haunches, wincing as his pelt stuck to his back. As Emberpaw climbed higher and higher, he felt a growing admiration for the fiery young tom. He was willing to do whatever it took to make the kill, and that took courage.

Reedfisher watched with narrowed blue eyes as Emberpaw stuck his paw into the tree and pulled back, wincing in pain. He continued to fight the prey, however, and finally extracted the squirrel from its nest and made the kill, several tail lengths above the ground. Suddenly grasped with a feeling of urgency, Reedfisher poked his head out from the undergrowth and called up to him. "get yourself down from there before you fall off," He emerged completely from the brush and stared up at the red apprentice, trying to keep the rain from falling into his gaze. "i don't want to have to explain to Hawkstar why my apprentice broke his neck during our first training session." he sat down while he waited for Emberpaw to work his way down the tree, and prayed to StarClan that he didn't fall. Perhaps they could find some other animal to catch, and Reedfisher could show Emberpaw some of his own moves.

[yeehaw. i like emberpaw. :3
aand that rhymed. fail.]

[ember2]

emberpaw nearly jumped out of his pelt when he heard his mentor's voice from below the tree. he glanced down and saw the tomcat.i don't want to have to explain to Hawkstar why my apprentice broke his neck during our first training session.

the weight of the squirrel was already making his neck ache, and the ginger tom wondered if he would have to drop the squirrel on the ground before he worked a way down the tree. but luckily, he made it to a low branch and was able to land on the wet ground safely.

when he jumped down, he glanced at reedfisher, and even thought he couldn't speak, his eyes danced in a way that could only mean, ha! i did it!

OCC |

[/b] uggggggggh....so museless....and tired. x3[/size][/justify][/blockquote][/blockquote][/blockquote]

[! R E E D F i S H E R]

Shaking the rain out of his ears, Reedfisher eyed his apprentice, wondering just what he could teach him. As Emberpaw dropped his catch on the soggy ground at the lanky tom's paws, the older warrior raised an eyebrow.

"nice catch," he meowed. He didn't admit that his heart had plummeted, watching Emberpaw flying up in the tree like that. He wasn't one to shy from heights, but he felt more comfortable on the ground, and he didn't want to take any risks.

"so why don't i show you the proper way to catch a squirrel?" Reedfisher meowed, praying to StarClan that the rain wouldn't have kept all of the squirrels in their nice and cozy nests. On that thought, he wanted to be inside himself right about then, with the rain hammering down on his back. With a flick of his tail towards Emberpaw, Reedfisher led the fiery tom towards the cover of the pine trees, which, although it wasn't much, at least sheltered them somewhat from the fierce storm.

The shadows played with his blue gaze as Reedfisher sat stock still, his ears angled forward to catch any rustling scent from promising prey. There. A slight movement caught his attention, and he swiveled his head to face the tiny vole. Small, but it would have to do, considering the circumstances.

Nodding to Emberpaw, Reedfisher sank into a crouch, keeping his weight centered and balanced. He moved forward so slowly that he didn't even appear to be gaining any ground, but then he was right in front of the vole, who still hadn't seen him, thanks to the pouring rain and his dark tabby pelt. Pale blue eyes narrowed, Reedfisher tensed his muscles and prepared to leap forward.

At that moment, a crash of lightning lit up the forest with blinding white light. The tabby tom's heart flew to his mouth, and he sprang forward, claws oustretched, and just managed to clamp his paw down on the back of the frightened vole. With a quick blow to the neck, he finished the job in the darkness that followed the brilliant light. His eyes slightly dazed, Reedfisher trotted back to Emberpaw, hoping that the apprentice had at least seen something of his catch.

"so" he meowed, dropping the vole next to the squirrel that Emberpaw had caught earlier. "what do you think is important to keep in mind when stalking a vole?"

[no problem, love.]

[ember2]

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[atrb=background,http://i37.tinypic.com/2hdr2ub.jpg] emberpaw grinned at his mentor and felt the pain in his paw ebb away. 'so why don't i show you the proper way to catch a squirrel?' the fiery apprentice softly giggled under his breath, happy that he could laugh at himself. when reedfisher flicked his tail, indicating that emberpaw should follow, he picked up his squirrel and trotted after the tom. it wasn't long before they reached the cover of pine trees. dropping his squirrel, emberpaw gave himself a much needed shake, letting out a sigh as the weight was lifted out of his fur. once he settled back down he noticed reedfisher was sitting very still. 'what is going on?' but after reedfisher nodded to him and sank into a crouch, emberpaw caught the warm smell of vole. emberpaw froze, not even daring to breathe as he watched his mentor slink very slowly to the vole. and of course at this moment, lightning had to light up the world. the vole darted of with great speed. starclan must have been watching them, because reedfisher just managed to catch the vole. the tom's eyes shone with delight when his mentor dropped the vole next to his squirrel. what do you think is important to keep in mind when stalking a vole? emberpaw thought for a minute, and he recalled the speed the vole had. and it was around a lot of cover...'um...that voles are very fast? and that they'll always be around lots of cover?' emberpaw tried and failed to make his answer not sound like a question. he tried though... STATUS; finished STARING; reedfisher & emberpaw SPEECH; 376 NOTES; ahah, when emberpaw was thinking i could hear the jeopardy music, do do do do do, doot...do do. doo doo doo... xD

[! R E E D F i S H E R]

As Reedfisher dropped his vole next to Emberpaw, his apprentice beamed up at him, a mixture of curiosity and admiration in his eyes, although he tried to hide it. The lanky brown tom smiled easily and planted himself in front of the fiery apprentice, blue eyes dancing as he tried to find the words to answer Reedfisher's question.

"um . . . that voles are very fast? and that they'll always be around lots of cover?"

Reedfisher nodded encouragingly, pleased with Emberpaw's answer. He would make a great warrior someday - he could just feel it. "good thinking, emberpaw. voles are nervous creatures, so they're always on the lookout for predators. you need to be very patient until the right moment comes, and then you need to move fast to catch them."

Reedfisher recalled the first vole he had ever stalked. It was an enormously fat vole, plump and juicy just before the leafbare, and he thought it would be easy to pin down. But it wasn't. The vole had seen his tail waving from the undergrowth, and by the time Reedfisher had reached it, all that was left were some empty nutshells. He had been so embarassed that such a fat vole had outrun him.

Focusing once more on Emberpaw, the young warrior nudged his shoulder. "you want to try some more hunting? or are you feeling worn out?" he didn't want to overwork his apprentice on their first day of training! That would mean recovery time in the medicine cat's den, which would mean no more training, which would make Reedfisher look like a terrible mentor. No. That would not do.

[hahaha. :3 they're a good pair.]

[ember2]

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[atrb=background,http://i37.tinypic.com/2hdr2ub.jpg] emberpaw beamed brightly at his mentor when he praised him. he waved his tail happily and listened to the rest his mentor said, voles are nervous creatures, so they're always on the lookout for predators. you need to be very patient until the right moment comes, and then you need to move fast to catch them. 'patience...hmm....i'll have to see if i have any of that.' the young tom soon became lost in his thoughts again, the first thing he thought of was lilypaw. what was she doing right now? had she already gotten her warrior name or was she training with her mentor? thunderclan would have lots of cover from the rain, and he envied their territory. but that envy evaporated when he thought of shadowclan's skills. they could become shadows in the night and his heart swelled when he thought of disappearing into the night and showing himself only when he wanted to. 'you want to try some more hunting? or are you feeling worn out?' emberpaw looked up at him and wondered. it wasn't that he was tired he was just...bored. the lightning strike would have scared any other animal back into it's den and perhaps they should do the same? well...it's not that i'm tired...i just am wet...and...well i think we'd have to look in prey's burrows in order to find them. i don't know, i'm fine either way. STATUS; finished STARING; reedfisher & emberpaw SPEECH; 365 NOTES; they are, i really like them. <3

[! R E E D F i S H E R]

Emberpaw looked so happy sitting there, although it was pouring rain, and the skies looked like a huge mass of murky shadows. What was he thinking about? That she-cat that Reedfisher had teased him about earlier at the training den? The lanky brown tom's thoughts drifted to his own she-cat, the brilliant and fiery Foxtail, with her flaming orange pelt and bright green eyes that sparkled when she laughed at something he said . . .

Snapping back to attention as a raindrop nailed him in the eye, Reedfisher managed to catch the last bit of Emberpaw's sentence. " . . . have to look in prey's burrows in order to find them." He scuffled his paws, suddenly unsure of himself. "i don't know, i'm fine either way."

Glancing once more to the stormy skies, Reedfisher silently agreed with his apprentice. They had at least managed to get to know one another, and he had gotten a taste of Emberpaw's skills, as well as his daring personality. Perhaps tomorrow they could go and patrol one of the borders. The thought pleased Reedfisher, and he agreed out loud.

"you're probably right," he meowed, getting to his paws and shaking out his dark tabby pelt. He prodded his vole with one paw. "i'm sure howlingheart would appreciate this in the nursery," he commented, getting ready to head back to camp. His eyes were calm and happy - it had been a good day. "would you mind bringing it to her before you run off to that pretty little she-cat you were dreaming about earlier?" Wth a wink and a small chuckle, Reedfisher vanished before the tom could object. Apprentice duties were something that no cat enjoyed, and being a warrior meant that he was relieved of them. Of course, he could do it himself, but why not let Emberpaw get the best of his apprentice days before they were gone? Besides, afterwards he would have plenty of time to do whatever he wanted - even share tongues with a certain someone . . .

Smiling, Reedfisher made his way back to camp in extremely high spirits.

TO: somewhere..

[he doesn't actually have to bring it to her. :3 and reedfisher's just teasing.]

[ember2]

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[atrb=background,http://i37.tinypic.com/2hdr2ub.jpg] the young tomcat blinked when reedfisher agreed with him. he blinked calmly through the rain, and he looked back at his mentor as he spoke, 'i'm sure howlingheart would appreciate this in the nursery, would you mind bringing it to her before you run off to that pretty little she-cat you were dreaming about earlier?' emberpaw blinked in surprise...how had he known? emberpaw watched reedfisher give him a wink and then he was off. slowly he picked up the vole and the squirrel, and his fur prickled. it wasn't the fact that he had to take fresh-kill to the queen, but the fact that his mentor seemed to have read his mind. he shook his head subtly and then began to head home. the tom wondered if the new kits would be born yet, and with the thought of kits in his head, he headed home with a big smile on his face. [TO: i'm already there, open] STATUS; finished STARING; reedfisher & emberpaw SPEECH; 273 NOTES; that's ok, more rp is good with me. :3 and i love reedfisher. xD