Daddy said you gotta show the world the thunder.

[Grim]

Dawn bloomed over the lake, resplendent and golden in the water's glossy reflection. Underpaw, the withering loam was crisp with early ice and cracked quietly when Fawnstep walked. With every paw step, her sensitive pads warmed the light layer of frost and left slight indentations, politely allowing her to leave a vague trail in her wake. Fawnstep shared a small amount of interest when she noticed her shadow of paw prints. Nevertheless, she forged ahead, ardent on reaching the lake's edge before long. Besides, she didn't mind creating a path. Perhaps it would draw another cat's attention and encourage a follower? When that aimless thought crossed her mind, she paused and glanced over her broad shoulder, half expecting to glimpse a fellow RiverClanner padding in her paw steps. However, her vigilant gaze fell only upon a lone set of prints leading to the point where she currently stood. She was hardly disappointed, though, as it had been a mere stray thought. It wasn't as if she had been eager for a partner. Content that she was still on her own, Fawnstep swung her large head around and padded collectedly onward. Ahead, the glimmer of the lake was looming, but her stride remained calm and unhurried.


It wasn't much longer when, at last, her sharp gaze fell upon the lake shore. She stayed her paws when they itched to hasten, wishing to enjoy her simple morning stroll. Once her pads finally brushed the grains of sand along the shore, Fawnstep surged towards the lake's edge. Bending her legs gracefully, the large warrior crouched at the water's threshold. She lowered her blunt dappled gray muzzle to the surface and quietly indulged in the cool liquid. When at last she raised her head, beads of moisture clung to her chin. She removed them at once, smoothing her lips and chin with a brisk swipe of her tongue. Finally sated both physically and emotionally, the she-cat turned her cool gaze upon the lake. She straightened and leaned back into a tall seated position, her jade eyes still locked upon the vast expanse of water. It intrigued the seasoned warrior, especially in the early morning hours. She flicked an ear back and kept it fixed there, vaguely listening to the territory behind her while she sat. For a while, Fawnstep stayed in that position, at ease simply reveling in the warm sunlight and staring across the lake.

[maplefrost]

The light of the dawn spilled through the sparse trees on RiverClan's territory. Patches of the sunlight fell on a large tom, who was strolling towards the lake. He wasn't on a specific mission; he was just trying to clear his head. Even though there wasn't much he needed to think about. Amber eyes slowly scanned the scenery around him, taking in the sights of the terrain. He spotted a break in the undergrowth up ahead, telling him he was close to the shore. He stopped at the edge of the bracken, sitting back on his haunches. His long tail curled over his paws, and his head tilted to give the white, long hair on his chest a few licks.

After his chest fur was flattened, Cloverfang lifted his head once more. One ear twitched at the sound of scuffling. Upon parting his jaws, he picked up the scent of mouse. He lifted one paw, and then heard the mouse running off to head.

"Mousedung!" he spat. Cloverfang was a very new warrior, but even an apprentice would have picked up the mouse's scent a while ago. Aggrivated, he stepped through the bracken, his anger blinding him. Because he wasn't paying attention, he stepped on a thorn. Spitting out curses, he hopped out of the brush, one paw in the air. After stumbling a few steps, the tom fell onto the soft sand. Cloverfang sighed, and peered down at his paw.

"Great."

[Grim]

The morning was a fine one, albeit unpleasantly cool. Fawnstep’s pelt was one of the thickest in RiverClan and she was certainly feeling the chill on the crisp breeze. A shiver raced down her spine and Fawnstep flicked her ears back in annoyance. She crouched lower and brought her limbs close beneath her body, fluffing her tortoiseshell fur out against the gentle wind in the process. The chill was undesired, but it wasn’t off-putting enough to waver the she-cat’s resolve. She breathed a calm sigh, letting the cool air wash over her lungs and whoosh back out. Despite her tricksy ways and taunting demeanor, Fawnstep privately indulged in a quiet session of tranquility every now and again. With a mind as sly and overworked as her own, a little downtime was a necessity.

Just as she was imagining how cold the water would feel on her warm-blooded body, several things happened at once. Somewhere at her rear, a loud rustling stabbed through the quiet morning ambiance. Fawnstep felt her large body stiffen reflexively in inherent caution. The tense muscles in her hind legs coiled briefly and sprung, forcing the she-cat off of the sand in a small leap. She twisted her front half deftly mid-air and landed skillfully with her forepaws planted in the soft turf, her rear following suit like a shadow. Upon sensing danger, her pelt seemed to unfurl, fluffing out in a magnificent show of tortoiseshell fur and creating an immense version of her former façade. She drew her multihued lips high over her glistening teeth and a warning hiss danced off of her tongue.

However anonymous the rustling had been, the curses suddenly resonating around the area were familiar to the warrior. A brief flash of white was Fawnstep's only warning of her Clan-mate's ungainly entrance. Startled, Fawnstep jumped back as Cloverfang tumbled into the sand near her paws. For a moment, all was quiet. Fawnstep’s eyes had widened and her mouth was slightly ajar, her expression the picture of astonishment. She had landed in an awkward position, leaning away from the vibrant white mess with one paw drawn up close to her fluffy chest. The pause was broken only by Cloverfang’s mutter of ”Great.” It was enough, though, to wake Fawnstep from her shocked trance. A sharp bark of laughter erupted from the she-cat, followed closely by throaty body-wracking giggles.

”Oh, oh, Cloverfang, I’m sorry,” she gasped between cries of glee. It was almost too much for the she-cat. The laughter shook her body, causing her to fall over on her side in the sand.

[maplefrost]

If anything annoyed Cloverfang, it was sand.

Those little grains of tan, clear, and sometimes black rocks were, in his opinion, extremely annoying. His muzzle shot up, shaking sand from his pink nose. His tongue and jaws worked furiously to remove sand from his mouth as well. He let out a snort, and opened his mouth in a silent yawn. He sat back on his haunches, giving his head a final shake before he was satisfied with the amount of sand on him. He would get rid of all of it later.

“Hello, Fawnstep,” he meowed, after taking a moment to identify his Clanmate. The tom lifted a paw to swipe down his face, sending streams of sand from his whiskers down to lay at his paws. He could feel little grains of sand deep in his fur, and was itching to get them out, but grooming would have to wait. In the back of his mind, he was still scolding himself for missing that mouse. It was an apprentice mistake, and he was a warrior now, albeit a young one.

As he mentally yowled at himself, he suddenly realized how rudely he had stumbled upon his Clanmate, who, he guessed, had left the camp for a little bit of privacy away from the hustle and bustle of Clan activity. Embarrassed, he lowered his head. His ears flattened slightly, and he looked off down the shore. He picked a clump of reeds to focus his golden gaze upon.

“I didn’t disturb you, did I?”

[Grim]

For just a moment longer, Fawnstep shook with cries of laughter. The sight of the big white warrior flopping over on the sandy shore stuck obstinately in her mind’s eye, refusing to budge despite her will. Only once Cloverfang spoke did the tremors come to a shuddering end. Her tortoiseshell flanks rose and fell rapidly while she gasped for oxygen; her cool jade eyes alight with a frivolous glitter. She tottered to her paws, exertion apparent in the way her long body drooped. The glow in her expression was absolutely luminous, though, betraying the fatigue her body depicted. Small chuckles continued to fall from her parted muzzle in ragged breaths. She turned her bright eyes onto the younger warrior, her lips hugging a loose smile. However, once she noticed her Clan-mate’s disheartened expression, her brows furrowed in the beginnings of a frown. His words fell on pricked ears and Fawnstep sighed. It was a very light sigh, somehow finding life between her curt grasps for breath.

”Well, Cloverfang. To be honest, your tumble into the sand did alarm me a little,” she began truthfully and a bit breathlessly, her voice laced lightly with a gentle tease. It was painfully obvious that her fair-furred companion was truly unsettled. Surely it wasn’t all because of his little disturbance? She sauntered towards the humiliated tom, her head low and her tail swishing high behind her. Gently, without breaking stride, she bumped her large mottled head against the snowy tom’s shoulder. She turned briskly and seated herself beside him, so close that their clashing pelts brushed. ”Come on. What’s really bothering you?” Her voice was low, a masculine tenor with a feminine lilt. A very soft, almost imperceptible, purr had woven itself into her inquiry.

Fawnstep was genuinely curious about Cloverfang’s unease, for some incredible reason. She rarely concerned herself with her Clan-mate’s personal issues because, to put it brusquely, the warrior didn’t care. So long as her Clan wasn’t threatened, the she-cat turned a cold shoulder to her Clan-mate’s business. Perhaps it was the early hour that had Fawnstep feeling the alien warmth of compassion, or the blatant shame Cloverfang exhibited. Either way, the unsympathetic Fawnstep was strangely willing to sit back and listen to a Clan-mate’s dilemma.

[maplefrost]

Cloverfang sighed. Fawnstep seemed so upbeat. He should’ve guessed that his tripping over the shore didn’t bother her. Well, it had startled her a bit, but it wasn’t that much. He could’ve stood up, muttered “sorry”, and left. But, he had to open his mouth. Now, she wanted to know what was wrong with him. Wonderful.

He curled his tail tighter around his paws. His claws scratched the earth, stirring up the dirt into little rows. “I, uh…” He opened his mouth again to speak, but no words came out of his parted jaws. He closed them again, trying to decide what he should say.

“It’s Lionpaw,” he muttered. “I’m supposed to be his mentor, you know? Help him and everything? Well, I’ve noticed how the other apprentices…” He sighed, looking up from his paws. “Y’know, how they treat him, because he’s different.”

He sucked in another breath, heavily thinking about what he was saying. “Should I intervene? I know he’s my apprentice, but is that limited to just the warrior code?”