A shiver, a ripple [Gingerpaw & Lionstrike]

Gingerpaw
» She stands upon the hill to watch the stars

The river had long been frozen over, as Gingerpaw's snarling belly knew all too well, but hints of life flashed just below the surface and out of reach. Small trout darted up to jab the solid ice, leaving trails of tiny bubbles barely visible beneath the chilly sheet as they sped away with nothing more than empty stomachs to show for their efforts.

Though she had been told to wait patiently for her mentor for one of her final lessons as an apprentice, Gingerpaw, feeling taunted by her prey's antics, could wait for Lionstrike no longer. Swishing her tail with impatience, she padded down the hard bank. The movement of the water's little lapping waves at the river's edge was just enough to prevent it from freezing completely here, but not far out, where the fish were congregating in the moonlight, the surface was calm and still, and as far as the she-cat could tell, the thick ice would hold her weight.

Moving with great caution, as was her nature, Gingerpaw stepped carefully onto the frozen expanse, extending her claws for added purchase on the slick slab. It was then that she paused -- her hunger was always second to those of her clanmates. Harnessing her self-control, she bowed her head for a moment and continued on with a new sense of purpose. There was more than one hungry mouth to feed tonight. She mustn't fail.

Lionstrike knew what he needed to do and where to go. It was Gingerpaw's final assessment and he would watch her from the shadows. The air was chilly and snow began to drift from the sky. His green eyes watched his apprentice from the opposite side of the bank, waiting for her to go on her own.

He had told her to wait for him, true, but he figured that she would be better assessed without knowing she was going to be. When the she-cat moved, Lionstrike's ears perked forward. Though the river was frozen over with thick ice he couldn't help but be on alert. To many times have apprentices and warriors fallen through, never to be seen again.

The ginger tom sat a waited; curios to see what skills his apprentice owned.

ooc:// Gwash, that seems really bad Dx
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Gingerpaw
» She stands upon the hill to watch the stars

Gingerpaw paused with each step, wincing as the ice groaned and creaked in protest beneath her feet. Some patches were weaker than others, and more than once, her paws slipped through, penetrating the sheet, dousing them in the bone-chilling wet. Each time she made a misstep, she grit her teeth, shook the droplets from her toes, and continued on, the school of fish within her sights.

Slowly, she crept to where they swam beneath the surface. At once, they spotted her and scattered, but she knew they would be back with time. But now that she was here, how would she reach them? The apprentice rested on her haunches briefly to think. She would have to break the ice, but delicately, or else risk plunging in herself.

Rising on all fours, she eyed the surface, and then stood on her hind legs, her front paws poised to pounce. In one quick motion, she threw her weight at the ice and it gave way, but she had somewhat misgauged the strength of her dive, and her face tumbled headfirst into the hole that she had made. Scrambling back, coughing and spitting, Gingerpaw yowled at her own stupidity and self-consciously preened her dripping whiskers, praying Lionstrike wasn't watching her from the shore.

All she could do now was shiver and wait for the fish to come to her.

OOC: Nuuuu, it's fine. *glomps* :3

Lionstrike watched carefully as Gingerpaw slowly made her way to the center of the river. The few times her paws had slipped through the ice had sent his heart racing. When she made it, a sigh of relief escaped his mouth. What would he say to the clan if she fell through the ice into the river was not something he wished to think about.

Watching intently, the tom began to wonder what she was going to do next. Surely not just sit there hoping the fish will magically jump through the ice. When she made movement, his thoughts feel. She was going to break it!

Prepared to leap toward the river if she needed his aid, he crouched with muscles tensed. He watched with slight horror as her upper body fell into the river, and he almost dove after her. Restraining himself he waited as she recovered for the near call of death.

A smart cat, Gingerpaw is. he thought to himself And brave at that. Not many warriors would risk their lives just to catch some fish.

Gingerpaw
» She stands upon the hill to watch the stars

Gingerpaw knew that she mustn't allow her eyes to wander now that she had direct access to her prey, but as the minutes drifted by, as slow and silent as the water gliding beneath the ice, her attention began to wander. Sighing, she flicked her tail and ventured to gaze back at the shore, catching a flicker of movement in the reeds. So he is watching, she mused, lowering her head just slightly with embarrassment. But Lionstrike doesn't need to know that I know.

Turning back to the little hole she had made, her eyes widened as a shiny, undulating sliver of silver passed below her. In the blink of an eye, her paw shot out, hooking the fish with her unsheathed talons, and yanked it from the cold depths of the river. It landed several feet away, twisting and flopping with vigor, but soon became still, unable to breathe the same air.

Should she attempt to catch another? The damp fur on her forearm was now plastered against her skin, and Gingerpaw flexed her claws to ward off the numbness. Even if she was granted another opportunity, she could hardly feel her paw pads. Already flecks of ice were beginning to form on her limb as the water froze. The apprentice shook her head. One fish would have to do. At the very least, it was fair sized.

The little tabby padded over to her catch and took the fish's tail between her teeth, tentatively carrying it back across the river. The added weight did not bode well for her journey however. Twice as often she fell through, and in one such instance almost lost her fish as well as her footing. But at last, her paws touched truly solid ground, and she dropped her prey on the bank, sinking down with exhaustion. "Fresh kill for RiverClan," she said to no one in particular, though she didn't doubt that Lionstrike was within earshot.

Lionstrike was impressed with Gingerpaw's catch. A piece of kill that size would bring her much praise from the clan. Add to it being a fish would bring even more. He had no doubt her hunting skills were even better than a warriors.

When the she-cat made her way across the river, paws slipping through even more than her first trek across, Lionstrike stepped out of the brambles. "Well d-d-done, Gingerpaw." he meowed as he looked over the catch. "E-everyone will b-b-be very impr-pressed." Turning to face her the warrior meowed "N-now l-let's t-t-test your f-fighting skills. At-t-tack me."

Gingerpaw
» She stands upon the hill to watch the stars

Sighing with fatigue -- yet also with contentment, as it was obvious that her mentor was pleased with her hunt -- Gingerpaw licked her frostbitten foreleg, trying to warm it and ease the numbness that was quickly encasing it. A strange tingling tickled her limb as she continued to run her tongue over it, the heat in her body slowly seeping back into her paw.

Once her leg was sufficiently revived, the apprentice stood and tested her weight on it. It still felt a bit strange, but she could fight with it if she made an effort. Taking a deep breath, she sidestepped a few paces, intending to attack from a different angle. Once positioned, she crouched, holding her stance for a long moment, hoping to throw Lionstrike off, gazing purposefully into his eyes. Then, all at once, she exploded, hurling herself at her mentor, her claws dagger-sharp and unsheathed. This training battle was not a game.

The large warrior waited for his apprentice. Her paw seemed to be frozen, but that was something she would have to deal with. After the assessment he would tell her that a warrior does not stop to revive their leg; the fighting does that. Of course it didn't take to long for her to get up and pad around him to another side. Keeping his eyes fixed on her every move, Lionstrike waited for her to make the first move.

He didn't have long to wait; caught slightly off guard by the ferocity of her attack, he caught a glimpse of her gleaming claws wet from snow. When the she-cat pummeled into him, Lionstrike stumbled back and fell over. Quickly righting himself, the warrior unsheathed his own claws and began to circle around her. Keeping his gaze directly on her, he did not reveal his next move. Letting out a ferocious yowl he jumped high and landed on her back, claws going in just deep enough to hang on as he bit down on Ginger-root's shoulder.

She wanted a fight; he would give her a fight.

Gingerpaw
» She stands upon the hill to watch the stars

Gingerpaw's knees buckled from the weight of her mentor and her shoulder stung, but through the pain she held her own, and decided to use Lionstrike's move to her advantage. As her legs gave way underneath of her, she used the momentum of the fall and shifted her own weight to force her and the warrior into a roll, hoping the maneuver would loosen the tom's grip. Now she would have the upper paw, with her mentor beneath her, and his belly exposed.

Growling in response to his own battle cry, she dug her back claws into his stomach, going just deep enough to graze his skin. She seemed somewhat hesitant to physically harm Lionstrike, but her ferocity shone through in her snarls, making her intentions clear. Whether or not her talons would draw blood, the apprentice did not know, but they would certainly leave a mark.

The roll made Lionstrike lose his grip and he fell. When the she-cat rolled on top off him, battering his stomach with her claws, Lionstrike returned to favor. Snarling and hissing, the claw marks stung but they would wait until later. Slowly drawing back his energy, the tom got ready to strike.

Forcing all of his power into his hind legs, Lionstrike pushed upward; throwing Gingerpaw in the air. The throw might have bruised her, and definitely knocked the air from her stomach but it gave time for the tom to recover. Scrabbling to his paws, Lionstrike smiled and growled "You're doing great."

Gingerpaw
» She stands upon the hill to watch the stars

Gasping for air, Gingerpaw landed with a loud thud on the bank, close enough to the water for her back paws and tail to slip into the icy cold. Shocked by the frigidness, she was on her feet before she had time to recover, panting heavily as her lungs sought to gain back the air they had lost from Lionstrike's well-aimed kick.

Without so much as pause, she tore at him again, this time a frontal attack at his face, but her fatigue slowed her, and between each swipe she was forced to take a deep breath, leaving her wide open to a counter attack.

Lionstrike was prepared for Gingerpaw to return. It didn't slip his notice that her attack wasn't as strong as before. She needs to build up more strength... he thought as he dodge all of her strikes. He had no doubt she would be a warrior by the end of the night; but she would still need practice with her battle moves.

Dodging her last blow, Lionstrike slipped to her side and shot out his hind legs, bringing Gingerpaw's out from under her. "I th-think that is en-n-nough." he meowed as he sat down, eying his apprentice. "R-rest for a b-b-bit. Th-then there will b-be one lllast t-t-test."

Gingerpaw
» She stands upon the hill to watch the stars

"Yes, I think... that's... enough for now," Gingerpaw agreed, stepping back to rest on her haunches, still panting from her efforts. The little apprentice licked her lips and sighed, examining her still somewhat frozen paw. The fight had helped to restore blood flow to her aching forearm, but it had also left it sore and feeble.

"That was not my best," she admitted meekly, her gaze shifting to her paws. "I can do better, Lionstrike. I just need a good rest." She blinked slowly, lowering her head, and turned to look at the fish where it rested on the shore. She would not dare to ask for a bite, but she was tempted, and a loud rumble escaped her stomach. Gingerpaw coughed uneasily, but said nothing, and awaited her next assignment.

"I h-have not d-d-doubt about th-that, Gingerpaw." Lionstrike replied to her statement. It was the middle of leaf-bare, the harshest and hardest time of the season for the Clans. He himself wasn't as good as he normally was. But there was no need to dwell on that. The sooner she became a warrior, the stronger the Clan would be.

Standing up, Lionstrike shook out his fur in an attempt to get the blood circulating again. "B-before I g-go to Wolfstar to d-d-discuss your warrior ceremony. I w-w-want to see h-how w-well you know you t-t-territory. Put away you f-f-fish and then sh-show me around."

Gingerpaw
» She stands upon the hill to watch the stars

Nodding, Gingerpaw picked up her fish and began to scratch away a hole, planning to bury it for the time being. The earth was hard here, though the soil was softer on the bank than it would be elsewhere, and in a few minutes, her catch was sufficiently covered. It wouldn't be enough to keep a more determined scavenger away, but as they would be returning shortly to fetch her freshkill, she thought it would suffice.

Finished with her work, the apprentice then turned to the north. "Our border with ShadowClan is there, in the distance," she said. "The small thunderpath near halfbridge and the greenleaf twolegplace marks the edge of our territory with them. To the east--" and she then spun slowly and began walking in the direction she indicated "--lies horseplace, our border with WindClan."