Not your Back up Plan [open!]

Feathermist lied outside of the warriors den doing what she did best.. being lazy. She knew she had things she could be doing but she didn't want to break a nail again from hunting. She pretty long haired she cat opened her eyes and saw the sun was high in the sky. giving a sigh she knew she better get up and do something before she gets yelled at again by her leader. Moaning she sat up and gave a good shake and a light blub went off in her head, ''I have to groom myself! I cant look like this while I meet other toms am I crazy?'' Feathermist then started on her chest and all over her body and I want say an hour possibly went by just by her cleaning her fur. Finally being done and having fur be everywhere, she looked around the camp seeing it was quiet and was actually about to go back to lying down until a warrior older then her came in giving her a glare that said, you better be doing your job like a good warrior. She gave the warrior an attitude look back saying, don't tell me what to do you stupid hair ball and with that the other cat went into the elders den and Feathermist rolled her eyes and got up and padded to the freshkill pile. Nothing looked good. Feathermist was very picky about her food. Giving out a loud groan she mewed loudly, ''There's nothing good to eat around here!''

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Fawnstep padded back into camp, a limp squirrel dangled from her jowls. The she-cat was rudely awoken this morning when a denmate tripped over her nest and landed on her rump. Thoroughly disturbed Fawnstep hadn't been able to fall back asleep - so she opted for a early morning hunt instead. It was nice to escape camp for a while. She had waded through the river, letting the cold water drag her down, down, down. The calico let her worries wash away with the current, and came back to camp with bright eyes. Along the way she happened upon a scuttling squirrel, who found it's way into her waiting jaws. Today wasn't looking too bad after all... The she-cat headed toward the fresh-kill pile, she wasn't particularly hungry herself - something about hunting quenched your appetite, but she needed to dispose of her catch. Riverclan's beauty queen met her half-way. Feathermist stood bitterly over the pile, a frown littered her face. Fawnstep furrowed her brow, what was she complaining about now? Feathermist was a nice cat, if you could get past her prissy attitude. She was the complete opposite of Fawnstep - everyone noticed Feathermist, she was impossible to ignore. Sometimes Fawnstep could swear that her clanmates couldn't even remember her name. She placed the squirrel on the pile and cast the long-furred she-cat a glance, "I don't know if you want squirrel, but I just caught it..." The warrior scuffed her paws awkwardly, she wasn't keen on starting conversation. Once she got going Fawnstep could converse for hours, but the beginnings always left her tongue tied. "I mean, you don't have to eat it...obviously." Her voice was quiet, reserved. How do you talk to someone so pretty? [bg=ab8078]

Feathermist was about to head back to the den and call it a day when she didn't do jack stuff today when she saw Fawnstep place something on the pile and the queen of the clans just lost her appetite. She looked at the young she cat with an eyebrow raised and listened to possibly two words that were spoken out of the cats mouth and she mewed, ''Honestly Fawnstep my stomach cant not digest that much fur even if it wanted to. I will be hacking up hair balls left and right and hair balls are gross.. The hair from that thing will get stuck in my teeth and I can not have that at all. I'd rather starve.'' Giving a huff she looked back at the pile and thought, I swear everything she catches gives me an upset stomach.. Throwing her head back a bit to get the fur out of her face she held her head high and mewed, ''Well I guess if you want something done you gotta do it yourself. There goes my day of relaxation. If I end up breaking one nail because of this hunt I will have someone's head to begin with then a tail and a pair of ears clawed off.'' Feathermist then got up and gave a long stretch that in a way showed off her body and how pretty she was. Feathermist knew she was beautiful. The looks from the other toms would say a lot yet others not so much. Giving another shake of her fur she looked over Fawnstep and held her head high and padded past her with a little attitude walk.

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Fawnstep flinched in response - she hadn't expected her voice to be so shrill. She also didn't expect her to be so ungrateful. It was entirely uncalled for. The she-cat raised her brows in exasperation, she was acting like a spoiled brat. But Fawnstep wasn't one to bicker - she didn't have a mean bone in her entire body. Instead she decided to take a different approach. They always said - kill them with kindness. The she-cat brushed a small smile on her face, and then proceeded to meow warmly, "Well, you could always skin the squirrel Feathermist." The tortoiseshell padded around the fresh-kill pile and placed herself gingerly in front of the she-cat, "Most cats don't eat the fur." She added a laugh for extra measure. Still, Feathermist managed to side-step her attempts and continue toward the camp's exit. Fawnstep watched the she-cat leave, a mild look of annoyance passed her brow. "Alright then." She meowed through clenched teeth. It was going to be her mission to make sure Feathermist wouldn't forget her. She was tired of cats seeing through her. She wanted to be somebody. The calico found herself catching up to Feathermist with ease, a smile still perched on her lips. "Care if I join you?" Before Feathermist could protest, Fawnstep continued talking, "If you don't like fur we could fish in the river." The she-cat shot a glance toward the warrior's paws, "If you use your mouth you won't break a claw." [bg=ab8078]

Feathermist padded out of the camp totally ignoring the other cat who was talking. what was her name? Wasn't important. Before she could give a sigh of relief that she was alone she heard it again. ''Mind if I join you?'' Feathermist was about to respond with a harsh no but the she cat seemed to beat her to an idea that was pure stupidity. Rolling her eyes she then perked up and mewed, ''Hey wait I got it.. how about I fish so I don't have to worry about using my claws only my teeth!'' Giving a breath of astonishment she mewed, ''Wow are my ideas great or what..'' She padded to the river then of course with little Fawn tag along wit her and once the river was in view she gave a purr and was ready now to do her thing! Feathermist stood still and listened to which way the wind was blowing. Leaves dropped onto the river which was going to help her a lot. The leaves would cover her reflection when she looked down into the water. She saw the ripples moving in one direction and she knew that's the way she anted to face.

Leaving the other female Feathermist padded down to the river and looked down. A beautiful silver fish was just sitting there so close to the surface of the water. Narrowing her eyes she thought that was quiet odd for a fish to do.. Pondering it for a moment she left the little spot she had to look for a better fish. ''Are you just going to stand there or do your job as a warrior?'' she mewed to Fawnstep.

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The water pulled at the young she-cat apprentice's paws as she watched the water quietly for fish to come up. She had caught a few voles in the fern earlier but she longed to get her paws wet. She wasn't sure why but it sort of calmed her down. He eyes darted as a flash of silver caught her gaze. Her paw lashed out and she scooped the fish onto the bank and pounced on it finishing it off. She sat there contently watching the river roll by when she heard more voices. She perked her ears then stood poking her head through some ferns. Of course. She only knew of one cat who would make that much racket hunting: Feathermist. She let out a sigh then looked at the other cat. She was a tortoiseshell like herself and she looked scared as all get out. Fawnstep was generally shy and willing to please others. That didn't mean she deserved to be pushed around. "Why don't you do your job, Feathermist? You just let a perfectly good fish swim by," she mewed, get olive eyes narrowing at the warrior. Apprentices were taught to respect their elders, but Speckledpaw couldn't respect a she-cat who wouldn't even hunt for herself then complain when a good fish went by. It made the clan look weak, one thing Speckledpaw hated. She didn't care if Feathermist was older than her. [bg=2c4936]

"Why don't you do your job, Feathermist? You just let a perfectly good fish swim by."

A tiny voice mewed. Turning around and having her eyes narrowed at what spoke up Feathermist gave a little chuckle and mewed, ''Oh I'm sorry! Who died and made you leader?'' Turning back around she went on her way and looked down to see a little bit larger fish swimming in the same area. Ears forward the she cat slowly and very carefully waded into the water. The fish moved away yes but then stayed in the shallow area of the pond where Feathermist was. Yes this she cat was the biggest brat in clans history but she did her job very well indeed. Claws out and moving forward just a little the she cat lowered herself more into the water keeping her eyes on the ripples in front of her that told her where the fish was.

Breathing slowly Feathermist felt her muscles tense up and in a matter of seconds, the she cat leaped out of the water in a beautiful fashion with water following her dripping from her long fur, with almost half of her body out of the water, Feathermist landed on the rippled area and crashed all the way into the water head was even under. Giving it a few minutes the black and grey she cat ripped her head out of the water with a silver fish that looked as if it could feed 5 apprentices! (okay two apprentices) The flirtatious she cat padded out of the water and into shore with the fish still moving in her jaws. Dropping the fish onto the land where it flopped and flopped then suddenly stopped Feathermist sat soaking head to toe. She didn't care. Looking at the apprentices she gave a smirk and mewed, ''This is going to the leader.''

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The she-cat sucked in a deep breath. It was hard to annoy Fawnstep. She didn't anger easy, but Feathermist was getting under her skin. How could someone be so inconsiderate? The docile she-cat watched pensively as the stuck-up warrior glanced fervently toward the water. Fawnstep followed her gaze and settled on the large fish resting beneath the current - her eyes widened - did Feathermist expect her to catch that? The little warrior opened her mouth in silent protest - she was a horrible fisher. The fish were usually too heavy for her to lift and the water chilled her to the bone. She didn't have thick, protective fur as did most of her clanmates. Instead her pelt was thin and impractical. "Feathermist I don-" Before she could finish her sentence another voice cut her off. "Why don't you do your job, Feathermist? You just let a perfectly good fish swim by," Fawnstep turned her attention to another familiar face - Speckledpaw. A small smile warmed the corner of her lips before drifting quietly from her face. She was relieved beyond belief. It was as if starclan themselves sent Speckledpaw to her rescue - the last thing she had wanted to do was anger Feathermist personally. The she-cat let a soft purr leave her throat before addressing the apprentice, "Let's let Feathermist keep that part of the river to herself-" The she-cat cast the warrior a quick glance, checking to see if she overheard her remark or not before continuing, "And let's fish over here." Fawnstep found herself padding toward a facade of reeds - the she-cat poked her head through the tall plants and watched the swirling water carefully - there. She spotted two fish resting at the bottom of the river. The water was rather shallow here and the prey looked small. Fawnstep beckoned the apprentice to follow with her tail. Eyes narrowed, the she-cat quietly stepped into the pool, immediately a bolt of cold energy shot through her leg and into her soul. Fawnstep clenched her teeth, commanding herself onward, it took all of her strength to stop the chattering. [bg=ab8078]

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The young calico she-cat glared at the warrior but had to admit she could catch fish. When she made the comment about the fish being for the leader her lip curled up in a snarl. "the ones we need to be worried about feeding are queens and elders. Our leader is perfectly capable of getting food for himself," she growled some. When Fawnstep mentioned something about going else where Speckledpaw didn't argue. It was better to be with a quiet cat than one who was a pain in the rear. Following the she cat through the reeds, she looked at the water almost hesitantly. with the weather cooling down it would be crazy to get into even colder water, but Fawnstep was already climbing and watching a few fish near by. Speckledpaw didn't want to freeze in the water. She grinned seeing a few rocks ahead and padded that way hopping lightly onto the smooth stones. Making sure she had her balance she perched on the rocks and waited for a silver streak to come closer. Spotting one she struck and threw the fish onto the near by shore. However the fish was bigger than she planed and it threw off balance making her tumbles into th water with a startled yowl. Once her head broke the surface she quickly swam to the side and pulled herself out, shivering in her now soaked fur. "St-stup-pid F-fish. St-Stupid r-rock." she muttered crossly quickly shaking the cold water out of her fur. She stepped over and quickly put the fish out of it's misery then looked down at it spitefully. Her muscles trembled for a bit as she moved into the sunlight and started licking her fur the wrong way to warm back up. "At least i caught a fish," she muttered to herself. Word Count: 299 Tagged: Fawnstep and Feathermist [bg=2c4936]

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The she-cat instinctively lurched forward as the apprentice stumbled into the water. Her eyes ran frantically over the surface again, and again until she saw the apprentice's blundering body beneath the rushing current. Fawnstep dragged her resisting, water-logged carcass through the icy water, fixated on the little cat when suddenly - the calico she-cat broke the surface with a sputtering yowl. Relief flooded her senses. A heavy sigh blew through her lips, "Thank Starclan." She murmured. Still, Speckledpaw wasn't out of the clear, not yet. "Come on." Fawnstep encouraged. Amusement flickered through her leaf-green gaze as she watched the determined apprentice struggled to carry the flopping fish to shore. The warrior wanted to help but she figured Speckledpaw was eager to keep what she could of her dignity. Instead she left her gaze resting on the apprentice until she was sure she was safe. With Speckledpaw safe and sound on shore, Fawnstep returned her attention to the gurgling creek. The apprentice's disturbance had dwindled the fish population almost entirely, still, she could see a few hovering among the weeds. Fawnstep cast a long side-ways glance toward Feathermist. The she-cat was watching the river intently, her large fish still resting in the sand. Fawnstep was the only one without a catch. Bitterness, unusual for the she-cat, tugged at her paws. She wasn't going to return to camp empty-handed. Not when Feathermist had a catch. Drumming her claws into shoreline, Fawnstep contemplated her options. The fish were going to be hard to catch with the protection from the seaweed. Maybe if she startled them into the open she'd have a better chance. Still, she'd have to be mighty quick. The she-cat furrowed her brows, maybe she could use something else to startle them. And then it hit her. She could throw a stick into the weeds and have them swim into her open paws! Her eyes bright the she-cat surveyed the shoreline for the perfect stick. It had to be big, but not too big. Fawnstep spotted one a little ways off behind Speckledpaw. Determination rushing through her veins the she-cat darted up the hill and into the treeline. A sturdy, broken limb stretched before her. It was about the right size for her jaws. The she-cat pressed it against her paws - sturdy too. With a grunt she wrapped her teeth around the branch and dragged it back to the river. She could feel her companion press her with their incredulous stares. They must think I'm ridiculous. Without uttering a word, Fawnstep padded into the river until she stood upwind a few meters from the weeds. Throwing her head behind her shoulders, the she-cat heaved the stick into the air. She watched with satisfaction as it crashed into the surface. The water splayed out with a big splash, and the fish swam straight into her open jaws. [bg=ab8078]

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The young calico apprentice huffed some at Fawnstep's worry. She didn't see what the big deal was. She had just fallen int eh river. It wasn't like she couldn't' swim or anything. But deep down Speckledpaw had know it was a big deal. If the current had been any stronger she probably could have been swept down stream. She really needed to be more careful. She growled to herself in frustration. Across and up the river a ways she saw Fawnstep try to get back to hunting. Of course since she had fallen in it had scared many of the fish into the reeds which were much harder to get to than just having them in the open. However, that wasn't stopping the older calico she-cat. She seemed to be murmuring to herself almost as if she was coming up with a plan. when she finally trotted over and got a stick Speckledpaw just watched her with a dumb look on her face. What was she going to do? Poke the fish the death? Speckledpaw watched stunned and the she-cat threw the stick into the water and caused the fish to swim right into her jaws. Speckledpaw blinked then kind of chuckled to herself. What Riverclan cats did to get their prey. "I hate to say it Fawnstep, but i think this may be the only fish we get in this area," mewed Speckledpaw shaking the last few drops of water out of her fur, "Maybe we can catch some voles and mice closer to where the sunning rocks are." She proudly picked up her fish and then found a cluster of rocks and carefully hid her prey so birds from above wouldn't steal it. It was hard to hide the smell but most only the clan cats came to this area. Once she made sure her prey was hidden she trotted over a bit and waited for Fawnstep. Watching her, Speckledpaw couldn't help but think back to when she had Lionstrike as her mentor. He was quiet and shy and Speckledpaw could walk all over his golden hide. She flicked her ear and growled irritably again. He had gone missing a few days back. Just up and left leaving behind a kit, Cedarkit. The poor guy had no one anymore. To her, that was cowardliness, and if she ever saw the tom again, she'd probably tear his ear off. Word Count: 395 Tagged: Fawnstep [bg=2c4936]