More than just a fishing trip (For Icee)

It was a sunny afternoon when Palepaw had decided to venture out of camp. Cicadas and birds were singing in the trees, and the sound of running water became louder as the tabby apprentice walked. Soon, he found himself at the river, a great rushing column of clear water. The sound was soothing to his ears. Palepaw trotted down to the bank and stretched, the sun hot on his back. Just as he turned to settle down on a large rock, he spotted an unfamiliar silver figure sashaying along the shore.

"Hey, you! This is ThunderClan territory!" he hollered, fur on his neck rippling with hostility.

For Mistpaw, sitting around in camp was the most boring thing in the world. She had decided to take a trip out to the Sunningrocks, despite never being there before and not knowing it's location. By the time it was too late, the silver tabby had passed by the rocks and was padding along ThunderClan territory.

The loud voice of a strange tom startled her making her pause mid-step. Sitting on a rather large rock was a grey cat, one she had never seen before. He wasn't full grown, but was definitely bigger than a young apprentice. He was definitely a danger, and didn't seem very friendly from his tone of voice. Even though she knew better than to engage a random cat without any good reason, she strut forward and called back to the tom.

"This is RiverClan territory, you mousebrain!" she hissed. Mistpaw glanced around, taking in the surroundings. It didn't seem familiar at all. At least I think it is...

"You're as daft as the rest of your Clan," Palepaw hissed, stepping down from the warm stone. "You crossed the river onto my territory. Just because you own Sunningrocks doesn't mean you can wander off wherever you want." The tom's eyes narrowed, and he took a few steps closer to her. Had her mentor taught her nothing? "I'll give you one warning, or else I'll have to defend what's mine. Go back to your Clan."

The she-cat was dumbstruck. She spun around, this time really surveying the land. She opened her mouth slightly and the strong scent of pine and dirt. She really was on ThunderClan territory!

The fur on the back of her neck began to rise as the tom advanced and the silver apprentice moved into a crouched position. A low and rumbling sound manifested in her throat, warning the cat to back off. Mistpaw took a few steps back but did not move her eyes from his. The rush of water, the crash of the waves against the shore. It was soothing to the RiverClan apprentice.

That's when it struck her.

"Why does ThunderClan need the river anyway? It's not like you could catch fish even if you wanted to." she teased, a smile appearing on her face. Wait.. Did I say that out loud? Oops. The she-cat stopped in her tracks and stood up straight. This wasn't going to be good.

That was it. With a hiss, Palepaw sprang at Mistpaw, claws unsheathed. Remembering what his mentor had taught him, he bowled her over and pinned her down, pressing his paws into her inner shoulder joint area.

"At least I'm not stupid enough to wander onto ThunderClan territory and insult a ThunderClan cat!" he spat into her face, claws just digging into the surface of her skin.

Mistpaw landed with an 'oof' and wriggled under the cat's grip. The pressure of his paws was sending a sharp pain through her shoulder but she held back the rising yowl of pain. The she-cat thought back to her battle training, scanning her mind on what to do when pinned down by the enemy. The memory popped into her head, and just like in her training, she mustered her strength in her back legs and pushed hard against Palepaw's belly, this time with claws unsheathed. With the gray apprentice now off of her, it was her turn to lunge. The force of her attack sent the two rolling, only to stop dangerously close to the edge of the crashing river. Water sprayed up and began to soak through Mistpaw's heavy, silver fur but she didn't care. The issue at hand was definitely more important than the cascade of blue that the she-cat practically lived in.

"I wouldn't have to insult you if you didn't fight like a kittypet!" The silver tabby growled, her green eyes ablaze.

As Palepaw was sent sprawling towards the water's edge, the left side of his face connected with a rugged stone. He felt a sharp bolt of pain shoot through his face, and all he could see in one eye was a flurry of opaque red. He managed to express an agonized hiss, but there was no time to waste whining like a kit. The tabby apprentice twisted his torso around and whipped both armed paws across Mistpaw's face, though only one connected with flesh. Nonetheless, Palepaw knew it had been a deep-cutting blow.

Mistpaw was taken off guard when sharp claws came in contact with her face, ripping the flesh on her left cheek. Dark red blood began pouring out of the wound, soaking the striped fur on her face. She let out a whine of pain and jumped off of the apprentice. She slowly back up, her fur still bristling with anger but she would not surrender. For her that would be dishonorable to her Clan. So the RiverClan apprentice stood still as blood poored from her cheek and dripped onto the ground. The pain was excruciating, but this tom did not need to know that. That was Mistpaw's burden and hers alone.