early morning fun [closed]

The late morning sun bathed the camp in weak warmth that was unable to ward away the rapidly mounting piles of early snow. Several slick patches of ice crept from the shadier parts of the camp, but unlike the snow, they thankfully seemed to be melting a bit more quickly. Twisting her head around, Splashwillow took a brief moment to nose several strands of fur back into place as she continued to patiently wait for her newly-named apprentices. Now that Lilypaw was practically a sunrise away from earning her warrior name, Ivystar had bestowed upon her two new apprentices- Sweetpaw and Wolfpaw. Although it was initially a bit of surprise that she would be handling both of the young cats training while coming into the cold moons, she knew she could handle it with the right amount of dedication.

Curling her tail neatly around her paws, Splashwillow exhaled a long breath that lingered in the chilly morning air as she waited for the two cats to come and greet her.

Sweetpaw made her way into the clearing towards her mentor, who was kept waiting for her for quite a while; she had been grooming and re-grooming herself to make sure she looked presentable on her first day of training. The hard work paid off -- even though her tongue ached, her short brown fur glistened radiantly in the weak sunlight.

She padded through the blanket of snow delicately and gracefully, her amber eyes bright with the eagerness and excitement she refused to physically display. "Good morning, Splashwillow," she meowed politely once she reached her mentor's side. She wrapped her lithe tail neatly over her pale brown paws, which almost blended in perfectly with the white snow. "I'm quite eager to begin training with you."

Wolfpaw had just woken up and where slowly walking trough camp towards his adoptive mother and now mentor. When he got close to them he looked at Splashwillow and yawned "Do I have to go up this early every day?" he complained. He glanced at Sweetpaw and nodded politly.

A soft chuckle was tossed into the frigid air alongside a steaming breath that quickly dissipated. Splashwillow herself had rarely shown such refinement and grace whenever training with Fallowstripe, so Sweetpaw's behavior was quite refreshing and amusing. "You might not feel that way in a few sunrises- training can be quite tedious at times, especially during the colder moons." The Queen mewed with a slightly apologetic tone, her glossy nape fur fluffing slightly as she recalled the brunt of her training that taken place during Leaf-Bare. Wolfpaw's slow-going and lazy approach made the calico she-cat let out a soft trill of greeting towards her adoptive son.

"I'm afraid so. But don't worry, you'll get used to the early mornings soon enough." In truth, she herself was a bit slow to wake after several moons spent in the nursery. "But we're wasting daylight- shall we head out?" Splashwillow questioned, giving the two apprentices an inquisitive glance as she spoke, before rising to her paws and flicking away small flakes of snow that clung to her plump form.

Sweetpaw rose back up to her paws and spent a few moments flicking away the snow that clung to her fur before nodding. "Lead the way, Splashwillow."

He stretched quickly before answering "Yeah whatever lets go. Where gonna get showed around the territory today right?" he asked and brushed of a little snow of he's shoulder. "Ugh I miss the rain" he grunted quietly for himself.

Glossy fur twitching to shake away the last traces of melting snow that still stubbornly clung to her fur, Splashwillow's tail swept in a wide arc meant to beckon the two young apprentices forwards and after her. "Yes- we'll start with a tour of the territory. If the weather holds up well enough, we can practice a bit of land hunting as well." The Queen mewed in response to Wolfpaw's question, her head tilting up towards the slightly cloudy sky high above them. Stepping lightly, the calico she-cat hurriedly slipped through the frost-brittle reeds that formed a protective barrier around the camp and out into the much chillier expanse of RiverClan's territory.

"Normally we would start off with some real swimming lessons in the river, but it's a bit too cold for that. I don't think Cloudstone would appreciate me bringing home two drenched and sniffling apprentices, either." Splashwillow mewed, shaking her shoulders slightly to flick off a clump of snow that had gathered upon her shoulders. She knew that the colorless, Leaf-Bare dead reedbeds and undergrowth was likely a bit disappointing to Sweetpaw and Wolfpaw, but hopefully the two apprentices would be more interested in the fact that they hadn't gone this far from camp before.

In contrary to Spashwillow's initial thoughts on the young she-cat's reaction to the reedbeds, Sweetpaw's eyes glimmered in the weak sunlight with awe. "Those reeds are absolutely beautiful! Just look at the way the frost on them glistened in the sun. They look dazzling!" She looked up eagerly at her mentor. "Do you think the river will look just as magnificent in the sun? I want to go see!" Leaf-bare was definitely proving to be her favorite season for the beauty and cleanliness of the freshly fallen snow.

Wolfpaw followed his adoptive mother closely looking around "Well I wouldnt mind! I want to learn how to swim, Im not afraid of the cold. I dont wanna wait until new-leaf!" he sighed and rolled his eyes impatintly.

"The river might be a bit mucked up due to the snow," Splashwillow mewed after a brief moment of thought, "But it always looks breathtaking, no matter the clarity of the water." The Queen continued, a touch of fondness evident in her voice as her words stirred up distant memories. How long ago had it been since Fallowstripe had first taken her to the river? Giving her head a brisk shake to chase away the unwarranted rush of nostalgia, the calico gave Wolfpaw an amused look and lightly whisked her tail across his cheek in an affectionate manner. "We wouldn't wait till Newleaf, just for a warmer day." The chatter of the river was much more evident now- not even the thickly clumped reeds could block out the sweet sound of moving water. Splashwillow carefully brushed past several brittle stalks of reeds, unwilling to break them and risk getting covered in the snow that precariously topped them, and stopped as soon as her paws came into contact with the icy mud that comprised of the river bank.

"Come look!" Splashwillow called to Sweetpaw and Wolfpaw, her gaze settling on the rapidly-moving dark waters of the River.

Sweetpaw yelped and stood just before the mud that covered the queen's paws. "Um... That doesn't look very sanitary... You don't expect me to wade in that stuff, do you?" She looked up nervously at Splashwillow.

Wolfpaw dashed up to his adoptive mothers side so quickly that he almost fell into the river "Ops.. Oh.. Wow! It looks awsome! Its deep right? Becuase it looks really deep!" he said in excitement. He put one of his paw into the dark water and looked at the rings in the water that he created when he touched to water surface. He sighed quietly. "I cant wait until it gets warmer!" he meowed and smiled slightly for himself.

Splashwillow twisted around slightly to give Sweetpaw a bemused glance, her whiskers twitching slightly as she gazed as the younger she-cat. That was definitely a first; who ever heard of an apprentice who didn't want to get dirty? Instead of voicing her confused thoughts, the Queen gave the apprentice a reassuring grin before using her tail to beckon the young she-cat forwards and onto the bank alongside the others. "The mud's frozen," She began carefully, tapping a paw against the chilly surface for emphasis, "It should bear your weight well enough, so there's no need to worry about getting dirty."

Wolfpaw's sudden mad dash to her side made Splashwillow chuckle, although she still kept an eye trained on the dark-furred tom to make sure he didn't go skidding into the water. She knew he could swim somewhat well enough from their trips to the Broken Pools, but the deceptive current could easily wash him away. "It'll be warm before you know it." She promised, reaching over to smooth down a stray tuft of fur behind her adoptive son's ear. "Take a good long look before we head out- I still want us to try a bit of hunting today!" Splashwillow chirped, her gaze briefly lifting to the sky to take note of how much daylight remained.

Sweetpaw tentatively placed a white paw on the mud, pushing her weight down to find it was indeed frozen. She slowly padded up to Splashwillow's side and looked out at the waters. "Wow, it really is beautiful. I can't wait for it to get warmer, either. I heard from somewhere that the oils from the fish in the river will make your pelt beautifully silky and smooth."

Wolfpaw looked at her and rolled his eyes slightly "Is that all you care about? Being clean and looking pretty? What are you gonna do when you have to battle? he meowed and grinned a little before splashing a tiny bit of water toward her. Then he lowerd his head and started to drink out of the river.