Hunting through the Frost {Closed}

Tigerleaf exhaled, watching as her breath turned into tiny puffs of fog before her face. ... It's so cold. The young warrior was currently sitting at the exit to SkyClan camp. Despite her efforts to keep warm by fluffing out her pelt, her tabby pelt was short and not quite adequate for such purposes. After a moment's shuffling, she slowly rose to her paws. If she could not keep warm by sitting still, perhaps she could do so by moving around. The forest had received a heavy snowfall just last night, and everything was covered by a fresh layer of snow. The snow banks would have been fun to dive into, were it not so cold. As she paced at the exit, she cast an anxious glance towards the interior of the camp. Her clanmates bustled about energetically, seeking to carry out their various duties. Unsurprisingly, clan life never stopped even in the thick of leaf-bare. There was always work to be done. The striped she-cat herself was waiting for the other two members of her patrol. As unpleasant as the weather could be, the thought of spending time with them brought a small smile to her maw. Foxpaw and Leafpaw—ever since her kits had gained their apprentice names, they had had less time to spend together. It was a development to be expected. After all, they were both occupied with training. Nevertheless, this hunting patrol would be their first one together. She looked forward to hearing about how their apprenticeship had been going, especially when the two of them shared one mentor... Tinystar. At the thought of the SkyClan leader, a shadow fell briefly over her features.

Foxpaw fluffed up his red silky fur and he padded out form the apprentices den. He stalked purely towards his mother, rippling muscles begging to form. He swayed his tail proudly. ”Haha I have a story to tell you!” He jokes lifting up a forepaw with one claw torn. His tree tumble would be a nice story. He purred and ran his chin under her jaw and smiled.

"Foxpaw wait for me!" Leafpaw purred, bounding after the ginger tom. The sight of her mother, Tigerleaf, only heightened the purr in Leafpaw's chest. Ever since her apprenticeship, the she-cat had less and less time to spend with her family. While hunting and climbing with Tinystar was fun, the apprentice would never forget her roots. "Hi mum!" The brown and white tabby purred, brushing her pelt against Tigerleaf's very similar one. The icy breeze in Leafpaw's fur had the young she-cat shivering, cuddling close to her mother to preserve some sense of warmth. The trees above creaked and groaned with the wind, it almost resembled a song, a long croaking that seemed to christen the forest. I love Skyclan! Leafpaw thought, kneading the ground excitedly.

An exclamation from Foxpaw caught Leafpaw off guard, and she shifted her gaze to pinpoint what her brother could possibly be talking about. "Wow!" The young she-cat mewed in awe, gazing upon the ginger tom's torn claw wound. "That's cool Foxpaw! Did you get into a battle? Were you defending Skyclan? Ooh! Or maybe you caught a big bird and it tore your claw! Tinystar must be so proud!" It was true, Leafpaw really did believe their mentor would be proud. Foxpaw was a strong cat and would be a great warrior someday. But Leafpaw's heart sank as she thought of herself. Her mind flashed back to her fight on the river ice, tussling with a golden Riverclan warrior, and losing badly. She was only trying to defend her clan, but might've bitten off more than she could chew. The faint scar on her chest was a testament to the skirmish, next time, Leafpaw swore she would do better.

Shaking the thought away, the bubbly mindset seemed to claim Leafpaw's heart again. "Where are we going Tigerleaf? This'll be such a fun adventure!"

Foxpaw's dark ginger fur was easily visible against the backdrop of the snow-covered camp. At the sight of his approach, Tigerleaf's pacing drew to a halt, and the tabby warrior rumbled a warm purr of greeting. Right on his tail was Leafpaw. With the two of them gathering before their mother, the patrol was now fully assembled. "Hello." Tigerleaf mewed, her maw quirking into a small smile. As always, her kits were so full of energy. It was almost a surprise the three of them were related. Amidst the flurry of Leafpaw's questions, she leaned forward to examine the paw Foxpaw held up. The wrenched claw that he so proudly displayed caused her to wince slightly. In her time as an apprentice, she would likely have been more concerned over the pain than having a wound to boast about. Still, she supposed injuries were an inevitable portion of training. Leafpaw, too, bore a fresh scar from a skirmish just a few days ago. These two were no longer the defenseless kits she had sheltered at her belly. They had grown so much in what seemed like only a short span of time. As they continued down the path of a warrior, she was sure that they would only amass more injuries. At such times, what was the appropriate response? Gazing at the radiant smile on Foxpaw's face, she flashed a somewhat awkward one of her own. "What happened, Foxpaw?" She asked, doing her best to actually portray her internal enthusiasm in her voice. Having been by their sides for the first six moons of their lives, she had grown more adept to conversation than she had once been. She tried her best, for her kits' sake. "I'm glad the two of you are as energetic as ever. How about you two choose the hunting ground for today? I'd like to see what good hunting spots Tinystar has shown his apprentices." The last sentence was tinged with light amusement. She could only hope they did not end up arguing because of her words. Taking a step in the direction of the camp exit, she beckoned them after her with her slender tail. They could chat as they walked.