Goosepaw's Assessment

"Goosepaw!" Fishstar called from over by the camp's exit. "Come over here, please!"

Goosepaw skittered towards his leader, his breath huffing. "Y-yes, Fishst-tar?" He stood as tall as he could, but was still dwarfed by most cats in the clearing.

"It is time for your assessment," she explained, standing. The leader turned towards the camp's exit and began walking. "I'll explain everything to you once we're out of camp."

"O-oh, of course!" he yelped, trotting out with his mentor. "This m-means I'll be a warrior s-s-soon, right?"

Fishstar's whiskers twitched in amusement at her apprentice's stammering. "Yes, soon. If you do this well enough, then I'll hold your ceremony tomorrow just before dark. You'll have to sit vigil outside the camp afterwards." Weaving around a bundle of reeds, Fishstar came to a small clearing and sat down once more. She faced Goosepaw. "I'm sure you've heard this before, but I'm going to go over the rules of assessments. First of all, you must hunt as much prey as you can before sundown. By then, I will judge your fresh-kill pile and see if it is large enough to pass you. Additionally, don't stray too far. I need to watch your progress, alright?" With a nod, Fishstar slunk into the reeds nearby. "Good luck!" she meowed before her tail-tip was swallowed up by the greenery.

Goosepaw nodded affirmatively. Good, that's one of the things I never slip up in! He waded into the shallows, quietly waiting for a fish of some kind. He could see rippling movement in the water not far from him. His paw shot forward and scooped up the fish, quickly grabbing it in his mouth. It was a bit big for him, but it was all the more reason to hold on as it thrashed around in his mouth and he snapped its spine effortlessly. He smiled and went back to his spot.

He caught a decent amount of fish after a while, and he had only let one get away from him. He decided to plunge into the water and seek out fish that lived near the bottom of the river (OOC: I'm not sure if we're at the river or a stream). He waded in and ducked down, kicking his legs as he looked for a prize worth coming underwater for. He saw the reflective scales of a trout and came up for air. He tried to get a good idea of where it was before plunging down on top of it. It didn't notice the attack and was too late to stop it as Goosepaw came up to the surface with it in his jaws. He set it on his pile, looking over at the sun, which was beginning to fall. "I think I-I'm finished!" he called to his mentor.

Fshstar had watched intently as Goosepaw went about her business, catching fish until her pile grew to a decent size. Eventually, the apprentice turned and called out to signal that she was finished. Fishstar would ultimately be the judge of that, but from the looks of the young cat's success, everything looked good. The RiverClan leader slipped out of the bushes and approached Goosepaw, sitting before her pile to inspect it briefly. "Hmm.. You were certainly productive," she said, whiskers twitching. She thought briefly back to her own assessment. She'd been so nervous when her mentor had inspected her fresh-kill. Fishstar looked back at Goosepaw. "Excellent job. You passed your assessment. I'm sure you'll make a wonderful warrior."

Goosepaw had been shaking with anticipation one second, and the next he was overjoyed. "Th-thank you, Fishstar!" he stuttered.

OOC: It goes without saying, Goose is ready for his ceremony now.