Pigeon and Mountain [c]

Pigeonpaw was an early riser, and always had been. He knew cats that liked the darkness, and he didn't mind it, per se, but something about the early morning hours just called to him... and if he was going to start training with Mountainheart today, this was when he wanted to do it. For the first hour or so after dawn, the apprentice made himself busy... he did a thorough washing, until his pelt was sleek and shiny... he watched as the dawn patrol went, and then... came back, and the sky grew brighter and brighter... and Mountainheart was still asleep. Frowning, the tom paced in front of the warriors' den, ears back, eyes wide with indecision. Was it unacceptable for him to go wake his mentor, instead of the other way around? Pigeonpaw wasn't sure.

Eventually, he steeled his resolve, and poked his head in, the sleeping form of his mentor sticking out like a sore thumb in his bright blue gaze. Pigeonpaw frowned uncertainly, and then crept forward, prodding her with a paw. "M-Mountainheart?" he whispered, reluctant to wake anyone else.

Mountainheart was oblivious to the outside world, to the steadily rising sun that was long past its early morning position. Had it not been for Pigeonpaw's intervention, the she-cat easily would've snored through half the day. Her stubby ear twitched at the noise, starting a minute-long chain reaction of little movements and twitches as if to get herself back online piece by piece. Without warning, she shot to her feet and grinned at Pigeonpaw as if she'd never been asleep in the first place.

"Pigeonpaw! Hello!" She stared for a couple seconds, trying to remember why he was... "OH! Pigeonpaw! We have training! Right! Is it still morning?" She trotted outside to confirm that yes, in the broadest sense of the word, it was still morning. She gave a satisfied nod. "Come on, let's go! what do you want to learn first? Swimming? Every cat should learn how to swim, in case of a flood! That's that my mom always told me and Sneezi- ah, my sister!" She waited for a response as she trotted into the forest. She'd been out here a couple times, she knew her way around. She hoped.

"Yes, we're supposed to train this morn-" he started as she bounced to her paws and immediately shoved past him and into the camp as if she hadn't been completely asleep literally ten seconds ago. He blinked, staring after her for a moment before padding in her pawsteps, eager to begin. When she suggested swimming, he nearly tripped over his own large paws in his haste to get abreast of her so he could look up and see if she was joking or not.

It didn't appear that she was, and Pigeonpaw's ears flicked back in concern. Should he learn how to swim? That... didn't sound super fun, if he was being completely honest. But surely Mountainheart knew best - the deputy had chosen his mentor, after all, she had to know what she was doing.

Completely puzzled by this turn of events, but confident that things were going exactly how they should be, Pigeonpaw followed obediently after his mentor. "Is it easy to catch fish?" he mewed.