Fishing Trip [P]

[starry]

@masquerade

Mistypaw's eyelids felt heavy. She tried fighting off the longing for sleep, but it just wouldn't go away. She couldn't. The apprentice was very well aware of what would pursue her if she closed her eyes. Nightmares of black voids with Stormtalon right in front of her but yet unreachable. She jumped to her paws, pacing around the clearing and fighting off the ringing that filled her ears. She hadn't slep since yesterday and she could feel it now.

Gritting her teeth, Mistypaw forced herself to move forwards on shaky paws. She was circling the clearing, not allowing herself to think of her former mentor. She could not break down here, in front of so many cats. She was already making herself appear foolish and hyper by pacing around - what would her clanmates say if she started howling Stormtalon's name? That was not an option. Mistypaw really needed a distraction.

[Captain]

❄ Snowleap (he/them) ❄

➢ As the Riverclan Shield licked his paw and drew it over his face, he eyed the overcast clouds that occupied the sky currently. Would more rain be coming soon? Snowleap sighed at the thought, getting rather tired of this depressing weather, but perhaps it was appropriate, given the state of Riverclan recently. He had been a tad stressed these past couple of days, given the Creamfrost situation and struggling to find the confidence to accept that he was now more than just a mere warrior. The longhair oriental had questioned whether Kestrelstar would demote him or not, considering how behind he had been with certain things. But maybe the clan leader would be more understanding than his mind led him to believe. Snowleap wasn’t the only Shield in Riverclan, so it’s not like everything was his responsibility, right? Damn it all, the dark-furred tomcat was sick and tired of moping about, waiting for something to happen. He needed to get back into the habit of hunting whenever possible. Maybe he should try to do some fishing. Snowleap couldn't remember the last time he had been able to fish in peace.

Stretching out his front paws, the long-furred tomcat lifted himself up into a standing position. However, as he did so, Snowleap’s icy-blue eyes caught the movement of another cat pacing around the Riverclan camp clearing. He watched as the younger cat -- a gray-furred molly -- circled the clearing over and over again. She appeared upset, to say the very least, and none of the other cats that occupied the camp seemed to pay her any mind. Hm. It looked like a job for Mister Newly-Named Shield to do. Snowleap walked closer to the area where she was pacing and sat down. “Hey,” The tall warrior meowed to her in a gentle tone, “Are you alright?” It seemed idiotic to ask someone such a simple question when they were clearly not alright, but the Riverclan Shield was still getting used to comforting cats. He had been doing that even before he was named a Shield. He knew what it was like to be on the verge of a breakdown, feeling lost and empty inside. Hell, that was how Snowleap had felt after not being able to dispose of Creamfrost before Blizzardwind had. But he knew this Riverclan apprentice was surely experiencing something much different than his own issues. Hopefully, he will be able to help this young shecat.

// @luminous //

[starry]

@masquerade

A slightly surprised look popped up on Mistypaw's face as someone approached her. She was not expecting anyone to care. The tom that was approaching her also was a warrior; her eyes briefly lit up at the possible thought of training. Since she had gone out for a swimming lesson with Nectarrose, the apprentice had deemed it as a welcome distraction. With a quick glance at the warrior, Mistypaw suddenly realised that he was the newly appointed shield - Snowleap, wasn't it?

The apprentice stopped pacing as he spoke to her. "Are you alright?" The question hurt in her ears. Obviously she was not, but now she again had to pretend that everything was great in her life and she was living happily ever after. Mistypaw stiffled a sigh. "I'm alright," she meowed, but it was a plain lie. She wasn't very good at lying. The molly could hear how weirdly formed the words sounded when they came out of her mouth, how dishonest.

She shook her head, willing herself to tell the truth. Mistypaw reminded herself that this was the new shield. She couldn't make a bad impression and lie. "Actually, I'm not fine. Sorry about lying," she hastily added, hoping Snowleap would understand. "But don't worry about me. All I need is something that can distract me and I'll be fine. I can find something. You don't have to worry about me..." The only reason of why she had repeated the words had been to assure herself and not the shield.

[Captain]

❄ Snowleap (he/them) ❄

➢ The moment that the words left Mistypaw’s mouth, the dark-furred tomcat knew she wasn’t telling the truth. It wasn’t because he was good at catching those things, no, it was because he had been in her paws throughout various parts of his life. He knew it was a stupid question to ask her, but he didn’t know really what else to say, feeling like starting off the conversation with a casual ‘good morning’ and smile was far from an appropriate response. Snowleap wasn’t mad or displeased with her for lying though, but more so felt bad that she was obviously going through something horrible. It seemed like many Riverclan cats they interacted with these days were fighting their own internal battles. Starclan knew he had a fair share of his own to get through. The thought alone made him tired, but he genuinely wanted to help out his clanmates.

“It’s alright, I understand completely,” The tall oriental longhair meowed with a simple smile, trying to let her know that it was okay. With her repeated words and talk of a much needed distraction, Snowleap tilted his head slightly, his whiskers twitching as he pondered for a moment. He wanted to help and not just leave this poor apprentice to suffer aimlessly in the middle of the camp clearing like this. “How about you come fishing with me? The rivers are finally thawed out and I’m sure the clan would love some fresh fish to eat. It’ll take your mind off of things, without a doubt.” He offered, standing back up and stretching his front legs.

// @luminous //

[starry]

Mistypaw
(Sorry about the short reply, didn't have much inspiration for this post.)
For @masquerade

Mistypaw was grateful for Snowleap's understanding, plus his offer. She understood why Kestrelstar had chosen him as a shield. He was completing his role very well. "I'd love to come along," the small grey she-cat mewed. Fishing was also a step towards more training. So far, she had completed no training session with Stormtalon or Blizzardwind. It wasn't the fault of the two of them. Mistypaw knew that she should have been more independent when Stormtalon was her mentor, requesting training sessions instead of making her mentor responsible for them.

She made a mental note to ask Blizzardwind if he could take her out for some training, because this was a new opportunity for her. No, it wasn't that she was... excited about the new opportunity. Mistypaw would have been more than happy to keep Stormtalon as her mentor. He was an amazing warrior.

[Captain]

❄ Snowleap (he/them) ❄ [ @luminous ]

➢ After embarrassing himself in front of the other Riverclan shields and being painted as ignorant, it was nice to have another clanmate appear to like his methods when it came to being a shield. Snowleap was far from perfect and not really what one would call a headstrong cat, but they did enjoy helping out the clan in little ways like this - though it meant a lot to the tall dark-furred tomcat. “Wonderful, I’m glad to hear that,” Snowleap said with another warm, kind smile coming to his expression, “Let’s head out then before it gets too late… or before it starts to rain.” The oriental longhair cast a glance to the sky, seeing that it still held that dull overcast that never seemed to end. He hoped the sun would come out soon and Riverclan cats could enjoy some nice warmer weather. Oh well. At least they all wouldn't have to worry about anymore snow this late into the season, right?

With that being said, Snowleap turned towards the Riverclan camp’s entrance that would lead them out to the hunting grounds. He gestured with a wave of his tail for Mistypaw to follow before he began to move forward. “I’ll take you to one of my favorite spots to fish,” The newly-named shield meowed, sparking up some conversation to keep them occupied on the walk, “I took young Frozenpaw there a few sunrises ago and we caught some beautiful fish together.” The thought of the recent memory made him purr as he recalled it to the gray-furred shecat. It was always fun fishing, but it was even better if any clanmates accompanied him.

( It's perfectly fine, I understand! Take as much time as you need! )

[starry]

[ @masquerade ]

Mistypaw was glad that Snowleap was so kind - once again, she understood why Kestrelstar had chosen him to be one of the leading figures of the clan. The shield also seemed like he could handle quite a lot of authority. She took note of his gesture, following him and listening carefully to his words. It sounded like he went fishing often, judging by the way he talked. Apparently Snowleap had taken other apprentices out fishing before, too, along with having a fishing place he liked to go to.

She wondered what fishing was like. The grey furred molly had surprisingly never been fishing before, but the reasoning was probably Stormtalon dissapearing and her not having a mentor for quite a while. Wait... had she even told Snowleap that she was unable to fish, nor had she ever tried it before?

"Oh, uh, by the way," Mistypaw started nervously, biting her lip. "I forgot to tell you, I never had fishing training before." She hoped the tomcat would understand. Maybe this was even a chance for her to get some additional training in, speeding up her path to be a warrior. Only if Snowleap was fine with teaching her, though. Maybe he would just bring her back to camp now that he knew that she couldn't fish.

[Captain]

As the tall oriental longhair began to walk through the main hunting grounds with the young apprentice close beside him, his large ears twitched to her words before looking at Mistypaw with a kindhearted smile. “That’s perfectly fine,” Snowleap meowed, “Everyone starts somewhere with this kind of stuff and I’d be happy to teach you, young one.” They had been fortunate enough that Frozenpaw already had known how to fish when the two tomcats had both fished together, but the newly-named shield genuinely didn’t mind having to show the gray molly how it’s done. There were very few things that the tomcat prided himself on being good at, but he was truly confident in his fishing abilities. Though he didn’t talk about it much for two reasons: one being that he was a humble cat that hated bragging, and two was because it didn’t really seem like an impressive feat, considering he was a Riverclan cat. Mistypaw was in good paws no doubt when it came to needing a fishing lesson. Snowleap hoped they wouldn’t disappoint her. This would be the first time he actually trained someone.

“Ah! We’re almost there!” Snowleap remarked, recognizing the layout of the forest from where they were. Without another word, the Riverclan shield bounded forward, a clear spring in his step that one would usually see on eager kittens and young apprentices. Ducking under a large bush, the tall tomcat slipped out on the other side and a decently-sized stream appeared in front of him. He approached the water’s edge, his pawpads feeling the smooth cold pebbles underneath them. Sitting down, Snowleap wrapped his tail around himself, breathing in the calming scent of the water as they awaited young Mistypaw to sit beside them. The peaceful sound of the rushing water was beautiful to his ears. There was no better place in all of Riverclan’s territory to him. Snowleap was a simple cat with simple desires. “You can catch some big fish right here, trust me.” He meowed quietly.

[ @luminous ]

[starry]

[ @masquerade ]

Mistypaw forced a small smile onto her lips. "Thank you, Snowleap," she meowed gratefully. She was glad that the tom decided he was okay with teaching her. After relying completely on Stormtalon to complete her training, the small grey molly had decided to take things into her own paws. Blizzardwind seemed reliable enough, promising her she would never have to fight through a mentor reassignment again. As much as she wanted to trust the tom, over time, her trust had run out, leaving her to be a cat robbed of all happiness, trying to hide her real emotions.

When Mistypaw heard Snowleap's voice again, she was relieved. Her thoughts faded away quickly as she kept her amber gaze settled on the path in front of her. She followed the shield in ducking under a bush, careful not to get her pelt dirty. Her expression turned mildly happy at the sight of a scream. After swimming once, she had decided it was really cool, but what about fishing?

The she-cat had never thought about fishing before, but right now, it seemed like an amazing idea. Tiny sparks of excitement flashed in her eyes, but her gaze was still slightly sad. She wondered when that would change - or better, if it would ever change. Oh, how quickly a bare thought could shift her mood. Mistypaw sighed, making her way over to where Snowleap was sitting and taking place next to him.

"That's cool," the apprentice meowed as the shield talked about there being big fish in this stream. "Are there any types of fish in here, or generally on RiverClan territory, cats cannot eat?" The question had always perked her interest since she was a kit, but never had she been able to ask it to anyone. Had a RiverClan cat ever died because of eating the wrong type of fish?

[Captain]

Snowleap dipped his head slowly to Mistypaw with a softened, genuine smile upon his maw. “It’s no problem, I’m happy to help,” He meowed, his long whiskers twitching as he spoke. As much as he despised being seen as weak and too emotional sometimes by senior warriors, the dark-furred oriental longhair could never bring himself to stop helping cats like this Riverclan apprentice. He loved to help out cats in his clan and make sure they knew they were not alone, because he would always be around to help them. Sure, it sounded like Snowleap was trying to play hero or something, but it was nothing like that. The tall shield just wanted to do what he could to make his fellow clanmates happy. Isn't that what any good-hearted warrior -- or shield -- would do for his clan?

At times like these, where the thirty-moon-old tomcat acted like an innocent kitten, he couldn’t blame certain cats like Plumstorm or Kestrelstar thinking he was a bit ignorant and soft-spoken for his own good. But sometimes, Snowleap wasn’t really ashamed of letting out his inner child. His parents hadn’t been good to him, one being a loner and the other being a kittypet. His mother had high expectations and his father wanted him to be exactly like him. It had robbed the shield of a kithood. Shaking his head, he made all those troubling thoughts disappear from his mind. Now was not the time for that. Snowleap wanted to focus on Mistypaw’s fishing lesson and make sure she was taken care of. If you give a cat a fish, you feed them for a day. If you teach a cat to fish, you feed them for a lifetime. It was something like that, though the Riverclan shield wasn't one to spew words of wisdom.

Turning his deep icy-blue gaze to the young molly, he was happy to see the evident signs of excitement in her eyes. Maybe it was hard to see for most cats, but Snowleap had become rather good at reading simple emotions like that - complex emotions were a harder issue, but this wasn’t the time or place for that discussion. They looked back toward the calming waters as Mistypaw sat down beside them on the comfortable riverbank. “It is quite cool, isn’t it?” Snowleap replied to her response with a lighthearted chuckle, “To my knowledge, I am not sure. Last time I came fishing here, which was with Frozenpaw, he had caught this shiny red fish with white stripes or something like that. I had never seen something like it before!” The dark lon-furred tomcat pondered for a moment before continuing his ramble, “While different fish are a mystery, I do know that eels tend to be avoided. They’re strange looking fellas that are basically like big worms that are in water instead of the dirt. It’s rather dangerous to consume one, I have heard, though I’ve never had the chance to know myself.” Now Snowleap was thinking the same question.

[ @luminous ]