Ask to Join You can't see how deep it is [12FF’21]

What are you afraid of losing if nothing in the world actually belongs to you.

~･ﾟ: *~･ﾟ:* 🫧 *:･ﾟ~*:･ﾟ~

Goosesong had already sat himself by the riverside opposite sunningrocks, he thought that this would be a nice easy place to practice swimming and fishing with his apprentice. He had practiced the basics with her over the past few days and the fish seemed active today from his regular stroll at dawn, so he had high hopes that he and Stormpaw would come back with something by the end of the day, at least something worth telling others about.

His ears flicked as he heard her pawsteps from behind him, she was slightly earlier than he expected her, good, she was diligent he guessed. He didn't bother to turn his head, just a brief signal of tapping his tail on the ground beside him before he stood tall on his sturdy paws.

"You're early, that's good" he finally spoke, glancing down at the water as it rippled when fish teased the surface, breaking the brittle tension atop of the water's surface. "I would assume you could guess what we're covering today. Tell me." he stated, finally turning his aqua gaze towards her.

There is peace even in the storm...

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”Swimming, again.” Stormpaw forced her tail to still behind her, and tried to keep the worries out of her voice. No way was she going to try and seem less than put togther in front of Goosesong.

She worried much less aboutt the fishing part of her training. Fishing was just another type of hunting. Only pure practice took you out of the basics. Sure, mastering it before becoming a warrior was needed, but Stormpaw would manage it no mater how hard she had to work.

”What’s the first part of the lesson?” Now impatience crept into her voice and poise. The sooner started the sooner she didn’t have to think about starting anymore!

What are you afraid of losing if nothing in the world actually belongs to you.

~･ﾟ: *~･ﾟ:* 🫧 *:･ﾟ~*:･ﾟ~

Goosesong's whiskers twitched, though his expression remained level as he studies Stormpaw. Her voice carried that thread of impatience, but he didn't bite at it, discipline was as much about steadying one's own thoughts as it was about keeping one's paws in order.

"The first part," he began, ton even and unhurried, "is the same as it always is, breathing and balance. You can't swim if you panic, and you can't fish if you splash like a startled frog." His tail flicked once toward the riverbank, where the water lapped in slow, steady rhythms. "You'll enter the water at the shallows, find your rhythm and keep your strokes even. Today isn't about speed, it's about control." after all he couldn't bare another Reedpaw situation...

He padded a few steps closer to the river, glancing back at her with that piercing, appraising look that seemed to weigh more than it judged. "After that, we travel upstream and move on to fishing. Not just catching anything that moves, but picking your moment. Knowing when to wait, and when to strike." A faint glimmer of softness flickered in his eyes, just enough to hint he took no joy in seeing her tense. "You've worked too hard to trip on the basics now. We're polishing, not patching holes."

With a low hum, he stepped to the edge of the shallows and motioned her forward with a flick of his paw. "Come on. Show me the kind of swimming a RiverClan warrior should have."

There is peace even in the storm...

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‘Patching holes’ was as dangerously close to a compliment as Goosesong ever offered, so Stormpaw tried to let it bolster her spirit. Sure, it followed a long list of reminders, but that was just Goosesong acting like a She-goose with her kits.

”I can do that.” Stormpaw pushed every iota of imaginary confidence into her words, eyes already zeroing in on the river in front of her. As her focus tightened her green eyes dialated and her ears twitched minuetly. Her nose did, too, as she first sought out warning signs that might warn against going out into the open away from the riverbank.

Clear. Then it was a scan of the water. No outward signs of currents flowing, and things looked rather still as the sunshine dappled the softly moving surface. Good. Maybe surprises, still, but no obvious issues!

It was time. Stormpaw collected herself and started down to the water. The water held a chill that she ignored.

She was RiverClan. That was refreshing she felt.

Instead she waded softly into the water using the same light pawsteps used to stalk prey on land. Stormpaw leveled her spine and skull to each other as the water reached her back. The feel of the water pulling on her paws still wasn’t as familiar as she wished it was, but found her boyancy without panicing.

With one last push off the mud of the bottom she was properly swimming, tail laid behind her like a rudder. She didn’t try for fancy. Stormpaw sent her strokes towards the far side.

Goosesong hadn’t said where she was meant to swim to. That meant she got to pick.

What are you afraid of losing if nothing in the world actually belongs to you.

~･ﾟ: *~･ﾟ:* 🫧 *:･ﾟ~*:･ﾟ~

Goosesong narrowed his eyes slightly as he watched Stormpaw glide through the water with steady strokes, her form improving with each movement. He gave a low approving hum before calling out. "Good, you’re steady and calm, that’s exactly what you need." His voice was calm but it held that rare undercurrent of encouragement.

As she swam to the far side, he took a step closer to the bank, his gaze sharpening. "But keep in mind," he warned, voice dropping just enough for gravity "Don’t stray too close to Sunningrocks. We’re just the two of us out here, and the last thing we need is to stir up trouble with ThunderClan over a border squabble." He flicked his tail on the direction of the far shore. "Respect the boundaries. That’s as important as mastering your stroke."

He paused, glancing back at her with a more thoughtful look, though his tone remained direct. "Swimming is about control, not just over your body, but your choices out there. Keep your head clear and don’t take unnecessary risks. A good warrior knows when to push and when to hold back." His words were direct but not harsh, just, honest.

With that, Goosesong settled himself back on the bank, eyes steady as ever. "Now swim back and show me that you can keep that rhythm all the way without losing focus"

There is peace even in the storm...

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Stormpaw’s ear twitched in response to the words, but her focus was on the pull of the flowing water and the faint but acrid smell of the ThunderClan boundry marks laying claim to Sunningrocks.

Her father should have handled that before she was born, not let ThunderClan hold a riverbank! With the sudden strength of her indignity fueling her, Stormpaw’s paddling grew stronger. She made her way in a arc through the water, turning back to join her mentor on the bank.

”Why havn’t we taken Sunningrocks back?” She demanded, sunlight catching both her eyes and the water dropplets leaving her sleek pelt as she left the water. It only made sense that when the borders were first laid that Sunningrocks would have been part of RiverClan, and thus the next infrence was that no one had bothered to tell her about how they’d been stolen!

What are you afraid of losing if nothing in the world actually belongs to you.

~･ﾟ: *~･ﾟ:* 🫧 *:･ﾟ~*:･ﾟ~

Goosesong’s gaze held hers for a long, steady moment before he spoke, his voice even and direct. "Neither Boldstrike or Coldstar had sent cats to attack Sunningrocks in your lifetime," he said plainly "Your sire led RiverClan his share of battles but he didn’t start one over that stretch of stone for as long as I can remember. But Coldstar…" His whiskers twitched faintly "I wouldn’t put it past him to make the call, it just hasn’t happened yet."

He sat back, curling his tail neatly over his paws, eyes narrowing slightly as he continued. "You’re right about one thing, it used to be ours. But that doesn’t mean it’s worth losing lives over every season. Sunningrocks has spilled enough blood between the clans to stain it for moons. If a fight comes to you and there’s no other way to avoid it, you meet it. But don’t go looking for it." He said, there was a certain authority in his voice, not of a leader or a deputy but of a cat who knew what he was doing.

For a heartbeat, his expression softened, not much, but enough for his voice to carry a shade of warmth. "Strength isn’t just how hard you push Stormpaw. It’s knowing when to push and when to stand down. That’s what keeps warriors alive to fight battles that truly matter" he said, the knowledgeable authority not leaving his voice. "Now, with me upstream, we’ll catch more fish there"

There is peace even in the storm...

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”When Coldstar calls I’ll answer.” Stormpaw spoke the words with absolute convision. Goosesong was a coward who didn’t care about taking back what was RiverClan’s. She would never fail her clan that way.

She did, however, follow obediently after a quick shake to clear her coat of water as Goosesong led the way upstream. Now she would show him the patience to her boring old mentor. She could sit still and wait on fish until the larks started singing their evening songs.

What are you afraid of losing if nothing in the world actually belongs to you.

~･ﾟ: *~･ﾟ:* 🫧 *:･ﾟ~*:･ﾟ~

"As will I" He responded, still leading his apprentice upstream, finding a section of the river where the fish were undisturbed, running with the flow of the water their shadows flicking beneath the unbroken surface of the water as if putting on a performance for them. "Only then."

Goosesong glanced at the river again, approaching the edge with articulated, practiced grace as he laid his paws against the grassy earth. He glanced into the water his face hardly making a shadow over the shifting water as he couched down onto his paws, his fur flat and sleek, regardless of length, holding that sheen that seemed quite unique to RiverClan.

"It's time to fish now, we take turns, we catch as much as we can carry back" He explained plainly there wasn't much else that he said, however he waited at the edge of the river, eyes narrowed but unmoving. The only movement being a summoning flick of his tail to draw Stormpaw to her turn to fish.

There is peace even in the storm...

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Stormpaw couldn’t resist taking a moment to look back over her shoulder to where the sun-dappled rocks lay temptingly on the far bank. Hopefully Coldstar wouldn’t wait long.

Her mentors’ voice drew her attention back to the task at paw. Stormpaw sidled to the water’s edge not far from her mentor, selecting a spot where the water waas both shady enough to tempt a fish close, and deep enough to make them calmer. Fishing was about being centered and waiting until the moment. Just like she would wait for the moment of Coldstar’s call.

She settled into an easy crouch with her eyes on the water, attentive for movement. Overhead the clouds moved, and the plant life that surrended her drifted idly. It could have been an eternity, or it could have been mere breaths before she saw the first movements start. First it was little minnows flitting through the water, slowly graining in size as the smallest became hunted by larger speices. First heron, and then Sunfish started to come.

Slowly, she started to move her paw. Stormpaw raised it slowly, leaning forward with as much grace and poise as she could. Then, thoughts to the fact that the water made things look to be where they were not, and she struck as quickly as she could. That paw darted out, claws extending in hopes of snaring in the scales on the side to haul it from the water…

What are you afraid of losing if nothing in the world actually belongs to you.

~･ﾟ: *~･ﾟ:* 🫧 *:･ﾟ~*:･ﾟ~

There is peace even in the storm...

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Stormpaw’s tail rolled behind her in irritation. The old tom’s irritating lecture on the technique rolling her stomach the same way it had rolled her tail. Goosesong’s same old boring refrain for perfection.

She failed to notice the quiet undercurrent of pride in his voice, instead listening to him repeat the same lectures on hunting. He didn’t mention the fact that they’d already made two catches here, though. Fish might be dumb, but they wern’t that dumb.

On his instruction to make another go of it she gave an earflick of ascent, deciding he didn’t deserve to hear her acctually say anything. Instead she turned and slid into the underbrush to creep down the river a bit.

She then found a good spot: a bundle of roots leaned over where the spring waters had made a divot below them that was now shady and fillwed with water. Stormpaw laid herself flat on her belly, where she waited, one paw hanging slightly over the edge in wait.

Stormpaw was frozen on the precipice, watching sun dapple off the silver minnows as they swam erraticly. She ignored them, a waste of effort when fishing was good. She laid poised on the edge, ears moving in tandem with her eyes before the dark shadow at the bottom came into sight.

The specter loomed in the pit below her, tempting. She leaned forward slowly, readying… Then the dark of her clawed paw flew forward.

Chaos errupted.

The bank of bush roots under her gave as her claws made contact with the catfish. Stormpaw rolled into the water, depesperatly gripping with her paws and claws before finally getting her fangs into the fish’s back while compeltely submerged. Thankfully the water was only just above her head and she was able to force her paws into the river’s floor and push for the surface. 

She bobbed up, catfish clenched in her jaws but flapping wildly as she fought to keep her head above water and paddle for even shallower water.

What are you afraid of losing if nothing in the world actually belongs to you.

~･ﾟ: *~･ﾟ:* 🫧 *:･ﾟ~*:･ﾟ~

When Stormpaw plummeted into the river after a catfish, Goosesong's demeanor shifted almost immediately. The disciplined and calculated tom now looked horrified, and there was something behind his gaze that told the cats that focused long enough to care that this wasn't his first time baring witness to an apprentice struggle for grip in the water.

His claws unsheathed, gripping against the grass as his head lurched forward, gripping the catfish's tail and clamping down hard as if a life depended on it, and to him and possibly Stormpaw, it did. 

Goosesong's nose wrinkled with effort as he tugged at the fish, narrowing his eyes fiercely at Stormpaw, the fiercest, commanding look he felt he had given her for her entire apprenticeship. If she didn't follow his direction, she could die, and he hoped his glare told her more than his words.

The river thrashed, splashes of water made Goosesong's face damp but his determination didn't falter, he crept back with his usual sturdy paws, albeit they were shivering a little from a memory that felt as if it were following him now. He pulled as much as he could, all he needed to do was pull Stormpaw close enough to where her paws could meet solid ground.

It seemed that Stormpaw's grip on the fish remained resolute, that was good, he didn't need to stress too much about her determination to catch. And at the last moment, he growled with frustration, determination and a little bit of well hidden fury as he ripped the fish inward, Stormpaw attached, Stormpaw had to bare some of the load too, and it was up to her now to find solid ground while Goosesong did his best to contain the thrashing.

His apprentice wouldn't appreciate this later, he was sure of it. But regardless, he wasn't looking to watch another apprentice be buried beneath the currents.

There is peace even in the storm...

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Stormpaw was too busy swimming to notice anything about her mentor’s paniced demonor. Instead she focused on herself and her catch. As soon as Goosesong’s grip joined her own she was able to swim better, finally finding her paws in the shallows.

One good breath with her nose and the fish’s back above the water and a mighty tug came. Her mentor was a large cat and the desperate pull towards the bank took her back underwater and into the mud below the surface. She kept her savage grip on the back of the catfish, however. She strugled onto the bank as Goosesong dragged her and the fish up and out.

As soon as her paws were back on solid ground she pressed forward and released the fish to Goosesong’s hold. Instead she dove for the wide head, fangs ripping in to dispatch it with a crushing bite to the spine.

With a deep exhale she stilled next to her catch, belly to the ground but teeth still in the fish.

Victory!

What are you afraid of losing if nothing in the world actually belongs to you.

~･ﾟ: *~･ﾟ:* 🫧 *:･ﾟ~*:･ﾟ~

As frustrated as Goosesong was with Stormpaw for her reckless ambition, there was a part of him that was glad she was alive, and the two had caught the catfish together, he hoped to call that a win on both ends. And yet, he still didn't crack so much as a smile, it wasn't worth the effort, but a low purr did rumble as he turned to gather the remaining fish.

"Don't dive without knowing how deep the water is, that could have ended a lot worse" Goosesong's voice was as stern as it always was, but the words held worry, that weight that Goosesong wished he could show outwardly sometimes. Regardless, he had to honor what he saw in Stormpaw "You caught well, we'll take them back to camp" he stated before crouching down to pick up the two fish they had caught by the tails, leaving the catfish for Stormpaw to take back to camp.

He didn't give much time for a response as he padded towards the camp, only turning briefly to see if she had followed. The came another set of words, stern and steady "Give the catfish to the elders, they can share a catch like that between them. You're a fine fisher Stormpaw."

There is peace even in the storm...

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Stormpaw surpressed either a purr or a rumble, though she wasn’t sure which. Any sort of acknowlegement from her mentor was a rare treat, but it seemed she would never manage to earn one without earning some sort of lecture. She adjusted her grip on the catfish, straightening up and preparing to go despite the fact it was so large the tail still dragged between her forelegs.

She’d been handling herself just fine in the river. His help hadn’t been needed, just helped speed getting the Catfish to dry land a bit faster. Why was he always so worried?

Did he think she was going to drown or something?