willows and otters (p)

[Otterpaw]

(( unoriginal thread name is unoriginal.  Willowfall ))

Otterpaw wasn't sure what to do. He had followed Dappledleaf's directions perfectly. But, he was still lost.
This was embarrassing! Otterpaw was going to be a warrior soon, and he had gotten lost in his own territory. 'This sucks,' Otterpaw thought, 'How am I gonna pass my assessment if I don't even know my way around..?' The white tom suddenly froze as he heard footsteps. "Who's there?!" he shouted, fur bristling in fear/confusion.

[Willowfall]

Willowfall smiled slightly at the apprentice's nervousness. She could definitely relate to that. "Don't worry Otterpaw, it's only me, Willowfall." She mewed, stepping out so he could see her. "I apologize if I startled you, but it is kind of hard to force myself to be loud." Willowfall flicked her tail, looking at the apprentice.

[Otterpaw]

Otterpaw's fur lay flat immediately. "Oh, it's you." he meowed, calm in less than a second. "What are you doing all the way out here? You're far from camp," the apprentice added, trying to make it seem like he knew where he was.

[Willowfall]

"I personally like coming out this far, usually by myself. It's very quiet and well.. peaceful. Of course, I don't mind in the slightest that you are here." She flicked her tail towards the ground under them. "Not many cats come out here this far.. do you know where you are?" Willowfall asked the apprentice, turning her head slightly to the left in a questioning manner.

[Otterpaw]

"U-Uh... yeah! I know where I am, of course! How could I not haha?" he stuttered nervously, puffing out his chest to boost his self esteem. There was no way he was going to embarrass himself like that!

[Willowfall]

Willowfall chuckled slightly. "Well alright.. If you say so." She mewed, flicking her tail. "What were you out here for? There isn't much prey around this part." She questioned, sitting down on the spot lightly, curling her tail neatly around her white paws.

[Otterpaw]

Otterpaw had to think about it. "I was... just exploring! Yeah! Looking around for some extra hiding spots. Hazepaw and I always play hide and seek out here, to learn the territory better and to find more prey and more herbs and stuff, you know, like apprentices do haha..." He didn't even realize that he was practically digging his own tomb as he continued to ramble on and on. It was surprising that Willowfall hadn't noticed the extent of his lies.

[Willowfall]

Willowfall knew he was lost from the start. "What if I told you.. our camp is right past that bush." She flicked her tail to the bush beside them, slightly chuckling. "Now, I can tell you were lost. The better thing to do would be tell me from the start, but I'm not the kind of warrior who punishes a lot. Plus, you are still an apprentice. This is time for you to learn your way around here. So, don't worry about it." Her eyes were warm, showing no anger. "Now, I have an idea. Let's have you show me around the territory, and I will tell you where we are if you are unsure. How does that sound?" She asked, flicking the apprentice's ear with her tail.

[Otterpaw]

Otterpaw blinked, his eyes going as wide as saucers. "U-uhm...." he stuttered, unable to process the information. He was such a furbrain! "Was I really that obvious?" he asked dully. As she offered a new plan, he nodded, agreeing almost immediately. "Yeah! And we can hunt, too!" he purred, glad that she wasn't angry.

[Willowfall]

Willowfall only smiled and stood up, stretching briefly before standing up straight again. She tasted the air, but was careful not to reveal anything to the apprentice, interested to see if he knew his way around. "Hunting is a good idea, yes." She complimented his suggestion, flicking her ears toward Otterpaw. "Lead the way!"

[Otterpaw]

"Alright..." Otterpaw began, unsure of himself. He started to lead through the forest, his paw steps becoming slower and slower until he was close to a stop. He had led her to none other than the river. "This is the river," he mewed, "My favorite spot to swim and hunt fish!~" He purred in delight.

[Willowfall]

"Yes, of course. This is a wonderful hunting spot, for those who know how to fish." Willowfall nodded, walking on the edge of the river. "And, there are many water voles," she added, sniffing the air. "How about, before we go to the next place, you demonstrate for me how to catch a fish?" Willowfall asked, sitting on the very edge of the river, at the highest point so it didn't gradually get deeper, instead there was about a tail-length down before the water was deeper than any cat could stand. Realizing this would be a horribly dangerous place for the apprentice to hunt, so she quickly got up and moved to a lower place, a fox-length away from some reeds.

[Otterpaw]

"Okay," Otterpaw meowed, bobbing his head. He quickly crouched by the water, leaning backwards so his shadow was not over the water. Staring at the water, he readied his paw to catch anything he saw float by. After what seemed like ages, a silver flash crossed his eyes, and he flung his paw out. When he felt the slippery scales, he immediately slammed the fish on a nearby rock, killing it. "H-How'd I do..?" he asked, panting.

[Willowfall]

"Great job," Willowfall complimented him. "I've never done the rock method, for I have a fear the fish will fall out of my grip when I hit it. But ah, you seem to be trained well." She flicked the apprentice's ear with her tail. "Eat the fish, if you wish. This isn't a hunting patrol." Willowfall smiled.

[Otterpaw]

"Okay, thank you," Otterpaw meowed. He bent down and began to eat, mmmmm.. bass.. There wasn't anything he loved more than eating bass. "Want thome?" he asked, mouth full.