[Fawn]

It was truly a testament to how much he had grown these past few moons, that he was able to break up the ice that had filmed over the Camp Stream. Having been assigned this task by Razorfang, the RainClan deputy, Russetpaw had happily complied; gone were the days were such menial labor would've had him rolling his eyes or making a verbal display of how much he didn't want to do it. A Clan leader would never complain of such things, and there was already so much work to do (mainly clearing out as much snow as possible) that a task as easy as this one was quickly and efficiently accomplished.

Dropping large ruddy paws down onto the surface, Russetpaw bounced, looking fox-like in his movements, ears pricking forward as he launched himself up and came crashing back down onto the ice with a satisfied crack! It was shallow, the camp stream, but it would mean they would finally have fresh drinking water, Russetpaw intending to take advantage of the early morning thaw. They would be able to soak moss and bring it to the queens later on, once he got this ice cleared away.

With sopping paws, the almost-warrior hummed a few low notes under his breath, clamping onto a protruding piece of ice with his teeth, pulling it free of the sluggishly flowing stream and chucking it into a nearby snowbank. There were still a few stalled spots that he would have to break up, but at least the stream was flowing again. Taking the time to warm up his paws before he trekked back over it, Russetpaw's dark ears swiveled at the sound of approaching foot-steps, judging it to be either a she-cat or a tom who was very light on his paws, emerald eyes glittering as he sought to make out the arriving shape.
"Bravepaw!" Mewed the larger tom with enthusiasm. He flashed a white toothed grin at his fellow apprentice, beckoning him over with a sway of his tail carried high.
"Are you out on patrol, or did Razorfang send you to help me?" Though there was a flash of indignation in his eyes momentarily at the thought of needing assistance, Russetpaw let his pride take it easy and instead allowed the lighter apprentice to explain himself.

---

Notes: Feel free to jump in with Shadowpaw too, Darkest!
Word Count: 409

[Phoenix]

So that was the source of the cracking. The slight anxiety that had been running through his veins ever since sensitive ears had picked up on the noise vanished at the sight of his fellow clan mate. Picking up his pace, the younger apprentice shifted easily from a cautious walk to a trot, paws stepping lightly across the snow and leaving little prints behind. A friendly grin spread across the tom's lips, and bright eyes surveyed the scene as he drew closer. Curiously, he noticed the ruddy apprentice's wet paws and the fractures in the ice of the stream, but it did not take him long to put two and two together.

"Hey Russetpaw!" He called out in an equally enthusiastic greeting, moving to stand beside the taller tom. The older apprentice had always been something of a role-model to him, though it had taken him a while to realize it. Russetpaw was outgoing and friendly, easy to get along with but also willing to bend a few rules in order to have some fun. Since they had not interacted beyond the usual greeting and hanging out that all the apprentices did together, he could not claim to be best friends with the tom, but he found himself surprsingly comfortable around the apprentice-almost-warrior. "Neither," Bravepaw answered, tail swishing behind him as he looked up at the older tom. "I heard the cracking and decided to investigate. I'm glad it's you though, instead of the ice breaking on its own."

Blue eyes turned to look at the stream and the remaining bits of ice. "If you want it, I can help," He added easily, not giving a second thought to volunteering to having cold paws. "Not sure if I'd do much, though. I'm not really big enough to crack ice yet." Even if he put all of his weight on his front paws, he imagined that he was still too small to do much of anything. This job required the strength and build of a warrior, or at least a cat who was close to it. "Anyway, how're you doing, Russetpaw? Excited that you're almost a warrior? That should be any day now, shouldn't it?"

[/blockquote][/blockquote]

[Deleted]

The new apprentice walked in the early morning light toward the camp stream. When Razorfang assigned her this task she started off right away. She knew it was probaly just to get her out of the camp since she had been complaining about having nothing to do. But that didn't matter, she knew that she definetly wouldn't be the only one there, which meant she might be able to make some new friends. Smiling she quickened her pace to get outside of camp.

Hearing some cracking sounds she went towards it, figuring that was where she would find the others. When she saw the two cats , she was delighted to find that Bravepaw was one of them. The other she identified as Russetpaw, from his distinctive fur color. Making her presence officially know, she exclaimd, "Hi Russetpaw and Bravepaw! Razorfang assigned me to help, although I don't know if I will be of much help because of my size. I think he mainly asked me because I was complaining about being stuck inside camp. Anyways! How can I help?" While speaking she had drawn closer to the two and what seemed to be the spot they would be working. Looking back and forth between the two toms she smiled and hoped she had started to make two new friends.

Notes: Don't mind if I do!

[Deleted]

Blizzardclaw had left camp just a few moments ago and it wasn’t long before he found himself among the group of apprentices, he eyed the situation and deduced quickly that they were breaking the ice. He had no doubt who had arranged the feat and wasn’t in the least bit surprised that two thirds of the participants were a bit too small to be of any use. He hoped with all his being the other two were just tagging along, three wet cats for the price of two didn’t seem to be a smart deal at all. “And what do we have here.” He asked in a surprisingly harsh tone, it had been an off week for him and he had a plan to put into motion. It was already starting to work, but he wasn’t at all satisfied with what he had come up with one cat wouldn’t be enough. He had his eye on another though, and now it was time to bait the trap.

[Fawn]

The almost-warrior could help but feel his chest swell with pride at acknowledgement that his ceremony was literally right around the corner. Grinning ear to ear, the ruddy tom didn't get the chance to answer before another apprentice - Shadowpaw - came bounding over with almost as much enthusiasm as he usually had.
"Hey Shadowpaw! And that's okay - if Razorfang assigned you to help, then you don't have much of a choice, do you?" The almost-warrior winked, chuckling to himself over the almost military brusqueness with-which Razorfang conducted his deputy duties. There was never any doubt that you were supposed to do exactly what he tells you to do without error or hesitation.

That didn't mean Razorfang was a tyrant, he just...he liked for everyone else to be punctual and efficient.

Flicking his tail from one side to the other, the oldest of the three stretched out his front limbs, purring in gratitude for the unexpected company. "Let's break up the rest of the ice and then go hunting together. How are your mouse-catching skills, Bravepaw?"

Once again, another unexpected arrival had the tom's emerald-green eyes darting away from Bravepaw to Blizzardclaw, the unusually harsh tone that rose out of the senior warrior's throat catching Russetpaw by surprise.
"Oh we're just breaking up the ice!" Responded the almost warrior, greeting the tom with a respectful curt dip of his head. "If you help us it'll go a lot faster." He was a bit surprised the black and white tom wasn't out hunting or training an apprentice of his own - but hey, even senior warriors had to take a few hours off, right?

---

Word Count: 309
Notes: :3

[Phoenix]

At the sight of the ruddy apprentice's wide grin, he felt his lips begin to mirror the movement, curling upward, unbidden. Still more sensitive to the approach of other cats than most, he heard the heavy pawsteps and flicked an ear, turning just in time to see Shadowpaw leaping over to join them. The moment she opened her mouth, the typical rush of words came pouring out, spoken as if she had a limited amount of time to speak and everything to say. However, he had become accustomed to the she-cat's speech pattern, particularly since they had become good friends ever since he had first set foot in RainClan camp, and it did not take him long to comprehend the rush of words.

"Hey yourself, you furball," He greeted, voice holding a subtle fondness beyond the general appreciation he gave every clanmate of his. "What're you doing out here?" Allowing a small chuckle to escape at Russetpaw's analysis of the situation, he briefly turned blue eyes toward the older apprentice before gazing back out at the ice. With the strict deputy as his mentor, the older tom no doubt had a better idea of the darker tom's behavior. In his opinion, Razorfang was an intimidating cat who was to be avoided at all costs, but Russetpaw seemed rather fond of him. Perhaps there was something likeable in the deputy, apart from his work ethic and skills, that was not commonly shown to the clan. Bravepaw could not picture himself warming up to the tom enough to joke about him.

The deputy's apprentice broke through his thoughts, and blue eyes curiously flicked from the ice to the ruddy tom's open expression. Lifting his shoulders slightly, the younger apprentice shrugged. "They're pretty good, I think," He gave a noncommittal reply, "It's leaf-bare, so all the prey's gone. I'm not sure these are the right conditions to judge that. But Duck--" He was interrupted by a deep, gruff voice, and startled that he hadn't noticed the older cat's arrival, he skittered to the side, head turning rapidly to find and identify the source. It took him a moment, but he recognized the warrior as Blizzardclaw, one of the more esteemed cats of RainClan. "Sorry Blizzardclaw," He apologized automatically in response to the harsh tone. Had he spoken over the older warrior? How could he be so oblivious? He was usually very good about these things!

While Russetpaw spoke to the senior warrior, he used this time to regain his composure and slow his almost-racing heart. His tail twitched at the apprentice's short explanation, and he gave a shallow nod of confirmation. "Yeah," He added, quieter now that a grown cat had arrived. "We should probably get started on that, actually." Blue eyes flicked over to the remaining ice. "Can you show me how you were breaking it, Russetpaw? Rearing up on your back legs and smashing down with your front ones, right?"

[/blockquote][/blockquote]

[Deleted]

Giggling the apprentice smiled at Russetpaw's outlook at the situation. Shadowpaw was glad she had such good company for this hard task, considering it might take a while to finish. Turning to face Bravepaw she considered asking him why he was here, but then Russetpaw spoke. The talk about hunting after breaking the ice excited her even more, so she was ready to get going. 

As Bravepaw was talking, another cat started walking over to them. Seeing it was Blizzardclaw she assumed that he was there to help them. But when he spoke she guessed that he was there for different reasons then to help them. She looked at Bravepaw, who seemed to be surprised that Blizzardclaw was there. Smiling she was proud she had sensed the senior warrior before her friend, although she knew it was probably just because he had been speaking while he had been approaching.

While she had been thinking about the whole situation, it seemed that the conversation had moved on, and Shadowpaw was completely lost in the conversation. Shrugging she tried to keep up with what was going on, which seemed to be Bravepaw asking how to break the ice. Chiming in she said, "You must be good at this since you broke of such a big piece." And she was just going to stop there but she couldn't help herself. "Blizzardclaw why are you here? Did you come to help us? Did Razorfang assign you to help us?" Shadowpaw quickly shut her mouth, trying to stop her curiosity from completely overflowing. 

[Deleted]

“Razorfang doesn’t assign me to do anything.” Blizzardclaw said the the apprentice with a bit of scorn in his tone. “I am not here to break the ice, I am here for Russetpaw.” He said evenly as he surveyed the little scene, the oldest apprentice leading the younger ones in a trivial task that would have been cleared ages ago by two warriors in less time. “Although if your warrior skills are only so good you are needed to break ice instead of ANYTHING else, then I’ll leave you to it.” He left the blatant challenge out for the soon to be warrior, he had baited the hook now it was time to see if he could make the catch. He was going to have a small bout with the apprentice of this he was sure, he didn’t think he would be able to injure much more than his pride though otherwise he would get more attention from the leader than he wanted.

[Fawn]

Russetpaw felt the subtle shift in Bravepaw's behavior, and spared a glance in the lighter tom's direction, flashing him a brief smile of encouragement. You don't need to quiet down just because a warrior's here, Bravepaw! Blizzardclaw's a respectable warrior, he's not going to snap at you for talking. Before he could give the situation anymore thought, however, Shadowpaw had eagerly put forth another hyper stream of words, all sent towards the black and white tom standing nearby.

It was Blizzardclaw's answer that made the ruddy tom doubt what he knew of the large, battle-scarred tactician. "Like breaking ice has anything to do with being a warrior," replied Russetpaw coolly, emerald eyes full of consternation, as though he honestly could not understand where this was coming from. "We're breaking up the ice so the queens can have fresh drinking water, and I think we all agreed-" he glanced at Shadowpaw and Bravepaw, expecting them to correct him if he was wrong "- that we were gonna go hunting after this. So it's not like we're just playing around."

Who put thorns in HIS bedding this morning? Yeesh! Trying to lighten the mood a little, Russetpaw's mouth shifted into a lopsided smirk. "I bet us three could break the ice faster than you could!" There, how was that for a challenge? Dropping into a play bow, the ruddy tom's tail lashed and his eyes began to gleam, grinning to show that this false fighting stance was exactly that - false.
"How about it, Blizzardclaw? Unless you don't think you'll win."

Blizzardclaw WOULD be able to break all of the ice faster than the three of them combined, but it wouldn't hurt to try. Besides, if the three of them were all channeling their energy into this one task, then it would be done before they knew it. There, that smooth things over, right?

Maybe even surprise Razorfang by how quickly they got everything done!

---

Word Count: 385
Notes: xD I love writing for this guy. He's just so upbeat.

[Phoenix]

Upon hearing Shadowpaw's innocent question, gray ears pivoted toward the senior warrior as their owner turned to wait expectantly for the answer. It wasn't as though he minded Blizzardclaw's presense, but he was driven by the same curiousity as his den mate. Warriors, particularly senior ones, seemed like an entirely different species. Far more competent and skilled than himself and his fellow apprentices, the grown cats demanded respect, if only for what they had accomplished so far. To have one approach a group of apprentices doing a mundane activity such as breaking ice was intriguing. He could not imagine why Blizzardclaw would choose to visit them over doing performing his warrior-y duties, which were no doubt far more important.

However, the words that left the senior warrior's maw were anything but what Bravepaw had expected. The combination of the tone and the words themselves had the young apprentice taking a half-step back and swallowing nervously. Did Razorfang and Sandstar really think that they were so hopeless that they had them breaking ice instead of training? Had they given up on them, just like that? Duckflight hadn't said that he was bad at hunting, and he was just learning how to fight. Russetpaw was so close to getting his warrior name too; surely RainClan's deputy would have trained him better and taught him more than how to break ice on the camp stream. Anxiety flickered through him. "That was mean."

He could not help but notice that there was a blatant challenge in those words, so obvious that even an inexperienced cat such as himself could detect it. He had always thought that the senior warrior was level-minded and neutral, and through the worry that had begun to cloud his mind, he wondered why he was acting like this. Other cats spoke highly of Blizzardclaw, and the behavior of the tom in front of him did not fit the image he had created.

Wide blue eyes swivelled to Russetpaw to see how he responded to the challenge, and his jaws parted, words struggling to rise. However, they caught in his throat as the ruddy apprentice beat him to the task, his voice coming smoothly as he countered the blow to his pride. When Russetpaw glanced in their direction, Bravepaw was quick to nod in agreement, "Yeah, we're gonna go hunting after," and he took the time to focus on the other apprentice. He appeared fairly unphased by the senior warrior's surprisingly antagonistic words, though he thought that he saw some alarm in those green eyes. Russetpaw seemed as clueless as himself, and blue eyes shifted back towrd Shadowpaw, wondering how she was taking this odd occurance. Did she know anything more about Blizzardclaw and his motivations?

Russetpaw turning the chore - it was still a chore, even if he had volunteered his help - into a game did little to ease his anxiety. It was still a competition, still a fight, which Blizzardclaw seemed willing to instigate. It was just in a different format. Unlike himself, the older apprentice seemed completely at ease, despite the antagonistic behavior of the older, larger cat. Inching closer to Russetpaw, Bravepaw asked quietly, "You really think we can break the ice faster than him?" He was rather doubtful himself. After all, Blizzardclaw had not only size and weight on his side but also experience.

[/blockquote][/blockquote]

[Deleted]

Upon hearing the answer to her question, Shadowpaw took a half-step back, and her smile was quick to disappear. She looked at her fellow den mates and saw that Bravepaw was doing the same. Also, it seemed that even Russetpaw was alarmed. Glad she was not the only one with a sense of unease, she turned back towards Blizzardclaw.

His words stung, and Shadowpaw was annoyed about his comment about them not having enough skill to do anything but break the ice. This made her even more uneasy. Weren't clan-mates supposed to encourage, not discourage their clan-mates? Then Russetpaw spoke up, and when it seemed he was looking for support she eagerly nodded her head, saying "Yes. We plan on going hunting after this!" Although she had said it at the same time as Bravepaw, so it probably sounded like a jumble of agreement.

Then Russetpaw seemed to issue a challenge. This worried Shadowpaw because she wasn't sure if they would be able to win. Blizzardclaw was so much stronger and more experienced then them. But she decided that she would go along with it, and maybe her mentor would be proud of her. Smiling again she got ready to work extremely hard to beat Blizzardclaw.

[Deleted]

Blizzardclaw looked at the apprentices, shaking his head whilst closing his eyes to clear it of the thoughts he was having. They were just apprentices, he needed to calm himself down quite a bit and he did. “Well then.” He said simply as he looked over the three smaller and less experienced cats, two of them being MUCH less experienced, and he harbored a bit of mercy for them. It wasn’t their fault, it was honestly nobody’s fault so he decided then that he would cool down and he easily did. “How about-“ He started as he looked at the group, but turned all his attention to Russetpaw, “If I win you have to meet with me privately later? Does that sound like a plan?” He asked now baiting the hook, instead of trying some strange ploy to get him there he would literally get him to come of his own accord.

[Fawn]

"You really think we can break the ice faster than him?"

Russetpaw's bright green eyes shifted to their corners, the almost-warrior turning his head slightly address Bravepaw, smiling in an unapologetic, cheeky manner. "I think we owe it to ourselves to not lose terrifically," he replied with a grin, showing no signs of apprehension over going up against the very large, muscular warrior in an ice-breaking competition.
It's better to do things like this than start any fights with your Clanmates. And who said he wasn't getting wise in his old age? Trusting Shadowpaw to already be working herself up for the competition at hand, the ruddy tom looked back at Blizzardclaw, more than pleased to see that the warrior had lost some of his uncharacteristic aggression. Willing to completely put those antagonistic words from earlier aside, Russetpaw nodded eagerly.
"That sounds like a good deal! We get a ten second headstart though, since the three of us combined probably still aren't as heavy as you," Mewed Russetpaw, eyes glittering. There, that should give them a sliver of a chance to slightly come out ahead, though regardless of who won or lost, if Blizzardclaw wanted to talk to him in private, then they could.

If the white and black-striped warrior had simply asked to see him, than who was Russetpaw to object? He was amiable by nature, and still had a fond memory of their training session earlier, before he and Razorfang had gotten used to each other, fought and then properly bonded. Russetpaw could spare no more thought on what could possibly be on the senior warrior's mind right now, he was instead focusing on the apprehension he was picking up off of Bravepaw. He knew the tom to be a bit shy, and, Russetpaw supposed once he took a step back and really looked at the situation, that Blizzardclaw was an intimidating opponent, even for something as simple as breaking ice.

"Don't worry, Shadowpaw, Bravepaw. This isn't really about winning or losing against Blizzardclaw, it's more about breaking up the ice. So even if he does smash more ice than we do, the job's still done. Just trust me." That was all he could ever ask of them, was that they trust that he wouldn't put them into any sort of danger. Besides, it was the camp stream. The only thing that could drown there was a kit, and they were both well past kit-sized. Feeling a surge of energy just then, Russetpaw stepped back towards the camp stream, emerald eyes scanning it's entirety to see how best to set up the competition.

---

Word Count: 476
Notes: None!

[Phoenix]

Russetpaw didn't seem to have any of the doubts that he did. In fact, he seemed confident that they had a chance at beating the grown cat where weight made a big difference. Curiously, he cast the ruddy apprentice a sideways glance. If doubts did linger in the older tom's mind, he did a better job of hiding them. In any event, he was more content thinking that Russetpaw had a genuine confidence in their ability to work together efficiently and quickly. Even as he thought that, he could feel his heart beating a little faster with the excitement of a competition, assuring himself that they could at least challenge Blizzardclaw.

Ears flicked and Bravepaw turned his attention outward, blue eyes landing on the senior warrior as he spoke. It wasn't a terribly odd request that the white tom made, and he found himself wondering why Blizzardclaw would want to speak with Russetpaw privately. Perhaps the senior warrior was training him in some special fighting moves? Or maybe they were just really good friends, like Swanfeather and himself. Of course, he wouldn't ask either of them, for that in itself was rude. It did not include him; therefore it was not his business. He wouldn't like it if other apprentices kept asking him about Swanfeather. But maybe he would ask Russetpaw if he wanted to spar later on. Perhaps he could pick up some of those fancy moves then...

Said apprentice accepted the challenge and the higher stakes - not that there was really anything to lose - and Bravepaw gathered himself, preparing to learn how to break ice. And do so quickly. Russetpaw's voice, reassuring and calm, broke through the silence that had fallen, and turning to look at the older apprentice's open expression, he could not help but find himself trusting him. Nodding, he swallowed and replied, "Alright. Let's do this, then," before turning back to the ice. Padding over to the closest bit, the young tom inspected the odd substance, prodding it with a paw. How had Russetpaw been doing this earlier?

Taking a breath, he reared up on his hind legs, wobbling a little bit, before throwing his weight forward. With a crash, his forepaws landed on the ice, causing cracks to form. As the unfrozen water shifted beneath the solid surface, frigid droplets seeped through the fractures, wetting his stinging paws. Mouth parted, he repeated the action, this time breaking completely through the ice. Unprepared for his head to suddenly be lower than the rest of his body, he lost his balance, nearly toppling forward into the stream. Tail swished through the air as paws scrambled along the bottom to steady himself. When he had done so, Bravepaw pulled wet forepaws from the stream to rest them on the bank, shivering as the cold air hit them. Panting slightly, he glanced around for Russetpaw and Shadowpaw. "Tell me again how you're supposed to do this?" He requested sheepishly, undoubtedly bright red underneath his fur.

[/blockquote][/blockquote]

[Deleted]

This whole day had come to a bend in the road, and Shadowpaw wasn't sure if it would be for the good or the bad. This whole challenging a senior warrior thing concerned her, but she tried not to let it show. Russetpaw probably knew what he was doing. She mentally prepared herself for the bone-chilling cold she knew she was about to experience. Even though the ice was thawing out, the water was still going to be extremely cold.

Wondering how they would divided the ice she waited for some sort of signal to begin. Although it seemed Bravepaw just wanted to get this over with, going right over to the ice and starting in. Following him over, she decided to follow Bravepaw's lead, mistaking his enthusiasm for knowing what he was doing. Shadowpaw watched Bravepaw push all his weight to the ice, deciding to do the same. Lucky for her, she was always one step behind him, able to see what went wrong and change the way she did it.

It took her three tries to break through the ice, but instead of almost falling in she managed to steady herself. Smiling she looked at Bravpaw. "Ha! I did it better than you" Her tone was obviously teasing, but still regretted saying it since it Bravepaw looked embarrassed about falling in. This caused a stream of words to flow from he mouth. "Not that you didn't do great. I also got to watch what you were doing so I knew to balance myself. So really you did better than I did!" Pausing she realized that made no sense, so she just shut her mouth, completely embarrassed.