[Phoenix]

Bravebird
settle down it’ll all be clear
pay no mind to the demons
they fill you with fear

- - -

"Hi Crowpaw!" Had he been about to start hunting prey with legs instead of fins, that would have ended his task before it truly began. However, confident in his belief that fish lacked both the ears and ability to hear above water, Bravebird was free to call out to the apprentice standing on the side of the river with his only consequence being the chance of a less-than-friendly response. Assigned to a hunting patrol with two other cats who never did show, he found himself wandering alone along the side of the river. Though the water was practically teeming with fish in this unusually fruitful leaf-fall, he had decided to make his way to his favorite hunting spot, where a light breeze tended to blow through the area and the river curved in just a way that meant his shadow was cast over land instead of water for most of the day.

His spot was taken, however, by the apprentice, and someone proud of the tom for figuring out the strategic position on his own, the warrior decided to greet him instead of moving on. Gray paws carried him over to the younger tom, and a fairly warm expression softened otherwise sharp features. "Mind if I join you?" He asked upon nearing Crowpaw, blue eyes briefly scanning the apprentice's face. Perhaps it was simply part of his imagination, but he saw frustration flicker over the darker colored features. "You seem a little tense, Crowpaw. Anything I can help you with?"

- - -

Fawn

if you get lost you can always be found
just know you’re not alone
cause i’m gonna make this place your home

[Fawn]

A large dark-striped tom smacked at the water in frustration, inevitably splashing himself back in the face, droplets beading along the length of his whiskers, his irritation levels spiking. So locked into his frustrated fishing was Crowpaw that the presence of another individual took him completely by surprise, claws unsheathing as his whole body lurched away from the visitor, burning orange eyes blinking as he reconnected with his surroundings. ”What?” His response sharp, having not given his brain enough time to process Bravebird's words.

When he finally did, Crowpaw's ears flattened backward and he let out a small growl of dissatisfaction. Was his fishing attempts really so bad that a brand new warrior felt he had to come over here and offer to help? Moody and not in the mood for company, Crowpaw was about to chase him away with a well placed snarl and even an advancing step – when he thought better of it.

As long as he wasn't getting taught by a NightClan cat, he didn't care who gave him the basics to fishing or corrected his form or whatever; having spent the last few moons trying to watch and learn from others, to avoid asking his father for help (he wanted to succeed without any kind of parental guidance, thank you very much), but his progress was so abysmal that help even from such an unlikely source would be better than continuing on his own.

The first step to solving a problem, however, was admitting you had one.

Mustering up the courage to lock away his pride for a few heartbeats, Crowpaw managed to speak through teeth firmly set together, his eyes averting Bravebird's, letting his burning adolescent gaze fall towards the water, the river constantly denying him what was his right as a RainClan cat. ”I don't know how to fish. Timberwing never taught me because she doesn't know either.” He couldn't outright say the words 'I need help'. He just couldn't.

He would never directly ask anyone for assistance; he had far too much pride, far too much to prove for that kind of thing. Yes, he had a habit of making things harder for himself, but that was just the way he was, and no amount of interference from any cat was likely to change that about him.

[Phoenix]

Bravebird
settle down it’ll all be clear
pay no mind to the demons
they fill you with fear

- - -

The initial hostile reaction to his greeting caught Bravebird off guard, and just as the apprenticed lurched away from him, the warrior found himself backing up to avoid the claws part of him had noticed unsheathe themselves. Heart thudding as he prepared to defend himself against a startled clan mate - he had had no idea that Crowpaw's reactions were so aggressive - he couldn't help but be relieved when recognition dawned on the apprentice a moment later. Alarm gave way to something resembling his previous calmness, though he felt slightly more jumpy than before. Cut it out, He instructed himself, feeling foolish. There had probably been many times where, when started, he had unsheathed his claws on a clan mate; undoubtedly just like the striped apprentice before him, he had meant no harm.

Blue eyes remained focused on his companion even as the apprentice's eyes slipped away from his, finding the river beside him. The confession caused him to freeze slightly with shock. Here was an apprentice on the brink of becoming a warrior and he didn't know how to fish? Was it pride that had caused Timberwing to keep her mouth shut instead of asking for help? Fishing was an essential part of RainClan, as it was both what set them apart from the other clans and how they obtained their main kind of prey. How could someone not know how to fish?

"Well, you found a perfect spot for fishing," The warrior started, a small smile on his face as he recovered from the startling discovery. Did Sandstar know that one of his senior warrior's didn't know how to fish? "Before you actually unsheathe your claws at all, you have to make sure your shadow doesn't fall across the water at all; otherwise, the fish will know you're there and they'll all avoid you." Stepping up to the side of the river, the warrior positioned himself in a way so his shadow fell across the land behind him. "Fishing is also mostly about patience and waiting for the right time to strike." The warrior turned back to the apprentice, trying to remember everything that his own mentor had told him. It was information he now knew by heart, so well that it seemed almost instinctive rather than taught.

He held up a paw, unsheathing his claws to use as an example. "Instead of using your whole paw, you can also just use a claw or two to catch the fish themselves. If you hook a claw like this and sort of flick it like that, it's generally a good method to catch fish." The motion was similar to the one with which apprentices became very familiar during their six moons under the tutelage of their mentor and obligated to listen to the bidding of their elders: it resembled the one they used to collect moss off of stones.

- - -

if you get lost you can always be found
just know you’re not alone
cause i’m gonna make this place your home

[Fawn]

My shadow? What? Crowpaw immediately glanced towards the water, as if expecting at any moment to spot fish darting back beneath the surface, taunting him for his foolishness just to get under his fur a little. Stupid fish. "But don't trees have shadows? How can they even tell it's a cat's shadow? I thought fish were supposed to be dumb." They must be. Every fish I see is carried back with it's mouth hanging open like it's surprised it got caught.

Despite his initial grumblings over the entire procedure and what exactly he'd been doing wrong, Crowpaw followed Bravebird's example, showing nothing less than willingness to learn, even if only to prove to Timberwing that he just didn't need her help at all. Barely catching Bravebird's words about using only one claw, the tom practiced a sweeping motion which looked more like a battle move then anything to do with fishing - and unless he planned on beating up his prey, it probably wouldn't be a very effective tool for catching fish for the Clan.

But at least his shadow wasn't looming over them like a physical embodiment of his frustration and seemingly ever present angst. Orange eyes flitted to their corners, checking his positioning a few times more before he was able to determine he had least gotten the posture right. Having never spent much time in the elders' den, he had little actual experience picking moss off of rocks; the elders didn't like such a rowdy, ungrateful, rude little tom bringing them anything.

Contrary to Crowpaw's thoughts, it wasn't so much that the Clan disliked him for his Half-Clan blood anymore, but disliked him because he behaved so aggressively and seemed intent upon outcasting himself due to insecurities then any actual hatred of his blood impurity. Ever suspicious, especially to those who tried to help him, Crowpaw suddenly straightened, gaze narrowing into slits as he proposed a question, voice bordering on hostile, nothing short of an accusation towards the seemingly well meaning tom.
"You're not teaching me wrong so I'll look bad in front of all the other apprentices, are you?"

[Phoenix]

Bravebird
settle down it’ll all be clear
pay no mind to the demons
they fill you with fear

- - -

It was a valid question, he conceded, and nodded at the apprentice. Trees did have shadows, but for the most part, those shadows remained still and unmoving. ”I don’t know much about a fish’s intelligence, but they know enough to tell the difference between a tree’s shadow and the shadow of a predator,” The warrior responded patiently, tail flicking by his paws. Moving farther upstream, he gestured for the apprentice to get closer, and he stuck out a paw over the river. Instantly, its shadow fell across the flowing water, and the small minnows by the shore scattered. ”Granted, those aren’t our prey, but the same applies to the bigger fish.” Bravebird returned to their original position, having moved because he did not want to scare away any potential prey in the area.

Critical blue eyes watched as the apprentice practiced his swipe, and his first thought was a brief speculation as to whether Crowpaw had heard anything that he had just said about fishing. Regardless, the warrior could see almost instantly why most of the apprentice’s attempts – if not all – had been failures. While he could understand the idea, it seemed as though Crowpaw thought of fishing like he addressed fighting; however, the similarities between the two stopped, for the most part, after mentioning the fact that both required the use of claws. ”That move is good for the battle field,” Bravebird corrected the younger tom. ”But fishing isn’t all about big swings and brute force. It has a lot more to do with precision and delicacy.” He repeated his previous motion again. ”See? I don’t have a big wind up or anything like you did. The idea is to catch the fish, but to do so with as little disturbance as possible, so any other nearby fish won’t be alerted to your presence.”

Finally, he addressed the partially accusing question that he had purposely overlooked. Sadness chilled him at the thought of a cat so young becoming so mistrustful of his clan mates that he would think that someone trying to help him would try to make him look like a fool in front of his peers. Shaking his head emphatically, he was sincere when he answered, ”Never, Crowpaw; I promise. I’d never want to do that to you or anyone else.”

- - -

if you get lost you can always be found
just know you’re not alone
cause i’m gonna make this place your home

[Fawn]

It took a few heartbeats of nothing but silence, Crowpaw took that time to examine Bravebird, to look into the older tom's eyes and gauge for himself whether or not there was honesty in those words. Finally deciding that the blue-eyed tom had nothing to gain from trickery, Crowpaw let the tension leave his neck and shoulders, and his gaze gradually subdued into something much less hostile and more willing to learn. The dark tabby tom let out a small snort. "Okay. But why can't we catch those little minnows you scared off earlier? Kits who stop nursing might like to try those little ones."

A peculiar statement from a cat who didn't seem to care, Crowpaw revealed a side of himself he hadn't been aware of, the part that could be surprisingly thoughtful towards his Clanmates, Crowpaw having made the connection between small fish, small mouths, and those just starting to enjoy the taste of fish. He could remember with a touch of fondness his father bringing a trout into the nursery to feed his mother, himself and his siblings; he had been one of the loudest voices who'd always begged for fishing lessons, and his father would firmly turn them down with the knowledge that all the fish were much too big and would probably eat them in one bite.

Remembering that funny little white lie now that he was confronted with a bunch of scrawny minnows, Crowpaw eventually cycled back to Bravebird's lesson - something about patience and delicacy and other traits he didn't have. Frowning even before he got started, the apprentice gave his new temporary fishing instructor a curious sidelong gaze. "There aren't any shortcuts for this? I'm almost a warrior, I should know how to fish by now." The idea that the key to catching fish would be patience and speed was almost the same thing as telling him cats with blue eyes could only catch fish; he believed himself neither possessing of this traits nor wanting of these traits. He could leave delicacy and patience to the she-cats, thanks. Well, maybe not to Heronpaw, but she was so much of a tom sometimes that he mostly considered her a brother anyway.

Not that they'd been speaking much lately...

[Phoenix]

Bravebird
settle down it’ll all be clear
pay no mind to the demons
they fill you with fear

- - -

Relieved to see the suspicion dwindle away, Bravebird looked at the apprentice in a new light after his suggestion. He hadn’t thought of utilizing the existence of the small, otherwise useless minnows that he had caused to scatter with a wave of his paw. Kits could never wait to learn how to hunt or fight or fish, but the response had always been a comment along the lines of how he would have plenty of time for that when he was older and an apprentice. ”That’s a very good idea, Crowpaw,” He responded, clearly mulling it over in his mind as he nodded slowly. ”I hadn’t thought of it. The only issue might be that these minnows are out here in the river and pretty far from camp, but if there are some in the stream that goes through camp or is at least close by, then I don’t see any reason why this wouldn’t work.” Even if it had taken him a while to become comfortable enough with water, he definitely would have appreciated an opportunity like this as a kit, particularly toward the later moons. If it would work, then that would be a very good way to allow the newest generation of warriors to get a head start on their skills. ”Yeah, that’s very good. “ He wouldn’t have expected something of that nature to leave the mouth of the tom across from him, but Bravebird would definitely not discourage this newly discovered thoughtful side to the apprentice.

A slight frown that mirrored Crowpaw’s found its way onto the warrior’s expression. ”I’m sure there’s always some shortcut to everything,” He responded, not exactly pleased with the question. The impatience, he could understand, but the other tom had asked the question even before trying again with the new information he had just been given. Wasn’t it at least worth a shot before he immediately questioned the technique? ”Once you have this down and get enough practice, I’m sure you’ll find something that’ll work for you, but I wouldn’t underappreciate the importance of the basics. You want to make sure you have a strong foundation, and if that means taking your time, then it’ll be worth it in the long run.”

He had no idea where this wisdom was coming from, but he meant it when he said, ”What your mentor teaches you isn’t just to help you; it’s also to help the cats after you, who you’ll teach as a warrior. When you teach your apprentice to fish, he won’t be on the brink of becoming a warrior. He’ll have six moons ahead of him to work on it and there won’t be any rush.” Bravebird shrugged, slightly uncomfortable at the preaching tone his words had taken. ”At least try it before you judge,” He encouraged somewhat awkwardly.

- - -

if you get lost you can always be found
just know you’re not alone
cause i’m gonna make this place your home

[Fawn]

That awkward encouragement at the end of Bravebird's statement is what made Crowpaw snort aloud; perhaps the reason he wasn't calling the older tom out on it or whining, was because the blue-eyed warrior had acknowledged his idea and wasn't cuffing him around the ears for even asking about a shortcut in the first place. You're not much older than me, are you? Maybe that was why Bravebird lacked that commanding aura all the other cats seemed to possess; overall, Crowpaw got mostly friendly, amicable vibes from the pale warrior, and that was alright with him.

Even the dark tabby tom was aware of his own petulant personality; returning to the riverside with an expression of unwilling resignation, Crowpaw looked up at the sun and then glanced behind him to make sure his shadow was well out of his way – he wasn't going to mess this up, he swore to StarClan – casting aside thoughts of his own apprentice someday in favor of trying to still his mind.

Well, not so much still it, or resolve some of the internal and external conflicts bugging the young would-be-warrior as of late, but more along the lines of temporarily muting them. Crowpaw didn't really want to think about how he would be teaching an apprentice one day, he wanted to focus on himself first and foremost, not have to bother with that much adulthood just yet. There would always be warriors of purer blood to look after the next batch of RainClan runts.

Patience and delicacy. He repeated to himself, even his inner voice somewhat begrudging the requirements of fishing. Those were two things he just didn't have.

It took all of his willpower not to look over at Bravebird, the tom feeling paranoid that his sudden stand-in-mentor would be judging his every move, every placement of his paw. If only to break through that intense, nausea inducing paranoia, Crowpaw mewed out of the side of his mouth, eyes locked on the water, ”How long do I wait?”

Even as he said that, however, something large and silvery had approached their side of the bank. Crowpaw's orange eyes seemed to turn to fire, his whole body awash with excitement as though he might literally pounce on the fish and drag it out of the water like a bear instead of a cat, obvious that the apprentice was restraining himself from making an impulsive move.