Violets in the Reeds

The pale cream she-kit sauntered out of the nursery. She'd planned this all morning, and she was going to make her first day out of the nursery momentous. It was a chilly leaf-bare morning, not that Violetkit knew any other weather. Born in leaf-bare, this cold was normal and she was glad for her fairly thick pelt. The tabby made a beeline for the shallow river area by the nursery. She'd catch her first minnow today, and Ivyfeather and Lichenstar would be so proud of her! She recalled the apprentices talking and stood so her shadow was off the river.

Now to wait.

The watery early morning sunlight sparked sharply against the vibrant red of Nettlesplash's coat, bathing the massive tom in varying hues of vibrant reds and golds that stuck out sorely against the dreary grey of camp. A singular amber eye opened a fraction at the faint sound of scuffling paws hurrying by, nose wrinkling as he blearily observed the young she-kit scampering up to a particularly shallow section of river alongside the nursery. After spending the majority of his already lackluster morning out making the rounds alongside the rest of the dawn patrol, all he wanted was the ability to indulge in a little peace and quiet without fear of a kit toppling head first into the freezing river. Jaws splitting into a surprisingly wide yawn, which made the partially healed scar atop his upper lip stretch unpleasantly, the long-furred tom reluctantly tried to force away the lingering drowsiness in his system.

"You know," Nettlesplash eventually rumbled out, "I don't think any of the Queens would appreciate having to start their mornings by plucking you up out of the river- especially considering how cold it is."

Violetkit immediately whirled around at the voice; was an apprentice mocking her. She'd prepared a stinging retort when she realized it was a warrior, so she immediately let her fur lie down. Gazing proudly up at the warrior, she curled her tail over her paws. "The queens won't have too. I'm catching fish, not swimming, thank you." The pale tabby turned back to the water and resumed waiting for a minnow to appear. Hopefully the tom would go away and let her be.

Watching as defiance rapidly bled into reluctant deference, Nettlesplash's drowsy expression of casual disinterest sharpened into an infuriating little crooked smile as his whiskers twitched in silent laughter. Rolling his shoulders in a secondary attempt to chase away the stubborn tendrils of sleepiness, the burly tom's joints gave a satisfying crack beneath the untamed mess of his coat as he continued to observe the young she-kit's concentration as she returned to the riverside. "Ah, my apologies." Beneath the somber timber of his low voice, there was a softly teasing undercurrent. "I had no idea I was speaking to an experienced Warrior. Perhaps you'd be willing to teach me a thing or two sometime?"

The kit stifled an amused purr. Were all warriors like this one? Somehow, she expected them to be a bit more... Serious. Then again, the warrior was talking to a kit. Ah, he must have mistaken her for one of her foolish denmates. She, Bluekit, and Otterkit were the only ones with an ounce of sense. She couldn't blame the other kits for being less than she and her littermates, after all, the deputy was her mother. The thought of pleasing her mother made her tail curl up in delight. "Well, I suppose I could teach you a thing or two." Violetkit mewed after a while. If she could use this as a training lessen, she would. "Now, tell me, do you know what the best way to catch a minnow?" She inquired. If she could quiz this warrior, she'd be able to gain precious information.

There was the soft sound of fur brushing across the sandy base of the clearing, just hardly audible above the low chatter of the rapidly-flowing river, as Nettlesplash reclined further into a sprawled lump of a position. It felt a little strange interacting with such young kits, especially now that Redpaw was nearly grown and hardly had use for him these days, but not entirely unwelcome. Like attempting to relearn a lost skill of some sorts. Tufted points of his large ears swiveling forward to attention, the red-furred tom took an overly exaggerated pause to consider the young she-kit's carefully constructed question. After being a steady presence in his younger littermate's life nearly from birth, he had learned almost all of the little coy tricks and sneaky endeavors that kits always seemed to somehow use to get what they were fixating on.

"Hmm.. tough question." Nettlesplash eventually conceded, "especially for a big ol' lumbering badger like me. The fish always seem to hear me coming just from how heavy I am." The red-furred tom's thick tail twisted absently around the hard muscle of his hindlegs as he shifted once more, whiskers trembling softly in the light morning breeze. "I suppose the best way to make sure that you're close enough to the riverbed so that you can properly get a forepaw in, but not so close that you cast a shadow. Of course, I'm sure that you're already familiar with all of our fishing techniques already, no? After all, you are one of RiverClan's greatest Warriors."

Violetkit nodded her small tabby head, "Yes, yes, I knew that, I was making sure you knew that." She explained to the red-furred tom, making sure to emphasize that she was testing him, not herself. Catching a minnow was a mere task of everyday life, one that most didn't learn until apprenticeship. She was going to prove she was warrior material! "Now, you must be patient, a fish-brained cat does not catch fish." She informed him, repeating what her mother had told her several sunrises earlier.

Sitting her her paws ready to catch a fish, but not so close to reflect a shadow onto the water, Violetkit waited silently. Wait.... Wait.... Wait.... Aha! There, a tiny glimmer of scales revealed a small minnow, and Violetkit reacted swiftly, hooking a pale cream paw through the water, flinging the helpless creature onto dry land, where it feebly flopped miserably,

Split lip twisting into a rueful simper that exposed the sharp glint of his teeth, Nettlesplash's only initial response was to the young she-kit's brazen command was a soft snort rumbling up from deep within the hollow of his chest. Watching as Violetkit's attention was officially fixated upon the chilly waters once again, the tom's dark gaze eventually drifted shut as the soft sounds of the slow-stirring camp eventually faded from the forefront of his sleep addled attention. Only the sudden sound of splashing rising above the slow-going chaos of the early morning redirected his attention to Violetkit, a single eye reopening as he ensured that the young kit did not in fact somehow manage to plunge into the chilly waters.

Instead, Nettlesplash was greeted with the sight of an unfortunate little minnow wriggling about helplessly on the soft earth of the riverbank. "Impressive technique," He eventually prompted after a singular heartbeat of quiet observation, "Perhaps you'd care to demonstrate how to finish off the minnow? Just as a refresher to a lowly Warrior such as myself."

"Of course, I'm sure you could do with a refresher." She nodded, prancing over to the minnow. Hmm. How to do this. Well, if she snapped its neck, it would surely die, right? Just a quick nip at its spinal cord. Yes, that would do nicely.

As she approached, the silvery minnow was still weakly flopping, tail fin going wild. She went to place a paw down on the fish, bust right before she could, its tail smacked her. Her reaction was priceless. After a moment of initial shock, she pounced, nipping its spinal cord. It gave one flop before fell limp. "There!" She declared, flashing a prideful glance to Nettlesplash.

"Ahh, a most.. interesting strategy indeed," Nettlesplash eventually rasped out, watching the frankly bizarre spectacle of Violetkit attempting to wrangle the fish into deference, low voice exhibiting just a tad bit more roughness in his attempt to swallow down any lingering presence of laughter. "But I've seen worse from those much higher in rank than you and I." Finely strengthened muscles along his flank trembling with the faintest remnant of his amusement, the dark-furred tom simply cocked a single brow as Violetkit became the literal definition of pride, "But now what do you plan to do? Feed your denmates, perhaps?"

A soft melodic chuckle drifted down from the top of a rock outcropping. On top of it, a pair of ice blue eyes was fixated on the she-kit. Willowshade stood and stretched from where she'd been lying in the weak leafbare sun, feeling the uncomfortable stretch of fresh scar tissue. She hopped down into the sandy clearing, approaching the kit and warrior with an amused smile.

"Oh fearsome warrior, what an impressive show! I've never seen a fish caught so swiftly, so gracefully. I'll be lucky to reach that level of skill before I go to the elder's den." It was visible in the she-cat's face that she was barely holding back laughter as she spoke, but she maintained her composure, if only barely.