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Description
"How is this important?!"
Frozenpaw was up to her belly in the ice-cold water of the river near the camp. The ice had only just melted, so the water was, of course, very cold and unappealing. She thought she would be doing something useful today!
Dreamheart was a few tail-lengths away, his head underwater. When it came up again, Frozenpaw almost purred aloud. His fur was drenched, his ears hanging with the weight of the water. In his jaws he held a wet, bitter-smelling plant. If Frozenpaw didn't know any better she'd think Dreamheart looked miserable, but the gray deputy's eyes were still shining.
"Don't you twitch your whiskers at me!" Her mentor growled around his soggy bundle. This only made Frozenpaw's whiskers twitch more.
"How is this important?"
"Foxfur wanted Heartpaw to smell some water plants," Dreamheart replied. "Maybe they'll help with her training. You know, confuse her a bit."
Frozenpaw was taken aback. "That's a nasty trick," she growled disapprovingly. She was a young apprentice, but she knew who Foxfur was. He was the clan's skillful medicine cat, and Heartpaw was his nervous, paranoid apprentice. She was a perfectionist, always trying to get everything exactly right. Frozenpaw knew that if she found out Foxfur had tried to trick her, she'd be very upset.
Dreamheart purred, but flicked his tail. Frozenpaw knew he wanted her to drop the subject.
"That should be enough," said the deputy, looking at the pile of strange plants they had gathered. "Let's get back to camp."
Frozenpaw nodded and trotted off, relieved that Dreamheart hadn't asked her to carry the foul herbs home.
She'd never realized how pretty the camp was. It was made of a huge purpley- blue cliff. All the dens were carved out in its base. The highstone was directly in front of the cliff, smooth from the years of standing unmoving in the frequent rain.
She was so busy marveling at the camp, that she didn't notice walking right into another cat.
"Hey, watch it!" growled the cat, turning around.
Frozenpaw gasped. This cat smelled of the apprentice den, but his gray pelt was smooth like a warrior's. His only noticeable battle scar was a huge, long- ago healed gash in his right ear. His left eye was golden, like a chip of the sun, but his other eye was completely white. There was no pupil in that eye.
"Hey!" the apprentice growled again. "Why must you look at me? I don't look at you like that!"
Frozenpaw ducked down, afraid. She knew that he was her clanmate, but he was terrifying, especially with his mangled ear and apparently blind eye.
"Fogpaw!" Yowled another cat, and Frozenpaw looked in horror as another tom came running. Was he going to yell at her, too?
The new cat didn't seem mean. His fur was smooth, but slightly longer than Fogpaw's. It was slightly lighter gray than his, and dappled with white splotches that looked like clouds. His white-tipped ears were not laid back against his head, and his mouth was smiling, not snarling. His blue eyes looked friendly.
"You must be the new apprentice," said the new cat. He looked like he'd rather not be talking. Perhaps he was shy.
"I'm sorry for my brother's behavior."
"I'm Frozenpaw," mewed Frozenpaw. "And you are......?"
"Wet," replied the gray cat, frowning up at the sky. Frozenpaw realized for the first time that the air was thick with fog and mist.
"Your name?"
"Skypaw," He said, but his eyes were focused on something behind Frozenpaw.
She whirled around to see another cat.
"Hi," said the new cat. She was lithe and flexible, a pretty white she-cat with faint silver stripes along her back. "Skypaw, Fogpaw, are you ready for battle training?
Fogpaw narrowed his eyes, but Skypaw replied politely, "Yes, Icedrop."
Icedrop focused on Frozenpaw.
"Why, you're Frozenpaw, aren't you? The new apprentice? Come with us!"
Frozenpaw opened her mouth to reply when Dreamheart gave her a little shove.
"Go on," he meowed, "And have fun!"

Description
"How is this important?!"
Frozenpaw was up to her belly in the ice-cold water of the river near the camp. The ice had only just melted, so the water was, of course, very cold and unappealing. She thought she would be doing something useful today!
Dreamheart was a few tail-lengths away, his head underwater. When it came up again, Frozenpaw almost purred aloud. His fur was drenched, his ears hanging with the weight of the water. In his jaws he held a wet, bitter-smelling plant. If Frozenpaw didn't know any better she'd think Dreamheart looked miserable, but the gray deputy's eyes were still shining.
"Don't you twitch your whiskers at me!" Her mentor growled around his soggy bundle. This only made Frozenpaw's whiskers twitch more.
"How is this important?"
"Foxfur wanted Heartpaw to smell some water plants," Dreamheart replied. "Maybe they'll help with her training. You know, confuse her a bit."
Frozenpaw was taken aback. "That's a nasty trick," she growled disapprovingly. She was a young apprentice, but she knew who Foxfur was. He was the clan's skillful medicine cat, and Heartpaw was his nervous, paranoid apprentice. She was a perfectionist, always trying to get everything exactly right. Frozenpaw knew that if she found out Foxfur had tried to trick her, she'd be very upset.
Dreamheart purred, but flicked his tail. Frozenpaw knew he wanted her to drop the subject.
"That should be enough," said the deputy, looking at the pile of strange plants they had gathered. "Let's get back to camp."
Frozenpaw nodded and trotted off, relieved that Dreamheart hadn't asked her to carry the foul herbs home.
She'd never realized how pretty the camp was. It was made of a huge purpley- blue cliff. All the dens were carved out in its base. The highstone was directly in front of the cliff, smooth from the years of standing unmoving in the frequent rain.
She was so busy marveling at the camp, that she didn't notice walking right into another cat.
"Hey, watch it!" growled the cat, turning around.
Frozenpaw gasped. This cat smelled of the apprentice den, but his gray pelt was smooth like a warrior's. His only noticeable battle scar was a huge, long- ago healed gash in his right ear. His left eye was golden, like a chip of the sun, but his other eye was completely white. There was no pupil in that eye.
"Hey!" the apprentice growled again. "Why must you look at me? I don't look at you like that!"
Frozenpaw ducked down, afraid. She knew that he was her clanmate, but he was terrifying, especially with his mangled ear and apparently blind eye.
"Fogpaw!" Yowled another cat, and Frozenpaw looked in horror as another tom came running. Was he going to yell at her, too?
The new cat didn't seem mean. His fur was smooth, but slightly longer than Fogpaw's. It was slightly lighter gray than his, and dappled with white splotches that looked like clouds. His white-tipped ears were not laid back against his head, and his mouth was smiling, not snarling. His blue eyes looked friendly.
"You must be the new apprentice," said the new cat. He looked like he'd rather not be talking. Perhaps he was shy.
"I'm sorry for my brother's behavior."
"I'm Frozenpaw," mewed Frozenpaw. "And you are......?"
"Wet," replied the gray cat, frowning up at the sky. Frozenpaw realized for the first time that the air was thick with fog and mist.
"Your name?"
"Skypaw," He said, but his eyes were focused on something behind Frozenpaw.
She whirled around to see another cat.
"Hi," said the new cat. She was lithe and flexible, a pretty white she-cat with faint silver stripes along her back. "Skypaw, Fogpaw, are you ready for battle training?
Fogpaw narrowed his eyes, but Skypaw replied politely, "Yes, Icedrop."
Icedrop focused on Frozenpaw.
"Why, you're Frozenpaw, aren't you? The new apprentice? Come with us!"
Frozenpaw opened her mouth to reply when Dreamheart gave her a little shove.
"Go on," he meowed, "And have fun!"