these strangers like me || private, ripple.

It was a good day for training, that was for sure. It wasn't too hot, or too cold, for that matter. The cool breeze rattled the reed stalks, and brushed against Ripplestorm's flank as she headed downstream towards the beech copse.

She knew her apprentice, Flamepaw, was new to clan life and how it operated. That was to be expected, of course, coming from her background. But hey, it was never too late to learn, right?

Ripplestorm stepped out onto the riverbank, immediately spotting her apprentice's fiery red pelt as she perched upon the large, flat boulder. One of the biggest things that she would have to teach her was how to get over her fear of water. She knew it was probably strange for Flamepaw, coming into a clan full of cats who all could swim, and hunted fish from the river. I'm sure she'll probably get used to it, but maybe not right away.

"So, you ready? she questioned once she reached the rock, stretching out her hind legs a bit. [color=#A9F5F2]"You can start with any questions you have, before we get into the actual training,"[color=#A9F5F2] she offered, her tail tip flicking the surface of the water. She assumed that the new apprentice would have a million questions about everything RiverClan related, or even related to the other clans.

//hey i'm at work rn, I will respond later!

Of course, it was a question she had been expecting, especially since Flamepaw came from outside of the clans. "It's not a dumb question," she snorted, noticing the embarrassed expression on her apprentice's face. "Basically, the warrior code is a set of morals and rules that the clans follow to avoid as much conflict as possible. Well, except for BloodClan." she laughed, flicking one ear. [color=#A9F5F2]"The most common rules are no prey-stealing, injuring medicine cats, kits, or the weak, and no killing unless absolutely necessary." There were other ones, obviously, but she thought she should probably start with the most basic ones.

[color=#A9F5F2]"However, sometimes you have to break those rules if it's necessary. The warrior code is a set of morals, not laws, exactly. There are ways to get around it. I just like to use my best judgement, which you should do too," she explained, her tail tip flicking back and forth as she thought. It was probably a lot for the new apprentice to take in at once, but it had to be explained at some point.

"Nah, you can have friends outside of the clan. Most cats do, actually. You just can't tell them information about RiverClan, that's all." Of course she didn't think Flamepaw was a traitor or anything of that sort, but it was still a fair warning.

"Obey is a bit of an......interesting word," she started after hearing the apprentice's next question, flicking her tail. "You don't need to strictly follow every rule. They're guidelines, so don't stress it too much. You can bend or break a rule if you have to, and that's fine. Use your own judgement," she explained, watching as the flame-colored she-cat began to pace. She wasn't telling her to go break rules for fun, but it was always good to follow your own lead and instinct. Especially if it was for a good cause.

"And meeting StarClan?" This was something Ripplestorm didn't exactly know the answer to. It was possible to see ancestors or friends who had died, but that came different for every cat. There was no telling what experience Flamepaw would have. [color=#A9F5F2]"Well, every cat meets StarClan at some point. I mean, maybe not to deliver a dramatic earth shattering prophecy, but maybe to visit a dead friend or relative." That was really the only way she could manage to explain it.

//ah whoops I'll respond to this soon I promise!!

Ripplestorm knew that her apprentice still had to learn to hunt fish from the river, which was a tricky skill to master unless learned from a young age. It would take time and practice, but Flamepaw seemed like a quick learner. "I could show you how to hunt first, if you'd like. Hunting fish takes a while to perfect, and you also have to make sure you don't fall in" she explained with a joking snort, rising to her paws and padding down to the river. Quick reactions and timing were key here.

She grinned back at her as she stuck her front paws in the water. "But first, you're gonna have to get your paws wet."

It was probably hard for Flamepaw, since she hadn't grown up around the water. Cats who disliked water always seemed a bit strange to her, maybe since she had such a fondness for it. She couldn't imagine hating water, or living without the river. "You don't have to put your whole body in. Just your paws when you actually catch the fish," she explained, padding up behind her. "Make sure your shadow doesn't fall over the water, or it'll scare them away. Look upstream for any flashes of silver, so that way you can see when they're coming." She stood back a few tail-lengths to give Flamepaw some space, "And uh, make sure you don't try and use your teeth. Or you'll definitely fall in," she snorted, remembering the first time she tried to catch a fish. "Now see if you can get one."

//hey, I'm so sorry I've been inactive lately! I promise I'll be more active from now on. It's just been busy with school starting and all.

Ripplestorm twitched her ears in amusement as the fish flew over onto the other side. "Not bad for the first try," she grinned, looking over at her embarassed apprentice. "I'll go get it, but nice job getting it out of the water," she offered, stepping into the river to retrieve the fish.

The water felt cool sliding over her back, and was actually quite refeshing. As soon as she reached the shore, she observed Flamepaw's catch. It was actually a pretty good-sized fish, and it looked plump and healthy. "Good news is, its still pretty intact," she observed, picking it up and turning around to swim across.

//will respond right after school ahhhhh!

Ripplestorm climbed back onto the riverbank, shaking the water droplets from her dark gray pelt. She dropped Flamepaw's catch on the sand before her paws. "You're already pretty good. Not many cats can catch a fish this big on their first try. Next time, try to scoop your paws towards the riverbank though," she added jokingly with a snort. She didn't expect her to be perfect the first time around, but it was just some constructive criticism.

"Let's do some battle training. We could continue fishing later," she offered, sitting down in the sand with her tail curled around her paws. Strategies and techniques had always intrigued Ripplestorm, and she wanted to pass those skills down to her apprentice as well.