//Olivestem's Warning//Warrior Cats//

//Prologue//

"ʏᴏᴜ ᴄᴀɴ'ᴛ ʙʟᴀᴍᴇ ɢʀᴀᴠɪᴛʏ ꜰᴏʀ ꜰᴀʟʟɪɴɢ ɪɴ ʟᴏᴠᴇ."

~ᴀʟʙᴇʀᴛ ᴇɴꜱᴛᴇɪɴ

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The copse of trees overhead were exuberant with the melodies of songbirds. Beautiful in its watery sense, the river ran languidly, a smooth fluid movement through the rocks and soil. Long reeds adorned the edges, curving downward as if to greet the flowing water, and warmth from the sun poured down in harpstrings of light. Ethereal silence filled the air, only to be broken by a call.

"Look here, Lightningslash! There's a large amount of fish over here. I can smell terrestrial prey as well."

Followed by a purr from the responder, Lightningslash, he trotted over to where his apprentice stood. Pikepaw was at the bank of RiverClan's precious source of food, the waterway. "I see. Well, why don't you test out your hunting skills?" he meowed, a slight hint of a challenge in Lightningslash's tone.

Pikepaw appeared to be deep in thought. "Can we have a race to catch the most fish?" she asked, eyes pleading.

Lightningslash nodded. "Of course. The conditions are: whoever loses has to clean out the elder's den for a whole moon. The winner gets first pick of prey, if, of course, this is approved by Amberstar," he explained, then added in a lower octave of tone, "Which it probably won't."

The competitive she-cat growled playfully. "You're on!" Pikepaw mewed, slicing at the air with her forepaws.

"Get ready," her mentor slurred out.

"Get set," the apprentice continued.

"Go!" Lightningslash yowled.

The instant the last word was uttered, Pikepaw sprang forward. She perched slightly over the water, but making sure to not have her shadow fall over it. Lightningslash imitated her movement, instantly scooping up a medium-sized trout, and his claws hooked upward to set it down beside him.

He saw his apprentice's eyes narrow in concentration. The amount of determination in her stood like an unwavering shadow over her face, and he turned back to keep the lead. At that moment, Pikepaw flung a carp out. Victory flashed before her eyes.

They went at it until dusk came, falling quickly with the violet and bright apricot-colored hues streaking the sky. Lightningslash exhaled a large puff a breath, exhausted from the nonstop fishing. He hadn't noticed his apprentice had disappeared from his side until she ducked past the reeds toward the river and settled back beside him with a large water vole in her jaws.

The golden and black tom felt a wiry smile tug at his thin lips. "Well, that's some catch you got there, Pikepaw."

"Yeah, and I think I caught more fish than you anyway."

Her chest swelled with triumph when she saw his gaze turn to her prodigious pile of fish. Lightningslash's ears twitched, impressed. "I guess you won. I'm on apprentice duties. Amberstar will be very, actually, more than happy to hear this," he muttered.

She laughed, but that quickly turned into a small frown. "How are we going to carry all of this back?"

Lightningslash purred slyly. "RiverClan has its ways, you know? We tend to be the most well-fed because of our strategies, even through leafbare."

He rose to his paws, picking up two fish by the tails instead of the bodies. Then, sliding one underneath his chin, he directed with his muzzle to do the same.

Pikepaw copied him, taking two fish and hanging on to them with her teeth by the tails. She didn't have a problem with putting the water vole underneath her chin, as it was covered by a pelt of fur rather than slippery scales.