(Icepaw)The Eyes Are The Window....

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Featherpaw laughed happily, glad to have her playmate back in a good mood. "We'll see about that...Even if you did barely top me in hunting...I could beat your sorry butt in fighting any day." She purred the challenge, batting his ear playfully. When she was around Icepaw, she felt like acting like a kit to ease her thoughts as well as the troubled tom's. And she definitely didn't act like a prissy she-cat, more like one of the toms. "But I guess we'll have to wait to you're healed to fully test this truth."

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Icepaw just rolled his eyes, still smirking at the she-cat. "Uh, yeah, right! I could probably still take you right now, if I needed to." The pale tabby tom readjusted himself, and then pushed himself onto three good paws, the still injured forepaw just barley touching the earth with his toes. If it bothered him at all, the tom didn't show it. This was enough of a distraction, at any rate. His tail lashed out behind him in play aggression. "Just try it! Three paws verses four." The apprentice's narrowed eyes gleamed in amusement.

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Featherpaw shook her head, grinning with amuesment but you could see worry in her eyes as well. "Oh no, I will not be responsible for you getting even more injured. I'm supposed to be here to help you get better faster, not get my ears clawed off because it's my fault you're still healing two moons from now." She said, getting to her feet and putting her shoulder to his to make sure he still had balance. "We'll just agree to wait till later, okay? I won't wimp out and neither will you."

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Icepaw scoffed at the excuse, rolling the shoulder of the leg her had raised just above the ground as it began to grow sore with strain. "Yeah, yeah, I know. I'm just so bored! And I don't want to have lost all my fighting ability by the time I get out of here!" His nose twitched irritably. "I can't hunt on my own, and I can't practice any combat moves. All I can do is eat while I wait for my muscles to atrophy." A bit discouraged at the thought, the tom gladly used Featherpaw's shoulder when it became available. But only for a short moment so that he could regain his proper balance so that he could hobble back over into his seat in his nest. "And you had better not wimp out on me! But you better not be a warrior by the time I get out of here, either! I wouldn't be able to stand it."

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"That's what I'm here for, to make you unbored. Just ask me anything you wanna know about Riverclan since you've been here and I gotcha alright?" Featherpaw said with a smile, sitting down again after she was sure he was alright getting back to his nest. She rolled her eyes at his complaining and such, but didn't say a word. Better to let him get it out.

"Icepaw, I really doubt you'll lose all your ability in this short amount of time. Besides, if you dont think about it, time will past by sooner..." She mewed thoughtfully, trying to comfort the injured tom. And his next few words about her not wimping about, she grinned. "Of course not, I won't-....you think I could get better than you?" She cut herself off mid-sentence and looked at him in surprise.

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Realizing what he'd said, the pale tabby's ears fell back, and an unhappy grimace returned. "Well, I didn't say that. I just said you better not be made a warrior before me." The tom rolled his shoulders. Talk about embarrassing. In truth, he was a bit paranoid about that. He had to be the best. He had to be the strongest, the fastest- everything. There was an invisible drive for him to be somewhere in his mind. If he couldn't be the best RiverClan apprentice and later warrior, how would be ever be able to show up Ridddlehawk? "What? You think that you could be?" he laughed, trying to get away from what he'd said, smirking as he spoke. "I doubt that."

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Okay, so she had to admit..that hurt a little. She knew he probably didn't mean it like that. It had felt really nice to have that unexpected little compliment from him. Then he took it back and said he doubted she could? Ouch. Featherpaw did know that he would end up being stronger than her in the end, but to her, he was already very good and it was a goal to get to be like him. They were friends and slightly rivals at the same time.

"Oh...well I'm sure that won't happen then." She said shrugging and giving a soft, half smile. She then decided to change the subject because she didn't want him to catch onto her attitude change. "So...are you hungry? Would you like me to get you some fresh-kill?"

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After the words had come out of his mouth, Icepaw felt a twinge of regret. Just for an instant, he had thought that there had been a look of hurt in Featherpaw's face. But it vanished too quickly after he'd thought he'd spotted it to double check. The tom hoped that she hadn't taken it the wrong way. He hadn't been trying to insult her. It had all been in fun. But before the apprentice had the opportunity to rethink his words, the she-cat was already filling the silence with a new question.

The pale tabby shook his head in response. "Nah, I'm good. Can't waste ThunderClan's prey. But you should probably head back soon. It's getting colder, and Tanglestar won't be too happy if you linger around here for too long." Icepaw suppressed a shudder when he reminded himself of the cold. Blasted leaf-bare. The wind was even reaching into the corners of the medicine cat den. But he gave a small, almost apologetic smile. It wasn't that he wanted her to leave, but neither of them needed Tanglestar to unleash her wrath. "So I'll see you later?"