Up for a Fight? (Open)

[Minnowleap]

Minnowleap slipped out of the warriors' den around sunhigh. She had taken the dawn border patrol, which ended up being very long and uneventful, and had then decided to do some hunting. The warrior managed to catch four good-sized fish before coming back to camp and taking a nap.

Upon waking up, Minnowleap felt the need to find someone to practice battling with. The truth was, she didn't like actual, real battles, mostly because of how loud and scary they were. When it came to playing, though, Minnowleap was all for it, despite the fact that she was far from the best fighter in RiverClan - her expertise was much more in hunting than fighting.

The young warrior sat in the center of the clearing, tail lashing playfully, and called out, "RiverClan, as you know, I am Minnowleap, a warrior! I challenge each and every one of you to a mock battle! Who will accept this challenge?" It felt weird, yet very good, to call out to the Clan like a leader. She had always been a follower, but the idea of being a leader had begun to appeal to Minnowleap since she was an older apprentice. There was something about bringing a whole Clan together, the bravery involved, the social skills necessary... all of it really drew Minnowleap in. Maybe she could start a battle training schedule for all of the warriors to keep their skill sharp!
That was certainly an idea to bring up to the leader later on, but for now, Minnowleap would settle with simply sparring with a Clanmate.

[Honeystar]

Honeystar was eating a fish by her den sharing tongues with her mother, Thistlestream. At the same time she was watching the Clan with warm loving eyes. Sometimes she sees the entire Clan as her kits and get as protective of them as a mother would. This is why she sometimes find mother's being the best leaders because that's what a leader basically is. It's not just someone bossing others around but watching out for them and caring for their welfare. A leader who does not care for their subordinates aren't leaders at all.

"There you go again," her mother said knowingly.

Licking her lips off scales Honeystar looked at her mother with a questioning look on her face. She would have asked but her mouth was still somewhat full and she knew better than to talk like that especially in front of her mother.

"Every now and then you get that look when your deep in thought," Thistlestream explained, her voice holding a slight teasing tone.

Honeystar swallowed and opened her maw to speak when a yowl sounded throughout the camp. She glanced at the source and found a young she-cat looking at everyone playfully. A smile reached her face as she instantly recognized Minnowleap who is one of the young warriors. Usually Honeystar would have stood by and watched but she thought about her skills and thought that it wouldn't hurt to do a little practice. Plus it would help not just improve her skills but Minnowleap's as well. She finished her fish and padded over to the young she-cat. "I accept your challenge."

[Dustshade]

Pelt sleek with water, still dripping onto the smooth pebbled ground beneath his paws, the pale tabby slipped into camp on light and careful steps. In his maw he held a fairly decent sized brim that still occasionally twitched with the faintest traces of life lingering in its nerves. It had been a slow fishing day, the silver darts of their prey spaced out across the river and in smaller groups than the norm. He chalked it up to the we time of day and made a mental note to try again as dusk began to settle over the territory. As it grew darker the smaller insects began to move more and they enticed the fish into becoming more active.  Dustshade moved swiftly to the freshkill pile to deposit his catch when a few apprentices darted past him with eager voices and excited faces. In confusion he followed their path to where he could clearly see the pale form of one of their new warriors standing across from Honeystar herself. 
As usual a sharp pang struck him at the sight of the pale she-cat who was their leader but he hastily disregarded it in favor of approaching the scene with the same curiosity that had compelled the apprentices to gather and watch.
"Watch carefully." He said with a light joking tone to the younger cats present, "You might see something interesting." With a sweep of his bushy tail he took a seat upon the ground to observe.

[Minnowleap]

Of all the cats that could have approached and taken on this challenge, Minnowleap was definitely not expecting Honeystar to. The leader was definitely nice, but Minnowleap had no idea that she also had a playful side to her. Surprised for a moment, the warrior hesitated in her response, but when she came to, she realized that Clanmates had begun to gather. Hearing Dustshade's comment, Minnowleap cast a playful glance at him, waving her tail. Minnowleap looked back over at Honeystar and said, "Right, then I have my first challenger! You can make the first attack, if you so choose." There was a spark in Minnowleap's eyes in that moment, and then they narrowed, focusing on Honeystar's movements. If Minnowleap could tire her out, then she could focus on attacking later on. Minnowleap had never been the best at fighting, but she did have speed on her side, which was almost always pretty helpful.

[Honeystar]

Honeystar noticed the surprise on the young warrior's face and couldn't help but smile. And by judging the other cat's in camp, they too were surprised that their leader would play fight. It's not just play fighting to her though, it was practice. To see how fluent she still was, but it wasn't just that even. She wanted to see how Minnowleap handles herself. Honeystar thought that this might not seem very leader like but she didn't care what anyone thinks.

"Watch carefully," a familiar voice sounded close by, making her heart skip. Green eyes turned and spotted the brown tabby with young apprentices. "You might see something interesting."

"Right, then I have my first challenger! You can make the first attack, if you so choose." Minnowleap said, getting her spunky back.

Honeystar dipped her head and lowered a little. She was smaller than most cats, many even sometimes mistake her for an apprentice. Because of her size most underestimate her ability to fight. She is fast and can use her size to her advantage. Turning side to side Honeystar paced, tail waving evenly behind her. After another moment Honeystar rushed in and leaped high towards Minnowleap, paws out stretched.

[Minnowleap]

Minnowleap blocked out the surrounding cats, knowing that she needed to win, or at least prove that she was a good warrior. This situation brought on a flashback from when Minnowleap still bore the -paw suffix, and the she-cat was momentarily brought back to the day of her fighting assessment.

"Okay, Minnowpaw, all you have to do is show me that you can fight like a warrior," her mentor had stated.

"Alright, let's get to it, then! Who's my target?" Minnowpaw had eagerly replied, her impatience growing - she was going to be a warrior soon!

"Me," the response sent chills down Minnowpaw's spine. She gulped nervously, then narrowed her eyes until her mentor was the only thing in sight. In a few moments, before she knew what was happening, the apprentice had bolted toward her mentor and struck out, claws sheathed.

After a split-second, Minnowleap was back to the present, filled again with the same pride she had on the day of her warrior ceremony. As Honeystar leaped toward her, Minnowleap was momentarily unprepared, and as she dodged, one of the leader's paws struck her in the flank. It wasn't too hard, of course, but this was not the play-fighting of kittens; Minnowleap and Honeystar were grown cats, and Minnowleap definitely took the hit. She tried whipping her tail in Honeystar's face to catch her off guard, then leaped off to the side, not wanting her tail to get bitten. Minnowleap was feeling a bit embarrassed at her slow reaction to Honeystar's attack, and she hoped only that her Clanmates hadn't noticed too much.