News

[Jaqi]

Wingpaw felt Dawnstar's presence behind him moments before she gripped his neck scruff.
There was no time for words. The apprentice stopped flapping his arms around uselessly. Instead he made small slow circles with them to help himself stay afloat. He was able to stay calm for he could feel Dawnstar right behind him and knew that she was holding onto him.
All he wished now was to be out of the water.
No other thoughts entered his head apart from the solid ground that lay only a short distance from him.

[aciddwolf]

Dawnstar paddled quickly, but carefully, back to shore, making sure her apprentice wasn't sinking while she did so. Finally, after what felt like forever to the young mentor, she felt her paws touch the ground, though continued helping Wingpaw until she knew that they were completely out of the water and that the young cat wouldn't slip back in by accident.

"That's the first in a long time that I've found a WaveClan cat that couldn't swim," she mewed gently. "I suppose that was a little uncalled for, to push you in," she glanced out at the rocks. It would probably be a good while until more fish came to that specific area, though the higher rocks would probably still have fish nearby. If she wanted them, she'd have to dive for them, though.

The leader shook her silvery pelt, as little glistening droplets tumbled from her fur like small projectiles that soon splashed to the ground. After thinking for a quick moment, the she-cat mewed, "so, are you alright?"

[Jaqi]

Wingpaw coughed as his paws felt hard ground. He had taken a big gulp of water when he was being dragged back by his mentor.

Only when he was on land did he allow himself to feel his emotions.
He was greatly disheartened.
Even as Dawnstar shook her fur free of water, he remained where he was, a little to the side, shivering and dripping wet. He really did look pathetic at the moment, a skinny cat whose wet orange fur stuck to his body.
Wingpaw's ears were flattened.

How was it that he did not know how to swim? He had thought he was better than that. In the rockpools, although not good, he had still swum. What happened when he dropped into the sea?
And, most important of all, how could he call himself a true WaveClan cat?

He was so consumed by his thoughts, he did not hear Dawnstar's last question.

[aciddwolf]

Moving a little, Dawnstar ran her tongue across her apprentice's head, almost as if she were taking care of one of her kits. In a way, she was the mother of her clan, she had to make sure everything way okay, and how Wingpaw didn't respond informed her that even if not physically, he wasn't. "Don't you want to dry off? Surely being that wet won't be good for you," she mewed, backing up a little. At least she hoped the lick would bring the young cat out of his daze.

"You aren't the only WaveClan cat that hasn't been able to swim well, I've known one or two," the leader mewed. "It just means we have to practice a little more with that, rather than hunting," her ears twitched. "Tomorrow, or sometime soon after you've recovered from this, we'll have to practice your swimming in the shallower parts of the water. Nobody really needs to know that you couldn't swim today, unless you want to speak to the medicine cat," she shifted.

Dawnstar looked over her wet apprentice carefully. "You still haven't answered, Wingpaw... are you alright, or do you think you need to go back to camp and see the medicine cat?"

[Jaqi]

Wingpaw stood rigid as Dawnstar ran her tongue over his head. It made him feel a little better, but he was still slightly shocked.

'Y-yes, I'm-m fin-ne. I d-d-don't need-d to see th-the medicine c-cat,' he said, shivering in his wet fur. He shook his body half-heartedly and managed to get himself half dry.

'I don't know any cats who can't swim Dawnstar. I thought I knew how to. I mean, I always know that I'm not very good at it. The other apprentices laugh at me sometimes. But I've swum before, in the rock pools. I've retrieved seashells from the bottom. I don't know what happened Dawnstar. I'm...sorry,' he blurted out quitely, staring at a small crab crawling away up the shore.
He might as well have been talking to himself had he not mentioned his mentor's name in his mutters.

[aciddwolf]

Though straining to hear some, Dawnstar managed out enough of her apprentice's mumbled words. "Sorry? Why are you sorry? I pushed you in," she mewed quietly. "We'll work on your swimming soon," she glanced towards where her fish was buried. "I'm not sure if you're hungry, but if you want, you can eat that fish, otherwise we have to drop it off at camp soon. I'd like to take you back to the Rockpools once you've settled down a little from your shock..." she mewed delicately.

The leader looked back to Wingpaw, "all you need is a little more practice and you'll be one of the best swimmers of the entire clan," she assured. "The reason why you don't know any is because those who couldn't swim now know how to. At least," she paused, "I think they all know how to now." Thinking about it, she shifted, "actually, one of my close friends couldn't swim. If you don't believe me, ask Goldwillow about her apprenticehood. She had to have an extra lesson or so than every other apprentice."

Yes, that was one of the many things as an apprentice that Dawnstar couldn't forget. Goldwillow hadn't been able to swim, and had to go through learning as an apprentice. WaveClan cats thought all knew how to naturally swim well. Obviously, cats like Goldwillow and Wingpaw had proven them wrong.

"If you'd like, we can go to the Rockpools now, later tonight, or tomorrow, provided you aren't sick."

[Jaqi]

Wingpaw looked up at Dawnstar, eyes wide in genuine surprise.

'Goldwillow didn't know how to swim?' he asked, 'But..but, I've seen her! She's one of the best swimmers! How then...?'

The orange apprentice frowned. Clearly, swimming wasn't just natural talent. One was not born to swim or not to swim as an older apprentice had once told him (though he did not know that the older apprentice was merely teasing him).

'Alright Dawnstar. I want to go to the Rockpools now,' he declared, puffing out his wet chest. A new determination had settled upon him and he shook his fur rather over-dramatically until he was more or less dry. The youngster had his mood swings but he often recovered from them fairly fast.

'I'll share the fish with you Dawnstar,' Wingpaw said, running to unearth the fish. He figured that if they had to bring the fish back to camp, it would take too long. He wanted to learn how to swim now.

After a quick meal, where he nearly choked on a sharp piece of bone, he ran ahead towards the Rockpools.
'Pah, what kind of WaveClan warrior would I be if I don't know how to swim..' he said to himself, determined to become the best swimmer the Clan has ever seen.

[aciddwolf]

Dawnstar purred watching her apprentice's reaction to finding out Goldwillow's lack of ability as a young apprentice. "All cats have their strengths and weaknesses. Though a great swimmer now, you should have seen Goldwillow at first," she mewed, remembering the drenched cat, puffy flur laying flat, and unpleased that she couldn't do what the other apprentices could until properly taught.

She followed her apprentice, sharing the fish that he had unearthed. The leader decided that she would return later, or tomorrow, to find bigger fish. If the waves weren't too high, and Wingpaw showed improvement, she would teach him stealthy ways to get into the water from rocks, and to go underwater to catch fish. If he was sick of water, she'd just have a training day, and possibly catch a mouse or two on the other end of the territory. But for now, the rockpools were top priority, as she didn't want her apprentice to go through life not feeling like an actual WaveClan cat.

She finished eating quickly, giving her chest a quick lick, before Wingpaw began hurrying to the rockpools, her close behind. His determination as an apprentice would prove him to be an even better warrior in the future.

(If you want, your next post can be in the Rockpools)