Swimming is second nature ((Open))

[*~Blazeheart~*]

His paw touched the surface of the water tentatively, sending ripples expanding away from his white paws. The light brown tom gazed at his reflection in the calm river, seeing his curious, light blue eyes gaze back at him. It was almost as if his twin was on the other side of the water.
But the young apprentice knew that if he lept in, he would be met with a facefull of wet water and not a parallel universe.

Walnutpaw knew he had to hunt for the Clan, but swimming just wasn't something he was used to yet. His unusually short tail flicked nervously behind him. He knew that he had to jump in sooner or later.

[~Ravenpaw~]

A small white she-cat with grey spots on her back wandered out of camp scaredly she hardly ever left without her mentor with her but everything seemed okay right now, she felt slightly calmer then normal and was going to go for a walk, she told herself she needed to, after what happened with Wildsong she was never the same. The she-cat was none other then the frightened Hollypaw, and she headed out and soon found herself at the Willow river she wondered if she had wandered to far, perhaps she should go back, it wasn't until she saw a light brown tom with blue eyes that she stopped and stared her own stunning green eyes filled with worry she was afraid, then she remembered seeing him at camp, what was his name again many names filled her mind. Walnutpaw she recalled him name having heard it before, she was tempted to walk away, more like run at this point before panicked herself sick but when she was he looked like he was going to jump in she wanted to know why. "w-w-w-what are you d-doing?" Hollypaw stammered.

[*~Blazeheart~*]

"Ahh!"Walnutpaw was startled at the voice behind him. He hadn't heard Hollypaw walk up behind him and his foot accidentally slipped on the bank and fell. A sudden splash of cold water envoloped him as he struggled to swim up to the surface. His head managed to break through the surface and he let out a gasp, gulping in the air.
His paws thrashing clumsily, he tried to propel himself to the bank, but his small tail didn't allow him to.
Mouse-dung! Why was I born with a short tail,he thought. Mistclan cats always used their tails to propel themselves around the water, but unfortunately, his was too short to do much.
"Help me!"he yowled to Hollypaw, trying to stay afloat.

[~Ravenpaw~]

Hollypaw yelped franticlly, "I-I-I-I'm so sorry!" She stammered upset at what she had caused, she watched him thrash about a became worried what if he died it would be all her fault again, it was fault all her fault how could she do this a second time to another cat, would she be able to live with the guilt, it was hard enough already. "Help me!" Walnutpaw yowled, she didn't react at first frozen with fear, but then she finally managed to jumped out into the water not realizing her body was reacting for her mind. Hollypaw grabbed him by the scruff and started to pull him back to shore having troubles because she was very quite small and had only just learned about swimming, she hardly even knew she could swim. She gasped when they got to shore after what seemed like forever.

[*~Blazeheart~*]

Walnutpaw felt the water tug him down as he struggled to keep his head above water. Suddenly, he felt teeth grasp his scruff and was relieved that Hollypaw had rescued him. With her help, he managed to paddle back to the shore. He hauled himself up and collapsed on the ground, panting.
Though it was still green-leaf, the water was freezing cold as he shivered a bit. Luckily, the suns rays slanted down upon the bank. As he laid there, the warmth began to seep into his pelt. He got to his paws and shook himself to dislodge the water in his pelt.
"Thanks,"he breathed in relief, lapping at his wet chest fur until it was dry again.

[~Ravenpaw~]

Hollypaw was so happy when she got to shore she laid down on the ground shaking a bit, she folded her ears back and forced herself to calm down it was so unlike her to react like that, to just jump it without thinking it through, but she was glad she did or else who knows what could have happened to Walnutpaw. Her grey tail wrapped around her as she shook out her pelt and it flattened itself before she remained shaking slightly looking about frightened, "Y-Y-Your welcome" She stammered.

[*~Blazeheart~*]

"You're soo lucky you can swim well,"Walnutpaw mewed with an envious glance at Hollypaw.
"I wish my tail wasn't so short. I can't use it like a rudder,"he explained, flicking his tail contemptuously in a sulking manner.
Shaking his head as if the clear the thought, he gave his Clanmate a wry smile.
"So, um, are you here cause your mentor sent you to hunt?"he asked in a friendly tone

[~Ravenpaw~]

Hollypaw blinked, "I..I-I um didn't know I-I could e-even swim" Hollypaw said quietly looking down a bit being raised in a badger den has it's perks but it doesn't teach you to swim, she looked at her tail flicking it back and forth it rather quite long compared to his, she blinked watching his small tail. She gave him a shy smile before shaking her head, "N-No I um..I went for a w-walk" She studdered.

[*~Blazeheart~*]

"Great!"Walnutpaw purred, getting to his paws.
"Then if you're not busy, want to help me hunt?"he asked kindly, tail flicking hopefully.
"I need to bring some back to camp before sunset. But, um...,"he hesitated with an embarrassing flick of his ears.
"Well, you just saw I can't really swim. I can only catch fish from the shore, but they don't appear there often."

He gazed tentatively at Hollypaw, hoping she'd say yes.

[~Ravenpaw~]

Hollypaw nodded a bit unsure, "U-Um okay" she looked at the river and nodded again a bit more sure, it was nice to talk with someone else for once, she didn't mind Walnutpaw he was nice, but she was still shy, "I'm not v-very good though" She said quietly she had only just come a while ago and was just learning new things like swimming, fishing, and clan life, but she was getting a bit better at it, then when she first came.

[*~Blazeheart~*]

"Oh yeah, you're new here huh?"he mewed, tipping his head to one side.
"Erm, no problem. If you could swim as well as you did, you can probably hunt good too,"he meowed sincerely.
"Besides, I'm kinda new as an apprentice too,"the light brown tom informed, with a shy flick of his tail.

He crouched at the water's edge, eyes narrowed as he concentrated on the water's surface. He remained still, almost like a cat turned to stone, only the faint rise and fall of his flank told otherwise. Then the sunlight caught a flash of silver and his heart skipped a beat as his paws shot forward. But the slippery fish darted away before his claws could reach it and Walnutpaw slipped agian and fell into the river. Luckily, he only stumbled onto the shallow part of the water near the shore, but he was still dripping wet.
"Aw, mouse-dung!"he complained, trying to shake water off his pelt.

[~Ravenpaw~]

"J-Just a little" Hollypaw stuttered, as she looked at him, she was new around here, after getting separated her whole life was upside down from there, but she felt content here and was grateful that Puddlestar let her stay here, she didn't know what she would do if she hadn't allowed her. "Y-You think?" She asked, she wasn't the greatest at getting things done right the first time, she was a more of a many try kinda she-cat. She smiled sheepishly at him when he flicked his tail.

Hollypaw lowered herself down and watched him curiously before looking down in the water, she blinked a saw a fish swim by her, and then the sound of splashing water, she gasped and looked over at Walnutpaw hoping he didn't fall in again, seeing he was in the shallow water made her relax a bit. "Aw, mouse-dung!" Walnutpaw complained, Hollypaw couldn't help but giggle, "A-Are you okay?" She asked.

[*~Blazeheart~*]

"Yea, I'm fine. Just wet,"Walnutpaw mewed, though he didn't sulk about it. He hauled himself out of the water and gave himself a shake, splattering water on Hollypaw accidentally.

"Woops, sorry,"he apoligized, brushing his tail against her flank to wipe off some of the droplets. He gazed back at the waters, which returned to its calm state right after he caused it to ripple violently.
"Um..I hope I didn't scare away the fish..."he muttered, gazing into the waters with a hopeful gleam.

"Er...maybe you should try,"the light brown tom mewed to Hollypaw, pointing his paws to the river.

[~Ravenpaw~]

Hollypaw gasped a bit when she got splashed with water, she blushed when Walnutpaw flicked some off of her, shaking out her white and grey fur to get rid of the rest, she looked completely surprised, "I-I-It's okay" She meowed, flattening her fur again. Hollypaw looked at him and nodded, it would be nice if the fish were still there, looking at him with her stunning green eyes, she blinked a bit, "M-Me?" She asked curiously peering over the edge, "O-okay" She spoke unsurely as she went over lowing herself and glanced out into the water searching for fish.

[*~Blazeheart~*]

Walnutpaw crouched beside her, tail flicking in anticipation. So far, the waters were calm, but the two apprentices were patient. At least Walnutpaw was hardly moving a muscle, just like a cat carved out of stone. Only his gray eyes that flicked back and forth on the water's surface showed he was still a living breathing cat.

As time prolonged, however, his leg muscles began to feel sore from crouching so long.
"Um...maybe I did scare the fish away..."he muttered with a crestfallen sigh.

[~Ravenpaw~]

Hollypaw glanced into the water curiously, she was waiting for a fish with Walnutpaw but didn't see any, "I-I think you did" She said. She glanced over at him, "b-But it's okay, w-we could a-always try again l-later" She said smiling a bit at him, hoping to cheer him up a bit.

[*~Blazeheart~*]

Walnutpaw gave a reluctant nod, though his dropped ears showed he was disappointed.
"Maybe we can try catching some mice?"he suggested tentatively, though his tone was doubtful. He hadn't really learned how to hunt land creatures yet. All new apprentices were taught Mistclan's specialty first before doing land techniques.
"Do you know how to catch mice?"he mewed to Hollypaw, glancing at her quizically.

[~Ravenpaw~]

Hollypaw smiled, catching mice was one thing she did know how to do, "Y-yes I do" She stammered, growing up in a badgers paid off for one thing, it wasn't near a river and there were lots of mice, rabbits, and voles to catch. She had learned to hunt when she was younger, fighting not so much, and because she was often sick she could only catch mice half the time and the odd vole now and then but never a rabbit, not even Razzle caught a rabbit and he was the best, only mother could catch them. She was surprised that she missed her brothers and sister hassling her all the time, but she missed her mother the most and there was not surprise there.

[*~Blazeheart~*]

Walnutpaw grinned, brightening up instantly.
"Great! Let's catch mice instead. Who needs old fish anyways?"he meowed, bounding towards the forest. Maybe he'd be better at hunting on land instead of water. With a pang, he was worried that he would be. But that would mean he wasn't like most Mistclan cats, more like the other Clans, like Fireclan. He hoped he wasn't like them, he loved his home.
Shaking the thought away, he turned to Hollypaw with eager eyes.
"Can you teach me?"he asked, kneading his paws with anticipation.

[~Ravenpaw~]

Hollypaw followed after him, she knew she would always be different from the clan she was in now, because well she didn't know what half she was, she wasn't directly clan born, she was only half-clan, the problem was her mother never said where her father had been from. When they got to the forest Hollypaw smiled but jumped a bit when Walnutpaw spoke again, "O-Oh well, Y-yes I could" She said, "You know the h-hunters crouch yes?" She asked.

[*~Blazeheart~*]

"Uh..."Walnutpaw's eyes were screwed up in concentration, searching through his memories. As far as he knew, he hadn't learned yet. He knew he probably will after he perfected fishing. But it wouldn't hurt to try.
"Is it like this?"he asked, crouching down like normal, as if he were attacking an enemy with ears flattenend and lashing tail.

[~Ravenpaw~]

Hollypaw nodded and smiled slightly, "Y-Yes, b-but um, it's better to stay still" She said demonstrating for him, she crouched down low her belly just touching the ground, she stood completely still even her tail which rested gently above the ground was still. She slid a paw out gently one after the other stalking after her prey, her paws gliding across the ground as she did so, she looked stunning, flawless, she had much practice so it's wasn't hard. She then got up and sat down looking at him, "S-See" She said.

[*~Blazeheart~*]

"Whoa, that's cool!"he commented, eyes wide with amazement. Trying to copy her, he crouched low so that his belly fur brushed the top of the grass. He stilled the muscles in his tail to keep from moving around like a wriggling snake. Then he glided forward like Hollypaw had showed him, keeping his tail low enough to it didn't brush the grass. Unfortunately, his weight was a bit heavy and his pawsteps could be heard.

[~Ravenpaw~]

Hollypaw smiled sheepishly, she wasn't used to being called cool, she hardly did anything worthy of being called cool, but she had to admit it felt nice to be able to help out for once, it was rare for her to get out and even talk with other's her studdering voice and shyiness that normaly shut her right up often got in the way. Hollypaw's stunning green eyes watched as he tried, "Y-You are v-very good" She said gently, which was true alot of cats didn't get is right on their first try, but Walnutpaw was doing very good.

[*~Blazeheart~*]

"Awsome! One thing I'm finally good at!"he mewed happily, keeping his weight balanced as he glided forward.
"We should try to catch some prey around here. The Clan will be really surprised to see how good we are!"Walnutpaw suggested, tail waving enthusiastically.

"Let's race,"he challenged, with a happy gleam in his pale blue eyes.
"Whoever can catch the most mice gets to sleep in the best nest in the apprentice's den tonight. Loser has to give up some moss to the winner,"he explained, smiling mischeviously.

[~Ravenpaw~]

Hollypaw nodded, she did like that idea, the clan did need more prey then fish, so it seemed like a good idea at the time. She flicked her grey tail back and forth, she smiled and was ready to start the hunt that is until Walnutpaw threw in a little surprise. A race, Hollypaw had never been in a race before but he seemed thrilled at the idea so she nodded in return, and hoped she was agreeing to the right thing. "A-A-Alright" She said nodding, she was a small she-cat anyways, she wouldn't miss some moss if she lost, but she would be surprised if she did end up winning, but for her it was doubtful. "S-Sounds good" She added afterwards getting herself ready.

((Don't forget our other thread))

[*~Blazeheart~*]

((Yups, replied ^^))

Walnutpaw grinned in a mischevious way, as if he were a young kit again playing games with his denmates. It always felt good to act childish once in a while.
"Alright ready...."he meowed slowly, crouching down and tail flicking back and forth in anticipation.

"GO!"he yowled out, leaping forward, sending a flurry of leaves scattering behind him. His feet pounded the ground, which was sure to scare the prey away, but he managed to slow down a bit and remembered to keep his paws light on the ground.

Sniffing around, he instantly smelled the musky scent of a land critter. Using his ears, he heard scuttling and pinpointed the creature.

[~Ravenpaw~]

Hollypaw nodded and dropped low her tail swayed ever so slightly as she waited for Walnutpaw to say go, it felt fun to be playful once and a while she hadn't had so much fun in forever, even with her siblings she felt left out and really had fun, she was always to sick. She had fun with Wildsong but when she died everything wasn't as fun anymore, she liked Walnutpaw he was nice, and a very good friend, she hoped that she could be a friend like that to him as well. Hollypaw took off after he yowled go, she raced off swiftly, her paws almost silent as she ran then dropped low swiftly, glancing about with her stunning green eyes, she caught sight of a mouse, she slid her paws from underneath her and attacked instantly, leaping out she bit down and killed it easily.

[*~Blazeheart~*]

Walnutpaw quickly dropped to the crouch, trying to remember how Hollypaw had showed him. Keeping his tail low enough but not touching the ground, he slowly eased forward pawstep by pawstep. He still couldn't see the small mouse but he could hear it and smell it a mouse-length away. Ever so slowly, he advanced closer until he could almost hear the tiny rodent's heartbeat. Quick as a flash, his claws shot outward as if he were catching a fish. The mouse let out a shriek as claws pierced its flesh.
The light brown tom quickly dragged it toward his mouth and bit down, feeling the creature fall limo.
I did it!he felt quite jubilant at his success. Walnutpaw felt mice were easier to grasp since they had fur instead of slippery skin.

[~Ravenpaw~]

Hollypaw was about to pick up her mouse when she scented another mouse not to far away, she left hers there and covered it a bit and ran off to catch the other. She leapt on it swiftly, her movements gentle but powerful, she attacked it killing it instantly. She picked it up and brought it back to her other mouse. Her striking green eyes stared at them and nodded she decided to go after another, she left it there, she glanced around before covering them once more. Getting up she apdded off to fine some more mice.