Willowpaw's Training! [p] - Page 7

***squidz*** · #61 June 19th, 2024, 10:55 AM

Stagheart chuckled at her excitement. She really was an affectionate cat, he noted; not something he was used to.

"That's right. Get yourself somethin' to eat if you haven't yet — swimmin' is hard work, you'll need your energy. Then we can head out."

He sat back and curled his tail over his paws, patiently waiting for Willowpaw to get ready. The sun indicated it was something around mid-morning, the day's heat just starting to bathe the camp clearing. Stagheart took a look around as he waited, soaking in the comforting sight of his home.

**SeonghwaBerry** · #62 June 19th, 2024, 12:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by squidz

Stagheart chuckled at her excitement. She really was an affectionate cat, he noted; not something he was used to.

"That's right. Get yourself somethin' to eat if you haven't yet — swimmin' is hard work, you'll need your energy. Then we can head out."

He sat back and curled his tail over his paws, patiently waiting for Willowpaw to get ready. The sun indicated it was something around mid-morning, the day's heat just starting to bathe the camp clearing. Stagheart took a look around as he waited, soaking in the comforting sight of his home.

Willowpaw shook out her fur and stuck her long tail up, padding over and grabbing a fish she called. "You want one!?" As she picked up a small carp. Looking at Weepingpaw and giving him the carp, she grabbed herself a slightly larger carp and clumsy swapped prey with her brother, licking her brothers ear she padded back to her mentor. With prey in her jaws. One for her, and one for him if he said yes, if not then just one for her. Regardless. Willowpaw dropped her prey and crouched to eat it.

***squidz*** · #63 June 19th, 2024, 05:53 PM

"Already ate — but thanks," he replied, intrigued at how thoughtful Willowpaw was. She always seemed to be looking out for others — something that both impressed him but also worried him a tad bit. Just like Berrypaw, she seemed pretty selfless. That could be great for the Clan, but also get you into trouble. As he was musing on this, he waited for Willowpaw to finish up and nodded his head.

"Alright... let's head out. We're goin' to the big river in the territory. It's a bit fast 'n strong, but we're goin' for the slower part to get you used to bein' in the water in the first place. Then we can work up from there."

He led the way into the forest, stopping by the river bank. They had passed the faster current on the way here, and now they paused where the water was just a bit slower. Still strong to give you an idea of how the river felt, but not overpowering. He sat down on the sand, waiting for Willowpaw to arrive and settle.

"Have you tried any swimmin' before?" He asked, glancing at the dark waters.

**SeonghwaBerry** · #64 July 1st, 2024, 07:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by squidz

"Already ate — but thanks," he replied, intrigued at how thoughtful Willowpaw was. She always seemed to be looking out for others — something that both impressed him but also worried him a tad bit. Just like Berrypaw, she seemed pretty selfless. That could be great for the Clan, but also get you into trouble. As he was musing on this, he waited for Willowpaw to finish up and nodded his head.

"Alright... let's head out. We're goin' to the big river in the territory. It's a bit fast 'n strong, but we're goin' for the slower part to get you used to bein' in the water in the first place. Then we can work up from there."

He led the way into the forest, stopping by the river bank. They had passed the faster current on the way here, and now they paused where the water was just a bit slower. Still strong to give you an idea of how the river felt, but not overpowering. He sat down on the sand, waiting for Willowpaw to arrive and settle.

"Have you tried any swimmin' before?" He asked, glancing at the dark waters.

Willowpaw nodded, eating her share and then thinking about her mentors question, "How is there a faster and slower part if it's all one body of water?" Willowpaw wondered, padding after her mentor and bumping his shoulder with hers with a teasing look, "I tried swimming one time, but my tail is long so it's hard to keep track of it.. I got stuck on a broken branch." Willowpaw grumbled gently, lifting her tail and revealing a tiny scar on the back of it. "It happened when I was a kit. I had to lie and say I feel on a sharp rock... and then fell into a puddle." Willowpaw purred.

***squidz*** · #65 July 2nd, 2024, 12:24 PM

Stagheart glanced at the river with a shrug. "I ain't sure... I've heard some mention somethin' 'bout the current, how it can change dependin' on the river floor or how it bends. I don't know too much 'bout it... ask someone smarter than me," he advised with a low chuckle.

Recounting her harrowing tail as a kit, Stagheart's whiskers twitched in muted amusement at the thought of the little kit lying to save her skin. "Sounds like quite the story. Did anyone actually believe ya?"

As he spoke he tapped the river's water with his paw, feeling how cold and fast it was today. It seemed to be in good conditions, the water slowing around the bend and offering a considerable but manageable current.

**SeonghwaBerry** · #66 July 2nd, 2024, 05:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by squidz

Stagheart glanced at the river with a shrug. "I ain't sure... I've heard some mention somethin' 'bout the current, how it can change dependin' on the river floor or how it bends. I don't know too much 'bout it... ask someone smarter than me," he advised with a low chuckle.

Recounting her harrowing tail as a kit, Stagheart's whiskers twitched in muted amusement at the thought of the little kit lying to save her skin. "Sounds like quite the story. Did anyone actually believe ya?"

As he spoke he tapped the river's water with his paw, feeling how cold and fast it was today. It seemed to be in good conditions, the water slowing around the bend and offering a considerable but manageable current.

Willowpaw huffed. "Your old you should be wise" Willowpaw laughed at her own teasing and shot her mentor a look to let him know it was a joke. At the mention of her story from kithood. Willowpaw nodded. "Suprisingly most adults did. But my brother Weepingpaw saw right through me and snitched. Glad he did though so I got checked thoroughly for splinters." Willowpaw meowed with a small giggle. She crouched beside the water, using her long tail for balance as she ran her paw in it. Twitching her whiskers she exclaimed. "It's cold!!" Purring gently she scooped the water in her paw, splashing it at her mentor and bounding away in hopes to avoid any retaliation.

***squidz*** · #67 Yesterday, 12:06 PM

Stagheart snorted in mock indignation as Willowpaw mentioned he should know more. "Older don't always mean wiser — even if it did, don't mean I'd suddenly know how rivers work." He pretended to sound annoyed even though he was clearly joking in his usual dry tone.

As she went to touch the water, he was just about to lightly tease her for the water being cold; it wasn't that cold to him, but then again, he'd been in the river during leaf-bare before. Everything else had felt warm after that. He was just opening his maw for some snarky comment when he felt the splash of water on his face.

Immediately he shook his head, letting out a startled mrrow and blinking the droplets away from his eyes. He scoffed and shook his head as Willowpaw bounced away, out of range. His eyes were narrowed with an amused glint to them, betraying how funny he thought that was despite his "strict" words.

"Ohh, now ya done it — think y'can just splash your mentor when he's teachin' ya to swim? We'd better go over Clan etiquette again," he growled into a soft chuckle, wiping droplets that clung to his nose. The younger, mischievous cat inside him wanted nothing more than to splash Willowpaw back, but he held firm, only betraying his humor with the situation with the twitch of his whiskers.

**SeonghwaBerry** · #68 Yesterday, 04:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by squidz

Stagheart snorted in mock indignation as Willowpaw mentioned he should know more. "Older don't always mean wiser — even if it did, don't mean I'd suddenly know how rivers work." He pretended to sound annoyed even though he was clearly joking in his usual dry tone.

As she went to touch the water, he was just about to lightly tease her for the water being cold; it wasn't that cold to him, but then again, he'd been in the river during leaf-bare before. Everything else had felt warm after that. He was just opening his maw for some snarky comment when he felt the splash of water on his face.

Immediately he shook his head, letting out a startled mrrow and blinking the droplets away from his eyes. He scoffed and shook his head as Willowpaw bounced away, out of range. His eyes were narrowed with an amused glint to them, betraying how funny he thought that was despite his "strict" words.

"Ohh, now ya done it — think y'can just splash your mentor when he's teachin' ya to swim? We'd better go over Clan etiquette again," he growled into a soft chuckle, wiping droplets that clung to his nose. The younger, mischievous cat inside him wanted nothing more than to splash Willowpaw back, but he held firm, only betraying his humor with the situation with the twitch of his whiskers.

Willowpaw laughed. Noticing his words about being wiser with a friendly flick of her tail. Her eyes alight with amusement as she watched her mentor shake the cold water from his fur. "Maybeee~" Willowpaw teased, trying to draw her mentor closer to his playful limit and get him to splash her back. "Come on! You know you want to! It'll help me get used to the cold water.... or could we play in the water after swimming? So I don't tire myself out first?" Willowpaw asked, her eyes wide and begging, hopefulness and amusement in her bright blue hues. "Pleaseeeeeeeeeeee~!" Willowpaw asked, bounding back to her mentor.