IF EVERYBODY HAD AN OCEAN ☆ TRAINING

[nyme]

WE'LL BUILD A FIRE IN YOUR EYES

── ⋅ ⋅ ── ! ── ⋅ ⋅ ──

SALAMANDERPAW . 11 MOONS . SHE/HER . RIVERCLAN

Okay. Okay. Okay.

"OKAY!!"

She's going, she's got it, she's doing it. Doing this. Making this happen. That is, swimming. Salamanderpaw is going to swim. She is.

Has to.

It's hard (thouggh only at first) to pick who she'll bother for this. Willowtail is bound to be even more pregnant now than she was a while ago (maybe she's even popped—Salamanderpaw hasn't kept tabs but there are certainly more queens now than there had been previously...), so probably not her. Amberdusk had already seen her be absolutely useless around the water before but then they'd gone and died, so definitely not them. It can't be a totally new instructor, though, because for all that Salamanderpaw is motivated to just do this it's also kind of a sensitive matter and she's in no mood to embarass herself in front of a warrior who hasn't already seen her fail before.

So she looks for Caveclaw.

Caveclaw's cool. They're calm, they're not a loser, and they've already seen Salamanderpaw struggle once before, so she feels like a safe enough cat to struggle in front of again.

"CAVECLAW! RISE! RISE TO MY CHALLENGE!!" Salamanderpaw shouts, not at all interested in being patient or normal about this. The yelling just helps somehow.

@Idiotic.Bean101 ; CAVECLAW

[Idiotic.Bean101]

art by @/Marigoldwhisper
Caveclaw-She/They
34 Moons
PURRKS
Kitty Softpaws T2-Inactive
Killer Aptitude T1-Inactive
LionHeart


--------------------


Caveclaw was just in the clearing, maybe about to go out, well.
Until she heard her name get yelled, and to rise to a challenge.
Sounds like Salamanderpaw.

She should probably find out what she wants.

Caveclaw walks over to find Salamanderpaw.
"What's your challenge?" She asked in her usual tone.


@nyme

[nyme]

WE'LL BUILD A FIRE IN YOUR EYES

── ⋅ ⋅ ── ! ── ⋅ ⋅ ──

SALAMANDERPAW . 11 MOONS . SHE/HER . RIVERCLAN

"Okay so here's the deal."

Her tone's as bossy as ever but now she's having a really hard time looking straight at them and her ears have gone all flattened-out and obvious on her. Salamanderpaw is embarrassed. "I....can't swim. Still. And actually, I think maybe I hate the water. No, okay, I know that I do. But that doesn't matter because I'm a Riverclanner and we swim so I have to swim so you're gonna show me how to swim!"

A pause, a breath.

"If you're not, like, busy or whatever. That's it that's the challenge."

@Idiotic.Bean101 ; CAVECLAW

[Idiotic.Bean101]

art by @/Marigoldwhisper
Caveclaw-She/They
34 Moons
PURRKS
Kitty Softpaws T2-Inactive
Killer Aptitude T1-Inactive
LionHeart


--------------------


Caveclaw listens as Salamanderpaw tells her that she can't swim, and that she she hates the water, and that she needs to know how to swim anyway, so Caveclaw's going to teach her.
Honestly, some of that sounded all too familiar.

"Alright." Caveclaw replied "We'll head out."
Anywhere but where those otters they were recently told about were, honestly.

"I'm not a big water fan either." She said simply as she started leading the way out of camp.


@nyme

[nyme]

WE'LL BUILD A FIRE IN YOUR EYES

── ⋅ ⋅ ── ! ── ⋅ ⋅ ──

SALAMANDERPAW . 12 MOONS . SHE/HER . RIVERCLAN

"Whu—really? You're not?" She can't help it that her eyes go big and sparkly. Caveclaw's just like her for real. How cool is that? Tension that Salamanderpaw hadn't realized she'd been holding in her shoulders eases. Sure, this is still a little embarrassing, but it's so much better now, and that reminds her to walk with some swagger as she follows after the Lionheart.

"To credit, I totally didn't know that. Was it hard? Like, learning to swim, was it hard for you?"

@Idiotic.Bean101 ; CAVECLAW apologies for the bighugemassive delay, battled IRL hang-ups & then wanted to get her un-missing'd before continuing

[Idiotic.Bean101]

art by @/Marigoldwhisper
Caveclaw-She/They
34 Moons
PURRKS
Kitty Softpaws T2-Inactive
Killer Aptitude T1-Inactive
LionHeart


---------------------


Caveclaw's ear twitched subtly at Salamanderpaw's surprise.
She looks back at the apprentice for a moment as she continues, before looking forward again.

"I delayed learning for a long time when I was young." They answered "I actually used to hate it. Didn't like it touching my skin, and I thought it was too cold. I don't hate it as much anymore, but I don't swim when I don't need to."
After a bit of walking and talking, they had made it to a calm part of the river.
The calmer the water, the better.
Well, the territory's rivers will always be calmer than the mountains, but sometimes, if weather's been rough, the water gets more violent.

Luckily, nothing like that has happened recently.


@nyme

[nyme]

WE'LL BUILD A FIRE IN YOUR EYES

── ⋅ ⋅ ── ! ── ⋅ ⋅ ──

SALAMANDERPAW . 12 MOONS . SHE/HER . RIVERCLAN

Just like MEEEEE!!!!! Salamanderpaw simply cannot resist a muffled squeal of excitement. It's nice to feel validated, is all. Caveclaw took a while to get around to swimming just like Salamanderpaw, and Caveclaw's awesome just like Salamanderpaw, and, yeah, maybe she'd been all worried that taking so long to learn such an essential skill meant something awful about her, like, fundamentally or whatever but—

but it doesn't.

Of course it doesn't.

What a relief.

"I didn't think about that. 'Cause your skin's just...out, huh? Why?" A pause. Loong and thoughtful. "Is that a messed up thing to ask?" She's staring hard at Caveclaw because the water's just, right there, and that's suddenly deeply intimidating.

@Idiotic.Bean101 ; CAVECLAW

[Idiotic.Bean101]

art by @/Marigoldwhisper
Caveclaw-She/They
34 Moons
PURRKS
Kitty Softpaws T2-Inactive
Killer Aptitude T1-Inactive
LionHeart


-------------------


Caveclaw looked at Salamanderpaw once again as she asked about the lack of fur.
"It's alright to be curious." They commented, before answering "I was born like this. Maybe it has to do with my father, but it doesn't matter much to me."

Now it was about time to begin the lesson.
They were by the water, after all.
Caveclaw stepped a bit closer to the edge of the water.

"We'll stand in the shallow bits first."
It's a good way to adjust, at least.


@nyme

[nyme]

WE'LL BUILD A FIRE IN YOUR EYES

── ⋅ ⋅ ── ! ── ⋅ ⋅ ──

SALAMANDERPAW . 12 MOONS . SHE/HER . RIVERCLAN

"Huh." It's funny to imagine a naked baby Cavekit, but Salamanderpaw would never say so to their face. "Fathers must suck." Not everyone can be so lucky as to have only had moms! Well. A mom, mostly. Maybe that's why I'm so stunning.

The world's humblest cat, Salamanderpaw, turns her gaze to the shallows and fights a restless squirminess in her belly. Her fur feels too thick and her legs a little wigglier than normal. Doooon't. It's just like in camp. JUST like it. She's practiced wading (well, wetting her toes really) in the shallow little trickle through camp tons of times, and this is NO different, not even a little. And anyway, even if it is, she has to do it. She has to. She—

Plonk—plonkplonk. "A,"

She's in with one short, sharp, cringing yelp. Just standing there now, feeling the water soak into her leg fur and her dragging belly fur, touching her skin. She's not going to wig out. She's not. Salamanderpaw breathes in short, fast puffs. This is normal and she's fine. It's fine snd she's normal.

An awkward, tense grin is shot Caveclaw's way. "Yaythisissomuchfun."

@Idiotic.Bean101 ; CAVECLAW

[Idiotic.Bean101]

art by @/Marigoldwhisper
Caveclaw-She/They
34 Moons
PURRKS
Kitty Softpaws T2 - Inactive
Killer Aptitude T1 - Inactive
LionHeart


----------------------


Caveclaw stands there as well, a little uncomfortable due to hairless paws, but training is training.
"Take your time going deeper for now." Caveclaw instructed, taking another step "Once you reach where you can't touch, move your legs as if you're trotting. It'll be awkward at first, but paddling is just the start."

The lykoi watched carefully.
Now, if Salamanderpaw seemed in any danger, they would pull her out.
Hopefully, though, that wouldn't end up the case.


@nyme