Needs Soap and a Rubber Ducky

[CloverFlame]

Originally Posted by Okapi

Fennelheart glanced at her nervously,” It’s actually Fennelheart, I believe Lionstorm mispoke on my name. Also, I’m not going to put a paw in water.”

Originally Posted by Catbee-Nepeta

Pinepaw smiled and dipped her head to Rainwhisper. After all this time, she was finally going to be able to swim like all the other Warriors! She looked over at Fennelheart. “You’ll be okay!”She said, smiling at the Skyclan warrior. “I heard you start to like swimming once you finally get started.”

Originally Posted by CasperCreates

@Catbee-Nepeta @Okapi @CloverFlame

"That's the spirit," Eagleflight's whiskers twitched as he regarded Pinepaw's optimism. He glanced at Fennelheart, understanding her hesitance to get in the water, but hoping that she wouldn't give him too much trouble. "Hey, you'll be safe with us. You SkyClan cats have powerful legs; you'll be able to brave those river currents just fine, I promise." He looked to Rainwhisper for reassurance.

Rainwhisper eyed the apprehensive warrior, hiding the annoyance that crowded his mind. Pidgeonpaw was barely 6 moons had had more grit than she! Pinepaw too for that matter. Though, these cats were out of their element, so he tried his best to stay patient. Anyway, if she wouldn’t listen, he could always shove her in.
“You’ll be fine,” He meowed to Fennelheart, “And I’ll try to remember you’re name better, there are just so many new cats.” Dipping his head in apology before turning to the river, pausing a moment to take in everything, the view, the scent, the warmth of the sunlight reflecting off the water, he simply loved it here.
“Well, I suppose we’d better get started, hm?” The murmured absentmindedly, striding towards the river bank before turning back towards the three cats, “Well than, who’s first?”

[The Cannibal]

Originally Posted by jupiter

Roachfoot who at first thought this whole training thing was going to be fun to watch hadn’t been planning on actually training anybody! And here you are leading some half wit skyclan cat to their doom. With a deep sigh of annoyance the feline turned on his heels toward the exit of camp following quietly after oakflame who lead them out of camp. The name yarrowpounce didn’t ring a bell, but he assumed the cat was following closely after. Couldn’t afford to lose them in the forest now could he.
He glanced over his shoulder hopeful to catch a glance of somebody who looked like a yarrowpounce as they began to fan out against the rivers edge. ‘ ‘ hurry up yarrowpounce I haven’t got all day to wait around ‘ ‘ he snorted over his shoulder. Despite Roachfoot being shorter and with a less graceful build then most he knew just how to swim. His thick fur was dense meaning he could likely outswim most other cats when it came to insulation. The tabby hopped down onto the shore feeling the sand between his toes and edging closer to the water. Now... you see the hunting thing was different. He was so short and small that whenever he swung to catch a fish he threw himself right off balance and ended up with a face full of pebbles or water. He shivered. And flicked his tail with slight annoyance. With a grunt the tabby dropped down and curled his tail around his paws. ‘ ‘ c’monnnn yarrowpounce I won’t bite ‘ ‘

@The Cannibal

The warriors heart caught in his throat as he heard the name of the cat who would be training him; they sounded terrifying! He had no clue what the other cat looked like, but when they started moving, he heard his trainer say his name and would nervously glance around to see who had called it. Eventually his eyes landed upon the tom and he would make his way over to walk behind Roachfoot, feeling as if he were on the verge of tears he was so scared. He was taller than Roachfoot, but that didn't make him any less scared of the Riverclan cat, by the way the other tom talked, he got the impression that he wasn't going to be patient and nice with him. He would throw him into the water and probably watch him drown. When they finally reached the shore, the ground transitioning to sand and the river stretching out before him, he could feel a sob of fear trying to escape him. Roachfoot stepped closer to the water, but Yarrowpounce did not follow, his face twisted up to try and stop the sob from escaping him. I'm not ready to die, I don't want to die today, Starclan help me.
The mostly white tom with brown patches looked at the shorter warrior, nearly trembling in his pelt, the annoyance registering but doing nothing to calm the fear that coursed through his body. "I-I-I.." He had to pause, coming too close to sobbing again. "I don't want to do this.. I'm - I'll die! I-I don't want to die today!" Now small tears wet the fur around his eyes and his voice quavered.

Originally Posted by Dipper

Fawnpaw kept pace with the front of the group throughout the duration of the walk, daydreamy thoughts of how this was one of the best things to ever happen to his training floating around his mind. He'd learn how to swim, then he wouldn't feel separated from his own clanmates; he could teach other apprentices, he could save a drowning cat... the list of possibilities was endless and had him occupied until the moment they'd reached the riverside. Fawnpaw was forced to awkwardly twist and scramble back so he didn't distractedly walk himself right into the water, being caught up in his thoughts and completely tuned out of his surroundings.

Once Oakflame had found him and Grousestar, Fawnpaw shifted his weight from one paw to the other in nervous excitement. "Yeah, I mean-- I think so?" he replied, breathless with energy because this was the day he'd learn how to swim. It was akin to a rite of passage for RiverClan. Peering over his shoulder, the river was alluring in its deceptively calm trickle through the territory, an observation that dimmed Fawnpaw's demeanor slightly. It... was sort of dangerous. Cats drowned here. It was Grousestar's question that pulled him back, and he added, "Uh, I... I would like to know that too." Particularly because stumpy legs had not grown to the size he'd hoped they would by this point in his apprenticeship.

"Also, what... happens if, like, I get in the river and can't swim?" he asked, a concerned edge to his tone. "Not that I would do that, I know how to swim in theory and everything... just-- wondering."


@Rosemew ; @The Cannibal

Originally Posted by Rosemew

[ @Dipper @The Cannibal ]
___________

This was great already! Both of the toms were ready, and didn't seem to be grumpy. The question made him give a hum. "Ah, the river is quite deep. So you'll have to be a bit careful getting in. " he told, hoping the answer wouldn't give them doubt. To Fawnpaws question, he gave a grin to the apprentice. "Well then, I'll jump in and get you out. But I can promise that nothing bad will happen." His tone was serious, which clashed with the easy going grin on his maw. After a slight moment of silence passed, he began.
"Anyway, let's begin!" The tom nodded, making his way over to the river. He settled in a spot that wasn't too crowded , wanting to make sure the leader and apprentice had room. "Now, when you get into the river, keeps your legs close to your body, and tail floating just above water. You want to paddle, pushing yourself with your hind legs." he hoped that his words weren't too much to take in.

He took a small breath. "If you feel doubtful or nervous about it, you can get out of the river and take a break." oakflame told with a nod, slipping into the water. It'd be way easier to learn if the mentor was also in the water and could demonstrate right? Right! He went under the water for a split second, popping up after to make sure all of his fur was wet so there wasn't just random dry spots. Tail laying on the surface of the water, it gave a barely noticeable flick, his amber gaze resting on the two.

He looks excited, Grousestar would think to himself as he looked over at the apprentice, making his smile brighten even more. It was good to see a young cat excited to learn, learning was amazing and it let you grow as a cat, and even now in his older years he was eager to learn. Turning his head back to Oakflame, he would ask his question, Fawnpaw following with another valid question. "That'll likely be more of the case for me I reckon," chuckled out the tom, not wishing for the apprentice to feel embarrassed about not knowing how to swim.
The answers came, and the leader would nod his head in understanding to hear that the river is quite deep, something he expected. After all, you couldn't learn to swim if you were able to simply stand in the water, could you? "I believe Lionstorm has put us in good paws, right, lets get on with this lesson then!"
Purring slightly, Grousestar would stand, stretching lightly, a bit of stiffness in his legs that he hoped would get worked out with the swimming lessons. Following him to the slightly open spot, he'd look down at the water, testing it with a paw as Oakflame explained some basic rules when it came to swimming.

"Hopefully I haven't eaten too much today to sink me down," murmured the tom as he watched the warrior slip into the water with ease that only came with a natural understanding of swimming. Moons of practice. A split second of nervousness swam through him as Oakflame ducked beneath the surface before popping up a second later. "Right, er.." Clearing his throat, the leader would slip into the water, barely keeping his head up, a puff of exasperation escaping him as he viciously tried to paddle and correct himself. Legs close to body, close to your body, paddle with your back paws, tail on surface, his mind began repeating the words, his body trying to obey the commands. The coldness of the water made it hard to think, and there was quite a bit of splashing on his part, and grunting. His head going under a few times before slowly, he corrected himself. It still looked awkward, and he looked ready to sink at any moment, but he wasn't freaking out. "T-The uh, waters fine Fawnpaw!" He called out with a grin, water dripping off of his face and whiskers, eyes a bit wider than usual as he tried to focus on keeping his head above the surface.

[Mango]

Originally Posted by Leopardblaze

Leopardblaze looked at her trainer, Honeybee, "Well I did get a brief swimming lesson a few days ago, but that's the only time I've been in the river." She was a little excited to be trying again, though she hated how her spotted fur got waterlogged from being wet. "But I think I'm ready to have another go," she meowed, she hated to complain because she thinks the best was to overcome something difficult is just to work as hard as you can to get it done.

Originally Posted by Catbee-Nepeta

Pinepaw smiled and dipped her head to Rainwhisper. After all this time, she was finally going to be able to swim like all the other Warriors! She looked over at Fennelheart. “You’ll be okay!”She said, smiling at the Skyclan warrior. “I heard you start to like swimming once you finally get started.”

Originally Posted by CasperCreates

@Catbee-Nepeta @Okapi @CloverFlame

"That's the spirit," Eagleflight's whiskers twitched as he regarded Pinepaw's optimism. He glanced at Fennelheart, understanding her hesitance to get in the water, but hoping that she wouldn't give him too much trouble. "Hey, you'll be safe with us. You SkyClan cats have powerful legs; you'll be able to brave those river currents just fine, I promise." He looked to Rainwhisper for reassurance.

Originally Posted by CloverFlame

Rainwhisper eyed the apprehensive warrior, hiding the annoyance that crowded his mind. Pidgeonpaw was barely 6 moons had had more grit than she! Pinepaw too for that matter. Though, these cats were out of their element, so he tried his best to stay patient. Anyway, if she wouldn’t listen, he could always shove her in.
“You’ll be fine,” He meowed to Fennelheart, “And I’ll try to remember you’re name better, there are just so many new cats.” Dipping his head in apology before turning to the river, pausing a moment to take in everything, the view, the scent, the warmth of the sunlight reflecting off the water, he simply loved it here.
“Well, I suppose we’d better get started, hm?” The murmured absentmindedly, striding towards the river bank before turning back towards the three cats, “Well than, who’s first?”

Honeybee turned to Leopardblaze,” Alright, don’t worry if you start to drown I’ll rescue you. Remember to keep your paws moving when you are swimming.” She meowed as she began to wade into the water.
~~~
Fennelheart could tell they were trying to be helpful and supportive, but it didn’t change her mind at all,” Cats aren’t meant to swim. I’ve never seen a loner or rogue swim.” She remarked,” Also all of the other clans don’t swim. It’s unnatural.” She meowed hoping not to be disrespectful.

[CloverFlame]

Originally Posted by Okapi

Fennelheart could tell they were trying to be helpful and supportive, but it didn’t change her mind at all,” Cats aren’t meant to swim. I’ve never seen a loner or rogue swim.” She remarked,” Also all of the other clans don’t swim. It’s unnatural.” She meowed hoping not to be disrespectful.

Rainwhisper sighed heavily before turning to the molly, “And I suppose it’s perfectly natural for cats to leap through the trees like squirrels?” He mused wryly, “Look if you don’t like it, you’re welcome to not eat any fish and try to live off of the few prey that are around here.” Rainwhisper gave her one last annoyed glance, “Nevermind what’ll happen to you if there is a flood. Do you think any cat is going to be risking their neck to save you when there are kits and elders drowning?” He said gruffly, this molly was really starting to annoy him slightly with what he considered and uppity attitude, talking as if Riverclan was a worse clan simply because they had learned a different skill set.
“Look, every clan has their specialty that we’ve learned and passed down to survive. Skyclan leapt through the trees, Riverclan swims.”

[Dust]

Originally Posted by CloverFlame

Willowwings surveyed the molly with a slight expression of approval at the molly’s temper. Too many of these Skyclan cats tried to hard to fit in, which in turn made Willowwings trust them even less. It was as if they were trying to gain Riverclan’s trust without earning it. But this molly clearly didn’t have a problem making her feelings known as Willowwings caught her glance towards Lionstorm.
“Oh it’s no bother,” The molly mewed quickly, curling her tail around her paws as they spoke, “I don’t have an apprentice, so I have plenty of free time.” She said quietly, turning to look at the river with affection in her eyes and she felt a slight pang of compassion for these Skyclan cats, she couldn’t imagine ever leaving the beautiful surroundings the sat in. Nor living somewhere where the river didn’t constantly bring a fresh breeze.
“Try stepping in the river first, try to get a feel of the currents in a more shallow part before you go splashing off into the depths.” Willowwings purred as she remembered her own mentor teaching her to swim here, “Once you’re comfortable with that, we’ll go in a little deeper. The most important thing is to simply keep your legs churning and your nose above the water, we’ll get into more technicalities in a bit.

Honeynose stared at her reflection in the water for a good while, simply mustering up the courage to take a step in. It was silly how much inner turmoil was going on her brain right now... but ultimately this was for her daughters! "Ok." She mumbled, her head still tilted downwards to focus on tiny waves lapping against the bank. Slowly, Honeynose lifted her paw over top the water, hesitating for a moment before completely submerging it. It only took a second for the color to drain from her face, nose turned up in disgust as the cool water trickled between her toes. She looked as though she'd been hit by lightning, her fur standing straight on end in every which way. "ACK!" A quick yowl left her throat, her own body flying backwards as she danced around the area shaking her paw wildly. "That is not pleasant at all! How do you manage to swim in that!? It's so cold!" Honeynose turned a concerned gaze towards the Riverclan warrior. Were they actually fish?! "You get in first!"

[CloverFlame]

Originally Posted by Dust

Honeynose stared at her reflection in the water for a good while, simply mustering up the courage to take a step in. It was silly how much inner turmoil was going on her brain right now... but ultimately this was for her daughters! "Ok." She mumbled, her head still tilted downwards to focus on tiny waves lapping against the bank. Slowly, Honeynose lifted her paw over top the water, hesitating for a moment before completely submerging it. It only took a second for the color to drain from her face, nose turned up in disgust as the cool water trickled between her toes. She looked as though she'd been hit by lightning, her fur standing straight on end in every which way. "ACK!" A quick yowl left her throat, her own body flying backwards as she danced around the area shaking her paw wildly. "That is not pleasant at all! How do you manage to swim in that!? It's so cold!" Honeynose turned a concerned gaze towards the Riverclan warrior. Were they actually fish?! "You get in first!"

Willowwings eyes narrowed in annoyance, how could this cat be such a kit! She had been in the water at 6 moons old with no complaints. Honestly, how were these cats ever going to work out in Riverclan?
With her tail lashing, the molly huffed and stepped forward to the river, rolling her eyes at the molly’s overreaction, “Fine I will,” Without another word, she slipped into the water, stifling a purr as she felt the familiarity of the current, how could Honeynose not enjoy this? Up to her belly in the water, Willowwings turned back to her trainee, “Now get in we don’t have all day.”

[wren]

Originally Posted by Dust

[CENTER]

All Frostflight could do was roll his eyes dramatically, a heavy sigh leaving his chest. Of all people, Lionstorm knew he was good swimmer! They had grown up swimming in the river... what an insult. Still, it was progress that he was able to help! 'I'll count that as a win!' The silver tabby produced his own cocky grin as he took his leave with the group. He knew the area they were going to like the back of his paw. His own mentor had taken him there to learn, so as long as recent storms hadn't washed out the river - there were plenty of shallow pools. He wouldn't thrust Duckpuddle straight into the river, the current would be too strong for her baby swimming legs. Speaking of which... where was she? Frostflight had been getting to passively know some of the Skyclan members, but he couldn't recall ever meeting Duck. He'd only briefly seen her brown and white pelt before leaving the camp, so as he slithered his way through the crowd Frostflight managed to spot a similar pelt stumbling over a pothole up ahead. Rushing forward quickly, Frostflight offered a shoulder for her to lean on in case she needed to regain her balance. "Duckpuddle?" He meowed politely, offering a gentle smile and curious expression. Starclan, please let this be the right cat! How embarrassing it would be to find out it wasn't his trainee![/CENT

Of course you had to trip and fall right in front of everybody! Duckpuddle was no clutz, sure her legs were kinda short and stubby but she could keep herself upright and walk in a straight line. That was just borderline embarrassing! Still recovering from her trip she felt a shoulder brush up against her side and snapped her gaze up to face Frostflight nearly knocking her muzzle against his, recoiling just in time to avoid any face to face collision. ' ' yeah? - er- yes that's me- ' ' she felt a wave of relief take over her chest as she leaned up against his shoulder to steady herself back onto the path.
' ' potholes huh- ' ' she said with a dry chuckle, glancing over her shoulder to examine the root and small dip in the path she had almost fell into. She would try to forget the incident, it wasn't likely everybody had seen her or would even remember it.. right? Well other then her knight in shinning armour. She inched away from the toms shoulder as the group fanned out against the side of the river, slipping down the bank and trying not to look. Just to think any moment she'd be stepping into that freezing cold death trap at the paws of a deputy who possibly couldn't swim was a horrifying thought to process. ' ' You- er you can swim right? ' ' it was a stupid question, but the nerves had built up and there was no chance she wasn't going to ask ' ' I mean.. I know you can I mean just.. can you swim well? ' ' she chewed the inside of her lip and glanced back up at the tom with a nervous smile ' ' like i'm not going to drown right? ' ' she asked with another laugh her tail lashing giving away her anxious thoughts.

Originally Posted by The Cannibal

The warriors heart caught in his throat as he heard the name of the cat who would be training him; they sounded terrifying! He had no clue what the other cat looked like, but when they started moving, he heard his trainer say his name and would nervously glance around to see who had called it. Eventually his eyes landed upon the tom and he would make his way over to walk behind Roachfoot, feeling as if he were on the verge of tears he was so scared. He was taller than Roachfoot, but that didn't make him any less scared of the Riverclan cat, by the way the other tom talked, he got the impression that he wasn't going to be patient and nice with him. He would throw him into the water and probably watch him drown. When they finally reached the shore, the ground transitioning to sand and the river stretching out before him, he could feel a sob of fear trying to escape him. Roachfoot stepped closer to the water, but Yarrowpounce did not follow, his face twisted up to try and stop the sob from escaping him. I'm not ready to die, I don't want to die today, Starclan help me.
The mostly white tom with brown patches looked at the shorter warrior, nearly trembling in his pelt, the annoyance registering but doing nothing to calm the fear that coursed through his body. "I-I-I.." He had to pause, coming too close to sobbing again. "I don't want to do this.. I'm - I'll die! I-I don't want to die today!" Now small tears wet the fur around his eyes and his voice quavered.

Roachfoot raised an eyebrow as the lanky skyclanner basically dragged himself in his direction. ' ' You are shaking enough to shake out yer fleas ' ' Roachfoot commented adjusting himself to watch. ' ' Haven't even dipped a toe in yet! ' ' He hadn't meant to say the second part, but he supposed it was mostly out of surprise. He could remember being scared of water or even other cats being scared but not terrified! Yarrowpounce looked like he had just come into contact with a fox the size of a twoleg! However fun it seemed now he wasn't so sure, it looked as if he was gripping his very sanity at the moment. If the thought of swimming was bothering him so much how was he ever going to get the tom to even go near the edge of the water. Oh joy, of course lionstorm had to put the cowardly skyclanner under his care. Scooching even closer to the generally calm river and wrapping his tail around his legs. It was calm during this time of year, the best time for swimming lessons undoubtedly. He wondered what the tom would've thought in the first parts of new leaf when the snow from the
mountains melt and the edges of the bank got engulfed by the hungry waves.
Even the bravest of warriors struggle to face the waves- he couldn't imagine what the sight of it would have done to Yarrowpounce. Perhaps he'd drop dead? He flicked an ear dismissively and put his attention back onto the tom. ' ' hey- ' ' he paused nose scrunching up with surprise to see that the white and brown patched tom was actually.. crying? ' ' relax mousebrain you won't die, I won't let ya ' ' his voice lacked regular sympathy but he seemed slightly discomforted as his eyebrows knit together. This was going to be harder then he thought...

[pidgeon]

Originally Posted by Okapi

Fennelheart could tell they were trying to be helpful and supportive, but it didn’t change her mind at all,” Cats aren’t meant to swim. I’ve never seen a loner or rogue swim.” She remarked,” Also all of the other clans don’t swim. It’s unnatural.” She meowed hoping not to be disrespectful.

@CloverFlame @Catbee-Nepeta

"Yes, and I've never seen a rogue, loner, or other clan cat leap through the trees like you do," Eagleflight shot back at her. "Unnatural, maybe, but Rainwhisper is right. Both SkyClan's tree leaping and RiverClan's swimming are traits that we've adapted to survive. These skills have been passed down for generations, and if your clan doesn't learn the ways of the river, how will you ever learn not to rely on RiverClan? You want to be independent, don't you?" He lingered his gaze on Fennelheart as he spoke, as if challenging her to argue further.
"Now, let's get moving before we're left behind." He gestured with a flick of his tail for the other cats to follow him as he began to trot out of the camp.

[Dust]

Originally Posted by CloverFlame

Willowwings eyes narrowed in annoyance, how could this cat be such a kit! She had been in the water at 6 moons old with no complaints. Honestly, how were these cats ever going to work out in Riverclan?
With her tail lashing, the molly huffed and stepped forward to the river, rolling her eyes at the molly’s overreaction, “Fine I will,” Without another word, she slipped into the water, stifling a purr as she felt the familiarity of the current, how could Honeynose not enjoy this? Up to her belly in the water, Willowwings turned back to her trainee, “Now get in we don’t have all day.”

After her little jig was over, Honeynose watched in dramatic horror as Willowings slipped into the water with ease. What in Starclan's name was wrong with her!? Cats shouldn't be in water! ....but at the same time Honey was jealous of how naturally it came... and at the end of the day this was for her family's safety, not her own. With a scrunch of her nose, the warrior took her stance in front of the water once more, shooting Willowings a fiery look. "Don't patronize me, I'm still trying to get used to this." and without another snap of her mouth, Honeynose sucked in a deep breath as she plunged her front paws into the water - followed by her back as well - reaching until she felt the security of the bottom. Chattering her teeth, the Skyclan feline made her way on tippy toes to her mentor attempting not to let out another hoot of displeasure. In a way, the water did feel nice. The gentle current seemed to flow through her belly fur, cooling the warmer parts of her skin. At least the sun was out to warm her pelt. "O-ok! Wh-hat now!" Honeynose didn't care how silly she looked and she'd be sure to rake the pelt of anyone who mentioned it.

Originally Posted by jupiter

Of course you had to trip and fall right in front of everybody! Duckpuddle was no clutz, sure her legs were kinda short and stubby but she could keep herself upright and walk in a straight line. That was just borderline embarrassing! Still recovering from her trip she felt a shoulder brush up against her side and snapped her gaze up to face Frostflight nearly knocking her muzzle against his, recoiling just in time to avoid any face to face collision. ' ' yeah? - er- yes that's me- ' ' she felt a wave of relief take over her chest as she leaned up against his shoulder to steady herself back onto the path.
' ' potholes huh- ' ' she said with a dry chuckle, glancing over her shoulder to examine the root and small dip in the path she had almost fell into. She would try to forget the incident, it wasn't likely everybody had seen her or would even remember it.. right? Well other then her knight in shinning armour. She inched away from the toms shoulder as the group fanned out against the side of the river, slipping down the bank and trying not to look. Just to think any moment she'd be stepping into that freezing cold death trap at the paws of a deputy who possibly couldn't swim was a horrifying thought to process. ' ' You- er you can swim right? ' ' it was a stupid question, but the nerves had built up and there was no chance she wasn't going to ask ' ' I mean.. I know you can I mean just.. can you swim well? ' ' she chewed the inside of her lip and glanced back up at the tom with a nervous smile ' ' like i'm not going to drown right? ' ' she asked with another laugh her tail lashing giving away her anxious thoughts.

Frostflight gave a snort of amusement, tilting his head away as Duckpuddle whipped her muzzle towards him. Close call. "It happens to the best of us. There's a lot more where that came from, the territory is littered with them." He meowed, a gentle purr rumbling in his chest. The deputy didn't mind acting as a balance, glad to know his fellow clanmate was back upright on her paws. Starclan knew he was a clumsy fool sometimes. Still, as he felt the pressure of her weight disappear, he cast a cautious glance towards her paws to make sure there was no incoming debris. The last thing he wanted was his trainee to trip and sprain an ankle... he was sure she already thought she was going to drown because of Lionstorm's snarky comment. And it was only proven true when she finally asked him.

"Eh, don't listen to that mouse-brain," Frostflight sighed in exasperation, his eyes almost rolling into the back of his skull, "I can swim perfectly fine and I promise if you get caught in the current, there's no doubt that I'll be able to save you. Plus, we'll be around more great swimmers than just me." The silver tabby tilted his head to glance at Duckpuddle, his voice softening with the waves of anxiety pouring from her pelt, "I promise you'll be fine, ok? Let's focus on having fun instead!" As Frostflight directed his attention forwards, he was pleased to find that they had reached the willow tree. "Excellent!" Slipping forward through the crowd, all the while making sure that Duckpuddle was still following, he skirted to a more quiet area. Stepping into the river, Frostflight wriggled his toes in sand with a smile. "First things first, let's find you an area that's shallow. For now I want you to get used to the feeling before we go out into deeper water." Plucking his paws along the ground, Frostflight felt around for a few moments, testing each area before deciding on a shallow bank that barely came up to his belly. "Here," offering his tail as a guide, he motioned for a way for her to get in, "Take your time, we're in no rush. I'll warn you that it's cold, but it's refreshing as well. If you need to dip your paws in first, go for it!"

[Fawn]

"Not, uh, to... be ungrateful or anything, but have you actually done that before? Rescuing someone, I mean?" Or two cats at once, if what Grousestar said was true. They might both need assistance, and his rattled nerves weren't quelled by Oakflame's promise. Fawnpaw listened to the instructions, all of which seeming reasonable until the part about his tail, and he swiveled to stare at the little pomf. He was supposed to keep that above water? Distracted and uncertain if he should question that aloud, he nearly didn't hear the rest of the directions but nodded when Oakflame was finished speaking.

Fawnpaw blinked while he gazed at Oakflame's graceful slide into the water that he didn't think could be replicated by trainees, at least not during this session. "Okay..." There was a hesitant waver in his meow as he took one step forward, closer to the river, then the other step. His legs were stiff and unwilling, but he was given a pinch of hope upon seeing Grousestar adjust to the water.

The edge of the riverbank was intimidating alone. The dropoff didn't allow for a gradual immersion into the swirling depths that threatened to drag him down and keep him there, squeezing the air from his lungs. Fawnpaw shuddered, the visual intense. "Alright, here we go." It was a mutter mostly to himself as he continued to inch forward but kept as much of his body on land as possible, his balance soon slipping when that no longer became feasible. With a splash, he was in and struggled his way to the surface to take a gulp of air. Instructions returning to the forefront of his thoughts, he tried to remember the basics: paddle, legs close, and... tail? Fawnpaw realized with a start that his tail was submerged and tried to squirm to correct it, but merely was putting his head under water with his attempts.

@Rosemew ; @The Cannibal