Not fish, can swim [Swimming training]

[Rani]

Bleedingpaw
Shadowclan Apprentice | He/Him | 8 Moons

Just a Scratch | Shadow Fiend | Hulk SMASH!

Ok ok so time to continue on Bleedingpaws endless quest for as much training as possible so when he became a warrior he could feel a liiiiiiittle bit more like he wasnt letting down shadowclan and being a burden. Which was a depressing sad thought but he was pretty heavily disabled and fully aware that for the most part his best would be average. Uuuuunless he was doing skills few other cats knew! Then the competition was lesser.


So what could he do? Climbing was completely out, he'd wobble his way right off the tree and get hurt, but swimming? A lack of balance wasnt an issue and from what he knew flailing was pretty much what swimming was!!! So, swimming.


Then there was the other issue. Who the hell knew swimming in shadowclan? In the end the sunny tom kinda just went for it scrambling his way up a log to be seen.
"Ahem, uh, excuse me everyone? Im really sorry to bother you but does anyone know how to swim? Id very much like to learn and would be very greatful. Thank you all for listening and anyone for responding."
God that was awkward and horrible but hopefully it'd work? The young tom sat waiting, head bobbling around as prayed.


@phoenix

[versailles]

SQUIRRELRISE
she/her | 13 moons | small, scarred russet and brown molly with white markings and yellow eyes
[ chill of death, hulk SMASH ]

today is..boring, to say the least. nothing much at all is going on, leaving squirrelrise to simply sit by the warrior's den, eyes flitting about the camp. her clanmates around her chattered, ate, and went about everyday life. she should do..something. she feels restless just sitting here, simply watching the day go by. however, the prey pile is full, so there's no need to hunt right now. maybe she can go see if the queens need any assistance or something.

luckily, just as she stands, her ears twitch at a voice echoing through the camp. curiously, she glances over to spot bleedingpaw on a log, not too farr away. she doesn't know too much about the tom, but by the sounds of it, he's interested in learning swimming. she blinks once, twice, hesitates momentarily - then, she speaks up.

"er..I know how to s-sswim..! I can..teach you." she offers, padding over.

[ I forgor about this, deepest apologies ;w; ]

[Rani]

Bleedingpaw
Shadowclan Apprentice | He/Him | 8 Moons

Just a Scratch | Shadow Fiend | Hulk SMASH!

Near tumbling right off the log the tom is beaming like the sun as he scrambles down, limbs jerking every which way as he approaches Squirrelrise. He doesnt know her well but he doesnt need to really, she just needs to be willing to teach a wobbly tom.

"Thank you so much Miss! Please dont worry about me wobbling, Ive got a disability but it shouldnt stop me from swimming and Id love to learn. Im really grateful, I dont know many cats in shadowclan who know swimming at all." Actually he was kinda curious where she picked it up but in case its a rude question or one with a painful source he didnt ask.


All that mattered was that soon they were out of camp and Bleedingpaw would have a new skill!

-jump cutting to arriving at the river for time-

It was perhaps a slower trip then Squirrelrise was used to given it took the golden bengal a bit more time then most to wobble his way to placed they just walked but he wasnt slowing for nothing, not even the roots he tripped over and scrapped his paws on. Honestly this was just life for him, so didnt even merit mentioning and the water when they arrived was wonderful. Sniffing at the bank, claws anchored so he didnt tumble in due to a twitch, he tilted large ears up and cocked them, asking "So uh, how does swimming work even? I dont really know anything but that riverclan swims like fishes but everyone else sinks...."


@versailles

[versailles]

SQUIRRELRISE
she/her | 13 moons | small, scarred russet and brown molly with white markings and yellow eyes
[ chill of death, hulk SMASH ]

wobbly..yeah, bleedingpaw is very wobbly. but, maybe that'll help him with swimming, who knows. "it's - it's no..problem," squirrelrise murmurs before leading the way out of camp. the journey was a bit slower than usual, and maybe she was a bit stressed with how many tree roots bleedingpaw managed to trip over - but! they arrive at the river bank nonetheless.

she cracks a smile at his question. "well..it's kind of..easier to..actually do t-than explain. but..it's like..w-walking, just in..water. honestly..the hardest part..is keeping your..head above..water. once you..get the hang of..it, it's..easy." she informs, remembering mistlewhisker's own explanation. she decides to leave out the part where she thought she was going to die when she first learned. "and..I'm s-sure that..if the other clans and our..t-territory..was like riverclan's..we - we would also..be good at s-swimming." though, she supposes if that were the case, then swimming wouldn't really be riverclan's specialty.

slipping into the water, the fluffy molly suppresses a chill. it was a bit chilly. then she wades to a part that's a bit deeper, though her paws can still touch the bottom. "feel free to..get in and..get used to - to it. paddling is..easy, it's..kind of like..w-walking, like I s-said..earlier. once you're comfortable..enough, you can..try to paddle to..me."

[ @Rani ]

[Rani]

Bleedingpaw
Shadowclan Apprentice | He/Him | 11 Moons

Just a Scratch | Shadow Fiend | Hulk SMASH!

..... Honestly maybe it'd make sense when he was in the water but at the moment Bleedingpaw was just totally baffled by Squirrelrise's advice. 'Just walking in the water'? How? There was no ground to walk on which was the fundamental part of walking.



He'd give it a shot though.


Wobbling around to find a good spot eventually the tom settled on an area with a slope into the water and not a sort of river bank that just dropped him right in. And he.... Well he got into the water, flinching for a moment at the unnatural feeling of the water, and encountering something... Odd. When he got in deep enough, still walking but with the water around his shoulders supporting him, he for once in his life stopped wobbling. With the water supporting his twitches and lack of balance he could walk straight with ease. Water was helpful here, and that more then anything pushed him forward despite his uncertainty.


Which was needed given as soon as he got deep enough to need to paddle his head went under Immediately.

Instinctive panic rocked through Bleedingpaw as he thrashed, holding his breath but unused to the sensation of being under, and gasped as the thrashing of his legs pushed him up and his head broke the surface. Right! Kicking, kicking worked Bleedingpaw was kicking hard now!


It took a moment before things stabilized, a couple of dips of the head below the surface and awkward bobs back up until he figured out how frantically he needed to kick but the odd thing was the kicking was kinda self regulating the more used to it he got? In the water his random wobbles didnt unbalance him but instead caused his legs to twitch out in a kick on their own so when the apprentice eventually stabilized in his paddling for once his disability seemed to help him stay afloat.


Not that the bit of panic was any less unpleasant, this was not like walking Squirrelrise it was more like kick scooping.
"I-" huff "I think I got it?" huff. "Uh, how do I like, go in a direction and not just float in place? Do I lean to move forward or?"


@versailles

[versailles]

SQUIRRELRISE
she/her | 13 moons | small, scarred russet and brown molly with white markings and yellow eyes
[ chill of death, hulk SMASH ]

squirrelrise swears she can physically feel her heart stop once she watches bleedingpaw disappear under the water for what feels like forever. mouth agape and a pit in her stomach, she can only let out a relieved sounding noise that's a mixture between and wheeze and a sigh once he pops back up. "oh s-sstars," she murmurs underneath her breath, heartbeat settling once the apprentice gets the hang of it. she was pretty sure she was to have a heart attack a few moments ago.

"g-good job,,!!" she praises, nodding approvingly. nobody has drowned so far, so she thinks everything is going pretty well!! though, at the bengal's question, she falls silent. swimming towards something was easy, but explaining it? yeah, that's harder than it seems. "err..I ..I would not..recommend l-leaning forward. the - the best way I can...describe it is that.. you kind of..have to p-push yourself.. using the water and..your paws," though, it might be different for bleedingpaw considering he's wobbly. "the main..thing is just..k-keeping yourself..afloat. keep..your breathing..s-ssteady."

[ @Rani ]

[Rani]

Bleedingpaw
Shadowclan Apprentice | He/Him | 12 Moons

Just a Scratch | Shadow Fiend | Hulk SMASH! | Mind Reader

Lean forward and push with your paws? Well pushing was not quite kicking so maybe if Squirrelrise was using the right words then the different movement made all the difference. Except pushing usually meant pushing in front of you and would have you going backwards right so hmmmmmm...... Paddling in place a bit Bleedingpaw thought for a moment before shifting his shoulders forward and kind of.... Scooping the water, pushing it behind him.


Which worked! It was kind of jagged movements at first, stops and starts and sometimes he jetted forward and others he barely moved but eventually the tom figured the paddling motions out, steadily swimming straight and content.


Except, well he was running out of space, rapidly approaching the other bank and missing some key information. "Uh Squirrelrise? How do I turn? Like in place or turn around Im kinda just going straight forward here."


@versailles