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Post by Fate Admin on Jun 29, 2014 14:34:40 GMT -5
Warriorhood suited Fleetwing just fine. He had a lot more freedom now and his days were no longer filled wasting his time with that jerk of a deputy that he had the ultimate displeasure to call his mentor. Razorfang had even held him back from becoming a warrior in regular time because of some stupid excuse about needing to learn more responsibility or something. Whatever. He was done with the stupid tom now… well mostly. Razorfang was still deputy which meant he assigned patrols and stuff that Fleetwing HAD to go on or get in trouble. He couldn’t stand Razorfang and really couldn’t understand why Sandstar would ever choose a cat like him as deputy. The thought of Razorfang becoming Razorstar made his pelt stand on end.
For now he had no obligations to be on any stupid patrols and made his way to the Stone Stream. It was aptly named and there were always plenty of great rocks and shells to be found. He trotted out of camp with purpose. Should anyone ask he’d just tell them he was going fishing. He’d bring a fish back so no one thought he was out ‘wasting time’ and start yelling at him. Like Razorfang. He swore the mousebrain was keeping a watch on him and just waiting for the chance to yell at him for something. Honestly it was probably all in his head, Razorfang had a lot better things to do, but it was real to Fleetwing. He glanced over his shoulder briefly as he passed out the camp entrance, but couldn’t see Razorfang anywhere. Good.
He bounded away toward the StoneClan border, keeping an eye out for anything interesting along the way that he might be able to add to his collection. He slowed as the scent of StoneClan wafted toward him and the stream came into view until he came to a stop at its edge. He peered down into it, his shadow falling over the water making a number of small fish dart away. His tail waved behind him as he scanned the bottom of the stream for anything particularly shiny or interesting, rather oblivious to his surroundings. |
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Post by Deleted on Jun 30, 2014 14:41:00 GMT -5
Windsong
Perhaps it was pure chance that guided the new warrior to the Stone Stream some moons after her last encounter with a certain RainClan apprentice? Perhaps it was destiny.
It didn’t really occur to Windsong, as she padded contently, subconsciously treading the path to the stream that seperated RainClan and StoneClan territory, that the last time she’d visited the border, she’d met Fleetpaw, it hadn’t really crossed her mind at all. She was on a solo hunting expedition, having just successfully caught a small mouse, and the brown and cream tabby tom was the last thing on her mind.
So when she spotted the young RainClan tom, just as she had done those mere moons before, crouched by the water’s edge and peering intently into the perfectly clear water, the brown tabby she-cat was naturally rather surprised. Yet, although she wasn’t supposed to, she felt unexpectedly pleased to see the RainClan tom alive and well, especially after the great sickness that had claimed the lives of so many.
Amber eyes bright, the young warrior began bouncing towards him, when a thought snuck into her head. I could sneak up on him and surprise him? He seems totally engrossed in whatever it is he’s doing, he’ll jump right out of his pelt!
Smiling, mischief flickering behind amber orbs, the young StoneClanner dropped low and began to stalk over, pawsteps light as clouds, gaze fixated on the young tom. As she clawed closer to the Fleetpaw, she tried to picture his face when she surprised him. He certainly wouldn’t be expecting it.
The ground grew soft and marshy underpaw when she reached the gently sloping river bank. She waited for a moment, before jumping to her paws, meowing loud and bright, “Hi Fleetpaw!”
It wasn’t perhaps the most conventional way of greeting a cat from an another clan, sneaking up and surprising them, but it was much more fun than strolling over and giving a polite ‘hello’. Windsong personally preferred her method. She may have been named a warrior, but she certainly hadn’t lost her sense of fun.
She shot the tom a friendly smile, “Didn’t expect to see you here, what are the chances hey?” she purred lightly, tipping her head to one side. Some might argue that she was being overly friendly towards the enemy clan member, but that was really just the way Windsong was. She saw all the clans as equal, so why should she treat Fleetpaw any differently to her own clanmates?
Notes: None Tag: Fate Admin
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Post by Fate Admin on Jul 2, 2014 18:34:03 GMT -5
Fleetwing had his paw outstretched; he’d just found a shell of rather interesting shape and was about to pull it from the stream when sudden movement and another cat’s voice had him thrown off balance and he fell face first into the stream. He leapt up, spluttering and spitting, and dripping wet, and blinked the water from his eyes. He glared up at the cat that had caused the mishap briefly before registering two things. One, she had called him Fleetpaw. He hadn’t been Fleetpaw for about a moon now. The second was her scent. StoneClan.
He stood in the stream, still dripping, and looked up at the she-cat, still feeling a bit grumpy after falling in. Not that the water bothered him at all, he was a RainClan cat, he just hadn’t been expecting to take a plunge right at that moment. He shook his head, clearing his ears of water and sending droplet flying as she started talking again and he remembered her and their previous meeting along the border. “It’s Fleetwing now, actually,” he finally mewed when she’d finished. He flicked his ears up toward her, “You were almost a warrior last time we met. You have your name now too, right?”
He settled to his belly in the stream. The day was warm and the stream was cool, it felt good flowing around him. The stream technically belonged to RainClan, even if they marked their border on their own side. There was something of a truce surrounding it, generally. StoneClan cats were certainly free to drink from it, but it just made sense for RainClan to claim it for fishing. The fishing here wasn’t even generally that great, smaller fish, easy for kits and elders to eat because of their tiny bones, but that was about the only reason to fish here. Most times border patrols would bring some back for that very reason, but it was rare to send hunting patrols this way.
He was still somewhat annoyed she had surprised him, but he was trying to play it off like he had really just plunged in headfirst because he was hot and wanted to cool off. “It’s not really that surprising to see me, is it? We do share a border.” His tail swished in the water. He remembered thinking Windpaw was a bit excitable last time they met too, but her curiosity was somewhat admirable, even if she asked silly questions sometimes. He peered past her, toward the heart of StoneClan territory, “Is Greenleaf really hot for your Clan, without much water around to cool off in or much cover from the sun? Newleaf can get warm enough….”
He lapped up some water for himself as he lay there, probably looking a bit odd to Windsong. None of the other Clans would really ever think about just laying in a stream, after all, and in fact would be rather repulsed by the idea. “I’m not sure I could do it. Live like you guys live. But I bet your hunting is more interesting than fishing…,” he made a face and a slapped his tail down on the water for emphasis, “It’s sooo boring, even if they do taste really good….” |
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Post by Deleted on Aug 19, 2014 14:58:24 GMT -5
Windsong
Windsong hadn’t meant to surprise the RainClan tom so much. When he fell into the stream, a flash of guilt immediately streaked through her. She bounded forward so she was hardly more than a paw-step away from the stone stream and tilted her head to one side, concern flickering behind her bright amber gaze, “Are you okay?” she asked, “Sorry, I didn’t mean to make you jump. Well… Maybe I did, but I didn’t mean to make you fall in,” she ducked her head, “Sorry.”
When he emerged, dripping wet, but unharmed, Windsong breathed a smile. RainClan cats are supposed to swim, you feather-brain. You shouldn’t have been so worried about him.
When Fleetwing told her of his new warrior status, she instantly smiled, “Fleetwing, that’s a pretty good name,” she purred, tipping her head slightly to one side, “I got my warrior name too, I’m Windsong now,” she sat up a little straighter as she delivered the words, amber eyes glowing with pride. She wasn’t an arrogant character, but she was rather proud of her new warrior status and if she didn’t say so herself, Windsong was a pretty good warrior name.
As he spoke, Windsong couldn’t help, despite the fact that he was of course a RainClan warrior, but find it curious how he was so comfortable standing in the stream, up to his belly in water. Doesn’t he find it odd? she wondered, tipping her head slightly to one side. She stayed quiet for a moment until the brown-and-cream tabby tom had stopped speaking, when she finally burst out, “Is it warm?”
The words hung in the air for a moment when she realised how vague she’d been and she added, “I mean the water. Is it warm? It looks kinda cold…”
Though it was a warm day, the brown tabby wasn’t sure whether she’d like to be standing that deep in cold water. Though it would keep you cool, surely you’d get cold soon?
Curiosity prickling at her belly, she took a dainty step forward and slowly extended her forepaw towards the water. When it met the surface, she instantly withdrew her paw, “It’s wet!” she exclaimed, before quickly mewing, “I mean, of course it’s wet,” she ducked her head in embarrassment, her ears flattening against the back of her head, whiskers twitching.
“Is Greenleaf really hot for your Clan, without much water around to cool off in or much cover from the sun? Newleaf can get warm enough….”
It was Fleetwing’s time to ask a question. The brown tabby she-cat shot a glance over her shoulder, “Hot?” she echoed, “Sometimes, but it’s quite windy most of the time, because it’s higher ground I suppose,” her eyes flicked back down to the water, “Don’t you… Don’t you find it annoying though? Getting your pelt wet all the time?"
“I’m not sure I could do it. Live like you guys live. But I bet your hunting is more interesting than fishing… It’s sooo boring, even if they do taste really good….”
She studied Fleetwing for a moment, smiling, “I can’t imagine living any other way,” she purred, “I don’t know how you could live with all that water though?” she paused, before mewing, “Hunting might be more interesting in StoneClan, but I don’t know, fishing looks pretty cool, even if you do have to get your paws wet.”
A thought suddenly struck her and her gaze flicked from the Stone Stream to Fleetwing, meeting his gaze, “What about fishing in leaf-bare though? When it freezes over? Do you have to hunt land prey?”
She knew that her clan mates would probably not approve of this unplanned meeting, but she couldn’t help but be fascinated by their neighbouring clan. Besides, she rather liked Fleetwing and he was friendly, so there was no harm in it, right?
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Post by Fate Admin on Aug 19, 2014 17:58:22 GMT -5
When I look into your eyes, I’m a Trouble Maker;
When I stand next to you, I’m a Trouble Maker…
Fleetwing flicked his ears dismissively at the she-cat apology. So he hadn’t played it off very well. He could still work with this. “It’s fine. I was getting kinda warm anyway.” He shrugged slightly, glancing up at her to find her at the edge of the stream. Her comment on his name made him wonder. Was it a good name? Names were names, mostly. He didn’t really think much of his own. It was nice to be unique now, he supposed, and not stuck with ‘paw or ‘kit like so many others, but besides that he had little opinion on the matter of his name. He noted the she-cat’s pride in the shift in her position when she gave her own warrior name.
“Windsong… pretty,” he gazed up at her briefly, unsure why he’d said that. Names were names, weren’t they? What made one pretty and another not so? They were just sounds… they weren’t tangible like the rocks and shells and feathers of his collection. Could sounds be pretty? He supposed they could… that was what a song was, after all… a pretty sound. His ears flicked again, this was a very strange train of thought. He refocused back on the she-cat whose name had him pondering such silly things. Her voice tore him back out of his thoughts and he blinked stupidly up at her, having not entirely registered her question, regardless of its vagueness. Luckily for him she clarified and in doing so allowed him to grasp what it was she had asked to begin with. “Oh.” He glanced down into the water, “It’s pretty cool, but it’s not as cold as the river.”
His pale green gaze turned back up to her as she drew closer, reaching one paw out toward the water’s surface. It didn’t stay there long. A mrrow of laughter escaped him at her exclamation on the obvious state of water being wet. His gaze sparkled with amusement, “What’s wrong with being wet?” He waded closer to her, sitting in the shallows on StoneClan’s side of the stream, allowing the current to tug his tail along behind him. Water streamed off his short, dense fur as easily as it would a duck’s feather and he looked entirely unfazed by his current state of wetness. He listened to her explain how the wind apparently kept StoneClan relatively cool during greenleaf. That made sense, though he’d prefer the water to the wind.
His whiskers twitched with amusement, sending a few droplets of water splashing back into the stream from their tips, “I think it’s nice, swimming or relaxing in a stream on a warm day. It can be a bit of a pain during leaf-bare, but leaf-bare makes most things a pain.” He made a face clearly displaying his displeasure for the coldest of seasons. He tilted his head slightly as she continued. He really didn’t understand the other Clans’ distaste for water. All creatures needed water to survive anyway, why not enjoy it to its fullest? He wrinkled his nose as she spoke about fishing. “A lot of the streams freeze over, but the river rarely ever does. We can usually get plenty of fish from the river during leaf-bare, but you can really freeze your paws doing it. Some cats prefer to just try hunting land prey during leaf-bare instead. And obviously if the river does freeze over we don’t really have a choice.”
RainClan’s dependence on fish was something Fleetwing had identified as a weakness of his Clan early on. Luckily there wasn’t really any way the other Clans could use the knowledge against them except if the river managed to freeze over, and if the river froze that would mean the other Clans were suffering from just as harsh a leaf-bare as they were and weren’t likely to get any silly ideas about attacking them and taking advantage of their hunger. He stood then, “Don’t you ever get wet? Maybe you should try it.” He flicked his sopping tail at her, spraying a line of cold droplets her way, grinning.
Little by little, More, More, More; As we go on, More, More, More;
Now I can’t help my heart.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 21, 2014 14:53:31 GMT -5
Windsong
"Windsong... pretty."
The brown tabby warrior couldn't help but purr at his words, a warm grin spreading across her face, whiskers twitching. She wasn't quite sure why his opinion mattered that much to her, she hardly knew him after all. She didn't question it too much though. The brown-and-cream tabby tom waded closer. Windsong noticed the sparkle of amusement in his gaze, "What's wrong with being wet?" Windsong blinked, "It's just... Not natural," her bright amber gaze locked with his for a moment, "It feels wrong, cats and water..." she trailed off, "I suppose it is quite cool though, being able to swim and all. You don't have to worry about drowning at least if you fall in a river or something,” humour pooled in her bright amber gaze.
As he spoke about how RainClan survived in leaf-bare, the brown tabby she-cat listened intently, amber eyes wide with curiosity. Leaf-bare was pretty tough for any clan, but she could imagine how difficult it would be for RainClan if the river were to freeze over. Water was what made RainClan individual, but it could also be seen as a weakness. If there was a drought or the river froze, they had to rely on their land hunting skills, which, Windsong assumed, wouldn't be as polished as their fishing skills.
“Don’t you ever get wet? Maybe you should try it.” The brown tabby warrior didn't realise what Fleetwing was doing immediately, "If it's raining"- Before the young warrior could finish her sentence,several fat droplets of water splashed her. Windsong's eyes widened out of sheer surprise, then she laughed it off. It was only a few droplets of water after all. She didn't mind a little bit of water. She smirked, amusement lighting her amber gaze, "You call that a soaking?" she challenged, meeting the RainClan tom's gaze easily.
She bounced down the river bank so that she stood right at the water's edge. It didn't occur to her as she stood there that splashing the RainClan tom would have little to no effect. He was already drenched, plus, water didn't bother him. He was RainClan after all. But, of course, all thoughts had been tossed out the window. This was the opportunity to have a little fun, as if the brown tabby would turn down the chance to have fun?
She leant over the water line, brushing her paw over the surface of the water in a flicking motion. Water droplets sprayed upwards towards the brown-and-cream tabby tom. But she had little time to grin about it. She might have been a little to enthusiastic in her actions- and it didn't help that her natural balance had never been that brilliant- and she felt her paws slipping beneath her. Her face fell. Oh hawk-dung.
SPLASH. She met the water thrashing and flailing, amber eyes wide. Her first thoughts were how cold it was. Fleetwing had said it was cool, not cold, cool. This certainly wasn't Windsong's definition of 'cool'. This was Windsong's definition of 'hawk-dung, my paws are freezing off!' It took a few moments of hopeless splashing for her to realise that the water wasn't that deep. In fact, it was only up to her belly. She managed to stand, but she was shivering hopelessly, her flanks heaving as she gasped for breath, "Oh my StarClan, you call this cool?!"
Tag: Fate Admin
Word Count: 568
Notes: ---
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Post by Fate Admin on Aug 23, 2014 12:16:39 GMT -5
When I look into your eyes, I’m a Trouble Maker;
When I stand next to you, I’m a Trouble Maker…
He purred in amusement as she seemed to take his little splash in stride. “I never called it a soaking,” his whiskers twitched as he watched her moved closer to the water, leaning over and saw immediately where it was heading. So she wanted a splash war did she? His gaze narrowed mischievously as her paw swiped the water, flinging it back at him. Only a moment later a much larger splash followed as Windsong fell ace first into the stream.
"Oh my StarClan, you call this cool?!"
He mrrowed in laughter as she stood there dripping, sopping wet from her thorough drenching, “Now that’s a soaking!” He splashed casually closer to her, grinning with amusement, “If you wanted to learn to swim all you had to do was ask.” He pressed himself against her without a second thought to share some warmth with her, “It’s really not that bad. The river is much colder. But then… you don’t have a RainClan coat either.” Water rolled of his back like off a duck’s feather, but Windsong’s fur clung to her frame, soaked through without the protective water shedding oils RainClan cats produced from their main diet of fish.
“Do you want to learn to swim? You’re already wet,” he purred again, looking over at her curiously, “If you’re afraid of drowning I can fix that.” He made a face, “I can show you how boring fishing is too, if you want.” He seemed to think nothing at all of sharing the secrets and techniques his Clan guarded so closely. Fleetwing understood undying curiosity, the need to know, to answer questions that chased themselves around your mind like over excited squirrels, and the desire to try, to experience everything one could in life. Life in a Clan was so mundane, he was willing to do anything to make life more interesting. Windsong offered him that chance.
He nudged her gently with his shoulder, padding a few steps out into the stream and glancing back at her, “In RainClan, queens teach their kits to love the water. We start with our paws, getting used to the feel of the chill between our toes. Splash wars are always a favorite game. The queens encourage it, splashing each other a lot to get used to being wet without any danger of drowning.” His whiskers twitched in amusement once more, “You’re a bit past that stage, I think.” He beckoned her forward, “Now that you’re already wet, you’ll get used to the cold a lot faster. The first plunge is always the worst.” He padded on until the streambed dropped away from is paws, forcing him to swim. His paws churned steadily, keeping his head above the stream as he treaded water, keeping himself in the center of the slow flowing stream and looking back at his companion expectantly, “It’s just like running!”
Little by little, More, More, More; As we go on, More, More, More;
Now I can’t help my heart.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 24, 2014 8:58:32 GMT -5
Windsong
sink or swim
hold your breath and just dive right in
Cold seeping through her, Windsong stood quite still, shivering in a hopeless attempt to warm herself. Water droplets clung to her whiskers, slowly slipping further and further until they reached the ends, where they hung for a moment until they eventually fell back into the water. She gave her whiskers a brisk shake, sending several droplets flying.
The brown-and-cream tabby tom pressed against her and, though she shouldn’t have, considering he was from a different clan, she welcomed his warmth and, she shuffled a little closer to him. How on earth is he so warm? I’m freezing my paws off here!
“The river’s colder?” she echoed, amber eyes wide, “How could it get colder than this?” she motioned towards her thick brown tabby fur, “Usually my pelt keeps me warm, but it’s pretty useless right now. I might as well be hairless or something,” she regarded his glossy RainClan pelt with a hint of envy. The water didn’t seem to get past his fur and reach his skin, it just rolled off, unlike Windsong’s pelt, which was looking rather bedraggled right now.
Turning to look at her soggy self, she chuckled lightly, “I look like a drowned rat.”
The water was still extremely cold, at least by the StoneClan she-cat’s standards, but after a little time, Windsong grew a little more used to it. It was a rather queer sensation. The most wet she’d ever been before this had been when she was caught out in a storm once, but that had just been from heavy rain. She’d never been properly exposed to water like this.
“Do you want to learn to swim? You’re already wet… If you’re afraid of drowning I can fix that. I can show you how boring fishing is too, if you want.”
Windsong blinked thoughtfully at Fleetwing for a moment before nodding, “Sure,” she meowed brightly, “I suppose it’s not that bad, plus learning how to swim would be pretty cool,” she was trying to play it off cool, but in honesty, she was really quite excited. She’d always found RainClan deeply fascinating and to be able to swim would be awesome. It certainly be handy if any of her clanmates ever fell in. Or if she fell in. It was luck that the Stone Stream wasn’t that deep where she’d fallen. She couldn’t imagine falling in where it was really deep and then Fleetwing would’ve had to rescue her or something. She cringed inwardly. How embarrassing that would’ve been. She didn’t want the brown-and-cream RainClanner to think she was so pathetic she needed saving from drowning in a tiny stream.
As he told her about how RainClan Queens encouraged their kits to play in the water, her eyes never left him. It was amazing how different their two clans were considering just how close together they lived. Only a stream divided them, yet StoneClan and RainClan couldn’t be more different.
He beckoned her to come forwards and, firstly, the brown tabby she-cat was a little reluctant. After a few moments hesitation, however, she waded forward cautiously.
She didn’t notice it at first, but the stream bed was starting to dip lower and lower. The brown tabby she-cat tried not to express her fear, she didn’t want to come across as mouse-hearted, so she swallowed the lump in her throat and kept moving. Just don’t think about it, just don’t think about it.
Fleetwing began to swim in front of her and Windsong paused for a moment, watching him closely as he moved. “It’s just like running!”
Taking a deep breath, she waded after him and it wasn’t a heartbeat or so later until the streambed at last dipped away completely from her paws and she was supposed to start swimming. Her heart racing, the brown tabby she-cat flailed all her legs furiously, flapping like some sort of bird. Alarm was setting in and her amber eyes widened as she could feel herself sinking slightly. This is exhausting!
Her amber eyes flicked up to Fleetwing, who was swimming so calmly. He made it look so fluid and easily. If only! She attempted to replicate his movements, as if running through the water.
Initially, she thought it wasn’t really doing anything, then she felt the water begin to gather beneath her paws as she pulled them through the water and she stopped sinking. Am I… Am I doing it? She struggled to keep her head above the water, but she was definitely moving! Her movement was slightly one-sided and definitely not at all refined, but she wasn’t sinking, was she? She called to Fleetwing, “Is this right?” she tried to move towards him, “It’s not as graceful as you, but I don’t think I’m sinking?”
She swum lopsidedly towards the brown-and-cream tom, “Hey, how exactly do you stop? Or slow down or anything?” she asked, realising she was getting rather close to the RainClan warrior. She didn’t really want to stop swimming, the water was starting to get deep and she didn’t particularly want to drown, “I”-
She hit into the brown-and-cream tom. Oops. Ears flattening in embarrassment, she ducked her head and grinned sheepishly, “Sorry.”
and you know i'll be holding onto you for dear life
holding onto you for dear life, i will
Tag: Fate Admin
Word Count: 861
Notes: These two are seriously growing on me <3
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Post by Fate Admin on Aug 24, 2014 15:15:34 GMT -5
When I look into your eyes, I’m a Trouble Maker;
When I stand next to you, I’m a Trouble Maker…
He watched her steadily as she waded in after him, hesitant with every step and clearly pushing herself to ignore instincts that told her to do otherwise. It was so strange to think of any cat being so reluctant to enter the water, from a RainClan cat’s perspective, though he understood well enough the other Clans quite detested the idea. Love of the water was so uniquely RainClan they could almost be separate species from the other Clans. They were often looked down on for it, as if they were no better than the simple minded fish that made up the majority of their meals, but being looked down on for such a unique skill set was not something that bothered Fleetwing in the least. Being looked down on at all didn’t really bother him, actually. What did he care what other cats thought of him? It mattered little… unless they were in positions of power anyway.
He pushed away the encroaching thoughts of Razorfang, that jerk had no place here. Instead he refocused on Windsong as she finally took the plunge, so to speak, as the streambed dipped too far beneath her paws for her to continue standing. Her paws flailed and he swam a little closer, watching her closely in case she had too much trouble, “Try not to panic, your paws will know what to do if you just let them.” Her flailing lessened some and her previously sinking form rose a bit as she seemed to be getting the hang of it. Her initial panic seemed to have lessened as well and he purred, pleased that she was getting over it so quickly.
She inquired about her progress, awkwardly making her way toward him and he pulled himself closer to her as well, to help her out, “You’re doing great for your first time!” The combination of the sluggish current and her own lack of knowledge of how to handle herself in the water had her bumping into him, but he simply kicked a few times to bring himself right alongside her in case she got too tired or otherwise needed help, “Treading… staying in one place in the water… its… kind of like jumping? You kick your back legs mostly, and push the water away from you with your front paws. See?” He was doing so right now, keeping himself steadily beside her. Swimming was quite tiring when you were just learning, a test of endurance for constant motion was required. Unless you were floating anyway. “Try it. RainClan apprentices have to practice swimming against the river’s current for as long as they can to build up their endurance, every day. Treading in the river is really hard, the current wants to take you away.”
He swam around to her other side, pushing up against her gently to help her right herself, “Kick a bit harder on this side.” He struck out in front of her and rolled smoothly onto his back, his forepaws folded neatly over his belly as he floated on his back like an otter, “Use your tail. It’s just as good for balance in the water as it is on land, and helps you steer yourself easier.” He wiggled his own, sending him spinning back toward her as he rolled back around to his belly, “Let me know if you’re getting tired, we can fish for a while instead. Believe me, the only thing tiring about fishing is how boring it is….” He swam out into the stream a little farther, calling back, “Try to swim over to me here!” It would force her to turn all the way around and practice using her tail, “Keep your back legs kicking steadily and use your forepaws to keep your head up and steer.”
Little by little, More, More, More; As we go on, More, More, More;
Now I can’t help my heart.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 24, 2014 16:57:42 GMT -5
Windsong
sink or swim
hold your breath and just dive right in
As the brown-and-cream tabby gave her tips and advice, Windsong’s confidence in the water grew a little. That wasn’t to say she wasn’t still absolutely terrified, but she could at least manage a crooked grin, though she had to be careful not to swallow water when doing so. Her heart was racing, probably due to a mixture of the cold and the effort that went into swimming, but there was also something thrilling about it.
“Treading… staying in one place in the water… its… kind of like jumping? You kick your back legs mostly, and push the water away from you with your front paws. See?”
Windsong tilted her head slightly, the nodded before taking a deep breath and trying to replicate the brown-and-cream tabby tom’s movements. kick your back legs, push the water away from you with your front paws. Got it.
She attempted it just as Fleetwing had said, pushing the water away from her with uneven strokes of her front paws whilst trying to kick with her back legs. She wasn’t sure what she’d been doing wrong, perhaps too strong with her back legs, but she was soon face down in the water.
Spluttering, she rose once more, “You know, you’re pretty good at making something really difficult looking really easy,” she meowed, amusement flickering behind her bright amber eyes, “You RainClan cats must be so skilled to do all this every day.”
Windsong soon decided that perhaps swimming in circles might be more effective than her feeble attempt at treading water. It was a little disorientating, but it was better than ending up with a mouthful of water all the time.
Fleetwing told her of how the RainClan apprentices had to build up endurance, and the brown tabby she-cat couldn’t help but feel a ripple of relief, “I’m glad I’m not a RainClan apprentice then. I’m getting tired already and I’ve hardly been in the water for long at all!”
She flicked several water droplets from long white whiskers, trying, as Fleetwing had instructed her, to kick a little harder on her right side and use her tail to help balance her more. She was so used to using her tail for balance on land, it hadn’t quite occurred to her that it would help in the water too. Though it lessened her lop-sidedness, she was still nowhere near as graceful and balanced as Fleetwing. That was to be expected of course. She was hardly a RainClan warrior after all.
“Try to swim over to me here!”
He glided away from her, further into the stream. Windsong’s eyes followed him, but her body didn’t for several moments. She swallowed nervously, eyeing the water where the brown-and-cream tabby was swimming. StarClan, this is exhausting.
At last making a move, she set off in the wrong direction initially and it took a little while for her to right herself until she was at last swimming towards Fleetwing. Her legs were starting to drag her down a little as she grew weary, her breaths shallow.
It was somewhat a relief to reach the RainClan warrior once more and as she hadn’t yet got the hang of treading water, she circled the brown-and-cream tabby warrior. She smiled sheepishly, “I don’t know how you do it,” she breathed, “I’m exhausted,” her amber orbs flickered to the river bank, “Fishing sounds much less energy consuming.”
and you know i'll be holding onto you for dear life
holding onto you for dear life, i will |
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Post by Fate Admin on Aug 26, 2014 12:30:41 GMT -5
When I look into your eyes, I’m a Trouble Maker;
When I stand next to you, I’m a Trouble Maker…
It was easy to tell she was getting pretty tired already. It didn’t help that while his fur shed water, hers soaked it up and weighed her down. He thought briefly about this as he watched her struggle toward him. She was at a disadvantage when swimming, compared to RainClan cats, because her diet didn’t give her a glossy coat like they had. Regardless he was pleased with the progress she was making. Was this what it felt like to be a mentor? Interesting. And her balance had evened out a little too since she seemed to be taking his advice. She was a fast learner, and her willingness to try new things, even if they might seem scary or… distasteful, was something he admired. Not a lot of non RainClan cats would have ever cared to try learning to swim, too afraid to get their paws wet.
She began swimming around him, her attempts at treading water had not gone terribly well, but he hadn’t really expected them too. It was one of the hardest things to learn to do when it came to swimming and required somewhat awkward positioning and movement of one’s limbs. He didn’t expect her to learn it perfectly in one go. The exhaustion she spoke of was rather evident in her voice and he swam to her downstream side so that she could let the current sweep her up against him and not worry about fighting it. Though it wasn’t a difficult current to fight, swimming against any current wasn’t exactly easy when you were tired and just learning to swim.
“Come on, we’ll head back to solid ground,” he told her, swimming alongside her until his paws scraped the pebbly streambed. He waded to StoneClan’s side of the stream without even thinking about it, keeping close to Windsong to make sure the lesson hadn’t taken too much out of her. “You did really well for your first time,” he purred, leaning over to lap at her fur, licking the wrong way like one might a newborn kit to warm her up and dry her soaking fur before she caught a chill. He wouldn’t be too worried about it if this had been greenleaf, but it was only newleaf and wasn’t yet warm enough to take a thorough soaking and not worry about catching ill. His ears twitched at his lack of foresight. Perhaps he shouldn’t have given her the swimming lesson just yet. He hadn’t taken into account the fact that her fur would soak up the water so much.
Perhaps it might have been odd for a cat from another Clan to help her with her grooming, but Fleetwing didn’t really think much of it. He just didn’t want his lapse in judgment to get her sick. “After you’re dry,” he meowed between licks, “you can try fishing.” He glanced up at her, “Sound good?” He was enjoying this teaching thing more than he thought he would. “In any case… you should be able to save yourself from drowning now, if you ever fall in a stream or something.” He sat back on his haunches and looked over her bedraggled fur, sticking out in so many different directions from being groomed the wrong way. His whiskers twitched in amusement, but rather than comment on it he turned to give himself a quick grooming, removing the excess water that still clung to his coat, “Next time we meet, you’ll have to teach me something.”
Little by little, More, More, More; As we go on, More, More, More;
Now I can’t help my heart.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 28, 2014 4:26:19 GMT -5
Windsong
sink or swim
hold your breath and just dive right in
Relief swept through the brown tabby she-cat when the brown-and-cream tabby meowed, “Come on, we’ll head back to solid ground.” She gave a slight nod, unsure of whether she had the energy for anything more. When her paws began to skim over the pebbled streambed, she gave a smile, amber eyes glowing softly. But she could only breath happily when she was back on dry land.
“Being a RainClan cat is exhausting,” she breathed once she was at last safely on the river bank. She gave her pelt a vigorous shake, sending droplets flying everywhere, including towards Fleetwing. She ducked her head apologetically, long, white whiskers twitching.
“You did really well for your first time,” Fleetwing told her, and the brown tabby she-cat couldn’t help but feel a rush of warm satisfaction. Once you had been in the water for a bit, especially if you were swimming, you began to forget the cold, but now that she was on dry land, she realised just how cold it was, her whole body shivering.
When Fleetwing began to groom her fur the wrong way, she was a little confused. It took a moment for her to recall that this was what one might do with a newborn kit, to encourage the kit to breathe and warm it. She was grateful for the RainClan warrior’s help and she tried to do it herself, swivelling her head round and rasping her tongue over the fur on her flank.
“After you’re dry…you can try fishing. Sound good?”
Windsong nodded, eyes bright. Little by little, the warmth began to return to her body. “In any case… you should be able to save yourself from drowning now, if you ever fall in a stream or something.”
She let out a mrrow of amusement, “Hopefully,” she purred, “I think I’ll leave swimming to RainClan though, otherwise,” her amber eyes flickered to the stone stream, glinting in the sunlight, “It’s pretty cool, but oh my StarClan, it’s tiring.”
When he began to groom his own pelt, she began to smooth down her long brown tabby pelt, easing the fur into place. Right now, her fur was sticking out at all angles and darker from being wet. StarClan, I look like a mess. Feeling a rush of embarrassment and a need to look at least presentable around the brown-and-cream tabby tom, she hurriedly began to smooth her fur the right way.
When she was at last satisfied that her pelt was looking a bit better, she turned to Fleetwing once more, “I’ll have to teach you how StoneClan hunt next time,” she meowed, amber eyes glinting, “I would teach you how to catch a hawk or something impressive, but in honesty, I don’t think my own hunting skills are polished enough to manage that,” he rasped her tongue over her forepaw, then drew it behind her ear in a swift, fluid motion, “I think I’m better in battle than hunting really.”
A small yawn parted her jaws and she blinked, whiskers twitching. Her attention flickered to the Stone Stream, then back to Fleetwing, “You know, I’ve always been told to keep away from the other clans, that they’ll attack you the first chance you get,” she paused, drawing her tongue over her other paw and wiping her cheek, “But I don’t know about that. RainClan seems pretty cool, a lot more interesting than StoneClan at least, at least from what you’ve shown me.”
Her gaze lifted and she murmured thoughtfully, “I suppose it’s because you’re different, I suppose that’s why cats are judgmental, differences she paused,” she paused, her amber gaze misting slightly, “I can’t understand why though. I think different is good. If we were all the same, life would be sooo boring.”
and you know i'll be holding onto you for dear life
holding onto you for dear life, i will |
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