camp CHIVALRY FELL ON HIS SWORD ࿏ first swim

[Pinepaw ⭒]

-ˋˏ ༻ ❆༺ ˎˊ- The idea of throwing yourself into a churning body of water had sounded crazy the first time her mother had mentioned the concept of swimming. Pinekit had deemed the activity to be terrifying, until Iciclefang had explained the importance of it to Riverclan, how unique it made her clan.
Then, Pinekit wanted to be the best swimmer in the whole clan.
For days, the mottled kitten begged her mother to let her try, upheld her best behavior to get her wish.
Finally, the day was perfect for it, and under the careful watch of a responsible grown-up, she would be led to the water that cut her camp away from the great beyond. While it would be preferential to be alone while she practiced, Pinekit supposed there were benefits of being apart of a group of her peers.
Unexperienced paws shuffle towards the pebbled shore, honeyed hues wide with fascination as she leaned over to catch a glimpse of her reflection in the water.
“I wanna go first! Can I go first? ” Pinekit announces, whirling around to look at the adult that had accompanied them to the swim spot with rounded, pleading eyes.
If she wanted to be the best, she needed a head start!

‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎┌── IF YOUR LOVE’S THE TRUTH ⋅ ࿏ ⋅ OR THE SPIRIT OF DECEIT ──┐‎

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  Prompt — Newleaf means the water is warm enough for kittens to begin learning to swim, the clan should come together to ensure they pick up this important skill and don't end up as drypaws!
  
  

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  PINEKIT ✩ she/her, kit of riverclan, 2 moons.
  ⭃ plush-furred tortoiseshell she-kit with white dipped forepaws, tail tip, and muzzle and round, honey hued optics.
  ⭃ daughter of Iciclefang && Stormywing ࿏ sister to Cragkit && Crabkit
  ⭃ peaceful and healing powerplay permitted / / underline and tag when attacking
  ⭃ penned by Noor ↛ @toyangel on discord, feel free to dm for plots.
  

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[Mosspool]

𓆝 . ° ✦ Mosspool was not the best with children. Still, she was not about to refuse when she had been asked to watch over the kits as they learned to swim. It was an important job after all. Swimming was a skill that was the pride of Riverclan, and it was imperative that all members of the clan learned it as soon as possible.

That said, she was riddled with nerves. Her posture was stiff and her brow furrowed. There were just so many kits for her to watch at once. As they bubble with excitement and enthusiasm, she had barely spoken to any of them at all, just watched them with rapt concern as she walked with them to the shore.

It was only when Pinekit addressed her directly that she finally spoke.

"Um." Mosspool made a face. She knew she shouldn't, but she could not help it. Pinekit was one of the kits she was most worried about. Some of the others were already four moons, and in her eyes that made them basically apprentices. They would need her help, sure, but for the most part she trusted them to be able to handle themselves. Pinekit, on the other paw, was only two moons and was short even for her age. "How about we go in together?" She offered instead. That way, were anything to happen, she would be right by Pinekit's side to grab her.

✧　°　.　✶　.　°　✧​

ooc Information

• ooc: —
• 

  MOSSPOOL — SHE/HER･ 12 MOONS ･ WARRIOR & RIVERCLAN ･ PENNED BY @empyrean !

  Longhair black tabby with deep green eyes. Mosspaw is a very tall molly, standing a head above most cats her age. She has a slim, willowy physique with subtle musculature built up from a lifetime of constant training that lends itself well to swimming and running. Long, thick brown fur falls over her form with tabby patterning across it. Her eyes are a vibrant green, and shine with a bright intelligence and confidence.

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[paleroot]

⊹ ︶⏝⭒˚‧ ︵‿⭒ཐིཋྀ ཐིཋྀ⭒‿︵ ‧˚⭒⏝︶ ⊹

Time-worn ribs rattle in a laughter that sounds more like barely-restrained coughing than an earnest chuckle, drawing closer with a shambling step that doesn't quite do justice to how many hundreds she'd taken before that exact moment. Eyes that wrinkle with more than just fond amusement give a weathered glance between Mosspool and the spry, overeager kit that begs at her heels. The poor lead warrior looks to be completely out of her depth... and if Paleroot weren't witness to the many fishing successes of the brown tabby, she'd say she were drowning and incapable of swimming through such waters as these (the waters being the rearing of children, mind you).

"Don't worry yer little 'ead about this one Mosspool," the elder crones, moving confidently past her to wade into the shallows. "Yet to let a kitto drown on my watch! She'll be fine." Lips curl upward in a hoary grin of reassurance, curling a tail behind her like it might be a wall to shield the tiny scrap from floating out into deeper currents.

"C'mere then, shellion... Let's see ya conquer the shores."​

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[SWIFTFIRE]

I'VE LEARNED LOVE IS LIKE A BRICK — Swimming had been a favorite pastime of Swiftfire's long before she and her fellow colonists had been integrated into Riverclan, a fact that had thankfully helped with that particular process. It was hard for her to imagine how difficult things would have been if most of them hadn't known how to swim before being welcomed in, the thought of poor Snakeblink having to give them all swimming lessons enough to make her snort from where she sat nearby. Although no longer allowed to venture far out of camp without an escort thanks to her pregnancy, that didn't mean she couldn't hang around in camp itself, helping out where she could. It seemed as though Mosspool could use the help too, though not because of any incompetence on the lead warrior's part. Instead it was just the sheer number of kits they had at the moment, making it hard for any sole cat to keep track of them all.

The presence of Paleroot nearby was also a comfort, a brief smile flashing in the elder's direction before the bicolored queen turned back to the sizeable pack of kits. "You know, all of you are lucky that you're getting this practice right now, and not just a few moons ago. If you had been, you all would've been freezing your little tails off the moment you got into the water." A shiver went down her spine as she thought about the harshness of leaf-bare, and the way that the ice cold waters at the time had made a habit of sinking into her bones. She couldn't imagine the impact that the cold would have on one of their tiny forms. Just as a precaution, Swiftfire stepped forward to the edge of the water, dipping one of her white paws down below the surface so that she could judge the temperature. It was a relief to find the lazily shifting water fairly comfortable, warmed by the newleaf sun that was also shining down onto all of their backs.

YOU CAN BUILD A HOUSE ✿ OR SINK A DEAD BODY

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  ✧ shorthaired blue and red tabby chimera molly with green eyes
  ✧ 41 moons old; ages the 1st every month
  ✧ bisexual; secretly mated to hush
  ✧ daughter of lilou and germaine
  ✧ formerly of the ripple colony; loyal to riverclan
  ✧ easy to befriend; desperate to improve the former colonists' reputation
  ✧ "speech", thoughts, attacking
  ✧ peaceful powerplay allowed

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[iciclefang]

It's hard to believe it's been two moons since the kits were tiny, wet bundles at her flank, but there's no denying that it's time to take them into the water for the first time. She wants all three of them to be strong, capable swimmers, the way she and her littermates had been from a young age.

Iciclefang approaches on white-dipped paws, giving Mosspool a cool look of reassurance. She would not let her daughter drown—instead, the tortoiseshell intends for this to be the first of many swimming lessons given by herself and Pinekit's Clanmates. She swings her blue gaze to Paleroot, then to Swiftfire, giving both she-cats a nod of thanks. The more eyes on the kits who go into the water for the first time, the better. "Are you ready, Pinekit? You can go first. Just get your paws wet first. Feel the riverbed under your feet and between your toes."

The queen demonstrates, dipping a paw into the water as it laps at the shore. Sand-textured mud squishes between her spread-out toes. "Once the water gets your belly wet, we'll show you how to paddle." She gives her daughter a gentle nuzzle to one ebony ear.

『 out of character. 』 ✧･ﾟ:* 『 about. 』

• ooc: —
• 
• Iciclekit . Iciclepaw . Iciclefang, she/her w/ feminine terms.
  — “speech”, thoughts, attack
  — 22 moons old, ages realistically on the 17th.
  — mentored by Smokestar ; mentoring Cicadapaw ; previously mentored n/a
  — riverclan lead warrior & queen. mudpelt x icesparkle, gen 2.
  — former mate to Stormywing ; current mate to no one.
  — penned by Marquette.
  
  
  sh tortoiseshell and white she-cat with ice-blue eyes. confident, capable, proud, dry, conceited, condescending, distrustful.
  
  

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[Pinepaw ⭒]

-ˋˏ ༻ ❆༺ ˎˊ- Mosspools hesitant response earns a scrunched expression from Pinekit, but it is fleeting when she glances back at the gently lapping water- warriors knew best.. most of the time.
Eventually, Pinekit nods, content that she could go at all. Before they can dip their toes, Paleroots voice dances from where the seasoned molly rests, and Pinekit throws her head over her shoulder.
She is told to conquer the shores, and the elders jovial presence is quick to smack a brilliant smile upon juvenile features.
“I’m gonna!” The kit confidently assures Paleroot with a determined nod. Swiftfire’s input is less interesting, but Pinekit still turns to look at the warrior. She’d be lucky if she could get in right this moment. Iciclefangs arrival is a saving grace, and the patchwork she-kit is finally given the go-ahead to wet her paws, she was being crushed under the anticipation!
Alabaster toes take a confident first step to match her mothers, ivory almost completely disappearing as her paw sinks into the slimy river floor.
plop! water splashes as Pinekit lifts her paw to take another adventurous step, her breaths slowing as cool water now encircles all four of her limbs.
Quickly, the young tortoiseshell steals a look towards Iciclefang, looking for some type of reassurance to take the step that would bring the rippling water to her stomach.
The look is fleeting, a nervous glance as she flexes her toes in the mud, its squish offering her no support. She takes the next step, but one of her paws has become stubbornly caught in the mud.
Face-forward, the kitten falls through the waters surface, the stuck paw ripping free with a cloud of churned mud.
Water trickles into an unsuspecting nose, simmering painfully as the patchwork kitten flails just below the waters surface, struggling to find her footing.
When Pinekit is finally able to find her legs and stand, her emerge from the river is violent, water sprays as she coughs up the water that had invaded through her nostrils.
“Ouch! Ow!” The sodden scrap of brindle lifts a sandy tinted forepaw to her burning nose, but when that does nothing to soothe, she shakes herself, spraying water droplets and clearing out her ears.
The air around her is chilly, and her pelt clings suffocatingly to her rib cage, but when sweet yellow eyes turn back to both Mosspool and her mother, she makes no move to run back to the safety of the shore.
Pinekit wasn’t about to embarrass herself like that.

‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎┌── IF YOUR LOVE’S THE TRUTH ⋅ ࿏ ⋅ OR THE SPIRIT OF DECEIT ──┐‎

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• 

• 
  PINEKIT ✩ she/her, kit of riverclan, 2 moons.
  ⭃ plush-furred tortoiseshell she-kit with white dipped forepaws, tail tip, and muzzle and round, honey hued optics.
  ⭃ daughter of Iciclefang && Stormywing ࿏ sister to Cragkit && Crabkit
  ⭃ peaceful and healing powerplay permitted / / underline and tag when attacking
  ⭃ penned by Noor ↛ @toyangel on discord, feel free to dm for plots.
  

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[CRAGPAW]

Like his sister, Cragkit is eager to get his paws wet. He wants to cut through the water like he hears every RiverClan warrior can. He wants his pelt to be drenched, just like he sees the apprentices return from patrols with. So he scampers to the water's edge, sticking close to his mother as round, bicolored eyes watch Pinekit take her first steps into the chilly river. Envy pricks at his chest - he wanted to be first...But, he supposes watching over his sister is the next most heroic thing he could do.

"I wanna go next, mom," He trills to Iciclefang, his tone bordering on demanding as he looks up at her from her side. With his attention pulled away, however, he hears a splash and a splutter and jerks his head around to see the tortoiseshell soaked with water coming out of her nose. "Are you okay?" He yowls to her, instinctively clambering forward. He hesitates at the water's edge, ears pinned to his skull as a paw lifts cautiously over the surface, before he finally steps in to hurry towards his sister. The water is cold, and immediately his body is shivering and jolting at the shock of it. But that's his sister! He won't stop until he gets to her side!​