destined to fail now .. swim lesson

[otterbite]

Curious eyes grew wide as his mentor led him out of their camp. Ripplewave had pointedly instructed Otterpaw to use the stepping stones that trailed away from the island, making the apprentice watch him carefully balance between each one. Otterpaw kept drifting away from Ripplewave's demonstration to gaze further into the depths of the water. He had only made it a few stones away from camp until he got distracted, finding himself mesmerized within the glittering surface.

Otterpaw crouched down until his nose nearly touched the water, a surprised inhale escaping his maw as he spotted moving shapes below. Fish!

"I'M GONNA CATCH A FISH RIPPLEWAVE!" The chimera shouted, and before the tom could make another move Otterpaw dove into the waters with a loud splash.

The excitement of his impulse was quickly taken over by panic when he realized swimming was very different than he imagined. While Otterpaw managed to keep himself afloat, he did so poorly. Limbs flailed and splashed in every direction with strong kicks and strikes at the water.

"I- I'm swimming! I'm drowning! I'M DROWNING!!" He huffed, growing tired from his continuous violent thrashing. Was he going to drown? He certainly thought so, this didn't look anything like the swimming he'd seen the other warriors do!​

RIVERCLAN APPRENTICE ✦ BLUE-BLACK CHIMERA ✦ 4 MOONS ✦ TAGS​

 

[CHICORYPAW]

(๑✪ᆺ✪๑) — chicorypaw hasn't been apprenticed for long, only just recieving the accompanying title of 'paw' just a moon before when riverclan was finally able to settle back in their original camp after it was destroyed by a flood but thankfully they were able to repair most of the damages done so now everything was back to normal well almost if you don't count the problem with the river and supposed strangers that occupy their territory. that was something to be pondered on another day because today chicorypaw was on the hunt for poppysong as she was eager to ask if they could tag along with otterpaw and his mentor who just disappeared out of sight just a few seconds prior.

a sudden splash and garbled shout disrupts her search, head shooting upwards and dual-colored ears swiveling towards the direction of the noise. that's weird, it kind of sounded like. . . "I'M DROWINING!" otterpaw!? the apprentice abandoned her previous task and bounded across the clearing towards edge of the island where she was met with a thrashing body struggling to keep afloat and a panicked ripplewave who looks like hes trying to process what just happened.

chicorypaw worried a lip between ivory teeth while hopping back and forth on her paws trying to decide what to do. "otterpaw needs help!!" she shouts over her shoulder before hopping onto the stepping stones without a second thought, she's a little wobbly trying to reach the next but eventually makes it to the platform closest to otter's current position. "don't worry, i'll try to get you out!!" she mews, crouching down near the edge and wriggling with the intent to jump in after him despite having no knowledge of swimming either. ​

 

[lichenstar]

StarClan could pay her a hundred mice to keep her mouth shut and not make a big deal of this and she would still refuse it. How much of a pain these children were when they thought they knew more than everyone else around them... and it had been that way since that menacing little scrap had showed up at their borders. A self-inflated sense of importance and genius tricked that little boy into an illusion of immortality- nothing could stop him and nothing would if he had his mind fixated on a goal.

Unfortunately (and predictably), that meant he was bound to get into trouble or danger or... "Otterpaw needs help!"

Yeah... go figure.

With a great sigh and a greater sense of urgency, the lead stood up from where they'd sat to ponder over their lunch and flicked their tail towards an open-mouthed warrior. "Come on starry-eyes, let's get moving before he drowns." At least this way she couldn't be held in contempt of breaking the rules of her punishment.

Hurrying towards the edge of the island, they watched with a nervous frown as Chicorypaw leaned down as if preparing to dive in after him. Damn... all these young apprentices were still largely drypaws and couldn't save their own hides if they tried, much less each other. Last thing she needed was to play life guard for two of them, "It's alright Chicorypaw, I've got him."

With a near effortless leap, the blue point springs down the trail of stepping stones until they are close enough to merit getting wet. It is a disgusting sensation, that damp feeling but it is not worth seeing Otterpaw dead over. Sliding into the brisk waters with flattened ears, they move towards the splashing apprentice, wincing against the way he sprays the water into their eyes and face. "Stop flailing," they grumble as teeth gently reach for his scruff to drag the little monster back to shore.​

 

[PIKESPLASH]

( tags ) It was a bit strange not to have Otterkit trailing behind him along with Silverkit, ah it's Otterpaw and Silverpaw now. He shakes his head at his children's recent name and rank change. Apprentices they were now and as a result they would be less attached to him and would find themselves exploring the rest of Riverclan's territory with must gusto. That was to be expected and he was not at all upset. He just wasn't actually prepared for the time that Otterpaw and Silverpaw wouldn't be running up to him as much or both of them spending more time with their friends. A familiar yowl snaps him out of his thoughts and before he knows it his paws are pounding against the ground, and what green eyes find are Chicorypaw and Lichentail already leaping into the river and then he sees Otterpaw flailing.

I... He draws near, beside Chicorypaw, watching dumbfounded at the scene before him. You know I should have expected this. Thankfully Lichentail was here to save him. I'll have to thank Lichen for this later. He doesn't help Lichentail bring Otterpaw back to safety because Otterpaw was still small enough to be dragged by one cat alone. Had Otterpaw been much older then he would help Lichentail drag Otterpaw back to shore. Pikesplash would look down at Chicorypaw who had called for help and what it seemed wanted to help Otterpaw herself. "Lichentail's an amazing swimmer, Otterpaw will be okay. Are you two learning how to swim today?" It would make sense he thought they were training on swimming today, considering he ran in with Otterpaw flailing in the water.​

 

[✧ Stalkingpaw.]

˚⊹ MEET ME UNDER SHINING LIGHTS ⊹˚

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stalkingpaw & 09 moons & polygender & any pronouns & riverclan apprentice​

---

Ottepraw very much doesn't drown, and so stalkingpaw thinks little of the words that come from her mouth next. "Wow - that was good for your first try! I sunk my first time, like a pebble, just went riiiiight down," In fact, her current swimming skills are not far off from otterpaws attempts, limbs flailing and splashing about as she scares off anything and everything within the waves with her movements, but at least she knows how to keep her head above the water - how to not breathe it in, to not swallow it down. Of course, she'd learned it the hard way - a queasy loo flashing upon her features at the mere memory of that awful belly ache.

— I've been waiting right here all my life ⊹˚

• Actions && "Speech," && ' Thoughts/Quotes '
  
  ooc: —
  tw/cw: —
  
• — a beautiful white furred apprentice with a black face and stripe down her back, and starlike freckles upon her cheeks. emerald eyes are wide and expressive, by far her most stunning feature. stalkingpaw is an emotional feline, quick to act and react before she really thinks, but you know that whatever she says and does is always honest and well intentioned.
  
  — physically easy && mentally medium
  — non-violent powerplay allowed && healing powerplay allowed && minor injury powerplay not-allowed
  — please attack using [b][color=crimson]action here[/color][/b] and tag account

 

[otterbite]

Flailing limbs splashed and thrashed about in the water accordingly in his state of panic. He could hardly keep even his muzzle above the surface, the water coming and going covering his eyes as he fought to keep himself afloat. Quickly, dramatically he assumed his Clanmates would witness the end of him. Claimed by the river and washed away, no one fast enough to save him despite the fact they were maybe a few tail-lengths away from camp's shore.

Lichentail leapt into the water after him, and in his moment of distress Otterpaw is none too helpful. He doesn't hear their demand to be still, instead goes the exact opposite. His kicking legs earn a hefty punch right into the Leads muzzle. As he realized just exactly who had been graced by his punch, Otterpaw went limp. His scruff is pulled, his back legs and tail curl toward his stomach.

As the sand warms him, he looked at the many faces surrounding him, but mostly the to scarred warrior he had been assigned to. His greyed muzzle quivered with something to say, but a quiet sigh calms him. "When you dry off, we'll start with the basics of swimming on land first. Is that clear?" His tone is stern, though lacking the anger Otterpaw expected. Shakily he agreed, then jumped to cling himself, drenched frame and all, to Lichentail.

"You saved me! Sorry for punching you, I won't do it again!"​

RIVERCLAN APPRENTICE ✦ BLUE-BLACK CHIMERA ✦ 4 MOONS ✦ TAGS​

 

[dovethroat.]

The cries of I'm drowning were, unsurprisingly, cause for alarm. Dovethroat's mostly-keen ears (he liked to think he had good ears, but he was never really sure—it was not as if he could swap ears with another person for the day) had caught on almost immediately. A bit far way from the source of the shout, Dovethroat arrived nearly last on the scene, out of breath and mostly useless.

His first instinct is to go jumping into the river after Otterpaw, but he skids to a halt at the edge once he catches a premiere view of Otterpaw giving the poor warrior a firm kick to the jaw. Eyes widening, he sees that the responsibility is taken care of and he takes a few steps back.

"D-Don't... don't g-go jumping i-in unless y-you know someone is th-there," Dovethroat pants quietly, his fur ruffled with anxiety and his heart beating in his chest.

With Lichentail already having saved Otterpaw, Dovethroat's advice is not particular helpful—but he looks quite shaken up, so perhaps it would be nicest to just agree with him.

At least, Dovethroat hopes that's their line of thought.

[⋆]​

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