eye on the dawn trail ✧ lesson time

[lichenstar]

It only took one time.

Though the moment had given way to a rush of calm before the storm, they had moved with a purpose to see it not end in tragedy. The risk was not one they deigned to see repeated and so stood, clinging to what authority they could, to better RiverClan and keep the fish-sleeked coats of their youth in tact. The river's waning did not erase all its dangers and it would be ignorant to overlook the way the beach copse had debilitated the normal development of their charges. What kind of felines were they, if they could not embrace the rapids... to swim through currents like they belonged there? There was no hope of winning back Sunningrocks if the next generation of warriors could not brave the river long enough to get there...

They'd offered it as a suggestion in passing to the other leads- Smokethroat was overburdened by his own doing and they had no will to pester him further- that the apprentice ought to be grouped up and supervised through a first lesson... One that would establish at least the very minimums of safety and how to keep oneself afloat. Something other than the flailing and kicking that Otterpaw had demonstrated... Briefly, they thought of the soreness of their nose and wondered if a less patient warrior might've considered dropping him for all the trouble of a punched face.

Lichentail had requested some sort of help, at the very least- Snakeblink had expressed his business with preparing the next patrols to take some of the weight off of their expectant deputy, Cindershade and Petalnose had fewer such reasons to turn tail on obligated child-sitting and were largely the victims of this whole ordeal. If for no other reason, the blue point simply needed help keeping an eye on so many inexperienced swimmers.

"If your name ends with -paw and you have not successfully managed to swim across the river safely on your own, gather 'round." Pale eyes move with a cursory glance to the young molly at their side, offering her little more than a flat stare as if to imply Brookpaw was not immune to this small gathering. Hopefully... one of the other two leads was prepared enough to come join them (or any do-good warrior would work really). "Or I suppose any cat with an interest in some swim practice..."

Waiting for only a few moments to see whatever apprentices were not yet doing other duties approach, they turn on their heels to lead them towards the river, disappointing as it may be in its... severely diminished state. Waving their kinked tail in a broad, sweeping manner, they turn to face the collection of children. "You're all familiar enough with the river by now I'm sure but given recent... events... I'd like to ensure that you're all capable of at least keeping yourself from drowning long enough for help to arrive in the event of an accident." Eyes linger coolly on Otterpaw should he have found himself a part of the crowd, not intending to really mock him but it is a silent understanding they share. His endangerment was the source of this anxiety.

"My apprentice, Brookpaw," they mention her again, turning to gaze at her with some small amount of pride, "Is a competent swimmer despite the limited time we've had to practice. I encourage you to learn from her-- and from each other. We are stronger in greater numbers than divided... and we do not have the luxury of gills to save you from your inexperience."

They are quick to pull their attention from their apprentice, lest the compliment inflate her ego too dramatically...

"Let's get started, shall we?"


-----

apprentice ping @brookpaw
no need to wait for her response, this is open to all !!

✧ optional rolling mechanics are completely welcome! feel free to ask if interested or use your own!​

 

[Flutterpaw ☆]

It is terrifying to Flutterpaw, in the mildest manner of speaking, to tackle the idea of the river. Since Houndstride's disappearance, the river has not been the source of any comfort to the tortie boy. Instead, he sees death and danger, someplace where you could get snatched up by a dog and then swept out into the great beyond of water. His parents had never introduced him to swimming earlier on so all he saw in those rippling currents was danger.

Still, Flutterpaw is among the first to step forward, one paw outstretched as if to test the river before him. It is warmer than expected, no doubt heated by the glaring sun above. Another paw is extended, this one taking a tentative step into the water, then another, and another, and then his paws are kicking. He is moving in the water, propelling himself forward. It's a bit like walking, a bit like running with the way his chest heaves against the little waves, but he is moving. He is swimming.

Grace is still not a trait that the young tom possesses, try as he might to emulate the older warriors' style of slipping in and out of the water like eels. Flutterpaw feels like he is more comparable to a strangled fish the way he flops out of the water, his flanks heaving.

"Did I do it right, Lichentail?" He calls out to the lead warrior, his nose twitching, cheek-fluff all weighed down by droplets. On the other side of the river, he feels more powerful than he had a few moments before. He doesn't even need Lichentail to confirm his success. I did it! ​

 

[Jaypaw]

As a little kitten just barely learning to walk she had been dunked within the water by her mother repeatedly until she learned to stop recoiling at the liquid and wiggle her paws just a bit, starting early with such training had made her already a decently skilled swimmer and while stronger currents were still scary to any cat, Jaypaw was not even a little afraid of the river as a whole. It was actually SUPER embarrassing how many cats in this clan couldn't swim, river was in their name and they lived alongside it; fishing was their entire thing! No other clan fished! At least, she was pretty sure no other clan could fish. It would be a silly skill for any of them to have if they didn't have water to even fish in though ShadowClan had some marshes and the river cut by there as well. The black and blue apprentice wants over with her skinny tail raised curiously to the lead warrior's call. Swimming lessons for apprentices, she shouldn't have even bothered walking over given she was perfectly capable but she had decided the best motivator for her fellow peers was some good ole'fashioned public shaming.
"RiverClan cats who can't swim are dumb and useless, remember that! It's important!"
Bright sharp teeth glinted in the light of the day, charmingly regarding Flutterpaw's flailing attempts and resisting the great impulse to roll her eyes as a kindness. How very pathetic! It was a wonder they had not drowned with that display and the question to the lead was met with a choked chortle of a noise, a laugh resisted and held back. AWFUL, she wants to answer, because the best encouragement was knowing how bad you were so you could strive to be better next time, but Jaypaw holds her tongue if only because she doesn't want to have to talk outside the bare minimum anyways.
​

 

[Squishpaw]

Squishpaw loved swimming and felt her heart lift at the idea of helping some of her clanmates learn to share that joy. She practically pranced to the river, so caught up in the idea of being a mentor and a dream of having an apprentice of her own that she barely noticed wading into the water. Waves washed over her paws and a sudden splash up to her belly called her attention back to the immediate world, where Flutterpaw was - moving. That was the best word for it. Or maybe struggling? Squishpaw watched in a mix of awe and horror as the apprentice managed to flop onto the other side of the riverbank.

Did.... did that count as a success?

She was dragged from her thoughts by Jaypaw's helpful reminder. Really? Taunting?

"If you aren't here to help, you can just leave!" Squishpaw thought and then realized she had said that out loud.

Oops?

Actually, not oops. It needed to be said. Squishpaw's tail lashed above the water, sending drops sprinkling and shining through the air.​

 

[SALTSTING]

"In her own way, I believe Jaypaw is here to help you. Encouragement may be just what is needed for any of you to succeed." Though Squishpaw may not share the sentiments the other apprentice expressed, they were not incorrect. For a clan based around this very river, their deadly blue lifeblood, the weakness of members refusing to swim was a detriment. A failure that they could not allow.

With his paws tucked neatly beneath his wrapped tail, Saltsting maintains his presence by the riverbank– silent, watchful, and most certainly unimpressed. Flutterpaw had made it across the bank, yes. That alone was not worthy of Squishpaw's defense. Or any warrior's congratulations. The disdain does not make its way to the tom's sharp features, but one brow does lift from where he observes. "You should attempt to coordinate your paws, Flutterpaw. They do not act on their own. Do not struggle your way through the water; allow it to work alongside you." The river is not our enemy, his mentor had assured him before he first crossed the river on his own. Growing up in the marsh, he did not have a mother to teach him. To be freshly apprenticed beneath RiverClan's new laws, he had no formal education on the matter.

He had taken that assurance to the very core of his mind and worked with it each day that followed. It feeds them, shelters them. They are secure where they are nestled between its banks, and should they care for it, it would care for them just the same. The waters could not be convinced to change their course, yet they did not need to change to care.

＞ˏˋ  OOC NOTES  ╱╱ 07.22.2023 "𝘐 𝘋𝘖𝘕'𝘛 𝘊𝘈𝘙𝘌," 𝘐 𝘚𝘈𝘠, 𝘊𝘈𝘙𝘐𝘕𝘎𝘓𝘠, 𝘈𝘚 𝘐 𝘊𝘈𝘙𝘌 𝘋𝘌𝘌𝘗𝘓𝘠 ˊˎ＜

• ooc: —

• saltsting. formerly named idk yet.
  —— cis male. he - him // they - them. unoffended by others. 11 moons old. riverclanner.
  —— sexuality unknown. seems rather impossible to form close relationships with at first.
  —— half pine + marsh heritage. his father being a skyclan kittypet is general knowledge.
  —— earned his warrior name early despite a,, slight disagreement with cicadastar over it.
  
  Being the son of a kittypet, there is much there that Saltsting has inherited. From the sharp, angular profile of an Oriental Shorthair to the trim, glossy coat– he may as well have been his father's clone were one to not look too closely. He is a dark black smoke with a smattering of low white, particularly on his paws and muzzle, as well as very dark brown eyes he inherited from his mother.

• "speech"

​

 

[Snakeblink]

MAYBE I'D BE A SAINT IF I WEREN'T ————————————​

Lichentail hardly needs help with this, so he’s mostly here to chaperone and provide support in case of a drowning apprentice: for all his faults, Snakeblink is an excellent swimmer. Like most cats born and raised around the river, he moves through its waters as easily, if not more, as he walks on solid ground.

Crouched on the bank, he keeps a keen eye on the apprentices flailing in the shallows, amused and dismayed in equal measure: they’re always like this, at first, but he cannot remember ever being this bad. It’s a weakness of memory rather than a proof of natural ability, he’s sure, but it feels to him as if he’s always been able to navigate the river on instinct. Perhaps there was more truth than he thought to him telling Cranberrypaw that his sibling truly was a turtle: there is definitely as much water snake in him as there is cat, if only in the manner of a self-fulfilling prophecy.

”Would you care to share this reminder to the rest of the clan as well, Jaypaw?” He says distractedly, shooting the loud-mouthed apprentice a flat look. ”I believe our elders, some of which have grown too weak and battle-wounded to swim anymore, would particularly enjoy the refresher…”

But his chiding lacks true bite: looking at Flutterpaw’s attempt, it’s hard to keep the dismay out of his voice. Every cat has their purpose in the clan, even drypaws… but surely it is not that hard to stay afloat.
​

——————————————————————————————————— so god damn lonely ​

ooc. information.

• 
  
• — Snakeblink • he / him. 43 ☾, riverclan warrior
  — a sleek, skinny tabby with long ears and a scar over his right eye.
  — gay, not actually evil, penned by @Kangoo
  
  
  

​

​

 

[Jaypaw]

"Don't be such a crybaby, Squishpaw! If you start to drown I'll come save you!" Even if she thought Squishpaw deserved to be, well, squished instead.
“It’s encouragement!” She replies, wide eyes and even wider smile, nodding enthusiastically to Saltsting’s much more concise manner of explanation and latching onto it. The warrior instructs Flutterpaw more openly and she bounces in place where she stands in her spot before another joins them and...huh?
Jaypaw turns quick at Snakeblink’s comment, staring like he grew a second head and narrowing her eyes in confusion. Where did he pull that from? What part of this entire thing made him think she was referring to elders at all? Was he okay?
“Maybe you misheard me in your old age!” She chirps cheerfully, “Lemme repeat it-RiverClan cats who can't swim are dumb and useless, remember that! It's important!"
Her voice pitches up and she makes sure she’s loud enough this time so Snakeblink couldn’t miss it. Poor guy, must be hard being so senile you couldn’t hear anymore. Maybe he should retire.

​

 

[lichenstar]

It was a staggering amount of children in attendance which should mark a great victory! They had gotten ahead of a great issue and worked to make it better... but it was... alarming in its severity. Staring with watchful eyes, toes curled into the damp earth under the river's surface, they could feel every fiber of their being practically twitching with anticipation. A rescue would be imminent... not everyone would succeed their first time around, it just wasn't how learning a new skill worked.

Flutterpaw is largely successful, though requires much refinement of his newfound skill if he truly wants to battle the swifter waters further downstream. It is lucky the streams are so dry... it brings the water levels down. A double edged sword, but a blessing in this moment. "Excellent," they confirm to the excited boy, "Now... we just work on making it more efficient. The splashing is to be expected... practice will make it better. Try to keep your paws below the water, trying to lift it all the way above between strides will exhaust you." Wading to a modest half-way point, Lichentail kept their tail hovering over the water with a few twitches of their high-strung energy.

It was hard not to physically wince at the harsh interjection of Jaypaw... While the lead would never openly admit to agreeing (they were friends with some of the drypaws in RiverClan of course...), they knew it to be a true enough statement. Largely, it was a burden to be inhibited by what should be the clan's special talent... But it was not conducive to teaching your friends how to swim either; it was a cruel form of 'inspiration' that was not welcome in their lesson, even as Saltsting interjected to explain the youth's true intentions.

Snakeblink, as sly as ever, prompted once again for Jaypaw to try to extend this selfsame 'advice' to the elders of the camp. It made plenty of sense what he was getting at... if... you weren't so self absorbed in your own childlike arrogance to notice it. But it seemed she had a different idea of what the issue was- "Old age?" Lichentail stood in the shallows with a heavy frown, staring towards the shore with contempt. "I'm Snakeblink's age you little...." A sharp exhale, ears flattened in a show of their self restraint not to call the girl a snotty little brat. Clenching their jaw, the blue turned towards Squishpaw, who had stood in defense of the other apprentices as well as herself. "We are here to learn for safety, judgement is not welcome here," they meow, loudly enough to be heard. "As long as you are trying, that is all that matters. Jaypaw- if you are quite content with running your mouth, would you care to demonstrate for your peers?"​

 

[DIPPERFROST]

Dipperpaw considered herself a strong enough swimmer as it was. Perhaps not as good as one of the adults or even her namesake, the dipper bird, but good enough for her age. Or so her mentor told her and she had no reason to think her mentor would lie to her. Right? She stands close to her sisters familiar dark pelt, half lidded eyes staring apathetically at the water in front on them. Blue like her gaze. The shimmering light draws her into a trance, makes her space out and the voice of Lichentail only sounds like a low hum.

It is not until Jaypaw speaks up beside her that Dipperpaw looks up from the river. Her sisters words are crass but it’s true. What use did a RiverClanner have if they could not swim? Wasn’t that their entire reason for being? Their purpose as a clan? If you wanted to keep your feet dry might as well move to a clan like Thunder or, stars forbid, Wind. She does not say anything but her sunburst gaze drifts lazily from Saltsting and then Snakeblink as they speak. "She obviously wasn’t talking about elders" she says with a huff, barely suppressing the urge to roll her eyes.

When Lichentail begins speaking her eyes drift once again to the water before them, but this time she listens, ears forward and alert. They call her sister forward to demonstrate. Punishment Dipperpaw supposed (if one could call it that truly) a small smile lifts the corners of her mouth and she flicks her sister encouragingly with her plumed tail. "Show them how it’s done." she says.
​

 

[Squishpaw]

Squishpaw didn't agree with Saltsting at all. Jaypaw's words weren't encouragement - they were mockery, meant to shame and demean. Her ears flattened to her head but she didn't argue outwardly. He was a warrior, after all, and apprentices weren't meant to argue with warriors. Instead, she scowled at the water and begrudgingly admitted to herself that Saltsting gave good advice, even if he was enabling Jaypaw's terrible behavior.

Snakeblink was slightly better, but any child can tell when an adult is simply talking a good talk. Squishpaw was glad he tried to be kind, but the tom was a poor liar. But hey - there was something to be said for honesty.

Any calm Squishpaw had gained by the two adults speaking was mercilessly killed by Jaypaw opening her big mouth again. Squishpaw opened her mouth to challenge Jaypaw to a swimming contest but was rescued by Lichentail speaking. She did her best to hide any amusement from Jaypaw's mocking of Snakeblink because that would be admitting defeat in some way. Jaypaw being funny once due to making fun of someone would give her permission to do that all of the time, which Squishpaw could hardly let happen.

Anyway, Lichentail was talking, and she was amazing, as always. She was so quick to squash Jaypaw's mockery! And then she gave Jaypaw a chance to show off... that was hardly fair! Squishpaw was just as good a swimmer! "I can help too!" she offered eagerly.

She noticed Dipperpaw murmur something to her sister and felt jealous. Squishpaw wished one of her siblings were here too. But oh well! She was just fine on her own, as she could prove if Lichentail allowed her to.​