- Aug 1, 2023
- 140
- 33
- 28
He keeps heavy - lidded eyes, weighed down by generous lashes speckled with white like errant snowflakes, wide and alert despite the fact that he and Pebblepaw are technically within the confines of camp. His lesson might be better taught outside, where there's less kits underfoot and no chance of disturbing a queen's afternoon, but he couldn't dream of dragging his baby cousin out of the safety of camp on his own. It's making him skittish enough to have Pebblepaw as his charge, even if only for this brief period, and even in the well - reinforced walls of camp.
" Here we go, " he murmurs when he's found a spot of sufficiently plunging steepness. Understandably, most of the shores of the island that make up his home are more gently tapered and shallow, perfect for a kit's first swimming lesson or a casual cool - off on a hot greenleaf day; this spot, however, tucked a little ways from the lively camp center, is perfect. It's only up to the elbows for a couple of tail - lengths before it suddenly drops off into the kind of deep - diving darkness perfect for his lesson. " Alright. Make sure you pay careful attention, okay? "
He waits for a quiet affirmation and blinks in a manner as friendly as he's capable of at Pebblepaw, wading out for those first shallow couple steps and waving his tail for Pebblepaw to follow him. " Okay, so you've got to make sure you hold your breath really well. I'm sure Foxtail already showed you how to do that, but you have to be especially good at it for diving. It takes a lot of practice, like it has for me, so I can hold my breath for a long time. " He glances down at the smaller tom to make sure he's following along. " You push off really hard with your hind legs and try to get as deep as possible. Usually I can reach the very bottom of the river, but I'm not saying you have to right away. "
" When I'm down there, I try to catch fish, but I think that's a lesson for a different day, " he muses, then clears his throat ( though it does nothing to combat his perpetually gravelly voice ) and flicks his bottlebrush tail. " Okay, so I'll do it and then you can try, that sound good? " Again, he waits for Pebblepaw's affirmation before arcing underneath the water in a smooth black - and - white blur, one long movement so practiced there's only a couple velvet ripples. For quite some time, there's nothing to be seen above ( though he's merely drifting about the riverbed ), and then he pops back up and clambers onto the elbow - deep outcropping, shaking his head like a dog. " You want to give it a shot, bud? "
Bud? Where did that come from? He clamps his jaws firmly shut, ears twitching in embarassment. Great StarClan.
// please wait for @PEBBLEPAW !!
" Here we go, " he murmurs when he's found a spot of sufficiently plunging steepness. Understandably, most of the shores of the island that make up his home are more gently tapered and shallow, perfect for a kit's first swimming lesson or a casual cool - off on a hot greenleaf day; this spot, however, tucked a little ways from the lively camp center, is perfect. It's only up to the elbows for a couple of tail - lengths before it suddenly drops off into the kind of deep - diving darkness perfect for his lesson. " Alright. Make sure you pay careful attention, okay? "
He waits for a quiet affirmation and blinks in a manner as friendly as he's capable of at Pebblepaw, wading out for those first shallow couple steps and waving his tail for Pebblepaw to follow him. " Okay, so you've got to make sure you hold your breath really well. I'm sure Foxtail already showed you how to do that, but you have to be especially good at it for diving. It takes a lot of practice, like it has for me, so I can hold my breath for a long time. " He glances down at the smaller tom to make sure he's following along. " You push off really hard with your hind legs and try to get as deep as possible. Usually I can reach the very bottom of the river, but I'm not saying you have to right away. "
" When I'm down there, I try to catch fish, but I think that's a lesson for a different day, " he muses, then clears his throat ( though it does nothing to combat his perpetually gravelly voice ) and flicks his bottlebrush tail. " Okay, so I'll do it and then you can try, that sound good? " Again, he waits for Pebblepaw's affirmation before arcing underneath the water in a smooth black - and - white blur, one long movement so practiced there's only a couple velvet ripples. For quite some time, there's nothing to be seen above ( though he's merely drifting about the riverbed ), and then he pops back up and clambers onto the elbow - deep outcropping, shaking his head like a dog. " You want to give it a shot, bud? "
Bud? Where did that come from? He clamps his jaws firmly shut, ears twitching in embarassment. Great StarClan.
// please wait for @PEBBLEPAW !!
" speech "