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BONERIPPLE

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જ➶ Her eyes flash open, blurry from the water that tries to get into them. She breathes out harshly, trying to take in as much air as she possibly can before she goes back down once more beneath the waves. Her goal? To maintain a long enough time beneath the water. Her legs are long enough that she can clutch at the ground and keep herself down below. Slowly she opens her eyes and watery vision is eclipsed for a moment from the shape of a minnow that quickly swims by her. But she doesn't snap jaws at the creature. Instead she merely keeps her breath locked in her chest. Time ticks by, it seems so much longer under the eater than above before she pushes up with her limbs and breathes the surface with a large gasp. Her chest burns but she has been practicing this on her own. To get ready for heading into deeper waters. She is sure that the mentors of her children are also teaching them the ways of Riverclan.
How to swim, how to hold their breathes, how to fight in the water as well as on the ground. Personally she is more keen on teaching herself. Afterall, she is sure that when Riverclan first was most of the cats did not know how to move within the waves. Ears pulled back the maned woman dives back down once more, gritting her teeth at her straining lungs. Maybe she is tired but she pushes on, gripping the ground and letting the water wash over her. It is almost surreal how it feels being under the water. Something she is unsure of getting used to.

She knows though that she won't drown, that is not her fate. Forcing herself back up she coughs raggedly and shifts away from the water. Her dark and pale figure is soaked all the way through and she shakes out her form before sighing. It's been a long day but she prefers not to go back to the temporary camp just yet. Maybe she will try her paw at fishing? Just to give herself some practice and so she starts to head further down the river, sniffing along the edge.​
 
SKY HIGH —"Hey! How's it going?" Crawlingroach cooed in a playful tone as he sat watching the she-cat from the safety of the bank. Admittedly he hadn't expected to see anyone there so it had come as a surprise when he discovered Boneripple in the water in the first place. He hadn't really seen what she had been doing, only that she was now heading further down the river. "So... what are you doing anyway? Hope you don't mind me asking."​
 
The sight of two dark-furred cats draws Clay nearer, and though he keeps a wide distance between himself and Roach, hazel eyes settle warmly upon Boneripple. The black and white she-cat is dripping with water, meaning she’s either been swimming, or she’s just had the unfortunate accidental swim. He hopes it’s the former; seeing a cat used to dry land become comfortable in the water would be fun to watch, and he hopes Bone won’t have to worry about drowning.

White paws knead at the ground below, restlessness thrumming through him. He needs to go on a swim of his own after this, if only to burn off some excess energy. "Have a good swim?" He asks the question with a smile; he considers Boneripple a good clanmate, despite her origin. And unlike Hyacinthbreath, the former ShadowClanner has done nothing to endanger the clan, and own her kits are being raised as RiverClanners. And she was once a healer for the marsh clan, so she can be of use to the clan in her own way. "It’s great weather for it."
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[ YOU ARE THE STARS TO ME ]​
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Unsurprisingly, Fernpaw had been in the water. He had not drifted far from the fishing patrol he had been on, only a little bit downstream, but- he was finding that, once you got used to grabbing the fish from the shore it wasn't much more difficult to dive in and catch them. Contentment made itself clear on his face, maw curved in a brilliant grin- the boy had been so set on his mission, on catching the glinting glimpse of silver scales beneath the already reflective river's waves, that he'd barely noticed anyone else around until their voices sounded right next to him.

Two shadowed figures and one eath-toned; Boneripple, Crawlingroach and Clayfur, though he only caught the last part of his uncle's words. Nice weather for swimming- he was right. Newleaf was quite often pretty fickle with its weather patterns- it could be blustery one day and weeping with rain the next, but on this occasion the skies seemed to have chosen the kindest option. Azure, the sky was relatively cloudless- and Fernpaw chirped his approval from the water, paddling closer to the shore. "Water's so warm!" he chirped, a water-cradled endorsement- as if the fact he was already in the river would not suffice as evidence that it was nice. ​
✦ penned by pin ✦​
 
જ➶ Ears perk up and she turns to look over her ahoulder at the one that is speaking to her. Molten hues focus in and she allows herself to relax. It's just another Riverclanner and nothing more. "It's going well." Her answer comes easily enough before she gives herself another shake to throw water from her thin frame before she then turns her gaze back to Crawlingroach. "Well I was training on how long to hold my breath under the waves. Now I'm going to try my paw at fishing." Simple and easy the first one had been but she is not sure about the process of fishing. As she turns to continue on her way another pelt comes into view and she allows a hum to linger in her throat. Clayfur is one of the few that treats her like a Riverclanner and stops seeing her origins. She enjoys his company. "Yeah, I did. It's a little...taxing to say the least but I'm working on it as best I can." Getting used to swimming is going to come with time.

The most she has ever done is trek through murky swamp waters. She supposes it is close to the same thing in a way. Flicking her tail she then hears Fernpaw's delighted tones of how warm the water is and she finally allows herself to relax, a small purr in her chest. "A pleasing thing after leafbare's cold touch. Um, would you all like to come fishing with me? I'm sure I can learn something from all of you."​
 
Fernpaw’s presence is met with a broad grin—a rare sight, now, he thinks—and a flick of his tail. He considers joining his nephew in the water, but decides that it’s easier to hold a conversation on land than to talk and swim. So he cocks his head at Bone when she says that she’s been training herself to hold her breath. "How long could you hold your breath for? I’m not really that great at holding mine," the brown and white tom admits, smile turning a bit sheepish. He wasn’t born to these waters like Buck or Willowroot, and didn’t take to them as naturally as cats like Cicadastar or Houndstride. He’d once been fearful of the water, just learning to swim. He still isn’t an expert by any means, and maybe sharing such a fact will encourage the she-cat.

The black and white warrior says that swimming is taxing, and Clay chuckles. "At least you’re trying, either way." He can’t remember when he thought swimming was tiring. Her offer to go fishing is met with excitement, hazel eyes wide and bright. "Oh, yeah, I’ll come with you," he says. He isn’t sure how good Bone is at fishing, so he doesn’t comment on how much she might be able to learn from him. He knows that his fishing methods are, like, weird to some of his clanmates. But he’s happy to lend a paw, either way.
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[ YOU ARE THE STARS TO ME ]​
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SKY HIGH —It doesn't go unnoticed by Crawlingroach how Clayfur places distance between them, and it only serves to make the guilt gnaw all the more at his gut. The temptation to excuse himself danced on the tip of his tongue but he ultimately held himself steady. Running away would only make things worse and it was really up to him to make amends.

"Smart move, and I'm certain all this training will pay off! And if you're planning on fishing then I would love to join in for sure." Now that was more his speed, and he had a plan in mind too! Grinning, he then locked his sights on Clayfur on particular. "I'm gonna find the juiciest fish in the whole river just for you!" He proclaimed with a playful wink as he bounced along the river's shore with a renewed spring in his step. There was no point in hunting in that spot if Boneripple had been training there already, likely scaring off the fish in that stretch, meaning they stood a better chance further along. "Hey Fernpaw, are ya coming?"
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