I sat in the back of the hollow, blue eyes locked on the tunnel's opening. Should I go? I don't even know where the old oak tree is! I sighed, my mind conflicting, back and forth. My eyelids drooped. I was aware of Nightpaw, asleep at my side, and Crowpaw, who was stretched out at the other edge of the hollow. He was breathing heavily, his inhaling raspy and ragged. I perked my ears, pawsteps echoing around the small space. Two cats, a black tom and a golden she-cat, padded into view and turned down a side path. What are they doing? Curious, I stood and stretched, carefully padding away from Nightpaw. Something moved out of the corner of my eye.

"What are you doing?" Crowpaw said, stretching out a forepaw to catch my tail.

"Crowpaw!" I said in a hushed voice. "You scared me!"

"Where are you going, Softpaw?"

"Out. It's stuffy in here."

"I'll go with you." He said, standing.

"Okay." I replied, slightly reluctant. I leaped out of the hollow, winding along the tunnels. A familiar scent caught me by surprise. Who is this? I thought, turning down the path. Deep in thought, my mind traveled to the day before. Someone else was there, with Harestar and Dovesong and Nightpaw and Crowpaw. A rude someone. Who told Harestar not to allow me into the clan. "Pantherpaw!"

Crowpaw jumped. "Don't scare me like that!"

"Pantherpaw went this way! I thought you weren't supposed to use side paths in the tunnel."

"Well then what are you doing now?" Crowpaw pointed out. "You're going down a side tunnel."

"So are you!" I retorted, following the trail. The tunnel narrowed, pressing against my flanks until I was squeezing through, then widened out into a clearing. Wind flattened my whiskers to my face, and the scent of fresh air poured into the dark path. It opened, revealing a clearing. Cliff faces enclosed the space, and rocks jutted overhead. The grass was lush, and several different types of flowers blossomed, giving the air a sweet scent. The most beautiful feature was the waterfall. Not a large one, but a smaller spring. It fell into a pool, the water smelling crisp and clean. Crowpaw rushed forward, splashing into the water.

"So nice!" He shouted to me. "Come on!"

"You swim?" I said back. I smelled river water on Nightpaw when we had met, but I didn't think that they really swam.

"Of course! All MistClan apprentices learn how to swim." He stopped and looked up. He stood and padded out of the water. "But I'm a RabbitClan apprentice."

I padded to him. "So am I." I moved toward the water, warily putting a paw into the shallows. "But I want to swim."

"Is that so?" Crowpaw inquired. "Then allow me to teach you."

He splashed into the water beside me. "First, You have to get in the deep end to really swim. So your paws cant touch the bottom, and then you kick the water below you, so you float. Use your tail to turn yourself."

"Like this?" I asked, flinging water at him with my paw. He blinked in surprise, a playful gleam shining in his eyes.

"No," He said, as if he were actually evaluating it. "More like this!" He spun around to create a wave in the water, splashing it at me.

-~...~-

I flopped onto the shore, exhausted. Crowpaw lay next to me, our pelts soaked and dripping.

"That water was cold." I said through my shivering.

"Yeah." Crowpaw replied. He moved closer until his shape melted into mine. His dark fur was plastered to his skin, making the scrawny tom look like a skeleton.

I lay down, the tom moving with me, and allowed my eyes to flutter closed.

"Crowpaw?" I murmured through my hazy half-sleep.

"Yes, Softpaw?"

"This was fun."

"It was."