Chapter 11
"No need for threats, Fogflower," growled Breezeflight as a dark gray she-cat with black tabby stripes came into view.
"I think I have all the need for threats, Breezeflight. Seeing as I have you outnumbered, and I also have you on ShadowClan territory," she purred.
A crowd of cats emerged from the trees behind her, featuring a brown tabby tom, a ginger, black, and white tom, a ginger tabby tom, a tortoiseshell, a dappled brown she-cat, and a frosty gray and white tom.
Breezeflight looked bewilderedly at Fogflower. "I'm on RiverClan territory, teaching my new apprentice about scents. We haven't stepped foot on ShadowClan territory."
"Oh dear, seems you don't know the news," Fogflower sighed. "Pinepaw, tell our dear friend about the borders."
The gray and white tom, an apprentice, but still larger than me, stepped forward. "ShadowClan has set up some new borders, and you're crossing them. Therefore, we have the right to attack you if you don't leave," he said with a smirk.
"Good job, my dear apprentice," Fogflower purred. She trotted forward arrogantly and marked a pine tree well into RiverClan territory. "This is our new scent line. Now let me repeat. You are crossing the ShadowClan border. Go back to your own territory, or prepare to be clawed."
"Th-this is outrageous!" Applepelt stuttered. "You can't just go marking the borders wherever you want! Duskstar never agreed to give you more territory."
"Now, now, Applepelt," the tortoiseshell meowed. "Flamestar said this was the new border, and the leader's word is the warrior code after all. We were just following the code."
"Hollycloud is right," purred Fogflower. "So I'm going to count to three, and you're going to be gone. One…"
"Shut up, Fogflower. We're not kits," growled Breezeflight. "Come on, Moonpaw, Frostpaw. We're going back to camp."
"But what about the rest of the territory?" I asked.
The ginger tabby snickered. "Two…"
"Some other time, Frostpaw. Come on."
I walked dejectedly away beside Moonpaw, glancing back only to see the cats' smug faces staring back. Only my first day as an apprentice and things've already gone wrong, not a good sign.
"Back so soon?" mrrowed Rainpool, putting a few minnows on the fresh kill pile.
"Trouble on the ShadowClan border, we're back to tell Duskstar," said Breezeflight.
"I told him the others were out to get us, I told him we were doomed!" muttered Applepelt, starting off toward the leader's den.
"Go get your nests sorted out while I talk to Duskstar. Frostpaw, we're doing that swimming lesson early," mewed Breezeflight.
My heart jumped as I walked over to the apprentices' den under a young oak tree. Swimming on the first day, not every apprentice got the privilege! I guessed it was because the day was still early and we didn't have to leave camp for it, but it was still exciting to finally be in the water.
I grabbed a few feathers off of a sparrow on the fresh kill pile, along with some moss from some riverside rocks. That would be enough for now, there would be plenty of time to add more moss and other soft things later. I added a few clumps between the roots of the oak where Silverpaw had shown me, padding a bit around the edges and putting the remaining clumps in the middle. I was just feathering around the inside when Breezeflight walked in.
"Alright, Frostpaw, let's get started," he meowed, gesturing with his tail for me to follow him.
"We'll be going a little bit away from the camp, down where the river is deeper," he explained as we followed the riverbank around the triangle of land. "It'll be calmer there, good for your first try. We'll do some practice down by the lake where the current is stronger when you're a stronger swimmer."
I nodded and continued walking. The ground underpaw was damp and cool, with soft grass tickling my legs. The steady flowing of the river added life to the still air, comforting me with the sound I'd known since birth.
The sound of water sloshing awoke me from my trance. It was Breezeflight crawling into the water, standing so the water was up to the middle of his legs. "Come in, Frostpaw. Don't worry, it's shallow here."
I crawled off of the grass and onto the pebbly riverbank, easing myself into the cold water.
"ACK! That's freezing!" I screeched.
"It's always freezing," Breezeflight purred. "Now come closer, it's best we get this lesson started."
I half-walk-half-paddled toward him until the water was up to my gray belly. The cold water tingled on my skin, icy fingers touching through my thick pelt. The water that sloshed over my back slid smoothly off of my fur. Although it was thick, something unnatural for a RiverClan cat, my pelt still shed water like any other.
"Okay, I'm going to grab your scruff, and I want you to paddle, just like walking, but don't touch the ground."
His teeth fastened into my scruff firmly but gently, so I felt no pain. I was lifted, moved through the air so I was over deeper water, and set in. I couldn't touch the ground here and in a moment of panic, I spastically flailed my legs through the water, sending spray everywhere.
"Frostpaw, stop, I've got you," he assured through a mouthful of my fur. His words were muffled but I could still understand, and stopped flailing.
"Good, now paddle your paws, just like walking."
"Just like walking," I repeated breathily.
I placed one paw in front, then another, and another, walking in place, my paws suspended in water. I took a deep breath and made my movements more churning, not as gracefully as the full grown warriors, but still more secure than my strange little water-walk.
"Good, good," muttered Breezeflight. "Steadier, swim to the beat of your heart. The water is in your heart, and you are in the water."
Ba-dum. Ba-dum. I focused on the steady rhythm, churning my paws along. I belonged here, in the water, and the water belonged in me. Passed down as descendants of River, one with the river as he was.
"Yes, Frostpaw, yes!" Breezeflight's words were unmuffled, and it was then I realized, my head held above the current, that I was swimming.
"Hhh!" I gasped. I wasn't ready for this, he let go, he let go! Panicking, I lost my rhythm, plunging below the surface, below the current. I drifted toward the bottom, clawing at the water above in an attempt to swim back up. But I wasn't prepared, I hadn't learned to right myself. I was losing air, bubbles floating to the surface, my vision started to blacken and blur…
But then, teeth fastened into my scruff, pulling me up, into the air, and onto the shore. A weight was pushed onto my chest, and released. The weight came down again, this time with the weight lifting and water expelling from my chest. I coughed, water spraying out from my lungs, then air coming in, filling my chest, bringing relief.
"Frostpaw, Frostpaw can you hear me?" meowed Breezeflight.
I nodded weakly.
"Oh thank StarClan, Frostpaw. I was worried it was too late." He grabbed my scruff again.
"Where're we going?" I asked dazedly.
"Back to camp, so you can rest for tomorrow. If you're up to it, we'll swim again. You can do it Frostpaw. It's in your blood, and you were swimming like a true RiverClan cat until you panicked."
His words drifted into my mind, coaching my thoughts.
"Breezeflight, I'd like to walk," I mewled.
He set me down on the grass so I was beside him, and we followed along the riverbank, following our history on the way to our present and future.
A/N: Yay, Frostpaw's first swimming lesson! Bit of a disaster, though, heh. Can any training session go right in these times? Read and find out! Thank you all of my readers!