The Water Trilogy
Chapter Four
Splashpaw watched in horror as the cat hit the bottom. Mossstorm wasted no time. She leaped into the water and strongly swam up to the falls, obviously looking for a body.
Splashpaw bunched her muscles, preparing to follow her mentor, but Mossstorm called for her to stay there.
Then she saw a light-brown head stick up on the left of Mossstorm. Splashpaw could see the cat needed help now, and it couldn't wait for Mossstorm to swim all the way back (Mossstorm was heading the wrong way).
So she leaped into the water to retrieve the cat. Once Splashpaw touched the water, she remembered she didn't know how to swim. Then she remembered all those times she had listened to the elder's stories. They had spoken in detail about how they swam.
Narrowing her eyes, Splashpaw remembered the words of the elders. "I swam like a fish. I tell you, if there was ever a cat that was a good swimmer, it was me. Of course, not many knew the secret of the Catpaddle." Sandheart had meowed
"The Catpaddle? What's that?" Splashpaw had asked. Sandheart had answered, "It's how you swim, young one. You pretend you are walking, only in water!"
Splashpaw did so. She moved, in water, amazed with herself, she swam to the almost lifeless cat and grabbed it by its scruff. The cat was like deadweight, but Splashpaw knew the shore was not far away.
Walk, thought Splashpaw, Walk. Suddenly pebbles were at her feet.
Shore.
Exhausted, she flopped down next to light-brown body. Mossstorm was next to her. "Where did you learn how to swim?" she asked, dumbfounded.
Splashpaw smiled meekly. "Elders are more help than you think," she replied, a spark of humor in her voice.