Chapter 2! Before you read I want to say that OceanTide cats are adapted to swimming in salt water! I thought long and hard about giving them stuff that made sense! I took some of their abilities from otters and squids.

"Oh. Hello you three," said GrayShark, noticing the three newly made learners. StepShells was in water and she crawled out as the cats approached.

"Can we train with you?" asked StepScarlet.

GrayShark nodded, "It's fine with me. Shall I start teaching you how to swim?"

"I already know how," said StepClaw proudly, puffing out her chest. "Watch!" She jumped into the water and walked out until her paws could not touch the bottom. StepStorm was sure StepClaw would go under but the she-cat's head stayed above the water and she moved gracefully.

"Your mother taught you well," purred GrayShark, "StepShells. Do you mind teaching StepStorm how to swim? I don't think she knows yet? Do you?" StepStorm shook her head. "I want to help StepScarlet alright?"

StepShells nodded. "Alright. Come with me StepStorm. We'll go further down the beach so we won't disturb GrayShark and the other learners."

"I'm sorry for taking you away from your training," said StepStorm as they walked a couple of tail-lengths away from the other cats.

StepShells shook her head, "Don't worry about it! Plus this will help me learn when I need to teach my own learner in the future. Okay. Let's start." StepShells stepped into the salt water until it reached her belly fur. She stopped and gestured for StepStorm to follow her.

StepStorm stared at the water like it was a shark. She placed a paw in and pulled it out. Would she really be able to swim in this? She glanced over at her friends and saw StepClaw was swimming around, but staying close to shore while GrayShark was giving tips to StepScarlet.

"We are taken out when we are three moons and learn the basics to swimming," informed StepShells, noticing StepStorm's gaze. "Now come into the water! It won't bite!"

StepStorm took a deep breath. She knew she had to learn how to swim. How could she be like these cats then? She stepped into the water and tried to ignore the water's pull against her paws. She walked until her belly fur started getting wet. StepShells stopped her with her tail.

"That should be enough. Now. Move your paws back and forth."

StepStorm did as StepShells said and she felt her body lift up and her paws leave the sandy bottom. In a panic, she shoved her paws against the ground but missed and she fell into the water dazed.

She tried to open her eyes but the salt water stung at her eyes. She felt something grab her scruff and lift her up. It was StepShells. She looked over at the she-cat and noticed something retreat back from the she-cat's eyes.

"What was that?" she asked, spitting out water.

"What was what?" asked StepShells, letting StepStorm go when she got her footing again.

"The things in your eyes."

StepShells thought for a second and then gasped, "Wait! You are taking about the third eyelid right? You don't have them?"

StepStorm stared at her blankly and shook her head. Not liking to have the conversation in the water, she climbed out of the water and tried to shake out the water stuck in her fur. She felt something stick to her fur and she tried to lick it out, but realized it was salt and spit it out.

"That's odd," said StepShells coming out of the water as well.

StepStorm's eyes widen. The water on StepShells seemed to slide off her fur! "What?"

"You don't have oils to keep your fur from getting wet? That's odd."

StepStorm couldn't believe it. These cats weren't normal! From the way StepShells talked, the whole tribe must have these abilities! "Can you tell me more?" she asked. "What's the third eyelid used for?"

"To help us see when we are swimming underwater," replied StepShells, "They are clear and they go over our eyes. Hmmm, maybe I should think of you as a ForestRose cat to figure out all the stuff to tell you. Oh! We can hold our breaths for a long time and if we need speed, we can force the air out of our behinds to shoot us forward."

StepStorm stared at StepStorm blankly. How could she do all that? She didn't have the stuff these cats had? She was suddenly afraid. Would ShiningFeather kick her out of the tribe because she was not like the other cats?

"Don't worry," said StepShells, "Even if you don't have all that, I bet you can still do some things! Like…that!" She pointed with her tail to something behind StepStorm. She turned to see a crab scuttling around. Her eyes focused on the crab's large claw.

"I can't!" she cried to StepShells, "That claw…"

StepShells laughed, "It's only a crab. Sure the claw hurts but that's why you need to grab it from behind! Watch!" StepShells slowly made her way to the crab but she gave it a wide berth until she got behind it. Once she did, she darted forward and grabbed it. The crab's legs moved back and forth but it couldn't do anything to stop StepShells.

StepStorm's mouth dropped in shock. Could she ever be that brave? Would she be able to do that one day? Pick up a crab like that without worrying about getting pinched?

"Good catch!" called GrayShark, looking over at his learner, "Can you take it to the tribe? I'll take care of StepClaw and StepLight."

"I already know how to swim!" yowled StepClaw, spinning around in the water.

StepStorm really wanted to know where she got her energy from. To avoid learning how to swim more, she offered to return with StepShells and the she-cat agreed by nodding.

The two she-cats returned to camp. StepStorm noticed that many cats moved out of the way as StepShells walked over to the back of the cave and put the crab down and put her paw on the crab so it could not scuttle away. "Can you get that rock over there?" asked StepShells, gesturing with her tail to a sharp rock near them.

Not knowing what she was going to do, StepStorm picked up the rock and gave it to StepShells. The she-cat picked up the rock with her teeth and brought it down on the crab's shell. She banged it over and over until the shell cracked. She kept doing it until the shell was almost broken in half. Then she separated the crab into two halves.

"Why'd you do that?" asked StepStorm, knowing she could never do that herself.

"We don't want the crab getting away," said StepShells, "The easiest way is to break it and put it on the fresh-kill pile. Oh. And if an elder asks you to tear off the legs for them you need to do it. The elders are too weak to do it themselves."

StepStorm hoped no elder asked her. She didn't even know if she could pull one of the legs off.

"Come on!" said StepShells, "Let's put the crab on the pile and get back to GrayShark!"