A Swim

[Cloudedstar]

Pantherpaw padded slowly through the shallows of the water, his glossy black pelt gleaming in the faint shafts of sunlight that streamed through the pine trees and illuminated the gray waters of the river. There was a slight chill in the water, which Pantherpaw knew was due to the snow that had fallen in CloudClan's territory during the Cruel Season. That season had since passed, and Pantherpaw was glad for that, and the sight of the blue and yellow flowers that grew alongside the river's edge added a warm feeling to the forest.

Pantherpaw drew in a breath, paused on the slick pebbles, then turned to face the middle of the river. This part of the river was very calm, and it wasn't very far to the pine forest on the other side. Pantherpaw took a few steps forward, then kicked off of the pebbles when he no longer felt ground beneath him. He paddled strongly with his paws, churning for the opposite shore, struggling to keep his head above water. Pantherpaw so desperately wanted to swim, but he wasn't very good at it, and every time he tried he just about drowned himself doing so. He let out a sigh of relief when he felt pebbles beneath his paws again as he reached the other shore, then shook out his fur and waded to where the water reached only his ankles.

[Freespirit]

It hadn't been very long since Desertrose had left camp that day. Her paws seem to guide her toward the river, the fresh, pine smell of the forest around her.She'd just come back from taking border patrol that morning. Everything in camp seemed to be taken care of, and there was nothing really left to do there. So, she had gone for a small walk.

She looked up at the blue sky, which seemed splashed with clouds. It had been growing warmer, and Desertrose no longer had to try so hard to keep warm. It was a nice day, not much of a breeze. Might as well hunt while I'm here, Desertrose thought to herself, ruffling her fur a bit.

Thud.

Again, she hadn't been paying attention to where she was walking, and she's collided with a tree. There was a small squawk, and a blackbird that had taken refuge high into the tree gave flight and disappeared. "Mousedung!" the she-cat spat, jumping to her feet and shaking her pelt. It was just another typical move of hers. How would she ever be of use to the Clan if she could even focus on walking?

Desertrose sighed, now she'd have to either wait or hunt somewhere else. She approached the river, now more alert and watchful; she easily spotted Pantherpaw, a Clan apprentice on the other side of the river. "Hello, Pantherpaw," she said kindly, dipping her head.

[Cloudedstar]

Pantherpaw turned around as his name was called, his blue eyes scanning the opposite shore. "Hello, Desertrose," he meowed politely, turning around so that he faced her general direction. Pantherpaw waded through the water slowly, until the gray water surrounded him up to his underbelly. "Are you doing anything today?" He asked nervously, shuffling his paws in the pebbles beneath him. "I-I was wondering...could you help me swim better?"

[Freespirit]

Desertrose smiles softly. "Nope, I thought I'd hunt, but..well..nevermind." she grinned, shaking her head from side to side for a moment, just to make sure there wasn't any debris there from when she hit the tree.
She was a little startled by Pantherpaw's question, but nonetheless, she wanted to help.
"Sure!" she said, stepping forward and gently placing her paw into the water. "What do you need to know first?"

[skygaze]

The rich moisture in the air softened the strong scents of the pines, and the roaring of the river's waves drummed against her ears, but strangely enough, it didn't seem to bother her one bit.

Soulflight breathed in deeply, enjoying the scenery. A chilly wind gust blew her way and she shut her eyes for a heartbeat to take in the flavor of the afternoon.

Then the scent of something other than the river's domain caught her attention and brought her out from her daydreaming. Marigold! Soulflight quickly lowered her head, focusing more on the plant scents within the green, blue and gold flowers that dotted the river's edge as she padded along. Aggh, forgot about that. Alright you pesky herb, I'm all out of you and need to refill my stock. Now where would I hide if I was a pretty little marigold....

The marigold perfumes already seemed stronger, to the point where it seemed to surround Soulflight. The medicine she-cat turned and looked around both sides of her, bewildered, until she cast her eyes down to groom her paw. Little marigold patches covered her white-speckled feet... and as she looked behind her, she realized that the marigold was indeed on all sides of her. She giggled at herself, glad that no one was watching. Well, I found what I was looking for, right? She nibbled delicately at the bases of as much marigold she could chew, and gathered them all in her mouth, satisfied. And now she realized that she was hungry.

Burying the herbs to keep them fresh and unharmed, Soulfight turned and pounced along the bank, listening for unsuspecting morsels until she found the voices of other cats. Though hungry, the she-cat was also wary of trespassers, so she poked her head through the long weeds to see who was around, and was glad to see some friendly faces.

Pantherpaw, taking a good soak in the river's waves, was asking for advice from a MysticClan warrior by the name of Desertrose, who seemed to be obliged to help the apprentice out. Soulflight purred, a little touched by the scene, before calling out, "Hey, there!"