Failing to Swim....

Streampaw looked in the river, anxious. Come on, she thought, you can do it. She peered into the clear water, staring at her own reflection. Tinytip had never taught her how to swim. She imagined that she'd figure it out herself. It's literally in the name of your clan, she told herself, It's literally in your name. You got this! She took a deep breath before diving into the water.

The first five seconds were great. The cool water chilled her fur, and she laughed anxiously as her body was completely submerged, her head still floating above the water. Okay, now what, she thought, what else do I do? How do I get out? That's when she began to panic. Streampaw thrashed wildly, but no one came to help, and no one would see. Her cries would fall upon deaf ears.

The apprentice had grabbed an edge of the river bank, and she breathed a sigh of relief as she was able to get a good grip. She panted, exhausted, but exhilarated. This is the last time I'll go swimming without a mentor, she told herself, laughing, relieved. She was right. The Abyssinian she-cat felt a sharp nip at the base of her hindleg. She ignored it. This was a water adder that had bitten her. A very venomous one.

She made it five fox-lengths before she collapsed and stopped breathing. It would be five minutes before she was dead. Her soul flew into the skies as she became reunited with her lost brother in StarClan.