Friendship (Jay Bird)

Cinderpaw dipped in the water her face set with determination. The calico she-cat swam lazily back and forth along the river bed, she was slowly getting the hang of this! Thanks to a few hints from her clanmates. Her gaze traveled to the more deeper end. Should she try to swim there? It would be good practice. Kicking her legs she swam over to the deep end instantly feeling the water kick up more violently here. She gulped, this was not a good idea.

Trying to kick herself over to the shallow end but her fur dragged herself farther away with the harsh water. Her eyes widened in fear. Is this the end? Her heart beat faster and she kicked and kicked but to no luck. Suddenly a wave knocked her under water her mind panicked and he paws thrashed all over the place. Her head emerging to the surface taking a big gulp of air then screamed out with all of her lungs, "Somebody.. Help! Please!" Then the water took her under again. She can't die here, she just can't!

The big ears of Jaypaw caught the scream of a cat not far away from where he was walking. The gray tabby tom ran without thinking just to arrive at the river, where he could see a white paw submerging under the water. "Hold on! I'm coming!" He screamed before jumping into the cold water that he always loved.
With his long and experiment legs, the apprentice swam fastly and then put his head under the surface of the waves. A blurry vision made it difficult for him to see. However, he somehow managed to notice the presence of the terrified calico cat that was drowning. Jaypaw reached her side and, carefully, took her from the back part of her neck with his mouth and started to swam with all his strength, trying to take the smaller she-cat with him over the water.
When his head finally was outside, the apprentice took a deep breath and then swam back to the beach of the river, still with the poor and younger she-cat that was abut to die. He let her go when his paws finally touched the earth and, with a lot of panting, he talked back to her. "H-Hey... A-Are you okay?"

The head of Cinderpaw went down again unable to see or hear Jaypaw`s screaming or figure all she could see was water, dark water that was suffocating her. Foolishly she tried taking a breath her lungs about ready to collapse and took in a mouthful of water. Is this the end? After all of this this is how she will go on? Giving hope for Morningfog and her kits as she drifted away when suddenly she felt something tugging on her neck. Great is a hawk trying to get her too? Everyone just wants a piece of Cinderpaw it seems like.

Her eyes faded as Jaypaw lifted her above the water and she gasped as air filled her lungs again. She panted as they swam towards shore for some reason her eyes would not open. When her paws meet fresh earth she fell to her side unable to stand up from her freezing and shaking legs. Her eyes slowly opened everything around her was blurry but she took in a cat who was talking to her his eyes full of panic. "Wh-" Was all that she was able to say till finally her eyes went into focus and she saw a young tom who was a blue-gray tabby his fur sticking to his frame making it appear that he was a walking skeleton. His wide scared eyes bore into hers.

The gray tabby looked at her worried at the Riverclan apprentice. She seemed to be in a shock, but he didn't know what to do. The camp was too far to call the medicine cats and he doubted that he could carry the body of shaking calico she-cat for too long. So the tom approached the apprentice and laid down next to her, trying to warm her body with his own corporal heat and, also, to calm her. "Don't worry. You're safe now. Just breath and take your time to recover. I'll be right here if you need me for anything." He touched gently with his fluffy tail and then wrapped it around her pelt. Jaypaw could feel how cold she was and that concerned him a lot.

The calico cat just laid there shaking her eyes wide and staring off. She could see the gray tabby scared for her but he seemed so far off..as if she was dreaming. Or dead. Is she dead? Is this Starclan? If she was dead why does she feel so cold? Her heart quickened at the thought of being dead. Suddenly through hazed out eyes she faintly saw the tom laid down next to her sharing his warmth with her. Slowly her body warmed up from his heat it made her calmer and her heart stopped beating so fast. She eventually could make out the tom better and understood what he said. Still though she could not move but she could lift her head abit and slowly meowed, "T-ha-nks." Then she felt a thick tail wrap around her. Her teeth stopped chattering slowly too as her body got warm.

Jaypaw smiled relieved to hear the voice of the apprentice muttering some words. "There's no need to thank me. You're a clanmate and I couldn't let you die like that so easily." He said looking at the river, shy and flattered. He wasn't used to the physic contact, however that didn't matter now when the calico needed to be helped so the tabby tom just kept his tail wrapped around the freezing body of the she-cat.
"I think that I don't actually know your name, but I'm sure that I saw you in the apprentice den before. My name is Jaypaw, by the way." He said all of this quickly and nervous. He wasn't so good talking with other cats that he didn't know, but he always tried to do his best about this issue.

Laying her head back down she signed deeply at the tom's words. Her head slowly getting out of its haziness she understood what he said. "No-o-ne h-as be-fore." She managed to mutter out. It wasn't like her parents did. Shaking her head slightly to clear it out nuzzling her face in his thick tail.

He was right they have not spoken to each other. She gulped loudly through her still chattering teeth, "Na-me Ci-nde-rpaw." That's if she will be a apprentice though the fact that she can't swim very well. She smiled lightly at his quickness of his talk. He was like her, very shy to others.

Jaypaw felt bad because of the bad situation of Cinderpaw. The tabby gray tom tried to think about another way to help her, but he wasn't a medicine cat. Maybe, when she would be able to stand up on her feet, he could acoompany her to the medicine den, back to the camp. But for now, the tom had to stay by her side.
He watched how her little head touched her tail after she muttered that words. It was an strange sensation, but it wasn't unpleasant. "You must feel terrible... How that happened to you?" The apprentice said, honestly concerned about the calico she-cat.

Cinderpaw slowly was feeling a lot more better, she guessed she was not dead. Filled with determination to swim right, she lifted her head towards the water. Taking a paw down and then the other to stand up. Eventually getting to her paws she took a step forwards then fell and landed on her side again with a loud thump. Thankfully it did not hurt her at all and actually warmed her up some more.

Gulping again from the ground a whisker length away from where she was she muttered, "Pare-ents lef-t durin-g kith-ood."

Jaypaw saw how Cinderpaw stood up and followed with the sigh her movements until she fell again. He quickly stepped forward to her, worried that she was hurt but it seemed like it wasn't the case. At least she could move and that meant that she was a lot better.
The ears of the apprentice lowered when she finally answered his question. He felt even worse when he knew that Cinderpaw was left alone in the camp. She must feel so lonely because of that... He thought, remebering that in his kithood he also met a kit that lost his parents. However, Jaypaw felt that the case of Cinderpaw was even worse, because her parents were probably still alive and she was just rejected by them. "I'm sorry... I shouldn't have asked you that..." He muttered, regretful.
the young tom touched, softly, with his right paw, trying to catch her attention. "You must still feel weak. If you want, you can lean on my shoulder to stand up again until you're fully recovered."

Cinderpaw moved to sit upright, she did not want her pelt full of grass or mud that would take ages to get out. She was grateful of Jaypaw making sure she was okay and smiled towards him to show that she was fine. Her gaze traveled away from Jaypaw as he lowered his ears. Another cat who feels bad for her. She signed, she was happy that somebody cared for her but she dosen`t want pity from nobody no matter who it is. Well Morningfog is the only exception and that`s because she loves her like a mother. Her eyes widened as he apologized, "I-t no-t y-our faul-t!" She looked away again and muttered, "Y-ou di-dn't kno-w.." She backed away at the touch of a paw not used to being touched at all then lowered as he talked. "Th-at wou-ld b-e nic-e..." Her eyes perked up looking at him suspiciously, "A-re yo-u taking m-e back to camp?" Steadily her voice was returning to normal even though there was a slight stutter.

Jaypaw noticed that something about he said made Cinderpaw felt even worse about herself. He looked for a second to his own paw, thinking about Cinderpaw reaction, before answering the calico she-cat. "Only if that is what you want. But I honestly think that you'll be good enough to give swimming another try. After all, as Riverclan cats we need to be the best on that skill. I can help you this time. Of course, only if you want! " He meowed quickly and nervous the last part, because he didn't want to force Cinderpaw to enter the wáter again if she was afraid of it. But he was sure that she could swim again better than her last attempt if she could practice again.

Her ears perked up at his suggestion, "Yes! I would like that! I came out here to practice swimming! Since it seems I am the only cat who can not swim in Riverclan.." She meowed quickly then muttered the last bit under her breath. It frustrated her beyond belief when she sees all the other apprentices and warriors swimming in the water like no tomorrow when she has just learned the basic`s of swimming in the shallow end. "Jaypaw...can...I ask you something?" She quietly mumbled. Slightly afraid of his answer to her question, maybe he did not hear her she hoped.

Jaypaw smiled at Cinderpaw's answer, admiring all the effort that she put trying to learn about swimming. Even if that skill was difficult for her, for the young apprentice her attitude was something more amazing than the best swimmer in Riverclan. However, Cinderpaw seemed to not appreciate that attribute of her.
The ears of the tabby cat flicked when he heard the muttering of the calico she-cat by her side. He was so used to the silence of the territories (because he used to wander alone around the river) that the words of Cinderpaw sounded clear to him. "Sure. You don't have to be afraid of me. I'll never try to hurt you." He purred kindly after seeing that the she-cat was unsure about her question.

Cinderpaw looked to her paws with frustration, it was all because of her dumb legs! Just because she has short legs it made it hard for her to run fast, swim decently. Why did her dumb parents give her short legs! It was harsh for them to just leave her at the clan alone then for them to leave her with short legs that made her behind everyone was just cruel. She didn`t mean to but she growled her tail flicking everywhere, "My dumb stupid parents left me with short legs that I can`t do anything with! I can`t swim decently because of them I can`t run very fast..."

Where were these emotions coming from? She has no idea, suddenly her eyes got clouded again and she realized she was crying. "Wh-y a-m I t-he on-ly on-e in all of R-iverclan wh-o can`t s-wim...ma-ybe i-t wo-uld b-e bett-er i-f I j-ust le-ave t-he clan-s all to-gther." Nobody would miss her after all, she has no siblings no parents. The only thing she has to call family is Morningfog and her kits. But obviously they are not her kin. She grew quiet after that not daring to look Jaypaw in the eyes at she silently cried. Getting to her paws again she tried running away but ended up only a few pawsteps ahead before sitting down again. Not sure if she should run away or not, afraid of Jaypaw`s answer.