A soft hearted lesson

Soft morning rain fell onto the soft mossy ground. Reeds woven tightly together held their own against the gentle lapping of the river that surrounded the island of cats who lay in various degrees of sleep and alertness. Some sat in the sheltered areas, nestled around pieces of leftover fresh-kill from the evening hunt the night before. The scent of the fish strong in the air. A soft furred silver she-cat slipped out of a den woven from reeds. Her pelt sleek with oils, but still soft and slightly fluffed against the rainy weather.

Dewshine could relate to the weather all too well. Her body trembled as she stretched out her sleep-clinging leg muscles to wake them. A yawn ready to escape her maw as she noticed Scorchclaw in the distance with Jaystar. Abruptly, she closed it and padded over to the apprentices den with weariness in her chest. It was kind of him to extend this opportunity to her. To give her the chance after the uncomfortable incident with flamepaw that left what felt like half the clan against her. She spotted her new apprentice easily. Not simply from the white fur, but the fact that it seemed pristine.

Had the apprentice been grooming in her sleep? The thought made Dewshine chuckle as she padded deeper into the den and nudged the sleeping apprentice.
"Wake up, Flurrypaw. It's time for us to begin." She meowed softly, then waited with patient blue eyes until the apprentice moved before she nodded and slipped back out of the den and into the camp once more. The darker stripe down the back of her pelt becoming more obvious from the wet weather. Still, she would have gotten wet anyways.

Flurrypaw murmured softly, lifting her head and looking up at Dewshine with droopy green eyes. She yawned and stretched, then slowly rose from her nest, and proceeded to spend several moments grooming her fur, picking out the bits of her nest and fluffing her coat back up again. When she finished, she padded out of the den, but upon feeling a small raindrop on her nose she squeaked and rushed back inside. "Are you crazy? I can't go out there with weather like this! My beautiful fur will be ruined! Not to mention the dirt and the mud and whatever else is being blown in the wind!"

Dewshine looked at Flurrypaw with amusement in her gaze.
"Flurrypaw, you have to." She padded closer to the entrance and gave Flurrypaw a careful look over to make sure she hadn't been injured and was simply not willing to tell. "If you are ever going to be a warrior, then you need to get used to the rain. You might even like it after the first couple of patrols." She suggested with a calm smile, then backed up to give her apprentice some space to come out of the den. "Don't you want to keep up with your siblings? They could all become warriors before you."

Flurrypaw gave a long, exasperated sigh before reluctantly padding back out. "Fine... But if I get dirty and anyone teases me for it, I'm shifting the blame to you." She gave her fur one more quick licking before padding up to Dewshine's side, ready to get the training over with so she could get out of the rain again.

The silver she-cat chuckled at her apprentice's concern. With a quick nudge, she guided the apprentice to the shallow river at the edge of the camp and began to wade through it calmly. The current was still mild and calm, easy to navigate as she watched Flurrypaw behind her.
"No one will tease you. We'll be going fishing today."

Flurrypaw's eyes widened in dismay. "What? I have to get my paws wet? But I thought you said I was going to be fine! I hate getting my paws wet!" She must be the very first RiverClan cat to have ever existed who hated water, but she couldn't help it. The way the water weighed down her fur, making her movement slow and sluggish, was infuriating. Not to mention unattractive.

With a gentle sigh, the she-cat walked back to the bank of the river until she was in front of the apprentice with a calm but serious expression. The water that clung to her coat narrowing her frame slightly.
"Would you rather go hunting in the forest?" She questioned smoothly, her tail gliding in the water to gesture widely to the bushes on the other side of the bank "Walk through brambles, mud and bushes, get your coat dirty when you could simply walk into the water and still emerge with a clean pelt?" With a firm nod, Dewshine slipped out of the water beside Flurrypaw. Concern in her blue gaze as she stood next to the young apprentice. "Are you afraid? I promise, I'll be right by your side."

Flurrypaw gulped nervously. Hunting on dry land sounded much worse when put that way. But at the same time... cleanliness wasn’t the only thing worrying her... ”The truth is... I-I don’t know how to swim. This is gonna sound crazy, but I hate water. So I never learned the basics as a kit. I’m afraid my thick fur will get too heavy that I’ll sink and I won’t be able to swim back up.” She looked down at her paws, ashamed and afraid.

The silver she-cat paused, confused for a moment. Flurrypaw had never learned... she looked towards the small pond kits usually learned to swim in. It would be too shallow for Flurrypaw now. Her mind raced with ideas to help her young apprentice, but finally, she sighed and padded in front of her.
"Come with me." Her tone offered no room for argument as she padded over to a spot of water that was not really shallow, but it was still.

A place where the river moved lazily by it, yet out of the way enough that the current didn't grab on. She slipped into the water with graceful ease, treading with precision and care to ensure that no sudden currents had developed before she climbed out and looked at Flurrypaw confidently. "You're a RiverClan cat... you've got little to fear from the water." She encouraged. "Just walk in. When you can't feel the ground, keep your head up, and take long steady strides." Dewshine padded up to Flurrypaw's side and nudged her gently. "It's scary now, but I won't let anything happen to you. I'll be right beside you, the entire time."

Flurrypaw slowly nodded, staring in horror at the gently rippling stream she was about to wade into. She tentatively approached it and dipped a forepaw into the water, and immediately she drew back with a frightened squeak, flicking water everywhere from her paw. ”I-I don’t know if I can do this...”

However, she still forced herself to approach the water again. She began to slowly wade into it, and the water began rising up her legs to her belly and chest. She breathed heavily, suddenly feeling severely claustrophobic, and she stopped just before the pebbly ground gave way, standing and struggling to balance on her toes. ”Th-This is far enough, right? C-Can we go back now? Please?”

Dewshine smiled encouragingly, taking a step forward when Flurrypaw dipped her delicate paw in. As water was flicked, she closed her eyes briefly, then waited for the overwhelmed apprentice to make the move deeper into the water. As she did, Dewshine patiently matched her hesitant strides, even as they got deeper. Once Flurrypaw completely stopped, her blue eyes turned to the young apprentice with an appraising look.

For a moment, she wanted to give in. Let the young apprentice out of the water and onto dry land. If she did that though, it was possible she'd never learn. Instead, Dewshine sat down in the water. Let it flow around her as she tilted her head pointedly towards Flurrypaw.
"Sit." She ordered, her soft voice taking no argument as she closed her eyes. "Sit here for a moment Flurrypaw... let the water flow around you. Get used to the feeling of the mud under your paws." She paused as a raindrop hit her squarely on the nose. "I know this is hard for you, but it will only get harder if you choose not to learn."

Nodding slowly, the snow-white she-cat sat down in the water, shuddering with a whimper as a shiver traveled throughout her entire body. The water's temperature wasn't cold, but it wasn't warm, either. She still found trouble breathing properly. The mud under her paws felt disgusting and slimy, making her grimace.

But... at the same time, she could sense an air of tranquility sitting in the water like this. The sound of the gentle rippling of the water washing over the rocks in the river was very calming, and there was a rhythm to the flow, gently brushing through her thick fur in soft waves. She closed her eyes. Her breathing slowed to its regular tempo. Even the mud underpaw didn't seem to bother her.

She still couldn't say she was the biggest fan of water, or of swimming, but she definitely found a sudden appreciation for it now. It was calm and gentle, the perfect scene for meditation and stress relief. She couldn't remember the last time she felt at peace as she did now.

As the young she-cat did as she asked, Dewshine waited patiently beside her. Watched as tender newly-formed leaves broke off from old stems to fall into the river alongside blossoms. The rain gently pushing them down onto the river's surface so it could carry them for tail-lengths and tail-lengths. Her tail moved in the water, tucking in at her paws while she waited for the signs of the she-cat calming.

Now, she could do it. Dewshine took a step closer, then gently nudged the apprentice with her muzzle.
"Go ahead." She encouraged gently. "The river will guide you. I will help you, and once you've got the hang of swimming, you'll be able to fish." She added, then carefully cosidered something the young she-cat may not have noticed. "Fishing is the cleanest hunting method. The water washes away the blood and spares your tongue." She gestured with her tail to point out how well groomed Flurrypaw's back was.

Of course, once it was wet, it might not be anymore. As she stepped back into the deeper water, she continued until her own paws tread lightly on the surface. "See? There's nothing to fear."

Huh, she had never thought of that before. Now more eager to learn how to fish than before, Flurrypaw slowly took a step forward at her mentor's prompting, and when she tried to step down her head nearly fell under the water. She snapped out of her meditative state with a squeak of alarm, but she refused to give up now. She continued slowly moving forward until none of her paws could reach the muddy floor without submerging her entire body underwater, and her legs worked tirelessly in keeping her afloat.

She panted nervously for the first few moments, beginning to feel claustrophobic again, but slowly she was growing more and more used to the rhythm of her legwork and the gentle rippling of the water as she stirred it up. The wind blew cool drops of rain into her face, and she closed her eyes and folded back her ears to soak in the refreshing misty breeze. She didn't seem to be moving around too much in the river, but at least she was able to keep her head above the water and regain her calm.

When the young she-cat's head nearly fell below the water, Dewshine moved a bit closer to help lift her up if needed. Fortunately, the apprentice seemed to catch on to the process of swimming. She moved slightly ahead of Flurrypaw, feeling out shallower areas with the pads of her paws. Continually checking over her shoulder to make sure the apprentice at her flank was alright.

"You're doing very well Flurrypaw." She meowed cheerfully. The tug of the water through her slightly long fur was comforting as she leaned into it. Allowed the wide and low current to pass through her legs while her paws churned up tiny bits of dirt and sand. "Just relax, remember, the river is in your blood." Dewshine sighed as her paw hit something soft in the water. Soft and spongy, but slippery. She identified it as algea and moved to block Flurrypaw from stepping on it, lest the apprentice get startled. As it was, Dewshine smiled. "Look down into the water Flurrypaw, what do you see?"