A Splash of Amber (closed)

It was a hot day out.  Willowbreeze was probably as excited as both her apprentices for their first day of training.  She had told her apprentices to meet at about this time, so she was wondering where they were.  Surely they didn't want to be late for their first lesson!

Amberpaw bounded into the area. ”I’m here! So, what are we doing today”?

"Foxdung," Splashpaw was late to her first-ever day of training. On her way to the meeting place, she'd gotten sidetracked by a particularly large heron that had been stalking fish near the shore. Its method of hunting was so interesting that she hadn't realized just how much time had passed. Ears flattening, the young molly quickly leapt up from her hideout in the reeds– startling the heron into flight –and raced as quickly as she could towards the clearing.
She skidded to a halt and nearly ran head-first into Amberpaw. "Sorry I'm late!" She chirped cheerfully. Already her momentary panic was forgotten, and she stood eagerly at attention as Amberpaw spoke. "Ooh, could we try hunting?" She mewed. "Or maybe swimming– Flashpaw tried to show me but the water was so cold."

Amberpaw smiled. ”Yeah! Let’s learn swimming”!

Willowbreeze was encouraged by her apprentice's excitement.
"I can teach you how to swim first," she told them, "that's probably the smartest.  I wouldn't want either of you falling into the river not knowing how to swim!" She also told herself it would be nice getting wet, with all the heat they'd been having recently.
Willowbreeze led them down to the river, then hopped in.  Memories of her swim with Vinetail flooded her head, sending a wave of joy through her body.  She couldn't wait to see him again.  She made her mind come back to the task at hand. Teaching her apprentices how to swim.  "Come in here and I'll teach you how to swim."

She nodded, and ran over, jumping in, and floundering around. She almost went under a few times.

Splashpaw grinned and leaped after Amberpaw, stumbling eagerly into the water. However, unlike the other apprentice, she stopped short as the cold water lapped against her chin and quickly turned tail. Splashpaw clambered onto the bank, mint eyes wide. "Why is it so cold?" She shook her shoulders and sent droplets of water flying, but found that she couldn't get completely dry. "Ack, I don't like having wet fur." She complained, wrinkling her nose as she felt water run down her legs.
She stood on the edge of the river for a moment, debating whether or not she should jump back in. "Do I have to try again?" She asked Willowbreeze, shivering as a slight gust of wind ruffled her soaked pelt.

Willowbreeze let out a mrow of amusement at Splashpaw's reluctance.  She thought that the water felt nice when it was this hot out. 
"You should try again," she told her, "so that you can be safe around the river,"

She went over to where Amberpaw was floundering helplessly.  "Try paddling evenly with you paws, in rythemic strokes, to push yourself forward," Willowbreeze told her, and demonstrated by gliding confidently through the water. 
"Now you two try!"

She tried as she had instructed, and found it much easier. She was swimming evenly in no time. “Wow, thanks a ton”!

Eyes narrowed, Splashpaw watched from the riverbank as Amberpaw quickly mastered the basics. She stared at the water, trying to muster the courage to take the plunge. "Should I just... jump in?" She asked weakly. That would be the best option to get it over with quickly... The long-legged molly took a deep breath, feeling a small flicker of courage. 'It's now or never...' She knew she wouldn't feel so bold again any time soon.
Splashpaw took a half-step back, hesitated, then ran full speed at the water. She leaped off the edge of the riverbank and landed with a splash in the choppy river. For a moment the tortoiseshell molly simply froze, shocked by the ice-cold feeling that so easily got through her fur and pricked her skin. Her head dipped below the waves.
Suddenly, the molly got an overwhelming urge to kick. Her webbed paws spread instinctively as she struck against the water, driving herself upwards until she broke the surface. She stayed where she was, treading water with wide eyes, half terrified and half exhilarated. "I'm doing it!" She called, kicking forward and propelling herself towards her mentor and fellow apprentice.

Willowbreeze was encouraged by how quickly both of her apprentices were catching on.  Not all cats were able to learn this fast, even if they were RiverClan.  "Great job, you two," she congratulated them, "You both caught on very quickly."

She hopped out onto the bank.  "Do you guys need more practice, or do you think you're ready to move on to something else?"

Amberpaw swam to shore. “Nah. I think I’m good! So, can we do hunting now”?