Blood and Snow

The Coming Storm

"T-turtlepaw!" Minnowpaw stammered. The cream and brown tom twitched his ear.

"Yeah, I was wondering if you wanted to go hunting," he asked. Minnowpaw grinned.

"I would love to." Minnowpaw purred. She turned away from Snowkit and padded close to Turtlepaw. Her eyes gleamed with excitement. Snowkit snorted. Why is she such a jerk? Snowkit crept away to go back to the nursery. She didn't want to risk getting falsely punished again. When she got back she let out a sigh of relief.

"Whew, made it." Snowkit sighed. She scanned the nursery. The sunlight sun shone through the branches above. They were woven tight and carefully. They had been like that since she was born. She saw Thrushblaze's litter settle down for their afternoon. Thrushblaze was nowhere in sight. Snowkit smiled. She could finally not have to be washed over by those amber eyes.

Snowkit shuddered. She didn't want to stay there, so she turned around to go back outside. She wanted to ask someone about what would happen with WindClan. Would they attack? Or take her? Did WindClan cats do that at all? Cats gathered around the clearing as they exchanged fresh kill or shared tongues. She didn't see any of the apprentices, though. They must have gone hunting, which means Minnowpaw didn't get her romance with Turtlepaw. Snowkit laughed aloud.

"Poor old selfish Minnowpaw." she joked, suddenly a warrior was up on her. An orange tabby she-cat. She recognized it was Flamepounce. She had never talked to her and didn't want to.

"What?" Snowkit grunted. Flamepounce's green eyes brightened as if she had been waiting for her to ask that.

"Pikestar wants me to teach you how to swim." She told her. Flamepounce had become a warrior about a moon ago. She hadn't been allowed to see that ceremony because Thrushblaze had said she was 'too young'. That was mouse-dung.

"That's great," Snowkit told her though she hadn't taken thought about what Flamepounce had just told her. Then it clicked. Swimming, a RiverClan cat swims, SWIMMING! Snowkit felt a rush of excitement and a smile spread across her face. "Really!?" she exclaimed.

"Yeah! Just the basics, though." Flamepounce told her. "Your mentor will teach you more when you are older." Snowkit hardly listened. She was still too excited. Swimming, swimming, swimming! She even began to skip. A purr rumbled in her throat.

"Excited aren't you?" Flamepounce laughed. Snowkit liked this cat. She wasn't mean to her either.

"Of COURSE!" Snowkit meowed. "Who wouldn't be? This just makes me even more of a RiverClan cat." Snowkit chirped. Flamepounce purred.

"Come on," Flamepounce told her. She began to turn to an open area where no cats were. "This place is more shallow, just in case anything happens. RiverClan kits have learned here forever." Flamepounce pointed her tail to the area where the bottom was. Snowkit bounded over ahead of Flamepounce. She had to check it out. The area was clear, though she was a little scared to go in. What if it's cold? She shivered.

Flamepounce came up behind her and went in. The water was up to the top of her legs. "Come on Snowkit. Don't be a drypaw!" Snowkit had heard of drypaws. They were RiverClan cats who hated water. Snowkit knew she couldn't be one of them. If she did she would even be more weird and strange and she could not have that.

Snowkit dabbed a paw in the water. It was cold, just like she didn't want it. She pulled back with a squeal of alarm sending droplets flying in the air. Flamepounce looked at her expectantly. Snowkit took a deep breath and put the first paw in. And then another. She then sprinted in just to get it over with.

The temperature was almost unbearable. She wanted to leap out and run for her life. Flamepounce seemed to notice.

"Cold?" Flamepounce laughed. Snowkit stiffly nodded, biting her lip. "Just try to move around. It will get you warm just like it does on land." The orange tabby began to jog, smoothly staying in place. She smiled at Snowkit. She moved her leg up and down. Stiffness made it hard to move and the water made her legs feel heavy.

"My mentor once told me that swimming is just like running, but in the water. When you're ready, pick your legs up and try." Flamepounce advised. Snowkit nodded. The water was up to her chest and she wasn't sure if she was ready to pick up her feet yet. Fear of drowning swarmed her. She had heard stories about it from the elders.

The water was supposed to protect them and give them life, but it seemed to come with a cost. A cost that could take lives upon lives. A cost for the protection of it. Snowkit took a deep breath and picked up on paw, unsure of what was going to happen when she began to run in the water. But to her amazement, it worked!

She glided gracefully on it like on land. The river was a part of her, keeping her up.

"You're doing it!" Flamepounce exclaimed. "Keep going!" Snowkit began to swim in circles. She was going to be a RiverClan cat. The best one ever. And maybe, just maybe, she would finally be appreciated.