https://warriorcatsonline.com/forums...ictureid=50932
one loggerhead shrike must skewer my invertebrate doppelganger on barbed wire.
[ @Omari @Neptune.]

well, midnight seemed to have mushrooms covered. and he had enough of an ego to think he could find some dock on his own. so, he broke off from the patrol a few foxlengths.

the forest seemed to open up around him, a whole host of possibilities. with newleaf passed and greenleaf in full swing, the florid expanse of the pine and conifer territories that shadowclan dominated were at his paws. not that apprentices were allowed out alone, but there were ways to circumvent that. nosing around through the underbrush, he recalled what mossfreckle had described.

growin' outta the ground, green 'n leafy. ruffled and oval. he wondered what it smelled like, tasted like. after rooting around in the underbrush for what felt like forever, he broke into a small clearing in the forest, dominated by leafy plants. he thought that maybe, like the rest of these low-growing plants, that maybe he'd have a better shot at finding dock here. so, with a little bit of sleuthing, the trailblazer came nose-first into a patch of dock that matched the description to a tee. if it happened to be some very convincing look-alike-leaves, he'd handle the embarrassment in stride. the whole herb business seemed like a mess, one that he had a very small inkling of intrigue for. though, on a second thought, he supposed it might be a lot more of a powerful position than he gave it credit. holding life and death in their paws. maybe even more powerful than leader itself- for what is a leader without followers? but a medicine cat. . . well, even without the clan, the warriors, and the soldiers, knowledge was power.

he'd have to reconsider his underestimation of lostspark and mossfreckle. in the future, he made a note to regard them much more carefully and study them closer. know thy enemy and all that junk.

whatever. he had dock to gather. carefully snipping the stem as close to the ground as he could, he picked up a nice stem of dock with a handful of leaves.

[+4 dock leaves]

with that in tow, grousepaw turned to look the way he had came. he wasn't exactly eager to rejoin the patrol with petal and mid- not that he had anything against either of them. petalrot was a warrior, which meant bug had a job to uphold and rules to enforce. midnightpaw- she seemed a little too observant for his tastes. it unnerved him. made him shift uncomfortably under the weight of scrutiny.

sighing with the stem pinched between his teeth, he ducked his head and trotted back to rejoin the patrol.

Lynxshade

Shadowclan Enforcer
33 moons | she/her
Shadow Fiend | Primal Instincts | Beefed Up (T3) | Bilingual (T3)

https://i.ibb.co/87YK4Rg/lyxshade-tailless-scarred.gif

Lynxshade gazed at Bitternpaw with interest. "Yes, you're getting it right. Just make sure you're always straining to breathe, and try not to get your ears wet." She added, with a look at the soaked apprentice.

"To propel yourself forward, use your hind legs. Kick the water backward. It takes a bit of coordination to swim properly, but at least you're staying afloat and not sinking down. It's a good start, and you're getting better by the minute." Her praise was genuine. Teaching really felt good when the results finally came.

If you don't have any more questions, I think you can keep practicing over and over again until you feel more comfortable. Just make sure not to go into deeper waters, alright? She asked with a subtle smile, pleased by the day she was having.

https://warriorcatsonline.com/forums...ictureid=52261
he/him // 7 moons
41/100

---

The praise was well received. The young apprentice seems to visibly brighten up when he's complimented on how quickly he was picking up on the lesson. And with her helpful advice all his questions are answered. So all that's left is to continue to practice.

Being careful not to go much deeper into the pond he practices paddling around. It's definitely clumsy at first but the longer he does so the better he gets. Propelling himself with his back legs and directing himself with his front legs, he's able to move well enough. Not as quickly as a Riverclan cat by any means but he's making waves for sure.

It hits a point, however, where the water is finally too much for him. He paddles his way back toward the shore and takes a few steps back onto drier land so he can shake out his fur a bit. It felt uncomfortably vulnerable to be completely drenched but... At least he did well. Well enough to receive praise from an Enforcer.

"Thank you for giving me some of your time, Lynxshade."