Drowning a Skunk Babe (Amber)

[Yoko]

[glow=White,2,300]Skunkkit yawned and trailed very far behind. His fur was thick, messy, and partly knotted. These were the only things he had in common with his "mother" Tanglefang. The poor young kit was stumbling over every rock and twig in his path. It was very dark outside and he couldn't even see the moon. Did that mean it was new? Or was it just cloudy? He didn't care. With eyes half-lowered he prayed to StarClan for sleep, but his legs and THAT VOICE kept pushing him on.[/glow]

"Skunkkit," Tanglefang hissed. "For the love of- get over here!"

She watched her tiny runt of a kitten wobble over with half-shut eyes. How pathetic! She rolled her eyes. She had been at the edge of the river for what seemed like ages. Thumping her tail on the ground and snarling, she glared impatiently at the sad excuse for her kin. When he was finally within her reach, she snatched him up by the neck scruff and dropped him into the shallow end of the water.

[glow=white,2,300]
His head dipped under momentarily and he floundered until he realized it was so pitifully shallow he could stand. Pushing himself up off the pebbled bottom, he spit up water, hissed at his mother and demanded to know "WHAT THE DUNG WAS THAT FOR?!"[/glow]

Tanglefang leaned towards him with bared teeth. "Get over it! You'll live. Today, for once in your miserable life, you're going to learn something useful! I'm teaching you to swim."

[glow=white,2,300]Even as she said that, SKunkkit knew he was doomed. The water at the shallowest start of the river was already pulling him further out. He dug his thorn-like claws into the pebbled bed of shore and struggled to pull himself out of the water. Tanglefang used a single paw and pushed him back in.[/glow]

"Don't be a coward! Haven't you already disappointed me enough? You want to add cowardice to the list too?"

[glow=White,2,300]With an angry hiss, Skunkkit glaed and backed away from his mother and the shore. She had said she would teach him, but obviously, she was really just going to sit there and glare. Well, he would teach himself then![/glow]

[Amber]

The nursery had been quiet, far too quiet than usual. The young kit stared at the other kits in the nursery, they looked so peaceful. They didn't know how lucky they were. Even those two new kits were lucky. They had someone looking out for them, family. She had pretty much been alone ever since her mother died. She had no mother, or even a father. The two siblings she had were always busy and lately were out doing their own thing. Cloverpaw was training, and Ivypaw was doing medicine cat things. How was she suppose to live up to that? Her sisters were such good apprentices, she would probably end up failing them. It was better they not have any expectations of her at all. Why couldn't she have just died with her littermates? It would have made life so much easier for not only her sisters, to not have to worry about her, but probably for everyone else. Hollykit was no more than a burden. Her sisters were so close with eachother, the young kit felt left out. Forming bonds was just a little harder for Hollykit.

Sliding out of her nest, she heard Skunk-kit leave. What was he up to? The kit decided it was better than lying here awake and just staring at nothing in particular. The little kit was far too curious to just sit here. She followed after him, and saw that he was following Tanglefang. What was going on here? She watched the two, and was highly amused by Tanglefang. She was such an awesome cat! Maybe when she grew up she could be like Tanglefang, well except the kit part. She didn't want kits...ever. Why was her best friend in the river? What training was this? He was learning how to swim! This so wasn't fair. She wished she could be taught how to swim...but no her family thought she was too little to do anything. One day she would show them.

Hollykit continued to watch, and saw how he was being taught. That wasn't right! He wasn't being taught, that was more like torture. She suddenly felt angry. Tanglefang was taking it too far. She ran toward Skunk-kit and looked at her friend. "Maybe we can help eachother learn how to swim?" she suggested softly. She didn't care that she was most likely going to be in trouble when she returned back to camp, or that she was out in the open and if any patrol seemed to come by they would be able to hear her voice. Her best friend needed her right now. "I wanna learn how, but no one will teach me. You looked like you were close to having it down." She added.

[Yoko]

[glow=white,2,300]Skunkkit shook his fur, still being tugged by the current. He glared up at the vicious she-cat, considering his options. She was a badger of a sh-cat, powerful and ruthless. A kit his size stood no chance. Escape? His only escape would be to let go of the riverbed and drift down the river with the current...and drown. He only felt comforted in that no one was here to watch him go down.

His eyes widened as the situation just became much worse. Hollykit was bounding in his direction. His Holly-berry colored friend looked concerned and sounded as if she actually meant to learn to swim. Skunkkit flattened his ears and rolled his eyes to StarClan. You starry-eyed dung eaters must really hate me! In a desire to scrape up what little dignity he had left, while soaking and being tugged like a leaf, he gritted his teeth and pulled himself closer to shore so his small friend could stand in the water too.

[/glow]

Tanglefang snarled, "Now there's a kit with guts! Learn something will you?"

[glow=white,2,300]Skunkkit growled. "You going to teach us something or not?!"[/glow]

"I would if you would shut your trap! Now, I assume, since you aren't half-way down the river, that you had the sense to keep your claws in the riverbed. Let your hindclaws go and cling just with your foreclaws."

[glow=white,2,300]Skunkkit hissed at Hollykit, "It's not too late to save yourself you know. With a teacher like her, we probably won't learn much but how bad water can taste."

Already, he was unclinching his hindclaws. He didn't have a choice, and Hollykit did...admittedly, it meant a lot to him that she stuck her neck out like this. As the current tugged harder on his now floating hind quarters, Skunkkit followed his natural urge to kick. His small limbs were hardly keeping him from being pulled back, and he continued to claw his forepaws into the pebbles.[/glow]

[Amber]

Hollykit stared at Skunk-kit. Did he not want her here? Oh well, too bad. It looked like he needed all the help he could get. Well, at least he was managing to come closer to shore now. Maybe her short legs would be able to handle it now. The reddish kit continued to come closer and closer, until her paws were at the water's edge. She jerked back at first, not realizing just how cold it could be. She just hoped she wouldn't get sick from this, if she had to spend another day unable to have fun she was going to go crazy.

Turning to Tanglefang she blinked. Tanglefang thought she had guts! This made the kit grin wide. She was being praised for something she had, and by the most awesome cat ever! Her paws were light and bouncy now, as she waded a little further in the water. She looked at Skunk-kit and nodded. She wanted to learn something.

So the point was to hold on using just her front claws. Okay, that sounded simple enough. Looking to Skunk-kit she looked at him like he had said the most stupid thing ever. "Well at least she is teaching. I've always been gone soft on, time for me to see what the real world is like." she replied softly. The time was perfect. Tanglefang wouldn't be soft on her, and this is exactly what she needed.

Going just deep enough to reach her belly, the small kit still held on with her front claws, and gently let go with her hind. Okay, so far so good, it wasn't too difficult. She could balance like this for a little while, but probably not for too long. Having short paws was not something she enjoyed, it meant her head was slightly below the water. But no, she wasn't going to complain. She awaited for the next set of instruction, eager to know how this was going to help her swim.

[Yoko]

[glow=White,2,300]Skunkkit blinked. So she was sticking around then? He glared in the opposite direction. Her burial! But natural concern for his friend made him slowly turn his head back. She seemed to be struggling a lot from where he was stand- hmm, half swimming, but she was holding her own. She was one tough kit. But he was worried she might tire out. Let's get a move on then!

"What next?"

"What do you think is next mouse-brain?!" Tanglefang snapped. Let go of the riverbed!"

Skunkkit repressed a hiss. This is what she calls teaching?!"

He pried his thorn-like claws from the pebbles of the riverbed and felt an instant jolt of terror as he was swept backwards. His nose dipped in the water and he gasped letting it fill his tiny lungs. Then he sank back spitting it up and gasping for air.

"Kick ya little mouse-brain! KICK!" she spat, walking along the shore even though he hadn't gone very far.

Furious, the black and white kit leaned forward and moved his forelegs as if he was walking while kicking his back legs hard. It wasn't helping much in keeping his head afloat...

"Oh for StarClan's sake, stretch your neck out! Pull your forepaws up. Don't WALK with them, paddle!"

This time she was gracious enough to give a physical demonstration. Standing on her hindlegs, she moved her forepaws in a circular motion, up close to her chest. Then she turned on Hollykit.

"Let's go puny one! I can't afford a dead kit on my paws, Move those forepaws! Kick harder, and for StarClan's sake tilt your nose up from all that splashing!"
[/glow]

[Amber]

Hollykit couldn't believe that she was learning something new, and exciting. This would prove to everyone she could be an apprentice, even to Ivypaw. Her remaining sibling seemed to think she was too weak to do anything. This would prove to all of them she was just as strong as any other kit. Not to mention, this would give her a little bit of extra 'training'. Another good side, is those other stupid she-kits in the nursery wouldn't know how to do this. They would have to be taught by some other cat. Here she was getting the best teacher possible.

The little kit was glad when her friend had spoken up, her paws were getting tired. Who knew how much longer her claws would be able to take. She wasn't like the other kits, she had a rough start. But she would make up for it now.

Tanglefang's next instructions were to let go? Well that seemed quite obvious, and Hollykit could have guessed that. There she was overthinking things and thinking there was some complicated something she had to do, and it was as simple as just letting go.

She watched as her best friend let go, and seeing him struggle made her wonder what she would look like. Well maybe this would be more challenging than she thought. Just thinking of the challenge made Hollykit grin. Perfect. She listened to Tanglefang 'teaching' Skunk-kit, telling him what he was doing wrong. And then, the demonstration came. Much better, now she knew what Tanglefang was talking about! Hearing the explanation was one thing, but seeing was even better.

And then Tanglefang had called her puny. Anger swelled inside the kit and her eyes narrowed at the she-cat. No one called her puny. Forget not talking around others, this would be so worth it. "Call me puny again you mousebrain and see what really happens." Hollykit was furious, and just like that, Tanglefang had made her snap. "And no, you won't have a dead kit on your paws, I'm obviously unkillable, since I survived and none of my littermates did. So why don't you shut up and stop being so criticizing and rude for a moment." This time, her words came out with a slight snarl.

And then, just to prove to Tanglefang she wasn't puny, Hollykit took in a deep breath and let go. She tilted her nose up the best she could, and only manged to swallow a few mouthfuls before her front paws got the hang of what they were suppose to do. Though she coughed several times, she ignored the physical pain it was taking on her small body. This was amazing. She was swimming, and all on her own! In your face Tanglefang! She swam in the shallow water for a moment, and the curious nature of the kit wanting to go deeper caught her attention.

Hollykit paddled a little bit father, and then a little more, a little more. She stopped and realized she was quite far out. Her little paws were aching beyond anything at the moment. They were getting to the point of feeling numb. Well this sure wasn't good....not good at all. Her eyes were full of worry now, how could she make it back? She pushed herself beyond what limits she thought were possible, only to make it halfway. Exhaustion hit the kit, and she just couldn't go anymore. Her back paws and front paws both gave out, and she floated with the current, doing her best to keep her head up. She was too tired to call for help, and too prideful to accept help.