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"Hey Acornkit, we're going to play in the water! Wanna join us?" came Silverkit's excited mew.
"The w-w-w-water?" the dark reddish-brown kit squeaked. "No. I-I think I'll just stay by the nursery, thanks."
"Oh c'mon Acornkit! The water's not that bad!" Silverkit said. But Acornkit just shook his head in response. He didn't want to get anywhere near the water if he could avoid it.
It has been a moon since Acornkit has joined RiverClan after his near death experience with the river. So far it's been nice living amongst the Clan cats. As soon as the Clans' medicine cats, Brambleberry and Mudfur, deemed him healthy enough, a kind she-cat by the name of Sunfish took him in as her own, along with her own kits, Grasskit and Vixenkit. It was during this time that he also met Crookedstar's daughter, Silverkit, who was also being cared for by Sunfish due to losing her mother and littermates soon after birth. It wasn't long before he became close to Silverkit, not only because of their similarities, but also because she was the daughter of his savior. And yet, as young Acornkit integrated himself into RiverClan, there was one thing he did not understand. Why did these cats live by the river? He understood that they got most of their prey from there, but they didn't need to make their camp right next to it! Didn't they realize how dangerous it was? One bad thunderstorm and it could carry them all away, just as it did his mother and littermates!
"C'mon Silverkit. Just leave him. It's obvious that Acornkit's a drypaw." Acornkit heard Grasskit sneer, snapping him from his thoughts.
"Yeah!" came his sister's, Vixenkit's, mew. "I mean, why else wouldn't he want to play in the water? Only a drypaw would want to stay on the land where it's no fun!"
Drypaw? What's that? Acornkit thought in confusion. Since becoming a RiverClan cat, Acornkit had heard many new words and terminology, but just as he thought he was getting the hang of it, they go and throw out a new word at him. Drypaw...It kind of sounds like one of their weird apprentice names.
"Oh shut up guys! It's not his fault he's a drypaw!" Silverkit snapped, narrowing her bright blue eyes at their foster-siblings.
"Of course not." Grasskit agreed. "It's just because he's rogue-born! If he were born a real RiverClan cat, he wouldn't be a drypaw!"
"That's not what I meant, you minnow-brain!" Silverkit growled. "What I meant was it's not his fault because he lost his mother and siblings to a flood and nearly drowned himself! Wouldn't you be afraid of the water if something like that happened to you? I bet you would be!"
"Would not!" Grasskit growled, flexing his claws. "Real warriors aren't afraid of anything! Come on Vixenkit. Let's leave the drypaw to his boring ol' land and go play in the water where the real fun is!"
The brown tabby then took off, his sister scampering off after him. Acornkit watched as the two bounded into the water and began to run around, splashing each other and laughing and screaming with joy. Silverkit stuck her tongue out at the two, then made her way over to Acornkit, sitting down next to him.
"Don't listen to those guys. I'm sure they've got bees for brains." the pretty silver she-kit said with a purr.
"Thanks." Acornkit murmured. "But...I don't get it. What's a drypaw?"
"Well...A "drypaw" is a cat who doesn't like to get his or her paws wet." Silverkit explained.
"Why is that a bad thing?" the tom-kit asked, tilting his head slightly.
"Because RiverClan cats make their living by swimming and fishing in the river. No decent RiverClan warrior is afraid to get their paws wet. It would be fine if you were a ThunderClan cat or a WindClan cat but..." the little tabby sighed, cutting off.
"Oh." Acornkit looked down at his paws, feeling his pelt heat up with shame. The tom did his best to blend in with his new Clan, but it was now obvious that he would forever be marked as different from his Clanmates because of his fear of water. "I guess I'm not gonna be a warrior then, huh?"
"Don't say that!" Silverkit gasped. "Of course you'll be a warrior! You just need to work on getting over your fear of the water, that's all. It'll take some work, but I'm sure you can do it. And once you do, you can show Grasskit what a real RiverClan cat is then!"
"Thanks Silverkit." Acornkit said with a small smile, bumping the she-cat's shoulder with his head affectionately. "You know, if you want to go join Grasskit and Vixenkit in the water, you can. You don't have to sit here on the boring land with me."
"Are you sure Acornkit?"
"Yeah, I'm sure. Just because I can't have fun in the water, doesn't mean you can't."
"Alright. I'll see you later, then!"
Silverkit then bounded away from Acornkit to join Grasskit and Vixenkit in the water, leaving Acornkit by himself near the entrance to the nursery. The tom-kit sighed, feeling the loneliest he'd felt since joining RiverClan. Drypaw...Puh! What a stupid word! It was like Silverkit said. It's not his fault he's a drypaw. And yet, he couldn't help but feel like it was. It wasn't like he had asked for the river to swell up and take his family away from him, then try to drown him too. But now he was afraid of water because of that experience, making him essentially useless to his new Clan.
"It's obvious he's a drypaw! It's just because he's rogue-born! If he were born a real RiverClan cat, he wouldn't be a drypaw!"
"Only a drypaw would want to stay on the land where it's no fun!"
”No decent RiverClan warrior is afraid to get their paws wet. It would be fine if you were a ThunderClan cat or a WindClan cat but..."
The words of his denmates echoed in his head as he watched them play. Anger bubbled up in his chest, and he narrowed his brilliant sky blue eyes in frustration. It wasn't fair that he was a drypaw! It wasn't fair! He wanted to show them that he could be just like them, regardless of his rogue roots. However, he didn't actually think to do anything until he caught a couple of the Clan's elders whispering about him, sneaking glances between him and the other kits. It was obvious what they were talking about.
That's it! I'm tired of being a drypaw! I'm tired of being different! I'll show them! I'll show them all that I'm no drypaw! I'm a RiverClan cat, just like them! Acornkit thought with a growl. Acornkit stood up, then took off at full speed towards the water and his denmates, crying out, "I'm not a drypaw! I'm a RiverClan warrior!" Then, with a mighty leap, the kit jumped into the water, causing his foster-siblings to scatter quickly to get out of his way. With a splash, Acornkit found himself in the water, but once he realized the water was above his head, he began to panic. Which way is up!? He thought with horror. He began to flail around, crying out for help as soon as his head broke the surface of the water.
"Help! Help! I'm drowning!" he screamed, panic gripping him. He was in such a panic that he didn't realize that the water was only belly deep. While Grasskit and Vixenkit laughed, Silverkit did her best to calm him down, trying to tell him that all he had to do was stand up, but Acornkit was in too much of a panic to listen. As far as he was aware, he was in the middle of the river. He only began to calm down when Crookedstar rushed over and picked him up by the scruff, hauling him out of the water and onto the shore. Acornkit laid there, trembling with fright, as Crookedstar began to dry his fur off.
"There there. You're safe now Acornkit." the large tom rumbled softly, grooming his fur the wrong way to warm him up. "I think you've done enough swimming for today."
"Ha! Some warrior!" Grasskit jeered. He soon let out a squeak of surprise, though, when Silverkit, in retaliation, shoved him back into the water, causing Vixenkit to laugh at her brother. Silverkit then made her way over to her father and foster-brother. But before she could say anything, Sunfish, Brambleberry, and Mudfur rushed over to the scene.
"Oh my StarClan! Acornkit! Is he okay!?" Sunfish gasped. The queen grabbed Acornkit from Crookedstar and began to look him over with panic in her eyes.
"He's perfectly fine." Crookedstar purred. "Just a bit washed up is all."
"We'd like to take him back to the medicine cat's den to check him over ourselves, just to make sure." Mudfur said with Brambleberry nodding in agreement.
"Of course!" Sunfish agreed. "But one thing before you do. Acornkit, why did you do something so reckless? You could have drowned!"
"B-B-Because I w-wanted to prove t-t-to Grasskit and V-Vixenkit that I wasn't a d-drypaw..." Acornkit mewled, trembling.
"Don't worry about being a drypaw now. You'll have plenty of time to get your paws wet when you're an apprentice. Now come on. Let's make sure you didn't hurt yourself diving in the shallow water like that." Brambleberry murmured gently, picking up Acornkit by the scruff. As he was being carried away from the water, the only thing he could think of was what a failure he was.
At this rate I'll never be a real RiverClan cat.
~*~*~*~*~
Seven moons had passed since the incident with the water. In that time, Acornkit had been give his apprentice name, Acornpaw, alongside his foster-siblings. He had become one of the best fighters among the apprentices, and he had gotten pretty good at patching up the den walls, picking ticks off of the elders’ pelts, and cleaning out the moss beddings. Yet there was still one thing the other cats could do that he could not. And that was swim.
His mentor, Rippleclaw, had done his best to help Acornpaw overcome his hydrophobia, but nothing he did seemed to work. And because Acornpaw refused to get close to the water, that meant he was unable to learn how to hunt. This, of course, earned him no amount of teasing from Grasspaw and Vixenpaw, and whispers among the warriors and elders. But he couldn't help it. Every time his paws even touched the water, he freaked. Rippleclaw was resigned to having his apprentice never becoming a warrior, and had all but given up on him. Acornpaw was ashamed of himself. He was an apprentice for StarClan's sake! Not some fraidy kit! And yet, no matter how hard he tried, he just couldn't stop the fear from bubbling up every time he got near the river. He did not see the calm, life-giving waves his Clanmates saw, but rather the vicious torrent that took the lives of his beloved mother and littermates, and nearly his own life as well.
Acornpaw sighed, watching the river ebb and flow from his place under a beach tree a couple fox lengths away, sorrow and shame in his brilliant sky blue eyes. Why can't I be brave like my Clanmates and get over my stupid fear of the water?
"Is something wrong, Acornpaw? You look like you've just lost you're biggest piece of prey yet to a heron." came a familiar deep meow. Acornpaw's darker brown ears pricked up, and he glanced over to his left to see Crookedstar padding over to him. The light-brown tabby sat down next to him with a gentle smile on his face. Well, what equated to a smile anyways, what with his crooked jaw and all.
"Oh, hi Crookedstar. That might be a good assumption, if I had any prey to lose." Acornpaw said bitterly.
"Still having trouble getting in the water, hmm?" the older tom asked with a soft sigh. Acornpaw just nodded, looking down at his paws in shame. Crookedstar placed a paw around Acornpaw's shoulder. "Don't worry Acornpaw. With time you'll overcome your fear of water and -”
Acornpaw wrenched himself away, snapping, "That's what you and Silverpaw keep saying, but how much time!? Huh!? I've been an apprentice for three moons now, and I still can't hunt, or swim, or even touch the water! Grasspaw and Vixenpaw won't stop giving me grief about it, Rippleclaw has all but given up on me, and all the warriors and elders talk about what a failure of a RiverClan cat I am behind my back when they think I'm not listening! And don't say they aren't, because I know they are! And they're right! I'm a terrible RiverClan cat! I mean, what RiverClan cat can't swim? I've done everything I could to try and fit in with the Clan ever since you took me in, but I'll always be an outcast! I'll always be a drypaw! I'll never be a RiverClan warrior!"
Crookedstar looked at Acornpaw with gentle green eyes, sighing softly. Acornpaw didn't realize it, but during his tirade, he had begun to cry. It was only when Crookedstar wiped away his tears with his tail did Acornpaw even realize he was shedding tears.
"Oh Acornpaw...Poor, sweet Acornpaw...StarClan has put you through so much heartache, haven't they? I know you feel like an outcast. And I'm so sorry that you do. You may not have been born here like everyone else, but you're just as much a RiverClan cat as any other cat here, no matter what anyone says. The situation of one's birth does not decide whether a cat belongs in a Clan or not, but rather where their loyalties lies. And you've been one of the loyalist cat in RiverClan since you've joined."
"Loyalist and most useless."
"Now don't say that." Crookedstar said with a frown. "Remember when you chased away that dog? Or when you beat all the other apprentices in battle practice? You may not be able to swim or hunt, but you are far from useless."
"But no decent RiverClan warrior can't swim."
Crookedstar sighed, and once again placed a paw around the younger tom's shoulder. "Acornpaw, did I ever tell you that some of RiverClan's greatest warriors started out as drypaws?"
"Really?" Acornpaw gasped, his eyes going round with awe.
"Yes really. Warriors such as Splashstar, Appledusk, and even my own father, Shellheart, started off as drypaws." Crookedstar stated, smirking.
"How'd they get over their fear of the water?" the reddish-brown tom asked.
"With a lot of practice, and with the proper encouragement from their Clanmates." Crookedstar answered.
"So...then there really is hope? You aren't just saying that to make me feel better?"
"There's always hope, young Acornpaw, even during the darkest of nights. Never forget that." the tabby leader purred. The older tom then stood up, stretched, and walked away back to camp, leaving Acornpaw alone with his thoughts. The leader's words echoed in his head over and over as he watched the water ebb and flow.
Always hope huh? Then maybe....just maybe....someday I'll conquer my fear of water and become a great warrior, too. A smile made its way onto Acornpaw's face. No, not maybe. I will conquer my fear of the water. And I'll become a great RiverClan warrior, just like Splashstar, Appledusk, and Shellheart! I promise I will...If not for me, for my birth mother, and for Reed, Primrose, Pike, and Perch.
~*~*~*~*~
"There! See? It's not so bad, now is it?" Silverpaw purred gently.
Acornpaw shivered as the water from the river washed over his paws. For days now he and Silverpaw had been doing this, just sitting on the shore of the beech and letting the water soak their paws. He had asked the silver tabby to help him get over his fear of the water, and she happily agreed to help. It had taken awhile before Acornpaw would stop freaking out every time the water touched him, but now he was starting to get the hang of it. She's right. This isn't so bad. He thought as another wave crashed into his paws, soaking them even more.
"So I was thinking today we would wade into the river a bit more, since you've been doing so well!" Silverpaw mewed excitedly.
"Wh-what!?" Acornpaw gasped, terror filling his eyes. "Oh no! No way!"
"Come on Acornpaw, it'll be fine! Trust me. I won't let you drown, I promise." the she-cat said comfortingly, wading into the water until it came up to her belly.
"Well...Okay..." Acornpaw murmured.
He cautiously began to wade further into the water, fighting to keep the panic rising in his throat down. But before he could even make it five paw-steps, a sudden yowl from behind him caught his attention. Before he could even react, Grasspaw ran up and shoved him into the river. As soon as his head went under, Acornpaw began to panic. Flailing, Acornpaw opened his mouth to scream, but instead of air he got a mouth full of water, causing him to panic even more. Oh great StarClan! I'm going to drown! He thought with terror. Suddenly he felt something tug at the scruff of his neck, and soon he found his head above water. Silverpaw! Oh thank StarClan! With Silverpaw's help, Acornpaw managed to drag himself out of the water. Coughing and sputtering, the tom collapsed onto the beach, the laughter of Grasspaw and his sister Vixenpaw filling his waterlogged ears.
"Hahahahaha! You should have seen your face!" Grasspaw laughed.
"What a fish-brain." Vixenpaw giggled.
"Shut up you two!" Silverpaw snarled. "And especially you, Grasspaw! Why did you do that!? Acornpaw was doing great before you came along!"
"Oh calm down Silverpaw. I just wanted to help the drypaw get his paws wet." Grasspaw snickered. "And everyone knows the best way to do that is to just jump right in."
"Yeah!" Vixenpaw agreed. "Although, I have to say Acornpaw was about as graceful in the water as a fish with no fins."
"Because he was shoved in before he was ready!" Silverpaw snapped. "Honestly, sometimes you just have to take your time! You can't just jump into everything like an over-excited kit!"
"Like you would know. You're not a warrior!" Grasspaw snorted. "I say next time we just throw him off the Twoleg bridge and leave him to get himself out. That'll teach him how to swim. What do you say Vixenpaw?"
"No!" Acornpaw cried out, his eyes going wide with fright. The reddish-brown tom leaped to his feet, his long fur bushed out in terror. Silverpaw let out a hiss, stepping in between Grasspaw and Vixenpaw and Acornpaw, but before they could say anything, they were interrupted by a deep voice.
"Now who is it you two are going to throw off the Twoleg bridge, exactly?"
Grasspaw and Vixenpaw both jumped slightly in surprise, whirling around to meet the owner of the voice. It was none other than the Clan leader, Crookedstar. And he looked none too happy.
"Uh...Uh...W-We were...Uh..." Grasspaw began to stammer, realizing he had been caught red-pawed.
"We...We were just talking about...what we'd do if we caught ThunderClan cats on Sunningrocks again, that's all!" Vixenpaw said quickly with a nervous smile on her face. "W-We were talking about dragging them to the Twoleg bridge a-and dropping them into the river so they can see what it's like to be RiverClan warriors, since they seem to like our territory so much...Eh heh heh heh!"
"Uh huh." Crookedstar glowered at the two. The brown tabby tom coward behind his black pelted sister, both of them lowering their bodies to the ground with their ears flat against their skulls under their leader's fierce gaze. "Well, I was just talking about what I would do if I caught some of my Clan's apprentices' bullying one of their own Clanmates! Do you want to know what I said?" The two apprentices gulped. "I said that they would have to care for the elders for two whole moons and miss the next Gathering!"
"What!?" Vixenpaw gasped.
"B-B-But Crookedstar - !" Grasspaw started, but was quickly cut off by a quick flick of Crookedstar's tail.
"No buts! I've told you plenty of times to stop harassing young Acornpaw, and you've completely ignored my orders to do so. I will not tolerate such behavior in my Clan, especially not from my future warriors. You're apprentices now, not kits. You should have left such behavior in the nursery. Now get! I heard Fallowtail has some a couple of ticks she can't quite reach, and Birdsong is in need of fresh bedding."
The two siblings stood up and trudged back to camp with their tails dragging in the dirt. Grasspaw spared Acornpaw a glare, but a warning growl from Crookedstar sent the young tabby tom scurrying away. Silverpaw purred in approvement, weaving around her father's legs. Acornpaw lifted his head to meet his leader's eyes.
"Thank you Crookedstar." Acornpaw mewed gratefully.
"No need to thank me Acornpaw." Crookedstar responded. "What they did was unacceptable. I know you'll swim when you're ready. You don't need Grasspaw shoving you into the water for that. And Silverpaw," Crookedstar looked down at his daughter with pride in his green eyes, "I'm very proud of you for standing up for Acornpaw, as well as for helping him with his fear of water. That right there is the proper attitude of a true RiverClan warrior."
Silverpaw purred louder in response, joy in her blue eyes. Acornpaw smiled at the father-daughter scene in front of him, and it reminded him of how he was with his own birth family long ago. True, his mother wasn't exactly the warmest she-cat around, but she did love her kits, and whenever they did something right she always made sure to praise them.
"So Acornpaw, are you ready to get back into the water?" Silverpaw asked after a bit. Acornpaw flinched, but was cut off by Crookedstar before he could answer.
"Now now, he's had a tough day today. Why not let him sleep it off and try again tomorrow? After all, as you said, you can't rush in like an over-excited kit."
"Yeah, I guess you’re right. C'mon Acornpaw. Let's head back to camp. We can try again tomorrow, okay?"
"Yeah...Okay." Acornpaw murmured.
As he followed behind Crookedstar and Silverpaw, he wondered if he'd ever meet his goal to overcome his fear of water. It seemed such a long way off, but today he was almost closer than he had been before, and during this moon he had gotten closer to his goal than he was before then. Before he couldn't even touch the water.
Crookedstar and Silverpaw are right. I can't rush in like an over-excited kit. As long as I take my time, I'll overcome my fear and be able to swim someday. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but someday...
~*~*~*~*~
"That's it Acornpaw! Good! You're beginning to get the hang of it!" came Crookedstar's praise.
Two moons had passed since Grasspaw shoved him into the river. In that time, with Silverpaw's help, Acornpaw had been able to wade into belly-deep water. He still had yet to go farther, but he knew it was only a matter of time before he was ready. It took longer for him to get used to this than it did with getting his paws wet, but now he was starting to get the hang of it. And during the times when Silverpaw was too busy training with her mentor to help Acornpaw with his hydrophobia, Crookedstar himself would step in and take her place. This was one of those times, which was why the leader was here with him in the river instead of the pretty silver she-cat. As he had gotten used to the water, the leader had taken it upon himself to teach Acornpaw how to hunt for fish that swam near the shore, which was what Acornpaw was doing now. He had yet to catch one, but he was getting closer and closer each time.
"Try it again. I'm sure you'll catch a fish this time."
Acornpaw nodded, placing a paw above the water and standing as still as stone. He waited for a bit, waiting for a fish to swim by. When one did, he hesitated for a moment, waiting until it was right where he wanted it, then he lashed out with a paw. Catching it with his claws, he scooped it up and tossed it in the air, where he then caught it with his teeth. He then crushed its spine, causing the fish to go limp in his jaws.
"Crookedstar! Look!" Acornpaw exclaimed, his voice muffled through the fish. "I did it! I caught a fish!"
"Well done Acornpaw! I knew you could do it." Crookedstar purred, wading over to Acornpaw. "I think you've earned the right to pick first from the fresh kill pile today."
"Really!?"
"Of course. This is a huge step for you Acornpaw. Your first prey! Someday you'll be able to dive under the water to catch carp like the rest of us, but today let's celebrate you're first successful hunt. Now let's head back to camp and show everyone the fish you caught. In fact, why don't you go give that to the elders to show them that you're overcoming your fears, alright?"
"Yes Crookedstar!"
Acornpaw bounded out of the water and back to camp with the fish flopping around in his mouth. Its tail slapped him in the face every time he moved, but he didn't really care about that. He caught his first prey! Surely the Clan will be proud of his accomplishment. Grasspaw and Vixenpaw couldn’t tease him about being unable to hunt anymore, either. He was one step closer to becoming a warrior, and one step closer to conquering his fears.
~*~*~*~*~
Today was the day. It has been four moons since he started working on his hydrophobia with Silverpaw and Crookedstar. In those four moons, he had conquered his fear enough that he was now able to comfortably wade into belly-deep water and hunt for fish there. He was the size of a warrior now. Grasspaw and Vixenpaw had been given their warrior names of Grassthroat and Vixentail. Silverpaw has also earned her warrior name during that time, becoming Silverstream. Acornpaw felt a bit left behind since he was the only one left of the siblings, blood and foster alike, who was not yet a warrior, but he knew his time would come once he mastered swimming. Which may very well be today. For today Silverstream had deemed him ready to move on to the next step of overcoming his hydrophobia: actually learning how to swim.
"A-Are you sure I'm ready for this Silverstream?" Acornpaw asked, gulping as he looked down where the land dropped off into what seemed like oblivion.
"I'm positive Acornpaw. You've made such great leaps and bounds in overcoming your fear of water. Now it's time for the real test: swimming!" the silver tabby said next to him with a smile.
"Don't worry Acornpaw." Crookedstar mewed from his other side. "Silverstream and I will make sure you don't drown. By the end of the day, you'll be just as great a swimmer as any other RiverClan warrior."
The two cats slipped into the water, swimming out into the middle of the river where it was deepest. Acornpaw watched from his spot, feeling fear beginning to rush up. Okay Acornpaw. You can do this. You've made it this far, so there's no backing out now! Just...follow them into the water. One step at a time. Taking a deep breath, Acornpaw slowly made his way over to Silverstream and Crookedstar. One step, two steps, three steps, four steps, five -!
SPLASH!!!
Forgetting that the river got significantly deeper at that point, Acornpaw suddenly found himself splashing into the river and quickly sinking. Frog dung! Fighting the panic raising up in his throat, Acornpaw flailed his paws around in a poor attempt at swimming. It was at this time that he realized that Silverstream and Crookedstar never really told him how to swim, just that he was ready too. But before he could truly panic, he felt a body swim up beside him and lift him up to the surface. Acornpaw gulped in air, grabbing on desperately for the body who saved him.
"Hey now! Be careful! Don't drag me under the water too." Crookedstar warned, stabling himself as he now that he had to support both himself and Acornpaw.
"Acornpaw! Are you okay?" Silverstream asked with a worried tone in her voice. She swam over to the pair, then positioned herself on Acornpaw's other side, taking some of the younger tom's weight off of her father.
"Yeah, I'm -cough- fine." Acornpaw sputtered.
"You have to move your legs, Acornpaw. Otherwise you'll sink!"
"Yeah, I kind of figured that out the hard way. But how? The way I was moving them before didn't work."
"That's because you were just flailing them around randomly." Crookedstar answered. "You need to move your paws as if you were running on land. That's how you swim."
Acornpaw frowned slightly in concentration and began to move his paws like Crookedstar told him. It took him a moment, but before long he was clumsily swimming around in the water.
"That's it! You've got it!" Crookedstar beamed.
"Look Acornpaw!" Silverstream gasped, a grin making its way onto her face. "You're doing it! You're really doing it! You're swimming!"
A smile slowly made its way onto Acornpaw's face as he swam around the father and daughter in a clumsy circle.
"Hahaha! You're right! I am doing it! I'm swimming! I'm swimming!" he cried out in glee.
For the rest of the day Acornpaw practiced swimming. Since he wasn't used to it yet, he had to take breaks in between to let his legs rest, during which he would rest in between Crookedstar and Silverstream. But even though swimming still made him nervous, he could now at least say he was no longer a drypaw.
~*~*~*~*~
"Let all cats old enough to swim gather to hear my words!"
Crookedstar's call rang out across the clearing, drawing out cats from every corner of the camp to the center. Acornpaw sat in the middle, holding his head high but feeling very nervous. It had taken half a moon for him to master swimming and diving for fish, but he had done it, and now Crookedstar saw it time for him to become a warrior along with the rest of his foster siblings. Murmurs filled the air as the Clan began to realize what was about to happen.
Off to his right he spotted Grassthroat and Vixentail, sitting next to their mother Sunfish. While they didn't seem very happy for him, Sunfish seemed to be as proud for him as she was with her own kits. Moving his eyes over a couple of mouse-lenths to the left, Acornpaw then spotted his mentor, Rippleclaw. Once it had become known that Acornpaw was no longer a drypaw, Rippleclaw took over the swimming lessons from Silverstream and Crookedstar, and resumed teaching Acornpaw. He had his chest puffed out with pride. Then, a little ways off from Rippleclaw was one of the two cats who helped make this all happen: Silverstream. The silver she-cat met Acornpaw's gaze, and the two of them shared a smile. Acornpaw managed to mouth a "Thank you" before Crookedstar began to speak once more.
"Acornpaw, please step forward." Doing as he was told, the young tom stepped toward his leader. He could feel his heart thundering in his chest and hear the blood rushing through his ears. "I, Crookedstar, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down upon this apprentice. He has trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend him to you as a warrior in his turn. Acornpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your life?"
"I do." Acornpaw answered, his voice strong and sure despite the nerves he was feeling.
"Then by the powers of StarClan I give you your warrior name! Acornpaw, out of all the apprentices I've seen over the seasons, you have made the most improvements. You've gone from not even being able to go near the river, to being able to swim in it as gracefully as any RiverClan born cat. You've proven that you don't need to have RiverClan blood running through your veins to be a true RiverClan warrior. So, Acornpaw, from this moment you shall be known Acornface. StarClan honors your determination and loyalty, and it is with great pride that we -that I- welcome you as a full warrior of RiverClan."
"Acornface! Acornface!" the Clan cheered, welcoming Acornface amongst their warrior ranks.
Acornface felt his heart swell with pride. Never in a million years did he imagine becoming a warrior. As a small kit, living with his birth family, he imagined that he would simply become a rogue like his mother. And when he joined RiverClan, he never thought he would be able to become a RiverClan warrior, what with his hydrophobia and all. But here he was, a warrior at last. And boy, did it feel good.
Crookedstar walked over to Acornface and placed his muzzled on the younger toms head. Acornface licked his shoulder in return, whispering, "Thank you. For everything."
"You have no one to thank but yourself." Crookedstar murmured, lifting his muzzle off of Acornface's head so he could look the new warrior in the eyes. "You were the one who did all the work. Silverstream and I just watched."
"But if it weren't for you two, I'd have never found the courage to face my fears."
"You always had the courage within you, Acornface. You just needed a nudge in the right direction is all."
As the cheering died down and everyone went back to their duties, Acornface prepared himself to sit vigil for the night. However, before he went silent for the rest of the day, he asked Crookedstar one last question. A question that had been bugging him ever since he'd come to RiverClan and learned about StarClan.
"Crookedstar? Do you think my birth mother and my littermates saw me today from StarClan? And the day before? And the days before that?"
"Of course." Crookedstar answered with a smile. "I don't see why not. And I'm sure they are as proud of you and your accomplishments as I am."
Crookedstar returned to his den, leaving Acornface alone in the clearing to sit his vigil. As the sun set and the first few stars began to appear in the night sky, Acornface's thoughts drifted to his birth family. It seemed like such a long time ago that he lived out in the wilderness with his rogue mother and siblings. Now here he was as a full warrior of RiverClan, with friends and rivals and a tom who was like the father he never had. He was proud of himself for overcoming his hydrophobia, and he was especially proud of becoming a warrior. Now that he was (mostly) unafraid of the water, on top of being a warrior, he could now serve his Clan even better.

Mother, Reed, Primrose, Pike, Perch...Whether you're in StarClan or not, wherever you guys are, I hope you can see me. And I hope you're proud.
--------------------------------------

NOTE: A story I thought of on how my RiverClan OC, Acornface, overcame his fear of water. It turned out a lot longer then I thought it would be. Oh well. Acornface lives during the same timeline as the Warriors series is in, so all cats named (except Acornkit/paw/face) belong to Erin Hunter. As to whether Splashstar, Appledusk and Shellheart were ever drypaws, probably not. I just made that up. However, for the sake of this story, they were. Also, I gave Grasskit and Vixenkit apprentice and warrior names, since they just randomly disappear after Crookedstar's Promise. So those are also made up by me. My theory for their strange disappearance is that they die shortly after becoming warriors. How? Probably either from wounds earned from fighting for Sunningrocks (or something else), or from an illness like greencough. Either way, that's my theory on why they aren't around for the first book series. On another note, I apologize for any spelling or grammatical errors that might be in there, because I've been working on this all day and it's 2:24 a.m. right now and I'm exhausted. If any are spotted (by you or myself) I'll go in and fix them as soon as possible.

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Warriors (c) Erin Hunter

Description

"Hey Acornkit, we're going to play in the water! Wanna join us?" came Silverkit's excited mew.
"The w-w-w-water?" the dark reddish-brown kit squeaked. "No. I-I think I'll just stay by the nursery, thanks."
"Oh c'mon Acornkit! The water's not that bad!" Silverkit said. But Acornkit just shook his head in response. He didn't want to get anywhere near the water if he could avoid it.
It has been a moon since Acornkit has joined RiverClan after his near death experience with the river. So far it's been nice living amongst the Clan cats. As soon as the Clans' medicine cats, Brambleberry and Mudfur, deemed him healthy enough, a kind she-cat by the name of Sunfish took him in as her own, along with her own kits, Grasskit and Vixenkit. It was during this time that he also met Crookedstar's daughter, Silverkit, who was also being cared for by Sunfish due to losing her mother and littermates soon after birth. It wasn't long before he became close to Silverkit, not only because of their similarities, but also because she was the daughter of his savior. And yet, as young Acornkit integrated himself into RiverClan, there was one thing he did not understand. Why did these cats live by the river? He understood that they got most of their prey from there, but they didn't need to make their camp right next to it! Didn't they realize how dangerous it was? One bad thunderstorm and it could carry them all away, just as it did his mother and littermates!
"C'mon Silverkit. Just leave him. It's obvious that Acornkit's a drypaw." Acornkit heard Grasskit sneer, snapping him from his thoughts.
"Yeah!" came his sister's, Vixenkit's, mew. "I mean, why else wouldn't he want to play in the water? Only a drypaw would want to stay on the land where it's no fun!"
Drypaw? What's that? Acornkit thought in confusion. Since becoming a RiverClan cat, Acornkit had heard many new words and terminology, but just as he thought he was getting the hang of it, they go and throw out a new word at him. Drypaw...It kind of sounds like one of their weird apprentice names.
"Oh shut up guys! It's not his fault he's a drypaw!" Silverkit snapped, narrowing her bright blue eyes at their foster-siblings.
"Of course not." Grasskit agreed. "It's just because he's rogue-born! If he were born a real RiverClan cat, he wouldn't be a drypaw!"
"That's not what I meant, you minnow-brain!" Silverkit growled. "What I meant was it's not his fault because he lost his mother and siblings to a flood and nearly drowned himself! Wouldn't you be afraid of the water if something like that happened to you? I bet you would be!"
"Would not!" Grasskit growled, flexing his claws. "Real warriors aren't afraid of anything! Come on Vixenkit. Let's leave the drypaw to his boring ol' land and go play in the water where the real fun is!"
The brown tabby then took off, his sister scampering off after him. Acornkit watched as the two bounded into the water and began to run around, splashing each other and laughing and screaming with joy. Silverkit stuck her tongue out at the two, then made her way over to Acornkit, sitting down next to him.
"Don't listen to those guys. I'm sure they've got bees for brains." the pretty silver she-kit said with a purr.
"Thanks." Acornkit murmured. "But...I don't get it. What's a drypaw?"
"Well...A "drypaw" is a cat who doesn't like to get his or her paws wet." Silverkit explained.
"Why is that a bad thing?" the tom-kit asked, tilting his head slightly.
"Because RiverClan cats make their living by swimming and fishing in the river. No decent RiverClan warrior is afraid to get their paws wet. It would be fine if you were a ThunderClan cat or a WindClan cat but..." the little tabby sighed, cutting off.
"Oh." Acornkit looked down at his paws, feeling his pelt heat up with shame. The tom did his best to blend in with his new Clan, but it was now obvious that he would forever be marked as different from his Clanmates because of his fear of water. "I guess I'm not gonna be a warrior then, huh?"
"Don't say that!" Silverkit gasped. "Of course you'll be a warrior! You just need to work on getting over your fear of the water, that's all. It'll take some work, but I'm sure you can do it. And once you do, you can show Grasskit what a real RiverClan cat is then!"
"Thanks Silverkit." Acornkit said with a small smile, bumping the she-cat's shoulder with his head affectionately. "You know, if you want to go join Grasskit and Vixenkit in the water, you can. You don't have to sit here on the boring land with me."
"Are you sure Acornkit?"
"Yeah, I'm sure. Just because I can't have fun in the water, doesn't mean you can't."
"Alright. I'll see you later, then!"
Silverkit then bounded away from Acornkit to join Grasskit and Vixenkit in the water, leaving Acornkit by himself near the entrance to the nursery. The tom-kit sighed, feeling the loneliest he'd felt since joining RiverClan. Drypaw...Puh! What a stupid word! It was like Silverkit said. It's not his fault he's a drypaw. And yet, he couldn't help but feel like it was. It wasn't like he had asked for the river to swell up and take his family away from him, then try to drown him too. But now he was afraid of water because of that experience, making him essentially useless to his new Clan.
"It's obvious he's a drypaw! It's just because he's rogue-born! If he were born a real RiverClan cat, he wouldn't be a drypaw!"
"Only a drypaw would want to stay on the land where it's no fun!"
”No decent RiverClan warrior is afraid to get their paws wet. It would be fine if you were a ThunderClan cat or a WindClan cat but..."
The words of his denmates echoed in his head as he watched them play. Anger bubbled up in his chest, and he narrowed his brilliant sky blue eyes in frustration. It wasn't fair that he was a drypaw! It wasn't fair! He wanted to show them that he could be just like them, regardless of his rogue roots. However, he didn't actually think to do anything until he caught a couple of the Clan's elders whispering about him, sneaking glances between him and the other kits. It was obvious what they were talking about.
That's it! I'm tired of being a drypaw! I'm tired of being different! I'll show them! I'll show them all that I'm no drypaw! I'm a RiverClan cat, just like them! Acornkit thought with a growl. Acornkit stood up, then took off at full speed towards the water and his denmates, crying out, "I'm not a drypaw! I'm a RiverClan warrior!" Then, with a mighty leap, the kit jumped into the water, causing his foster-siblings to scatter quickly to get out of his way. With a splash, Acornkit found himself in the water, but once he realized the water was above his head, he began to panic. Which way is up!? He thought with horror. He began to flail around, crying out for help as soon as his head broke the surface of the water.
"Help! Help! I'm drowning!" he screamed, panic gripping him. He was in such a panic that he didn't realize that the water was only belly deep. While Grasskit and Vixenkit laughed, Silverkit did her best to calm him down, trying to tell him that all he had to do was stand up, but Acornkit was in too much of a panic to listen. As far as he was aware, he was in the middle of the river. He only began to calm down when Crookedstar rushed over and picked him up by the scruff, hauling him out of the water and onto the shore. Acornkit laid there, trembling with fright, as Crookedstar began to dry his fur off.
"There there. You're safe now Acornkit." the large tom rumbled softly, grooming his fur the wrong way to warm him up. "I think you've done enough swimming for today."
"Ha! Some warrior!" Grasskit jeered. He soon let out a squeak of surprise, though, when Silverkit, in retaliation, shoved him back into the water, causing Vixenkit to laugh at her brother. Silverkit then made her way over to her father and foster-brother. But before she could say anything, Sunfish, Brambleberry, and Mudfur rushed over to the scene.
"Oh my StarClan! Acornkit! Is he okay!?" Sunfish gasped. The queen grabbed Acornkit from Crookedstar and began to look him over with panic in her eyes.
"He's perfectly fine." Crookedstar purred. "Just a bit washed up is all."
"We'd like to take him back to the medicine cat's den to check him over ourselves, just to make sure." Mudfur said with Brambleberry nodding in agreement.
"Of course!" Sunfish agreed. "But one thing before you do. Acornkit, why did you do something so reckless? You could have drowned!"
"B-B-Because I w-wanted to prove t-t-to Grasskit and V-Vixenkit that I wasn't a d-drypaw..." Acornkit mewled, trembling.
"Don't worry about being a drypaw now. You'll have plenty of time to get your paws wet when you're an apprentice. Now come on. Let's make sure you didn't hurt yourself diving in the shallow water like that." Brambleberry murmured gently, picking up Acornkit by the scruff. As he was being carried away from the water, the only thing he could think of was what a failure he was.
At this rate I'll never be a real RiverClan cat.
~*~*~*~*~
Seven moons had passed since the incident with the water. In that time, Acornkit had been give his apprentice name, Acornpaw, alongside his foster-siblings. He had become one of the best fighters among the apprentices, and he had gotten pretty good at patching up the den walls, picking ticks off of the elders’ pelts, and cleaning out the moss beddings. Yet there was still one thing the other cats could do that he could not. And that was swim.
His mentor, Rippleclaw, had done his best to help Acornpaw overcome his hydrophobia, but nothing he did seemed to work. And because Acornpaw refused to get close to the water, that meant he was unable to learn how to hunt. This, of course, earned him no amount of teasing from Grasspaw and Vixenpaw, and whispers among the warriors and elders. But he couldn't help it. Every time his paws even touched the water, he freaked. Rippleclaw was resigned to having his apprentice never becoming a warrior, and had all but given up on him. Acornpaw was ashamed of himself. He was an apprentice for StarClan's sake! Not some fraidy kit! And yet, no matter how hard he tried, he just couldn't stop the fear from bubbling up every time he got near the river. He did not see the calm, life-giving waves his Clanmates saw, but rather the vicious torrent that took the lives of his beloved mother and littermates, and nearly his own life as well.
Acornpaw sighed, watching the river ebb and flow from his place under a beach tree a couple fox lengths away, sorrow and shame in his brilliant sky blue eyes. Why can't I be brave like my Clanmates and get over my stupid fear of the water?
"Is something wrong, Acornpaw? You look like you've just lost you're biggest piece of prey yet to a heron." came a familiar deep meow. Acornpaw's darker brown ears pricked up, and he glanced over to his left to see Crookedstar padding over to him. The light-brown tabby sat down next to him with a gentle smile on his face. Well, what equated to a smile anyways, what with his crooked jaw and all.
"Oh, hi Crookedstar. That might be a good assumption, if I had any prey to lose." Acornpaw said bitterly.
"Still having trouble getting in the water, hmm?" the older tom asked with a soft sigh. Acornpaw just nodded, looking down at his paws in shame. Crookedstar placed a paw around Acornpaw's shoulder. "Don't worry Acornpaw. With time you'll overcome your fear of water and -”
Acornpaw wrenched himself away, snapping, "That's what you and Silverpaw keep saying, but how much time!? Huh!? I've been an apprentice for three moons now, and I still can't hunt, or swim, or even touch the water! Grasspaw and Vixenpaw won't stop giving me grief about it, Rippleclaw has all but given up on me, and all the warriors and elders talk about what a failure of a RiverClan cat I am behind my back when they think I'm not listening! And don't say they aren't, because I know they are! And they're right! I'm a terrible RiverClan cat! I mean, what RiverClan cat can't swim? I've done everything I could to try and fit in with the Clan ever since you took me in, but I'll always be an outcast! I'll always be a drypaw! I'll never be a RiverClan warrior!"
Crookedstar looked at Acornpaw with gentle green eyes, sighing softly. Acornpaw didn't realize it, but during his tirade, he had begun to cry. It was only when Crookedstar wiped away his tears with his tail did Acornpaw even realize he was shedding tears.
"Oh Acornpaw...Poor, sweet Acornpaw...StarClan has put you through so much heartache, haven't they? I know you feel like an outcast. And I'm so sorry that you do. You may not have been born here like everyone else, but you're just as much a RiverClan cat as any other cat here, no matter what anyone says. The situation of one's birth does not decide whether a cat belongs in a Clan or not, but rather where their loyalties lies. And you've been one of the loyalist cat in RiverClan since you've joined."
"Loyalist and most useless."
"Now don't say that." Crookedstar said with a frown. "Remember when you chased away that dog? Or when you beat all the other apprentices in battle practice? You may not be able to swim or hunt, but you are far from useless."
"But no decent RiverClan warrior can't swim."
Crookedstar sighed, and once again placed a paw around the younger tom's shoulder. "Acornpaw, did I ever tell you that some of RiverClan's greatest warriors started out as drypaws?"
"Really?" Acornpaw gasped, his eyes going round with awe.
"Yes really. Warriors such as Splashstar, Appledusk, and even my own father, Shellheart, started off as drypaws." Crookedstar stated, smirking.
"How'd they get over their fear of the water?" the reddish-brown tom asked.
"With a lot of practice, and with the proper encouragement from their Clanmates." Crookedstar answered.
"So...then there really is hope? You aren't just saying that to make me feel better?"
"There's always hope, young Acornpaw, even during the darkest of nights. Never forget that." the tabby leader purred. The older tom then stood up, stretched, and walked away back to camp, leaving Acornpaw alone with his thoughts. The leader's words echoed in his head over and over as he watched the water ebb and flow.
Always hope huh? Then maybe....just maybe....someday I'll conquer my fear of water and become a great warrior, too. A smile made its way onto Acornpaw's face. No, not maybe. I will conquer my fear of the water. And I'll become a great RiverClan warrior, just like Splashstar, Appledusk, and Shellheart! I promise I will...If not for me, for my birth mother, and for Reed, Primrose, Pike, and Perch.
~*~*~*~*~
"There! See? It's not so bad, now is it?" Silverpaw purred gently.
Acornpaw shivered as the water from the river washed over his paws. For days now he and Silverpaw had been doing this, just sitting on the shore of the beech and letting the water soak their paws. He had asked the silver tabby to help him get over his fear of the water, and she happily agreed to help. It had taken awhile before Acornpaw would stop freaking out every time the water touched him, but now he was starting to get the hang of it. She's right. This isn't so bad. He thought as another wave crashed into his paws, soaking them even more.
"So I was thinking today we would wade into the river a bit more, since you've been doing so well!" Silverpaw mewed excitedly.
"Wh-what!?" Acornpaw gasped, terror filling his eyes. "Oh no! No way!"
"Come on Acornpaw, it'll be fine! Trust me. I won't let you drown, I promise." the she-cat said comfortingly, wading into the water until it came up to her belly.
"Well...Okay..." Acornpaw murmured.
He cautiously began to wade further into the water, fighting to keep the panic rising in his throat down. But before he could even make it five paw-steps, a sudden yowl from behind him caught his attention. Before he could even react, Grasspaw ran up and shoved him into the river. As soon as his head went under, Acornpaw began to panic. Flailing, Acornpaw opened his mouth to scream, but instead of air he got a mouth full of water, causing him to panic even more. Oh great StarClan! I'm going to drown! He thought with terror. Suddenly he felt something tug at the scruff of his neck, and soon he found his head above water. Silverpaw! Oh thank StarClan! With Silverpaw's help, Acornpaw managed to drag himself out of the water. Coughing and sputtering, the tom collapsed onto the beach, the laughter of Grasspaw and his sister Vixenpaw filling his waterlogged ears.
"Hahahahaha! You should have seen your face!" Grasspaw laughed.
"What a fish-brain." Vixenpaw giggled.
"Shut up you two!" Silverpaw snarled. "And especially you, Grasspaw! Why did you do that!? Acornpaw was doing great before you came along!"
"Oh calm down Silverpaw. I just wanted to help the drypaw get his paws wet." Grasspaw snickered. "And everyone knows the best way to do that is to just jump right in."
"Yeah!" Vixenpaw agreed. "Although, I have to say Acornpaw was about as graceful in the water as a fish with no fins."
"Because he was shoved in before he was ready!" Silverpaw snapped. "Honestly, sometimes you just have to take your time! You can't just jump into everything like an over-excited kit!"
"Like you would know. You're not a warrior!" Grasspaw snorted. "I say next time we just throw him off the Twoleg bridge and leave him to get himself out. That'll teach him how to swim. What do you say Vixenpaw?"
"No!" Acornpaw cried out, his eyes going wide with fright. The reddish-brown tom leaped to his feet, his long fur bushed out in terror. Silverpaw let out a hiss, stepping in between Grasspaw and Vixenpaw and Acornpaw, but before they could say anything, they were interrupted by a deep voice.
"Now who is it you two are going to throw off the Twoleg bridge, exactly?"
Grasspaw and Vixenpaw both jumped slightly in surprise, whirling around to meet the owner of the voice. It was none other than the Clan leader, Crookedstar. And he looked none too happy.
"Uh...Uh...W-We were...Uh..." Grasspaw began to stammer, realizing he had been caught red-pawed.
"We...We were just talking about...what we'd do if we caught ThunderClan cats on Sunningrocks again, that's all!" Vixenpaw said quickly with a nervous smile on her face. "W-We were talking about dragging them to the Twoleg bridge a-and dropping them into the river so they can see what it's like to be RiverClan warriors, since they seem to like our territory so much...Eh heh heh heh!"
"Uh huh." Crookedstar glowered at the two. The brown tabby tom coward behind his black pelted sister, both of them lowering their bodies to the ground with their ears flat against their skulls under their leader's fierce gaze. "Well, I was just talking about what I would do if I caught some of my Clan's apprentices' bullying one of their own Clanmates! Do you want to know what I said?" The two apprentices gulped. "I said that they would have to care for the elders for two whole moons and miss the next Gathering!"
"What!?" Vixenpaw gasped.
"B-B-But Crookedstar - !" Grasspaw started, but was quickly cut off by a quick flick of Crookedstar's tail.
"No buts! I've told you plenty of times to stop harassing young Acornpaw, and you've completely ignored my orders to do so. I will not tolerate such behavior in my Clan, especially not from my future warriors. You're apprentices now, not kits. You should have left such behavior in the nursery. Now get! I heard Fallowtail has some a couple of ticks she can't quite reach, and Birdsong is in need of fresh bedding."
The two siblings stood up and trudged back to camp with their tails dragging in the dirt. Grasspaw spared Acornpaw a glare, but a warning growl from Crookedstar sent the young tabby tom scurrying away. Silverpaw purred in approvement, weaving around her father's legs. Acornpaw lifted his head to meet his leader's eyes.
"Thank you Crookedstar." Acornpaw mewed gratefully.
"No need to thank me Acornpaw." Crookedstar responded. "What they did was unacceptable. I know you'll swim when you're ready. You don't need Grasspaw shoving you into the water for that. And Silverpaw," Crookedstar looked down at his daughter with pride in his green eyes, "I'm very proud of you for standing up for Acornpaw, as well as for helping him with his fear of water. That right there is the proper attitude of a true RiverClan warrior."
Silverpaw purred louder in response, joy in her blue eyes. Acornpaw smiled at the father-daughter scene in front of him, and it reminded him of how he was with his own birth family long ago. True, his mother wasn't exactly the warmest she-cat around, but she did love her kits, and whenever they did something right she always made sure to praise them.
"So Acornpaw, are you ready to get back into the water?" Silverpaw asked after a bit. Acornpaw flinched, but was cut off by Crookedstar before he could answer.
"Now now, he's had a tough day today. Why not let him sleep it off and try again tomorrow? After all, as you said, you can't rush in like an over-excited kit."
"Yeah, I guess you’re right. C'mon Acornpaw. Let's head back to camp. We can try again tomorrow, okay?"
"Yeah...Okay." Acornpaw murmured.
As he followed behind Crookedstar and Silverpaw, he wondered if he'd ever meet his goal to overcome his fear of water. It seemed such a long way off, but today he was almost closer than he had been before, and during this moon he had gotten closer to his goal than he was before then. Before he couldn't even touch the water.
Crookedstar and Silverpaw are right. I can't rush in like an over-excited kit. As long as I take my time, I'll overcome my fear and be able to swim someday. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but someday...
~*~*~*~*~
"That's it Acornpaw! Good! You're beginning to get the hang of it!" came Crookedstar's praise.
Two moons had passed since Grasspaw shoved him into the river. In that time, with Silverpaw's help, Acornpaw had been able to wade into belly-deep water. He still had yet to go farther, but he knew it was only a matter of time before he was ready. It took longer for him to get used to this than it did with getting his paws wet, but now he was starting to get the hang of it. And during the times when Silverpaw was too busy training with her mentor to help Acornpaw with his hydrophobia, Crookedstar himself would step in and take her place. This was one of those times, which was why the leader was here with him in the river instead of the pretty silver she-cat. As he had gotten used to the water, the leader had taken it upon himself to teach Acornpaw how to hunt for fish that swam near the shore, which was what Acornpaw was doing now. He had yet to catch one, but he was getting closer and closer each time.
"Try it again. I'm sure you'll catch a fish this time."
Acornpaw nodded, placing a paw above the water and standing as still as stone. He waited for a bit, waiting for a fish to swim by. When one did, he hesitated for a moment, waiting until it was right where he wanted it, then he lashed out with a paw. Catching it with his claws, he scooped it up and tossed it in the air, where he then caught it with his teeth. He then crushed its spine, causing the fish to go limp in his jaws.
"Crookedstar! Look!" Acornpaw exclaimed, his voice muffled through the fish. "I did it! I caught a fish!"
"Well done Acornpaw! I knew you could do it." Crookedstar purred, wading over to Acornpaw. "I think you've earned the right to pick first from the fresh kill pile today."
"Really!?"
"Of course. This is a huge step for you Acornpaw. Your first prey! Someday you'll be able to dive under the water to catch carp like the rest of us, but today let's celebrate you're first successful hunt. Now let's head back to camp and show everyone the fish you caught. In fact, why don't you go give that to the elders to show them that you're overcoming your fears, alright?"
"Yes Crookedstar!"
Acornpaw bounded out of the water and back to camp with the fish flopping around in his mouth. Its tail slapped him in the face every time he moved, but he didn't really care about that. He caught his first prey! Surely the Clan will be proud of his accomplishment. Grasspaw and Vixenpaw couldn’t tease him about being unable to hunt anymore, either. He was one step closer to becoming a warrior, and one step closer to conquering his fears.
~*~*~*~*~
Today was the day. It has been four moons since he started working on his hydrophobia with Silverpaw and Crookedstar. In those four moons, he had conquered his fear enough that he was now able to comfortably wade into belly-deep water and hunt for fish there. He was the size of a warrior now. Grasspaw and Vixenpaw had been given their warrior names of Grassthroat and Vixentail. Silverpaw has also earned her warrior name during that time, becoming Silverstream. Acornpaw felt a bit left behind since he was the only one left of the siblings, blood and foster alike, who was not yet a warrior, but he knew his time would come once he mastered swimming. Which may very well be today. For today Silverstream had deemed him ready to move on to the next step of overcoming his hydrophobia: actually learning how to swim.
"A-Are you sure I'm ready for this Silverstream?" Acornpaw asked, gulping as he looked down where the land dropped off into what seemed like oblivion.
"I'm positive Acornpaw. You've made such great leaps and bounds in overcoming your fear of water. Now it's time for the real test: swimming!" the silver tabby said next to him with a smile.
"Don't worry Acornpaw." Crookedstar mewed from his other side. "Silverstream and I will make sure you don't drown. By the end of the day, you'll be just as great a swimmer as any other RiverClan warrior."
The two cats slipped into the water, swimming out into the middle of the river where it was deepest. Acornpaw watched from his spot, feeling fear beginning to rush up. Okay Acornpaw. You can do this. You've made it this far, so there's no backing out now! Just...follow them into the water. One step at a time. Taking a deep breath, Acornpaw slowly made his way over to Silverstream and Crookedstar. One step, two steps, three steps, four steps, five -!
SPLASH!!!
Forgetting that the river got significantly deeper at that point, Acornpaw suddenly found himself splashing into the river and quickly sinking. Frog dung! Fighting the panic raising up in his throat, Acornpaw flailed his paws around in a poor attempt at swimming. It was at this time that he realized that Silverstream and Crookedstar never really told him how to swim, just that he was ready too. But before he could truly panic, he felt a body swim up beside him and lift him up to the surface. Acornpaw gulped in air, grabbing on desperately for the body who saved him.
"Hey now! Be careful! Don't drag me under the water too." Crookedstar warned, stabling himself as he now that he had to support both himself and Acornpaw.
"Acornpaw! Are you okay?" Silverstream asked with a worried tone in her voice. She swam over to the pair, then positioned herself on Acornpaw's other side, taking some of the younger tom's weight off of her father.
"Yeah, I'm -cough- fine." Acornpaw sputtered.
"You have to move your legs, Acornpaw. Otherwise you'll sink!"
"Yeah, I kind of figured that out the hard way. But how? The way I was moving them before didn't work."
"That's because you were just flailing them around randomly." Crookedstar answered. "You need to move your paws as if you were running on land. That's how you swim."
Acornpaw frowned slightly in concentration and began to move his paws like Crookedstar told him. It took him a moment, but before long he was clumsily swimming around in the water.
"That's it! You've got it!" Crookedstar beamed.
"Look Acornpaw!" Silverstream gasped, a grin making its way onto her face. "You're doing it! You're really doing it! You're swimming!"
A smile slowly made its way onto Acornpaw's face as he swam around the father and daughter in a clumsy circle.
"Hahaha! You're right! I am doing it! I'm swimming! I'm swimming!" he cried out in glee.
For the rest of the day Acornpaw practiced swimming. Since he wasn't used to it yet, he had to take breaks in between to let his legs rest, during which he would rest in between Crookedstar and Silverstream. But even though swimming still made him nervous, he could now at least say he was no longer a drypaw.
~*~*~*~*~
"Let all cats old enough to swim gather to hear my words!"
Crookedstar's call rang out across the clearing, drawing out cats from every corner of the camp to the center. Acornpaw sat in the middle, holding his head high but feeling very nervous. It had taken half a moon for him to master swimming and diving for fish, but he had done it, and now Crookedstar saw it time for him to become a warrior along with the rest of his foster siblings. Murmurs filled the air as the Clan began to realize what was about to happen.
Off to his right he spotted Grassthroat and Vixentail, sitting next to their mother Sunfish. While they didn't seem very happy for him, Sunfish seemed to be as proud for him as she was with her own kits. Moving his eyes over a couple of mouse-lenths to the left, Acornpaw then spotted his mentor, Rippleclaw. Once it had become known that Acornpaw was no longer a drypaw, Rippleclaw took over the swimming lessons from Silverstream and Crookedstar, and resumed teaching Acornpaw. He had his chest puffed out with pride. Then, a little ways off from Rippleclaw was one of the two cats who helped make this all happen: Silverstream. The silver she-cat met Acornpaw's gaze, and the two of them shared a smile. Acornpaw managed to mouth a "Thank you" before Crookedstar began to speak once more.
"Acornpaw, please step forward." Doing as he was told, the young tom stepped toward his leader. He could feel his heart thundering in his chest and hear the blood rushing through his ears. "I, Crookedstar, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down upon this apprentice. He has trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend him to you as a warrior in his turn. Acornpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your life?"
"I do." Acornpaw answered, his voice strong and sure despite the nerves he was feeling.
"Then by the powers of StarClan I give you your warrior name! Acornpaw, out of all the apprentices I've seen over the seasons, you have made the most improvements. You've gone from not even being able to go near the river, to being able to swim in it as gracefully as any RiverClan born cat. You've proven that you don't need to have RiverClan blood running through your veins to be a true RiverClan warrior. So, Acornpaw, from this moment you shall be known Acornface. StarClan honors your determination and loyalty, and it is with great pride that we -that I- welcome you as a full warrior of RiverClan."
"Acornface! Acornface!" the Clan cheered, welcoming Acornface amongst their warrior ranks.
Acornface felt his heart swell with pride. Never in a million years did he imagine becoming a warrior. As a small kit, living with his birth family, he imagined that he would simply become a rogue like his mother. And when he joined RiverClan, he never thought he would be able to become a RiverClan warrior, what with his hydrophobia and all. But here he was, a warrior at last. And boy, did it feel good.
Crookedstar walked over to Acornface and placed his muzzled on the younger toms head. Acornface licked his shoulder in return, whispering, "Thank you. For everything."
"You have no one to thank but yourself." Crookedstar murmured, lifting his muzzle off of Acornface's head so he could look the new warrior in the eyes. "You were the one who did all the work. Silverstream and I just watched."
"But if it weren't for you two, I'd have never found the courage to face my fears."
"You always had the courage within you, Acornface. You just needed a nudge in the right direction is all."
As the cheering died down and everyone went back to their duties, Acornface prepared himself to sit vigil for the night. However, before he went silent for the rest of the day, he asked Crookedstar one last question. A question that had been bugging him ever since he'd come to RiverClan and learned about StarClan.
"Crookedstar? Do you think my birth mother and my littermates saw me today from StarClan? And the day before? And the days before that?"
"Of course." Crookedstar answered with a smile. "I don't see why not. And I'm sure they are as proud of you and your accomplishments as I am."
Crookedstar returned to his den, leaving Acornface alone in the clearing to sit his vigil. As the sun set and the first few stars began to appear in the night sky, Acornface's thoughts drifted to his birth family. It seemed like such a long time ago that he lived out in the wilderness with his rogue mother and siblings. Now here he was as a full warrior of RiverClan, with friends and rivals and a tom who was like the father he never had. He was proud of himself for overcoming his hydrophobia, and he was especially proud of becoming a warrior. Now that he was (mostly) unafraid of the water, on top of being a warrior, he could now serve his Clan even better.

Mother, Reed, Primrose, Pike, Perch...Whether you're in StarClan or not, wherever you guys are, I hope you can see me. And I hope you're proud.
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NOTE: A story I thought of on how my RiverClan OC, Acornface, overcame his fear of water. It turned out a lot longer then I thought it would be. Oh well. Acornface lives during the same timeline as the Warriors series is in, so all cats named (except Acornkit/paw/face) belong to Erin Hunter. As to whether Splashstar, Appledusk and Shellheart were ever drypaws, probably not. I just made that up. However, for the sake of this story, they were. Also, I gave Grasskit and Vixenkit apprentice and warrior names, since they just randomly disappear after Crookedstar's Promise. So those are also made up by me. My theory for their strange disappearance is that they die shortly after becoming warriors. How? Probably either from wounds earned from fighting for Sunningrocks (or something else), or from an illness like greencough. Either way, that's my theory on why they aren't around for the first book series. On another note, I apologize for any spelling or grammatical errors that might be in there, because I've been working on this all day and it's 2:24 a.m. right now and I'm exhausted. If any are spotted (by you or myself) I'll go in and fix them as soon as possible.

Base: animenerd26.deviantart.com/art…

Background: www.landscapemodeling.org/html…
Base (c)

Warriors (c) Erin Hunter