A slight recap. (Closed to all non-Batpaws)

Leafpaw nodded and watched Batpaw's movements carefully. They seemed so even, and they made the whole swimming thing seem, easy, very easy. She opened her mouth in awe as she saw the water fall neatly off of Batpaw's pelt. That was just... amazing! When she had gotten out of the water it all just clung to her pelt and weighed her down, but his, it just slipped off. It was amazing!

She was so caught up in the unfamiliar phenomenon that she had almost forgotten everything he showed her. Oh no! Just like when she was training. Snapping back to the task at hand she tried her best to remember exactly what he had done.

When she was sure she got it all she jumped into the current. She almost started thrashing again when she went under the water, but remembered that he went back up. Just keep kicking. That's what he had told her.

With all her might, Leafpaw kicked, and soon found herself slowly coming above water, but it wasn't much, and she found her head at a tilt, only getting air from her nose and barely seeing over the water.

On instinct she started to kick harder to get herself up, but it only lifted her head a little before it dropped her back down under the water. She pushed harder, rapidly tiring herself out. No! She had to keep going! She couldn't have him save her again! This was just like the mouse! It took her two tries to get it, and even if the second was clumsy, she still got it, right?

Leafpaw kicked as hard as she possibly could, her head going above and below the water, only giving her the allowance of short breaths. She was moving slowly across the river, but the current was tugging her slowly downstream, she could feel it, but wasn't aware she was moving to the side.

Honestly, she didn't know where she was going. She just knew she was kicking and taking breaths. She wanted to rest, oh yes she did, but if she rested then she'd be pulled under and swept away, she knew it. With a grunt of fatigue she pushed harder and harder, straining herself. She could feel her legs reaching their point, where they would stop on their own, and no matter how much she tried they wouldn't move for her. harder and harder she went, he teeth bared in her efforts. Up and down she went under the water, the whole made her mind whirl in all directions.

When she went under the water the last time she didn't come back up. It made move even harder in desperation. She could feel herself slowing down as her tired legs were beginning to give into the will of the current. She had to make it, she had to get over there, she just had to!

Leafpaw was shocked when she felt her feet grazed across pebbles in the water. She opened her eyes in shock, only to be met by darkness. She moved forward on the small rocks, holding onto them until she was walking.

But... why was she still under water? She looked up to see the problem, only to be met by the surface of the water and back out in open air. She took a deep breath in her surprise. She made it! All by herself! Though, it was clumsy and lucky, she still made it.

She smiled as she felt the gentle tug behind her from the current. She looked over at Batpaw and grinned. "Look! I did it!" She exclaimed, forgetting to actually get out of the river. Just like with the mouse...

"Good job."Batpaw mewed,shaking his pelt a little to rid himself of some persistent drops of water. "Now lets go,before you get sick." He waited patiently on the bank,waiting for her to move out of the water or something.

ThunderClan must not teach their apprentices very well.he thought,thinking of the tough training he'd been put through. But this Leafpaw could barely swim! And she'd crossed the border out of sheer curiosity. He thought that was something he'd do,too,because he wasn't exactly the type to follow the rules. But to find another cat that didn't go on and on about the warrior code and StarClan came as a shock to him.

Leafpaw, with her legs weighed down from exhaustion, trudged out of the river and onto shore. Unlike Batpaw's pelt, Leafpaw's held all the water in like a dry piece of moss. She felt weighed down by the water the slowly dripped from her pelt. She wasn't looking forward to walking with all the extra weight, but she couldn't just collapse here and have Batpaw drag her all the way back to camp. That was just... rude... in a way.

She shook herself, this time instead of getting rid of water, she was trying to wake herself up. She wasn't going to collapse because the water overpowered her. No! She was going to get through this and sleep the day away tomorrow, right? Yeah. Hopefully Raintalon would let her sleep in tomorrow.

"Okay, lets be on our way!" She said enthusiastically, completely contradicting her exhaustion, and started off. It was hard picking up her legs. The fatigue held her down along with the weight. This, she could tell, was going to be a long walk.

"We can rest,if you want to."Batpaw offered,noticing how she looked exhausted. Well,she had nearly drowned and then had had to cross the same river again. She must be tired.

"No, no, I can sleep when I get back to camp. And I'm sure someone must be wondering where you're off to, no?" She grinned back at him and kept on her way. "I'll be fine." Sometimes it seemed like Leafpaw had boundless energy, and sometimes she did! Tonight wasn't one of those nights, of course. Though, even so, she seemed like she could walk forever.

"No,probably no one's noticed I'm gone."Batpaw mewed,looking out at the forest. "I don't spend much time in camp." Then he started walking,slowly so she could keep up. "Is someone waiting for you?"he asked,flicking his ears. He tried to look as interested as possible,so as not to offend her. But he was so used to looking bored and disinterested that that was pretty hard. He'd never talked so much in his life! He knew that was an exagerration,but it felt that way.

"That makes sense," Leafpaw mewed, "Being out by yourself seems peaceful, though. Away from all the chatter and gossip of the other cats." She chuckled. Sometimes she had to get away from her mom and her siblings. She didn't mention them, though, she assumed Batpaw already knew what she meant. "Is someone waiting for me? I wouldn't think so. I snuck out while everyone was sleeping so I wouldn't have to answer questions about where I was going and if they could come along and such. Though, if my brother, or sister, or one of the other apprentices woke up, I'm sure they'd be waiting for me. I'm not really sure." She gave a shrug, not really caring if they did at the moment. That was a time for later, right?

"Oh."Batpaw said. Then he fell silent,padding along quietly. So she still had her family? That made sense,as there were few cats he knew with his particular case,but he felt a little more isolated now. Like he was different. But he was different. Very different. If this she-cat knew how he treated other cats,she'd leave him be.

Everyone back at camp always rambled on about how grief changes a cat,mostly for the better. But he didn't believe that. Not at all. Deathpaw,one of the few cats who could actually understand him,had lost his best friend recently and blamed it on himself,becoming withdrawn and quiet. Much like Batpaw,really.

He sighed. He hoped he'd be made a warrior soon,so that the happy,bright air of the apprentice's den would be long gone and far behind him.

An image of his sisters and mother burned in his mind. A pretty dark gray she-cat laying in a bed of moss with three tiny kits snuggled close to her warmth was his mother,while a dark tabby was his elder sister,Viperkit. A ginger-and-white splotched she-cat cuddled next to her would be Opalkit,his technical twin. And then he saw himself,warm and safe,next to his siblings,his black fur making him look like a spot of coal among smooth pebbles.

Even when he had his family he hadn't belonged. He didn't remember his father at all,only hearing he was a great warrior. But how could he be great,if he abandoned his mate and kits?

"So how's the RiverClan life? Is it as good as everyone says it is?" How good was that? Not very. Not many cats in her clan had that good a thing to say to her about RiverClan. Well, she had only been apprenticed today, so maybe she could be considered a kit, so maybe she didn't really get what they were saying right in her mind. She was sure she did, sure as she could ever be.

OOC: *pounces naru* Okay... so you kinda planned this out and made it a reverse Graystripe and Silverstream?

OOC: No, actually. It's just a coincidence.

Batpaw shrugged. "Same as it is here,I guess. The prey's running better here than in WindClan. All in all it's pretty good." Yep. Life's good. Well,that's what it seemed like,anyway.

No one ever really told the truth anymore. And no one can detect when you're lying. Was it like this in the time of Leopardstar and Firestar? Or was it the same?

"Well then! Your prey must be having a good run then!" Leafpaw laughed before she gave him a playful, but weak little shove. She was too exhausted to give him a real one. She would have if she could, though.

Batpaw smiled slightly. "Yeah. Except it's swimming rather than running."he said dryly,hoping it was a good enough joke. He thought it was,but that was just him. He hadn't been around other cats much,so he didn't really have a sense of humor.

"It's probably a lot easier." Leafpaw smiled. She tilted her head and then looked over herself. "On second thought, maybe not." The weight of her fur told her that swimming wasn't as easy as it looked. She didn't know how RiverClan cats were able to pull it off. Maybe it was because the water just rolled off them. Why was that.

"Hey, Batpaw, how come when you get out of the water the water just roll of, but it soaks through my fur?"

"One of the benefits of eating fish."Batpaw said,looking up towards the sky. "We aren't having any shortage of prey,that's for sure." Twitching a rain-drop away from his ears,he meowed,"I guess we're the only Clan benefiting from the rain."

"Well not for long. With it getting colder all the rain will be snow." She nodded as she looked up at the sky. It was getting colder, and she was freezing because of it. She wanted to get back to camp so she could dry herself off, but she also wanted to stay on this walk back to camp with Batpaw. It was fun talking to a cat from another clan.

"Speaking of it getting colder. What do you do when the river freezes?" Leafpaw lowered her ears a little. She was bombarding him with questions. But... she was still technically a kit, only being apprentice that day. She still had some habits to outgrow, if she ever did.

"Well,I don't know. I haven't lived long enough to see the river freeze over. I'll ask the elders and then tell you at the next Gathering." Wow. He sounded way too eager. Batpaw didn't know why he'd said that. He hated Gatherings. Hated them to the very core of his being. So why did he sound so eager to tell a ThunderClan apprentice what would happen if the river froze over?

"Oh that's great!" Leafpaw replied eagerly. "Though, I doubt I'll actually go." Yeah, she wouldn't go, not for a while at least. She'd be hanging around the camp until she was ready to go, and she didn't know when Silverstar will allow her to.

"Do something to catch their attention. Like catch a big piece of prey."Batpaw suggested. Giving her advice? Man,what is wrong with me today? He sighed. "Where exactly is the camp?"

"I could barely catch a measly mouse today! A big fat one? Never!" Leafpaw shook her head. She'd never get the the Gathering, that way. She wasn't goo enough, and not nearly there on a training level. Hopefully she'll be able to find something.

"Oh camp?" She looked around, getting a feel for her surroundings. She wasn't paying attention before, and honestly, was following Batpaw the entire time. "It's just up ahead," she said with a flick of her tail.

"Alright."Batpaw mewed,feeling a small trickle of disappointment slip into his voice. "Who's your medicine cat?"

"Moonecho," Leafpaw told him, "and she has an apprentice name Lostpaw." Two medicine cats, or two and a half since Lostpaw was just training. If he wasn't a full medicine cat she had to be a half, right? Right. That just made sense.

"What are yours?"

"Spiralpaw and Echodrop. Spiralpaw was apprenticed yesterday with her sister,Ebonypaw."Batpaw explained,his paws feeling frozen from the frost on the ground.

NO MUSE AT THE MOMENT

"Oh, really!" Leafpaw exclaimed, pricking her ears. "Lostpaw was apprenticed today." She nodded. She lifted her head as she smelled the welcoming smells of camp. She took a deep breath, smelling her clanmates as the slumbered in their dens. "Not too far now," she reported.