**OLD** Valley Cats: Of Sky and Stone 1- Daughters and Darkness

Chapter Fifteen

 "Where were you? We've been waiting!" Parsleyshade called from downhill.

 "Oh, sorry. I thought I smelled a kittypet by the border." Twisterpaw repeated the line she had rehearsed twice on the walk back. She climbed down a sand dune to join the rest of the patrol, trotting over the smooth sand to sit down next to her brother. Parsleyshade and Cardinalheart were stretched out on the smooth boulders by the beach, watching as Finchpaw played with the sand.

 Finchpaw suddenly looked up at the two warriors. "Can we go in the water?" he requested.

 "Unfortunately, Lilypaw and Daisypaw are the only apprentices allowed in the water right now. They can swim, but  you can't." Cardinalheart said, shaking his head. "You can lay on these rocks with us while we wait to meet with the other border patrol. This is fun, right?" he scooted over, but his son just turned back to the shore. "Can I at least put my paws in?"the reddish apprentice begged.

 Parsleyshade gave Cardinalheart a playful nudge. "Let him do it, you stickler. He's not going to drown if he only gets his paws wet. Not to mention..." she narrowed her eyes at Twisterpaw and Brightpaw, who were still sitting on the smooth sand.

 "You don't know how to swim, do you?" Parsleyshade asked.

 "No, but I think it would be fun to get in the lake." Twisterpaw suggested.

 Brightpaw gave her a look. "Not me! The water's way too cold!" he complained.

 "How do you know that?" his sister retorted.

 "Alright, then. Finchpaw, you can dip your paws in. As for you two, stick to the shallows. And give us a yowl if you start drowning." Cardinalheart instructed.

 Twisterpaw gave her brother a playful shove. "Come on! Last one in is a rotten egg!"

 She dashed away, leaping into the waves. The water was up to her chest, and a lot colder than she had anticipated, but it was fun. She kicked off the sandy floor but no matter how she thrashed around, she couldn't swim. The black-and-white apprentice splashed around in frustration for a while. 

 Finally, after many attempts, she figured out how to push away from the lake floor to propel herself through the water. She triumphantly looked back at her brother, only to see him sitting lazily on the shore. She paddled closer, flattening her ears in annoyance.

 "Brightpaw! What are you doing?" Twisterpaw snapped at the white tom. "Come in! It's not that cold, I swear!"

 "Oh, no. I'm much too dignified for that." Brightpaw rolled his eyes.

 "Well, if you're going to miss out on swimming, then at least watch Finchpaw for Cardinalheart, would you?" she nodded at the reddish warrior, who was snoozing peacefully on the smooth boulder while Parsleyshade slumbered lightly beside him, still sitting upright.

 "I know. They told me to keep an eye on him. But he's right over there." Brightpaw snorted, swiveling his head around. "Uh... where is he?"

 Twisterpaw's eyes widened. "You weren't keeping track of him?" she gasped.

 "I'm sure it's fine. He probably found an interesting shell or something." Brightpaw shrugged.

 Twisterpaw stood on her hind legs, trying to see above the waves. "Finchpaw!" she yowled.

 "Over here!" a tiny voice responded. Twisterpaw spotted the small apprentice adrift on a branch. "Finchpaw, hang on!" she wailed, thrashing towards the branch. It was sinking rapidly, with Finchpaw letting out a squeal every time his tail dipped into the water.

 Twisterpaw kicked off the bottom of the lake as she ventured beyond the shallows, using her paws and tail to propel her forwards. The water was almost painful to swim through, the cold spawning odd prickling sensations between her toes. She grabbed the branch in her jaws and dragged it back to the shore, towing a wide-eyed Fichpaw with her.