Mah Art Book 5.0

:: down by the lake ::

An elder's tale.

—

Sunlight filtered through the canopy, flickering across the smooth rocks making up ThunderClan's mighty camp. Cats groomed and patrols returned and left - a normal day.
     Within a shady, cozy cave, a graying cream tabby looked over a swarm of kits.
     "Applekit, you first. Which story?" he tilted his head towards a tiny calico, who propped herself up on her hind legs and peered over the heads of everyone else.
     "The time you chased off a fox!" she exclaimed, green eyes wide.
     "No! We've heard that countless times! How about the time you fell into the tunnels?" another young kit, Badgerkit, who shoved her aside and raised his voice to be heard. Soon, all the kits were yowling out story ideas.
     "Now, kits, be good. Or else we'll feed you to the really old elders." a different elder, a lithe black she-cat, twitched her tail towards the older two cats huddled over in the corner - Mudfang and Brackenheart, who'd been in this den for moons beyond counting, and had grown bitter with age.
     The kits all gasped, and fell silent.
     "Good. Now, how about I tell you a scary story? It is late Greenleaf, after all." the tabby, who was called Sedgetail, held a glint in his eyes. The bundles of fur shuffled to get better sitting spots, murmuring their approval.
     "Alright. Let us begin."
     "Countless moons before now, when I was merely as little as you, all I wanted was to see the lake. I couldn't wait till my sixth moon - and so, I planned an escape plan.
     One of my closest kithood friends, Amberkit, agreed to go with me. She was worried about the dangers - she had been planning to become a medicine cat, and had the worrisome personality of one.
     And so, on the night of the full moon Gathering, both of us snuck out of camp.
     We made quick use of the territory. We'd both heard stories of the quickest routes through from the elders and warriors, and used this knowledge to our advantage, taking only the darkest and fastest path to the lakeshore. Sure, it was past moonhigh when we got there, but it seemed good enough at the time.
     Me and Amberkit were shocked at the huge body of water stretching towards the far, dark horizon, where the black treetops of the Gathering island and the smooth fields of the moor just outlined the sky.
     We decided to try and swim, to reach the Gathering. I had proposed the idea - perhaps, if we showed enough skill to get across the entire lake, we would be made apprentices early.
     And so, we swam.
     We were only nearing four moons at the time. Amberkit was the first to wade out, and called back information in a hushed yowl - it was shallow enough, and it seemed we could wade all the way across. I was thrilled by this news, and plunged in close behind her, splashing through the water till I had ran past my friend.
     Suddenly, my paws fell away from beneath me, and I plummeted into dark water that stung my eyes and burned my nose.
     I flashed out my paws blindly, struggling to keep my head above the lake long enough to blink my eyes clear. Amberkit was staring at me with wide, terrified eyes from the shallow bits.
     Determined - but mostly terrified - to return to her, I scrambled in her direction. The ground was far below my reach, and with each tremendous lash at the water, my face was plunged back in. It seemed like moons before I felt solid ground under my paws again.
     I shakily stood - er, waded, on the pebbly grit. Amberkit and I were both drenched, and sopping wet. We couldn't return to camp, and we couldn't swim any further. We were stumped.
     That was, until I came up with another idea.
     I thought that, since Amberkit's father's mother had been RiverClan, that she could possibly swim across with him on her back. Amberkit seemed to like this plan.
     I clambered onto her shoulders, tail still dragging in the shallow water. I was smaller, so it wasn't difficult on my part. Amberkit's legs buckled, but she stayed standing.
     And we were off.
     Amberkit made a few mouse-lengths before she began to paddle. It was clear my weight forced her down quite a bit, as I had to cling onto her fur to stay from drifting away.
     We were about a fox-length from the shallow waters when she began to heave for breath, muzzle forced under by my weight. I didn't notice this, however.
     Amberkit's entire head was soon trapped underneath the water. I noticed this soon, hearing the bubbles burst at the surface.
     But it was too late.
     I had to drag Amberkit back to shore, almost drowning myself on the way back. When I got her there, I pushed on her chest, like I'd seen the medicine cats do on cats who had water in their lungs. Liquid bubbled at her lips, but it was stained red. The sight horrified me.
     I dragged her back to camp that night. The eerie, limp lump of fur that she'd become was shocking to my young mind. I arrived at dawn, just as the Gathering cats had returned. I had to tell them of our plan, her death, of everything.
     Amberkit was dead. I haven't seen her since, but I think about her every time I visit the lakeshore. And I've never seen anyone swim there again, either."
     Sedgetail ended the story. Kits gasped, looking terrified and shocked. I doubt any of them will sneak out now, he thought.
     As the young cats left the den, he settled down into his nest. Oh, Amberkit... You would've made an excellent medicine cat.
     As the thought crossed Sedgetail's mind, he could've sworn he felt a gentle pelt sweep past his, but when he looked, nothing was there except eerie darkness.