Dawnberry's Escape

Chapter 10

  “Wake up!” A voice hissed. Dawnpaw grumbled and tried to fall back asleep, but paws shook her, and she reluctantly opened her a single eye. 

  “Dawnpaw! It’s dawn. It’s time for training.” Ivywater sighed. “Wake up.” 

  Training! Dawnpaw’s eyes flew open and she gave herself a quick wash, then trotted out to where Ivywater was standing, near the empty fresh-kill pile.

  “Finally!” Ivywater scolded. “Be on time next time, Dawnpaw.” 

  “Sorry.” Dawnpaw apologized. “I thought I was still in the nursery.”  

  “I know. You’ll have to get used to it. It’s exciting, isn’t it being an apprentice? I remember my first day. I had to hunt, and I was so excited I couldn’t sit still. I scared all the fish away!” Ivywater purred at the memory. “Anyways, let’s go to the stream. You have to work on your swimming.” 

  Dawnpaw waded into the stream. It now reached her shoulder. She had grown! Ivywater started talking about how to swim, but Dawnpaw already knew, thanks to Splashfoot. 

  When she was allowed to try, Dawnpaw paddled as quickly as she could, her previous practice making it easier. 

  "Very good!" Ivywater praised, sounding both surprised and proud. "You are a quick swimmer, but swimming is not about speed. It’s about endurance. You have to be able to fight currents and not get washed away. You have to keep your paws moving or you’ll drown. These waters are calm. When we start training in the other stream, you’ll know what its like to swim like a warrior.” 

  Ivywater taught Dawnpaw how to hold her breath underwater for a long time, then told Dawnpaw to keep swimming until she told her to stop. 

 Dawnpaw kept kicking underwater, and her legs, not fully adapted, begged her to stop. She kept kicking, remembering that endurance is part of swimming. She swam back and forth, Ivywater observing. 

  Finally, Ivywater told Dawnpaw to stop. She collapsed onto the bank, her pelt dripping wet. 

  “You did well for your first time swimming. Now, you must be tired. Shake your pelt dry and take a rest. We’ll continue later.” Ivywater sat down on the sun-warmed rocks and smoothed her ears out with a wet paw. 

  Dawnpaw shook her pelt out, all her energy drained out from the morning of swimming. It was sun-high, and the fresh-kill pile was restocked. Her stomach rumbled. All that swimming has made her hungry to the point where she thought she could eat a whole fox! 

  Ivywater seemed to notice Dawnpaw staring at the fresh-kill, as she let out a purr of amusement. “You're always hungry, aren't you? Get something to eat. Swimming does make you hungry.” 

  Dawnpaw looked at Ivywater gratefully, but at the fresh-kill pile, she didn’t dare to pick anything big. All she did was swim! In the end she grabbed a tiny minnow and brought it back to the stream. It wasn’t much, but she felt some energy was restocked after the fish. 

  “You think you’re ready to give swimming a go again?” Ivywater asked after Dawnpaw had finished eating. She nodded eagerly and splashed into the cooling water. “I want you to swim to where this meets the other stream, then swim back over here. As quickly as you can. Go!” 

  Dawnpaw started paddling in the water, propelling her short legs as fast as she could. She could feel a weak current pulling her along, and a stab of fear passed through her. What if she got washed away from the river currents? 

  She glanced at the shore and was relieved that Ivywater is walking along the bank, ready to help Dawnpaw if necessary. 

  When Dawnpaw reached the fork, she started to turn, but realized that the current is making it very difficult to swim back.