bottlebay | 01. video

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[This is a bit of a struggle, but Firepaw is doing his best. A very under-sized Litten is trying to put himself in frame, but he's a little awkwardly close.]

Um... hello. Can everyone hear me? My name is Firepaw, I'm- I was an apprentice of ThunderClan. Oh- and I used to be a cat, before I came here. A lot of you know me already, but... yes.

[Just going by his voice, it's pretty clear he's a kitten. Public speaking feels incredibly bad, even without a visible crowd.]

A few of you Twolegs - humans - have four legs now, and I wanted to offer help with getting used to that. I can teach you how to hunt and fight, or at least step lightly. I don't know much about our new powers, but we might be able to practice those together too. I can also help with learning different scents, since I think humans can't smell as well as cats, or... Pokemon. That might make gathering herbs and berries easier, too.

[One more thing which... feels like blasphemy for a cat, but he needs to do it.]

And... if anyone knows how to swim, I think I'd like to learn. If another storm comes with new folk, I want to be able to help them get to shore.

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[Oh wow how do you do that it's like, it's like something the Allagans would make possible. Or the Alexandrians. But it's through the Grumpearls? Incredible.

A small, but still bigger than a Litten, blue rabbity rodent...creature...peers way too close back at Firepaw.]

I would very much like to learn how to walk better on four legs. And if you find someone who is willing to teach swimming with four legs, do let us know. I...ought to learn that, too.

[No Kojin Blessing = she can drown again, and she'd rather not.]

I've gotten a few offers, and I'll let you know if it goes well. I never tried to swim before I ended up in the ocean, so I don't know how well I can handle it.

[Some Pokemon look like animals he can recognize, and some of them are completely alien to him. She looks a little like a rabbit, but much tougher, and definitely not food.]

But yes, I can help you with walking. Let's see... [He has to really think now about how he walks.] ...you want to move each paw individually, and make sure you have firm footing before the next paw lifts. Right forepaw, left leg, then left forepaw and right leg. If you step forward with just your toes and then press your center paw down last, it'll be much quieter.

[He walks in a short circle to demonstrate, although a lot of the quietness is purely thanks to Littens having the same soft paw pads as a cat.]

[She watches intently, nodding at his instruction. It...seems simple enough? But perhaps that's because he's a natural, so this isn't a big jump for him, if he was once truly a cat. Not that she has any reason to doubt him.]

Gently with the toes, then the center for quiet...right leg with left front paw, and left leg with right front paw...mm...

[Not quite ready to start doing it herself...]

I did know how to swim previously. Usually you do not go for a swim in stormy waters for fun...but the main thing to remember is that we can float, and our heads should be above water. I would say to try floating on your back, but I have no clue how that works as a...as a four-legs? There's another word for it, I can't recall the word.

I could certainly try floating on my back... but I already got ocean-water in my ears from swimming normally, so maybe that's a bad idea.

[Just thinking about it makes him need to shake his head sharply, just like a cat getting something out of his ear.]

When my mentor was training me to fight, the main thing she taught me was that if I was trapped, I should go limp until my opponent hesitates, and then I can strike. I tried something similar while I was helping folk out of the ocean - going limp when the waves hit me, and holding my breath, and it worked pretty well.

Perhaps the first step is to get used to the water, then.

[You know, stand in it knee-high for a while and learn how to tolerate the wet fur feelings.]

That likely helped with floating. You let your body move with the waves and anticipated the moments when you wouldn't be able to catch your breath easily - and it probably kept you from growing tired too quickly. That can be dangerous.

To be honest, I wasn't thinking much about how tired I was, until everyone got to shore. Once I laid down in my nest, everything hit me at once.

[He genuinely passed out, which is a rarity for a cat. It would have been embarrassing if another cat saw him.]

That's not surprising! When you aren't used to swimming, it can tire you out. Especially in those sorts of conditions.

[Look sometimes you need a Heckin Nap and there's no shame in that.]

But it is a worrisome situation...you had other things on your mind, as did we all. As we continue to do.

Yeah... part of me is hoping there isn't another storm, but part of me is hoping there is, and it washes another cat into the bay. Is that selfish?

[More than anything he misses his best friend, Graypaw. They've been joint at the hip since he started living in the forest, and being apart makes him feel naked.]

...I don't think it's selfish.

[He's coming to this from a unique situation - where everyone around him, like him, wouldn't be like him if they all went to where he came from. Firoza would probably just be her normal self again. Firepaw would be...well, he'd be a lot like her little Tora-jiro.

Gods, she hopes he's okay. Alisaie's around, maybe she'd take care of him for her.]

Anyone would want a friend from home with them right now, no matter who they were before.

[There's just a big, big pang of sympathy that comes through, and a well-worn heartache...she's not saying it, but she wishes she had old friends by her side here, too.]

...I guess you're right. [Even if he still feels instinctively guilty.] I'd feel bad if another ThunderClan cat ended up here, but... it would be nice to see them again.

[He shuffles his weight a bit before speaking again.]

The elders in my Clan say that when you miss someone, it helps to talk about them. Do you have any friends in particular you're thinking about?

The elders of your clan are very wise.

[Ahah...where to start.]

Absolutely. Though we've disbanded, I have a group of friends with whom I've shared incredible adventures with. We were called the Scions of the Seventh Dawn, and every one of them...mm. I think the term is "Warrior Poet" - they are incredibly accomplished in their fields, and are not afraid to fight when needed. Each is quite strong, through either martial or magical means. And they are so very clever. I would not be half the person I am without them.

[Firepaw listens carefully, even if he doesn't really understand a lot of it. It sounds just as mystical as learning about the Clans did back home.]

I don't know what a poet is, but I know what a warrior is. Although... maybe they're different, when they're Twolegs. The cats in my Clan believe that even when you're apart from your fellow warriors, their strength is still with you.

[Hm... he should share too, shouldn't he.]

For me... I miss most of the cats in my Clan, but especially my two best friends, Graypaw and Ravenpaw. The other apprentices don't like me that much, so we've done most of our training together and we always push our nests up together so we can fell each others' fur when we sleep. Graypaw has always been there to explain Clan customs I don't understand, and Ravenpaw is a really talented hunter, who always picks up on things Graypaw and I don't.

No, that makes sense. Their memory within my heart is always with me. I just... [She trails off, and there's a profound sense of emotion, quite a lot like being adrift at sea. She doesn't elaborate on that, though.] Ah, nevermind.

[Firoza listens intently, though, nodding and smiling at Firepaw's reminiscing.] They sound like wonderful companions.

[He lets out a sympathetic purr.]

No, I get it. The words sound nice, but it doesn't replace their presence.

[It's definitely different for humans and cats, but he's been having trouble sleeping without the feeling of his friends' fur against him.]

Will you be alright if you're having trouble sleeping?

I'll be alright.

[He says this without actually considering the question - it just seems like the right answer, even if it's not entirely correct.]

I made friends with at least one person in Cheri that lets me sleep next to him... it's not the same, but it is nice.

Oh - I'm part of the Cheri Berries too. We could-

[A pause, and some trepidation.]

...Wait. No. I wouldn't want you to hurt yourself on accident. I have poisonous bits.

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