Cherrypaw was informed that her next training session would be with Dancingflame instead of Reedshadow. While she liked routine, she didn’t mind breaking it for her mother. She was feeling stronger physically and mentally, and as much as it hurt to, she was starting to accept Mothkit’s loss. Maybe she was more pragmatic than she realized, or maybe she was trying to live a life fit enough for the both of them—in that case, could Mothkit really be gone?

She gave her mother space in the last moon to grieve. She also wanted a taste of independence, so she tried to mimic the other apprentices around her. They mostly stuck with their friends instead of their parents, so she did the same. But now, Cherrypaw was excited to show Dancingflame what she learned. The red tortie walked out of the apprentices’ den and to Dancingflame, who she saw nearby. “Hi Dancingflame!” she greeted warmly. “This is a nice surprise.”

Cherrypaw nodded in understanding, but then her face fell into a mock scowl. “A break from me? I’m the definition of a perfect apprentice!” It was nice to share light-hearted banter with her mother after the terrible few moons they had. For a while she wasn’t sure they would be able to ever see the light in anything, but she was happy to see it was slowly changing. They were all they had, so Cherrypaw was relieved that Dancingflame was recuperating. “So what is your plan today? Reedshadow and I were working on water-based moves, but I’m good to try anything you had in mind.” She couldn’t even be sure they were going to train, but she was so focused on it that her mind made that assumption.

"Okay!" She agreed eagerly. Cherrypaw followed closely behind Dancingflame, taking the time to look around and enjoy their territory. The sun peeked through willow branches, and a faint mist hovered over the large pools of water. Birds sang in the distance, and the air was comfortable, not too cold and not too warm. She felt herself relaxing under it all, and she almost didn't notice when they stopped walking. She blinked several times, coming back into focus, and found that they were standing at a small stream. It was two cat-lengths across and slow-flowing. "Was it here?" she asked. "Or is this where we're going to practice a move or two?"

Cherrypaw followed Dancingflame into the stream. It just lapped at her flanks, but it was still enough that it was a little difficult to move through. She ambled her way so that she stood across from her mother, standing with locked legs so she could brace herself against the tug of the water. Her water moves were sorely lacking, but she needed more training on it, being a new apprentice. She tried to look confident, but she was sure she was failing. “What are we going to try? I might need to take it a little slow,” she admitted reluctantly. She wanted to be the best she could be, but she had to keep in mind that she wouldn’t get there overnight, as hard as it was to not think it.

Cherrypaw watched closely, eyes widening when she saw the degree to which Dancingflame submerged herself. She could barely see her mother, and she wondered how her mother didn’t get swept away; and to a lesser point, she wondered how Dancingflame didn’t get water in her nose. Instead of questioning it though, she waded to a point ahead of her mother to try it herself. She carefully lowered herself until the water was streaming past her neck. Cherrypaw paused anxiously before moving even slower, but she couldn’t get herself much lower. “How do I know the water won’t rush over my face?” she asked worriedly.

Cherrypaw did as instructed, taking her time to relax in the water. She managed to get almost as low as Dancingflame once she took her time, but trying to flatten her ears made her risk submerging them, and the sensation was uncomfortable. She rose back up and shook some of the water from her fur. “I don’t think I’m gonna do this any better today,” she said with a sigh. She shook out her fur, then looked to her mother. “What’s next? I’m happy to keep trying what you have planned.” Her smile was genuine, and they came easier now. It felt good to spend time with her only family, and her heart felt fuller for it.

She smiled again and waved her tail at her mother in thanks. Watching the next lesson closely, she turned away from Dancingflame and swiped her paw across the water several times. She laughed when it arced high, and after coating the round shore pebbles thoroughly, she waded towards the bank and climbed out of the water. Cherrypaw shook her fur out several times before she looked over to Dancingflame. “I can’t imagine not being a WillowClan cat. How do the other clans even live? Water is too amazing to hate.” It was their loss, she supposed. At least it left more for her clan.

The change in tone and subject was so sudden that Cherrypaw thought she misheard, or that Dancingflame was talking to someone else. But a quick glance around showed no one, and the way her mother was staring at her made her uncomfortable. It was then the words started trickling in, and she made sense of them. She laughed, disbelieving. “What kind of joke are you pulling, Dancingflame? That can’t be possible. I’m fully WillowClan. I was born here.” She desperately wanted her mother to laugh with her, to admit she was making something up. There was no way Dancingflame could be right. Her father must not have stepped forward to claim her. The thought hurt, but she could deal with that. He was probably defending WillowClan and didn’t want any interruptions from that.

Cherrypaw took a step back. “No. You’re lying.” Her voice trembled, and she barely heard the rest of what Dancingflame said. She was a result of the code being broken. She was a mistake. What did that mean for her place in the clan? How could she be a proper warrior now? The weight of the failure that she inherently existed as was too much to bear. She choked back a sob and took another step back. Her gaze held Dancingflame’s brokenly for only a moment before she whipped around and ran away. She blundered into undergrowth in her urgency to get away, blinded by her emotion and shattering sense of self. Everything she thought she knew now seemed dubious.