Post by sleeperworld on Jul 10, 2019 20:56:42 GMT
Waitin' for a minute 'til the sun's seen through my eyes
Dawnstrike stood at the edge of camp, by the camp entrance. The sun was sinking low to the ground and the uncomfortable heat of the day was fading into a cool evening. A slight breeze gently blew the sun soaked leaves glowing in the afternoon light. It had been raining, mud coating the soft grassy soil. Her paws sunk slightly in the muck, shaking them off one by one and flinging wet soil onto the ferns and flowers around her. She hated the rain. It wasn't just the mud and the soaked uncomfortable pelt. It wasn't the prey driven to their dens and the soggy fresh-kill pile. It wasn't the constantly mud soaked paws, never clean. It was simply just the water.
As a kit Dawnstrike had taken the opportunity to sneak out of camp, like most kits do. It was leafbare, a thick layer of frost covering everything. With fresh snow starting to fall and the cold chill setting into the small kits pelt Dawnstike, at the time Dawnkit, had run blindly not stopping to hear the rush of the water coming nearer and nearer. She luckily skidded to a halt next to a rushing torrent of a river, glazed over with a thin sheet of ice. Her eyes had widened with curiosity once more and she had put a tentative paw on the ice. Thinking it was safe, and would hold her she pounced onto it. The thin ice cracked and gave way under her, sending her crashing into the ice cold river. Underneath the sheet of ice. She had flailed and cried, water pouring into her mouth. The waters freezing cold temperatures knocking the breath from her. As her body began to give up and her eyes began to close, a warrior had somehow managed to find her and break the ice. She was lucky to have lived that day. Since then, she has hated the water. Even just the seemingly harmless rain.
Now, looking at the evening sky and the dark clouds coming towards the forest she thought she could try and face her fear. It was no longer leafbare, and she didnt have anything to worry about. A little rain, a harmless river, could help her get over her fear.
She took off sprinting, her paws flying hardly touching the ground. Her legs were long and powerful, her body lithe and small cutting through the forest with precision. A few fat raindrops fell to the ground, but she took no notice as she sped through the trees. Slowing down, she came to a halt at the rivers edge. Her eyes widened with fear, as the day of rain had caused the river to swell almost twice its usual size. She thought about turning back, but shook he head. She wasn't going in the river, so what did it matter. There was no ice, she was safe. She finally began feeling the raindrops on her fur, watching as small puddles formed on the already muddy ground. The wet surface was slick as she moved slowly down the stream watching her paw-steps the best she could. Gaining some confidence, she moved quicker. She wasn't so scared anymore.
A cracking sound in the forest of a rain laden branch crashing to the ground scared her, and she jumped in fright. She landed heavily, her paws slipping out from under her and flying up in the air. With a thud she hit the ground at the rivers edge, temporarily dazed, and rolled into the ever swelling river.
She sunk quickly to the bottom, her paws thrashing every which way. Her back paw became lodged under a root, a heavy rock crashing into it with swift speed. Leaving her paw stuck, and possibly broken. She began to flail, her cries of pain and distress only flooding her nose and mouth with water. Ever so often one of her flailing paws would stick out of the water but it was no use. She was growing tired fast, and running out of air. She was stuck.