sensitive topics IF I DIE YOUNG ~ OPEN

[Flamewhisker]

What had felt like hours, had in reality only been mere minutes.

The last thing that she had seen was her opponent pushing away from her as they plunged into the water. She had tried to desperately grab ahold of him...wishing that even though they were enemies...that maybe, just maybe he would have sympathy for her, but it had been no use. He had glared at her, and left her to die. Bubbles poured from her maw as she let out a wail, but the current sucked her in, and swiftly snatched her away, as though she were merely a leaf in the wind.

Her thick pelt that was good at repelling the cold served as a heavy weight as she desperately tried to make it to the surface. I have to make it…I have to..I won't die.. She couldn't leave her kits…she couldn't leave Flycatcher…Would Starclan even welcome her? She had been born far away as a loner. It was a risk she couldn't take right now. If the clan of stars did not welcome her, then she wouldn't ever see her family again. Her paws flailed around helplessly like limp noodles. When Thunderclan had stayed refuge in Riverclan's camp, one of their warriors had showed her basics of swimming, but her pitiful practice was no use in a strong current.

She could see the surface…almost touch it. An alabaster paw reached up, just barely reaching the top, but she was whisked away, stomping away the dreams of something she had never realized she had taken such advantage of. Air. Whatever progress she had made at resurfacing was swept away as the current grasped her again. The river through her against a large, jagged rock that along the bottom. Whatever reserve of air she had left was forced out of her as she slammed against its surface. The water was pounding against her, pressing her closer to the rock. Pushing past the pain, she managed to free herself from the rock, and was swept away once more. I can't get stuck...it will...eventually spit me out...right?

Pain.

Time seemed to slow down here. How long had she been under? Her lungs were screaming…her head was pounding. The world around her was going dark, and all she could think about was her family. She could feel herself growing weaker…I'm so sorry… This was it. She could feel her consciousness slipping away. I tried… One last paw reached upwards before her body went limp, allowing the river to carry her with more ease. I'm coming Lilykit...Butterflykit... Would her kits be there to welcome her? She was too tired to try anymore...

The river came to a very small curve before entering Skyclan's territory. Right along the edge of Thunderclan's shore, the river seemed to have sympathy for her. As easily as it had chewed her up, the water would spit her out along the shore. A limp ginger figure laid along the edge, water tickling her pelt, almost as if it were trying to take her back.

Water so heavy clung to her pelt, nearly pinning her to the ground. Blood stained the water that dared touch her, the source coming from a gash on her back that was bleeding, likely from being thrown against a rock in the river. Her side was eerily still at first, but after being on the shore for a few moments, her body screamed for air. Heavily eyelids opened, revealing tired eyes. She pulled back her lips, and expelled water…more water than she had ever believed could be in one's body.

Her legs could barely support her weight, and she crashed back into the ground. Now that the water was out, her lungs cried out for air. She sucked it in deeply, almost as if she were afraid that it would disappear again. There were voices nearby, was the battle still going on? She wanted to get up, she wanted to help…but she couldn't. Not yet…her legs were too weak…and she was so tired. Darkness started to creep up on her once more like a fox in the shadows…

…I will see my family again..

//
Takes place immediately after Riverclan retreats!
She is alive! Just about to pass out

Anyone is welcome to find her!

[₊⋆]​

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[crowflower]

There has always been something sentient about the river in the way it roamed through the land. Sometimes it was merely a playful riffle as it gurgled over cobblestone and pooled in the roots of old trees, the scales of young fish flashing as they waited for something edible to fall into the current. Other times, the river was a powerful beast roaring through narrow valleys and slicing through stone. It swelled with the seasons--affected by times of plenty and times of stride just like everything else. And right now, after the early spring rainfall, it was nearly full to bursting. Crowflower often found herself patrolling the riverbank, keen eyes searching for treasures tossed haphazardly on the shore by the surging waters. On good days, she was lucky to find fish gasping for air after they were abandoned by receding flood waters, or strange rocks churned up from the river bed. On most days, she was simply content to observe the river snakes dancing across the current in search of prey, in contest with the eye-catching blue kingfishers that patrolled the same stretch from above.

It was very rare that Crowflower came across a body, a person. Especially so far from camp. At first, she was a little confused to see a sodden lump of orange fur collapse on the shore about twenty fox-lengths downstream. "Flamewhisker?" Crow asked, surprised. Wasn't she supposed to be with the battle party? What was she doing taking a swim? Then it dawned on her. "Flamewhisker!" the young warrior repeated with urgency. Crowflower sprinted toward her clanmate, her fright overpowering the lingering embarrassment of her earlier misunderstanding. Whatever caused the orange she-cat to emerge half-dead from the river did not matter--Flamewhisker clearly needed help.

Crowflower paused as she reached the other cat's side, desperately trying to remember if Eaglestump had ever mentioned what to do in the event that she stumbled across a drowned cat. In that moment of hesitation, however brief, Flamewhisker lost her footing and crumpled to the ground. "Hey! You need to stay awake. Stay with me, I'm gonna get you home, okay?" she rambled, desperately rasping her tongue along Flame's soaked fur in an attempt to stir the she-cat back to consciousness the same way queens tried to revive a kit that didn't take its first breath. Crowflower crouched low, trying to nudge Flamewhisker to her paws. "I can carry you on my back or you can lean on me if you're strong enough to walk--" She was so nervous she thought she might throw up her breakfast, but her voice was strangely calm. "--but I can't leave you here alone. Your family is waiting for you!" Crow prayed to Starclan, begging that they give Flamewhisker a chance to live. Please be okay...​

 

[Flycatcher]

Flycatcher had not actually seen Flamewhisker fall into the river during the battle. He had only realised after seeing her assailant emerge from the water with his beloved Flamewhisker nowhere to be seen. Her disappearance and Howlingstar's death had spurred him into rallying the ThunderClan warriors for one final push to secure Sunningrocks before he barreled into Snakeblink and violently attacked him for what he had believed was the murder of his mate.

In the end, the battle had been a ThunderClan win. He had basked in their victory for a few moments before reality began to sink in. As some of his clanmates began to escort their injured back to camp, Flycatcher quietly announced he wanted to search the river in the vain hope he might find Flamewhisker on the shoreline. In truth, as he departed to search, he did not honestly think he would find any sign of her. Flycatcher did not know how well Flamewhisker could swim if she even could at all. Even if she could swim, she certainly wouldn't have been as skilled as the RiverClan cats, and would have been a poor match for the river. All these troubling thoughts were beginning to weigh on him more and more as he searched the shoreline, with a deep feeling of dread beginning to bloom in his stomach of the idea he would only be finding a body. He did not want to imagine that as a possibility. He did not want to imagine her dead. He did not want to imagine telling their children that their mother was dead.

"Flamewhisker!"

It took a moment for Flycatcher to place the voice, but once he recognised it was Crowflower, the blue tabby darted off in the direction of her voice. Right up to the moment he appeared on the scene himself, Flycatcher feared she was dead. It relieved him greatly to see she was in fact alive when he drew near, the deep gasps for breath assured him that she alive and breathing. She was safe for now. An appreciative look is offered towards Crowflower who had found her first and was trying to rouse her. "Thank you," Flycatcher mewed quietly, before glancing at his mate. "Oh, Flame...I thought we'd lost you, my love," His voice quivers with emotion, as though all the fear, anger, and determination he had been building up within him threatened to spill out all at once. "You can lean on Crowflower and I and we should be able to get you safely back to camp," Flycatcher mewed, hoping Crowflower wouldn't mind him pledging her help, even though she had offered to do so before. "You need to get away from this river and get warm."​

 

[BERRYHEART]

Tipped over the edge, RiverClan had released their vice grip upon the Sunningrocks- had decalared the victory on the side of the oak forest. Logically, these stones belonging to the Clan who lived on the same side of the river made sense... they would take the rocks with their dangers and their benefits. The dappled tom had met his mother's gaze gladly, a glint of assuredness in his eyes- he had known, of course, that she would return to them. It was not simply that he knew her to be resilient- it had been as if, in that moment, he could feel her soul lingering. As if he could feel her waiting to return to her body.

Now, now- it was over. And there was something frantic in Blue's movements- a look on his face that conveyed nothing but fear. Night-furred and nearby stood Oak-eyes, and then...

Snapped out of the stupor of victory, the medicine cat's attention was pulled to the river's edge. Fur slicked to her skin, out trudged Sunset- and he could hear the rattle of her breath even from where he stood, the shallowness of her inhalations... it was simple to guess what had happened here. ThunderClan were not proficient in water-combat... it was a wonder, in the blood-thickness of battle, that Sunset had managed to get out at all.

"You're safe," he assured her- he hoped with all his might that his presence might soothe her worries. It was meant to, was it not? The attendance of a medicine cat... it was meant to quell any doubts. Still, after he had failed two of her children... after he had let her down, he would not blame her if she or Blue wished to shoo him away, lest he doom her to death as well.​

PENNED BY PIN ☾​

 

[Flamewhisker]

The world around her was darkening…the shadows welcomed her, and she gave into them willingly. She could feel herself slipping away, giving into the comfort of the darkness…when suddenly a loud voice brought her back to reality. It was a voice she knew, but she was too tired to lift her head. Her heavy eyelids opened, weakly searching for the owner of the words.

She didn’t have to look too hard. Seconds after the voice sounded, she felt a tongue rasping her pelt. “Mother?” the red tabby would ask quietly. She tried to lift her head to see the figure that she believed to be her mother, but she was so tired. The cat said more words, but all she heard was Stay awake. The licks along her soaked pelt felt soothing. Sleep tried to creep upon her once more, but she kept replaying the voice in her head.

Stay awake.

How easy it would be to give in to the darkness. She could feel it all around her. It had claimed her legs, her paws. The forest around them was eerily quiet, and she still could not clearly distinguish this cat. She could hear the other molly saying something, but the world around her was becoming quieter with each passing moment.

Stay….awake…

Her grip on reality was nearly gone until a new presence came barreling over. This was a scent she knew just as well as her own. The darkness that had been claiming her was pushed back, as a faint flame started to ignite in her eyes. Oh, Flame…I thought we’d lost you, my love. “F…Fly…” she would murmur.

As she began to become more aware, her shoulder would begin to burn. “Ow..” Her muscles were throbbing, the gash where she had been pinned against the rock was beginning to hurt more and more the longer she was alert. “That…fish-breath…left me to…die..” she would stammer out, the recent events starting to stomp out the cloudiness that was once in her mind.

She was able to lift her head enough to attempt to get him to lean down to touch her nose. “I’m sorry…I..tried to..swim..” she tried to speak, but a cough interrupted her words. He throat felt like it had been ignited instead of drenched. With shaking limbs, she attempted to heave herself upwards. However, she could only get so far before she felt herself start to fall again. However, her clanmates were already there. She let out a sharp exhale of relief, thankful for their presence. You’re safe She lifted her head to see Berryheart. A weak smile formed on her maw, grateful for the tom’s presence. Part of her wished to shoo him off, telling him that their other clanmates needed him more…that she was fine..but her throat hurt too bad to say so many words.

Now that she was more awake, she turned her gaze to the molly that had found her first. She could see now that she was indeed not her mother, but Crowfeather. A weak pulse of embarrassment sparked within her, but she pushed it away. “Thank you.” For keeping me awake until they came… She finished in her mind. Who knows what would have happened if someone hadn’t of found her.

[₊⋆]​

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[crowflower]

'Mother?'

An odd feeling gripped Crowflower's heart. Fear, maybe, for Flamewhisker's life. And possibly sorrow, too. Flamewhisker must have been so scared for her first thought to have been of her mother. Truly, what was more comforting than the embrace of the mother? To hear her heartbeat? To feel reassured by her presence, even when things were terrible. Crow hiccuped, holding back a strange wave of emotion upon this realization. Silence was her only option, for her symptoms worsened as she watched the tender moment between Flycatcher and his mate. Another cat, another person, tossed Flamewhisker into the river and left her for dead without any regard for who would miss her. That same cat probably went home to their own family who were overjoyed by their return. Crowflower's skin scrawled, recoiling from the thought. How could anybody live with the weight of another cat's life on their paws?

Despite the unsettling chill of fear, Crowflower was warmed by the sight of the two lovers; their sparkling eyes and soft smiles which spoke everything that was left unsaid. That is what was important. Love. Family. Togetherness. She wished everyone everywhere could witness the magic of this moment. Why did terrible things happen when love like that existed?

She had been content to fade into the background now that the real help had arrived until she heard Flamewhisker's soft-spoken gratitude. That bubble of emotion swelled again. Crowflower didn't know what to say. In truth, helping the molly was probably the proudest moment of her life, even more so than when she finally achieved her warrior name. She glowed with joy to have finally been able to do something good, but she was also deeply saddened by the situation. "You're welcome," was her simple reply, unable to find the right words for how she really felt.​