- Jun 8, 2022
- 176
- 36
- 28
The river was the very lifeblood of RiverClan. It fed and nourished them, allowed them to build a life on this land. But it was not something to be underestimated either. The river was an unpredictable beast and could harm them just as well as it helped them thrive. Although Lilybloom had not lived by the river her whole life, in her thirteen moons she had developed a healthy level of respect for the river. She knew better than to underestimate its still waters.
That day she had not intended on simply fishing not swimming. Lilybloom had been by herself, perched at the water's edge looking for fish, when she heard a horrid sound. A lot pop rang through the forest, bringing to mind the sound of thunder during a storm. So sudden and loud was this noise, that Lilybloom jumped violently, and looked around warily. The sound had rattled her and she was panicked over what could have made such a noise. The most likely scenario was the twolegs that had been lingering in their territory in recent days, which in truth, was not a comforting thought to Lilybloom. She could not tell how close by the sound had been meaning that if it was the twolegs, they could have been in the nearby bushes or far away for all she knew. She had heard enough stories about what had happened to Cicadastar to know she had to get away from here. She didn't dare think about what might happen to her if they emerged and found her trembling on the riverbank, especially after what they had done to the RiverClan leader. But where could she go? With the uncertainty of their location, she didn't exactly want to go running through the bushes. Which left only one real option - the river.
It would be a long swim but Lilybloom had done so before. She crossed the river when she discovered the sunningrocks, she could do it again.
Or at least she had believed she could do it again. Lilybloom had misjudged how strong the current actually was beneath the calm ripples on the surface. She only realised her mistake when she made it about halfway, suddenly realising she wasn't making much progress moving forward and that her efforts to swim were becoming increasingly difficult. The tortoiseshell tried her best to move to shallower waters but she was fighting a losing battle at that point. As good a swimmer as she was, she could not beat the current. It was draining and exhausting trying to get anywhere and to make matters worse she was struggling to keep her head up. A few times her head dropped dangerously low before it finally slipped beneath the water's surface. In a panicked state from this, she found herself imbued with a sudden burst of energy, enough to propel her upwards and keep her head above water a little longer.
If she wanted to get out of this Lilybloom knew she would need to stay calm but it seemed that panic and fear had fully gripped her now, refusing to let her go. Although she was still paddling in the water she was hardly moving now, if at all, and her movements were becoming increasingly sluggish. A second time her head slipped below the water and this time it was a struggle to resurface, finding no sudden surge of energy to help her come back up for her air. As her head broke the water's surface again, her green eyes searched the shoreline hoping - no, praying - one of her clanmates might have heard her desperate thrashing in the water and come to investigate. If not then she could only see one way how this would end…
Lilybloom was beginning to feel herself give up when the shape of a cat close to the water's edge appeared in her line of sight. "H-Help!" She would call out weakly. Not convinced they had heard her, she mustered what little strength she had left to call out to them as loud as she possibly could at that moment. "Help me, please!" Lilybloom cried out in desperation. It remained to be seen if the cat would come to her rescue or not as Lilybloom would soon sink beneath the water once more, only this time she would be unable to pull herself back up.
ooc - please wait for @HOUNDSNARL.
That day she had not intended on simply fishing not swimming. Lilybloom had been by herself, perched at the water's edge looking for fish, when she heard a horrid sound. A lot pop rang through the forest, bringing to mind the sound of thunder during a storm. So sudden and loud was this noise, that Lilybloom jumped violently, and looked around warily. The sound had rattled her and she was panicked over what could have made such a noise. The most likely scenario was the twolegs that had been lingering in their territory in recent days, which in truth, was not a comforting thought to Lilybloom. She could not tell how close by the sound had been meaning that if it was the twolegs, they could have been in the nearby bushes or far away for all she knew. She had heard enough stories about what had happened to Cicadastar to know she had to get away from here. She didn't dare think about what might happen to her if they emerged and found her trembling on the riverbank, especially after what they had done to the RiverClan leader. But where could she go? With the uncertainty of their location, she didn't exactly want to go running through the bushes. Which left only one real option - the river.
It would be a long swim but Lilybloom had done so before. She crossed the river when she discovered the sunningrocks, she could do it again.
Or at least she had believed she could do it again. Lilybloom had misjudged how strong the current actually was beneath the calm ripples on the surface. She only realised her mistake when she made it about halfway, suddenly realising she wasn't making much progress moving forward and that her efforts to swim were becoming increasingly difficult. The tortoiseshell tried her best to move to shallower waters but she was fighting a losing battle at that point. As good a swimmer as she was, she could not beat the current. It was draining and exhausting trying to get anywhere and to make matters worse she was struggling to keep her head up. A few times her head dropped dangerously low before it finally slipped beneath the water's surface. In a panicked state from this, she found herself imbued with a sudden burst of energy, enough to propel her upwards and keep her head above water a little longer.
If she wanted to get out of this Lilybloom knew she would need to stay calm but it seemed that panic and fear had fully gripped her now, refusing to let her go. Although she was still paddling in the water she was hardly moving now, if at all, and her movements were becoming increasingly sluggish. A second time her head slipped below the water and this time it was a struggle to resurface, finding no sudden surge of energy to help her come back up for her air. As her head broke the water's surface again, her green eyes searched the shoreline hoping - no, praying - one of her clanmates might have heard her desperate thrashing in the water and come to investigate. If not then she could only see one way how this would end…
Lilybloom was beginning to feel herself give up when the shape of a cat close to the water's edge appeared in her line of sight. "H-Help!" She would call out weakly. Not convinced they had heard her, she mustered what little strength she had left to call out to them as loud as she possibly could at that moment. "Help me, please!" Lilybloom cried out in desperation. It remained to be seen if the cat would come to her rescue or not as Lilybloom would soon sink beneath the water once more, only this time she would be unable to pull herself back up.
ooc - please wait for @HOUNDSNARL.