LONG WAY DOWN《✧》prompt

[carawaysong]

-ˋˏ ༻✧༺ ˎˊ- carawaypaw missed the short stroke of greenleaf that she knew. even during leaf-fall she could lay in the sun, splash through the river's shallow banks. she felt more free then, but now every one seemed to be high on alert.

she hadn't seen much of leafbare yet. the apprentice had felt the cold, witnessed the first snow. it was alright then. it was growing colder now, edges of the river covered in a thin, yet solid layer of ice. she didn't know much of the dangers that would come with it, bitepaw got their paw torn up by ice. but he was a kit then. jabbing dark paws through the barrier, it was sure to leave some mark. carawaypaw was not so careless.

the tabby craved a swim more than anything, she didn't get much time to hone that skill now. nightfish didn't take her swimming, a drypaw for reasons she didn't understand. no matter, she would practice it today, cold waters and baseless warnings be damned. she just had to make it over the ice first, paws sliding despite the way her claws bit down into it. it was going well, even as she drew closer to where it hadn't covered rushing water.

unbeknownst to her, it was growing thinner and more fragile too. sturdy still, up until the point that it wasn't. the splitting sound was quiet, she could barely hear it over the trickle of the river. her paws felt it though, ground falling away from her into ice cold waters. before she knew it, her head was submerged, instinctively she held her breath until her paws propelled her to the surface.

she couldn't panic, she knew that would only make it worse. but when she tried to grab hold of the remaining bank of ice her paws fell right through it again, sending her downwards once more. it caught her by even more surprise, inhaling some water as result. carawaypaw could feel her strength dwindling under the temperature, sent herself downstream a few lengths to try again to the same results. coughing and sputtering as she broke she surface again, wild green eyes darted around to finally find a bank of land untampered by ice.

finally, her paws found purchase, digging into the cold ground to haul herself up and onto the shore. although her heart still raced, it began to lull as she expelled water from her lungs with a few deep coughs. besides that motion, she was mostly motionless, hind legs and tail remaining submerged in shallow waters. carawaypaw didn't want to raise her head, face the embarrassment of this whole sad excuse of an attempt. the jeers that she would undoubtedly hear, what a riverclanner she was.

‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎┌── you're in the yard 《✧》 i light the fire ──┐‎

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  CARAWAYPAW ✧ she/her, apprentice of riverclan, five moons
  ➺ carawaypaw is a pretty longhaired silver tabby with green eyes and a long, lithe frame. born into riverclan, she loves her home and has a deep fascination with becoming a warrior to provide for it. for now, she is heavily focused on her duties as an apprentice and trying to balance them with her enjoyment of less serious activities.
  ➺ willowroot x poppysplash ↛ sister to bumblepaw, tidepaw, mosspaw, hazepaw, antlerpaw, and buckpaw
  ➺ peaceful and healing powerplay permitted / / underline and tag when attacking ↛ see battle info here
  ➺ penned by vayle ↛ @vayl3 on discord, feel free to dm for plots.

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[BUMBLENOSE]

Bumblepaw had been wandering along the riverbank, her eyes taking in the changes that leaf-bare brought. The once familiar sights now wore a different face, touched by the cold embrace of the season. The river, a place of play and prey, now had a thin layer of ice along its edges. The crunch of frost under her paws echoed in the quiet air. She missed the warmth of greenleaf, the sun on her fur, the splashing in the river's shallow banks. Now it was all smothered beneath an unforgiving cold.

As she walked, her thoughts were interrupted by a familiar scent—her sister, Carawaypaw. Following the trail, Bumblepaw soon found herself near the river's edge. The sight that met her eyes filled her with concern. Carawaypaw, with her dark tabby fur, was attempting to navigate the icy surface, her paws sliding despite the claws digging into the frozen layer. The determined expression dressing the pretty she-cat was enough to cause the ebony feline to hesitate.

Watching to see what one earth Carawaypaw could be getting up to swimming in freezing waters. The moment unfolded in a heartbeat. Bumblepaw watched in horror as the ice gave way, plunging Carawaypaw beneath teh surface. Panic gripped her, but she knew she had to act quickly. With a burst of speed, Bumblepaw rushed to the scene, her heart pounding in her chest. Before she could reach out to her sister, the drenched cat had managed to resurface and scramble to stable ground.

Oh, thank starclan! Anxiously, she aimed to push her pelt into the others chilled one. Bumblepaw's yellow eyes in contrast glittered with concern, leaning down to meet her siblings own green's. Without a word, Bumblepaw offered a supportive nuzzle to their cheek, her worry evident. She knew her sister felt embarrassed, but in that moment, they only cared about Carawaypaw's well-being.

"Are you okay?" Bumblepaw asked softly, a mixture of relief and worry in her own eyes. She stood by her sister's side, ready to offer comfort as Carawaypaw recovered from the ordeal.​