Ice Skating [Open, Death Topic]

Leafbare was in full force among the territories. And that meant that the river was frozen over.

For most, this was not good news. It meant the Clan was cut off from their main source of prey:fish. But Bumblepaw was determined to turn this into an opportunity. Hence why he now stood, staring out at the ice, a mischievous grin upon his face.

"Bet I can slide out farther than you!" He called to his companion, another apprentice, before racing out. He didn't get too far, though. No cat would have had time to stop him before the ice broke, and he plummeted in.

The moment he touched the water, the shock of the cold drew the air from his lungs. Instinctively, he went to surface, but the water had pushed him to thicker ice. He was trapped. And he did as any trapped animal would do when they were in danger.

He panicked.

He tried beating on the ice, trying to will it to break. But it was thick in this part. It wouldn't move. He tried to call for help, but the icy water filled his already burning lungs.

Perhaps the cold was merciful in this case. He lost strength a lot quicker than if the water was warm. And that meant it was over quicker too.

By the time he had reached a break in the ice, further downriver, there was no life left to save.

Tinypaw, as the youngest of the group, was walking near her mentor when she heard the scream. The name of a fellow apprentice came out of what seemed to be Petalpaw's voice. She didn't know either of the other two apprentices, but they were her clanmates nonetheless. The black she-cat met Perchfall's eyes for a second, as she was asking her to run to the origin of the apprentice's cries. After all, Bumblepaw was under the deputy's mentorship, just like her.

Despite her small size, she tried her best to run swiftly to the river, but the scene that welcomed left her paralyzed at the shore. Petalpaw was on top of the frozen river and cracks were starting to appear around. Why did she put herself in such danger? Where was Bumpblepaw? "P-Petalpaw! You have to come back!" She shouted desperately.

What else she could do? There was no way she would be able to carry her back with such a fragile body. But maybe... the ice could support her weight better than Petalpaw's. Despite her fears, Tinypaw took a hesitant step closer to the river, still wondering whether this was the right choice to make. However, before she could even make up her mind, the sight of the Bumblepaw's still body floating above the surface left her in shock. Why is he in the water...? Why is he... not moving?