Swept Ashore [C]

Gender: Female
Rank: Apprentice

It had been a long time since Silentpaw remembered her belly feeling full. The air was cool and crisp with a sharp bite to it that made the white she-cat shrink into herself. She couldn't imagine being a fish or one of those creatures with no fur - how would they survive if it got colder? Well, the fish and other small animals were clearly suffering as a result of the weather. What else could have caused everything to vanish seemingly overnight? Of course, there was also the issue with the river.

Silentpaw hadn't exactly figured out what was going on yet, but she knew that there was something wrong with the water. It was dark and murkier than usual with an odd, almost sour smell to it that she'd never come across before. It wasn't just her that noticed it either, her entire clan seemed on edge because of the bad water. The water around the camp was particularly bad, but it seemed to have spread even out here. Silentpaw had hoped to find some fresh water to drink, but she wasn't going to risk it.

It may be better than the river around the camp, but not by very much - it still stank. Thankfully, the water here was somewhat clear - clear enough for Silentpaw to spy a small fish swimming down the current, towards her. The apprentice's nose wrinkled. How could it stand to live in such filthy water? It had to be having a hard go of it. The poor thing had to live in messed up water...she couldn't imagine the air being sour and dirty enough to be foggy and black.

Regardless of the state of its home, she just had to try to catch it! Because of the state of the rivers throughout most of their territory, the clan had been going hungry. Even this skinny little fish would be better than nothing! Silentpaw hunkered down beside the river, her tail twitching. She was by no means a good fisher, but it never hurt to try. Blue eyes widened as the fish swam within a tail-length of the bank and
Silentpaw lashed out at the fish with unsheathed claws.

Her claws slide under the fish's scales, meeting the soft inner flesh beneath. She barely managed to withhold a purr of delight when the ground began to shift beneath her. Dirt and sand crumbled from under the she-cat's paws, sending her tumbling headfirst into the poisoned river. A better fisher would have held onto their quarry, but not Silentpaw. The instant she hit the water, the fish was gone, leaving a trail of blood in its wake - it probably wouldn't survive the day.

Silentpaw, however, had other things to worry about. The current grabbed at her fur, pushing her further under and Silentpaw kicked out helplessly at the rushing water. She had never been a particularly strong swimmer so after a few moments passed, fear gave way to panic and Silentpaw opened her jaws, instinctively trying to draw in some air. Instead of oxygen, bitter water filled her mouth and lungs. Chest tight from a lack of air and sheer terror, Silentpaw kicked out with her hind legs, hoping to find anything that would help her gain her bearings.

Finally, she found the bottom of the river. With her eyes squeezed shut, Silentpaw kicked off, just barely managing to push herself to the surface. Eyes still tightly closed, the young she-cat paddled toward the bank and dragged herself up, hacking up water and dispelling the meager breakfast she'd had that morning. Finally, once her lungs were clear, Silentpaw heaved a massive breath and looked around blearily. What? Where was she?

After a few more breaths, she swung her head around and noticed that she had drifted pretty far from where she'd been. Oh and, even better, she was on the wrong side of the river! Gasping, Silentpaw forced herself to her paws and tried to get a sense of her surroundings. She was...in one of the other clan's territories. The one that smelled like mice and had abnormally large apprentices. Oh...oh this was bad! She had to leave, but how! She didn't want to risk swimming in the river again...

Gender: Female
Rank: Apprentice

Silentpaw glared down at the river from her place on the elevated bank, her tail lashing as though it had personally offended her. It might as well have, though! Her coat, usually pristine and white, was sopping wet and flecked with nasty bits of river gunk! The smell - oh the smell alone was enough to make her pink nose crinkle! Not only was she disgusting now, but she hadn't even caught the fish! Today was just going swimmingly, wasn't it? What now? Would a rival patrol stumble across her and rip her to bits? Well, she wouldn't be surprised.

She would just have to get out of there before that became a problem then, wouldn't she? Of course, that wouldn't exactly be easy considering the massive, icky river in the way. The closest crossing would be the stepping stones by Sunningrocks, but that would be quite the walk. She'd been carried preeettyyy far from where she'd been before. Regardless, it had to be done! There was no other way that didn't involve nasty river slime and more stinky water in her mouth.

Well, it was decided then. She would just have to hope that the other group of cats didn't happen along her until she was well and truly gone. So, with a determined nod of her head, Silentpaw spun away from the river, her pale blue eyes bright with the excitement of adventure. After all, it wasn't every day that she got to explore! Plus, the thrill of not knowing what would happen next was always fun! That is, until her gaze landed on the hostile, bristling apprentice a few tail-lengths away.

Jaws dropping open with surprise, Silentpaw drew her feathery tail close to her body, ears angled back with apprehension. This wasn't good. With an appeasing smile, the white she-cat ducked her head, keeping her fur flat so as not to further anger the other she-cat. It was bad enough that she'd been caught red-pawed on her territory, it wouldn't do any good to bare her fangs now. Especially when, in all honestly, she was a rather horrid hunter and fighter.