as the water pulls gently (OPEN)

[attr="class","fallowlyrics"]CRAWLING BACK TO YOU

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Minnowleap was curled in a patch of sunlight near the warriors den. A group of apprentices stood at the entrance of camp, shifting from paw to paw, as if they were waiting for someone to take pity on them. Since the deaths began, not even the boldest apprentice seemed willing to venture out without an escort. The patched she-cat didn’t blame them. They were young, inexperienced, and their imagination was running wild. Perhaps all they could see was their bodies strewn up on one of the shores; bodies bloated, eyes crawling with maggots, fragmented bones peeking out of their once beautiful pelts. No, Minnowleap didn’t blame them at all. It was probably safer and wiser for them to simply wait for one of their mentors to take them all out. The fresh-kill pile needs it, she thought, glancing over at the dwindling pile.

She rose from her spot and, disregarding the apprentices’ eager stares, walked out of camp. The sky was cloudless like it was a reflection of the lake. It reminded her of a story her grandfather told her; something about a colorless sky and the birth of water. The details were fuzzy; she had heard it when she was still a kitten. Minnowleap shook her head as if that action alone could dislodge the memory. She wished her mind could be placid like that of a still pond. Her paw steps quickened, skirting pass the coiled ferns and limp hanging wildflowers that dotted the terrain. She leaped over a fallen oak, avoiding the splintered wood that stuck out like quills. Minnowleap ran; the trees and foliage becoming a blur of green and brown. Her heart beat heavily against her chest; she could hear it thrum against her ears, and then there was nothing. No lingering scents of her deceased family, no unbidden memories, just static. If she could, the she-cat would run forever, just as the sun and moon across the sky.

However, a cat running forever could not be and the she-cat eventually came to a halt. She could hear the stream and the rapids ahead, despite her panting. Birdsong filled the spaces between. All she wanted was to curl up beneath the canopy and let herself melt into the earth but something kept her from it. A familiar scent reached her nose but it was tainted. Minnowleap crept forward, afraid of what may lay ahead of her. She pushed past the reeds in time to see a black blur slip into the current. The she-cat didn’t think, she shot into the water. The current pulled at her paws, like tendrils. “Stop thrashing!” She yowled but it seemed to fall on deaf ears. Her legs were burning, muscles stretched so taut she wondered if they would snap, and they’d both fall to the bottom.

She managed to grab ahold of the black feline. Whoever it was, she was happy that it was a tinier feline, most likely an apprentice. As it struggled to keep its head above water, she felt herself going under. Minnowleap let go of it, her paw landing a blow on the feline’s face, hoping to stun whomever it was. At the rate it was panicking, she knew she might as well lose her life as well. Once again she reached for the feline, grabbing onto its scruff before pulling it to the bank. Her paws sunk into the mud, chips of rock biting into her soft pads. The she-cat didn’t stop until the black apprentice was safely on the shore before she collapsed beside it. She heaved, water pushing its way up her throat. Stupid apprentice, not knowing how to swim…stupid, stupid, stupid.

[attr="class","fallownotes"]610 words for @syn2. notes. /cue superman music