Freefallin' [open]

[Zen]

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[atrb=background,http://i1198.photobucket.com/albums/aa446/jadedog08/kaitable3-2.png] Winter was starting to say its last goodbyes. The air had turned considerably warmer during the last few weeks, bringing a renewal of life to the acres of countryside surrounding the city. Prey was becoming abundant again, grass was turning green, and the sun was starting to make a regular appearance. And the waterfalls were flowing again. Large chunks of leftover ice floated slowly downstream before emptying out into the wide lake. The roar of the falls had been silenced during the winter months, and now it was back and louder than ever, almost deafening to anyone who stood nearby the cascading water. The heavy paws of a huge mixed-breed dog clawed their way up the wet rocks. Her floppy ears were pinned back against the noise and the gust of chilly wind that flattened the fur on her young face. Her eyes gleamed with excitement. A leisurely afternoon stroll around the countryside might be enough to satisfy some dogs, but not Kai. She needed adventure and danger to spice things up, something to get her blood pumping. All she was allowed to do was sit around the Tempest Pack and keep a lookout for encroaching cats, which was about as much fun as watching the grass grow. Sneaking off like this had become a regular thing for her, and so far she hadn’t been caught by any of her fellow packmates. Of course, it was probably only a matter of time until she was, but she would enjoy the fun and freedom while she had it. Reaching the top of one of the smaller waterfalls, Kai peered down to judge the distance to the bottom. It was maybe a good forty or fifty feet, and the murky water below looked deep enough to dive into. There didn’t appear to be sharp rocks or anything like that from what she had seen. The muscles in her shoulders and legs tensed to make the jump, but she hesitated. Heights didn’t scare her, and neither did deep water, so she couldn’t pinpoint why exactly she was holding off on leaping. Instead she relaxed herself and sat down on her haunches, enjoying the feel of the wind that ruffled her thick fur. She’d make the jump soon, just…not yet. She’d... do it when she was ready. ____ OOC: Random open thread because I’m bored! Anyone is welcome to joinn~

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[atrb=background,http://i42.tinypic.com/33ufp07.jpg] Valkyrie had never left home unsupervised before; she’d always remained within the confines of Tempest Pack territory, or, on the one occasion where she’d gone out, she’d had to have another dog supervising her. But on this pleasant day in the early spring, she’d managed to sneak off on her own while her mother had her paws full dealing with her brothers. She was quite pleased with herself, as she felt she had done a reasonably good job of not leaving a terribly obvious scent trail for anyone to follow. So, for once, the little she-wolf was on her own, enjoying the freedom and the scenery that it brought her. She’d travelled for quite some time, walking and running across a huge road that had been littered with bones and smelt of fighting, through the city, across a beautiful meadow where her mother had said she’d given birth (she’d rested there for a while, it was a beautiful place); over a track that was made of steel and was undoubtedly human made, around a marsh, over a river via several large stepping stones, and a long rest - and now up a hill that led to what she had been told was a “waterfall.” Actually, there were several of them, and they fascinated the cub – they were so beautiful, yet, from what she’d been told about them, they could also be deadly. Pushing the unpleasant thought from her mind, she sat down several metres from the edge of one of the falls and enjoyed the feeling of the wind ruffling though her thick, multi-coloured fur. Exhaustion swamped her – she was weaker than most cubs her age, because her mother, Rikki, had only partially recovered from the torture she’d undergone while being imprisoned by the Iris Pride – she’d been starved, and had become pregnant only a few short months after she had been liberated. Valkyrie had been the runt of the litter, somehow, and so she had received even less food than her brothers – which wasn’t near enough. Now that her mother had made a few friends in the pack who were willing to hunt for her and hadn’t shunned her simply because she was the mate – or had been – of the former and now largely despised Tempest leader, Gravity, who’d disappeared some weeks after it had become evident that Rikki was pregnant. The underfed canine knew little of this, but she did know that she was weaker and tired far more easily than her brothers. Once she’d stopped feeling wobbly and her muscles no longer ached, the cub stood up and stretched, yawning widely. Looking around her, she caught a glimpse of a light-coloured shape a short walk away, and the wind blew full into her small face, thrusting upon her the comforting and familiar scent of Tempest. Except that it wasn’t quite so comforting at that moment – she was convinced she’d been followed by someone who’d been sent to bring her home, where she’d no doubt be scolded by her mother and punished harshly – she probably wouldn’t be allowed out of Rikki’s sight for the next ten years! When she had gotten over her shock, Valkyrie noticed that the other dog – or a bitch, rather, from her scent – was facing away from her, down at a waterfall. Cautiously padding towards her pack-mate, she wondered if the other female was considering jumping into the rushing water that thundered along its rocky bed, on its way downhill to the lake. I’d like to do that, just to show everyone that I can, she decided silently, secretly admired the evidently young female’s courage. She’d seen her around, more than a few times – and she suspected that she, too, was out here without the permission or knowledge of her elders. Emboldened by this thought, she trotted closer so that she was beside the huge, older canine, and sat down. She began to chatter almost immediately, her voice slightly higher pitched than it normally was, due to excitement. “Hello, what are you doing? It’s very exciting being up here, isn’t it? Are you allowed to be out here on your own? I’m Valkyrie, by the way!” The little timber – cross –Arctic wolf wagged her tail and smiled widely, looking up into the face of her older pack-mate.

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[Zen]

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[atrb=background,http://i1198.photobucket.com/albums/aa446/jadedog08/kaitable3-2.png] Kai’s hackles stood on end, the incoming scent of a stranger suddenly taking her by surprise. She hadn’t expected to run into any company up here. Her neck was cocked slightly to the side so that she could watch the one approaching her, and she calmed down a little when she realized it was only a kid. A very, very young kid who looked no more than two, maybe three months old at the most. Underneath the scents of the wilderness, the cub had a faint, musky smell of Tempest, and it was only for this reason that Kai permitted the other girl to sit so closely by her. If the little wolf had been a loner or one of the Lexis, she would have objected, but the company of her fellow packmates wasn’t unwelcome. Kai turned her body around counterclockwise so that they were face-to-face and she could scrutinize her. She was so tiny that she could fit in the older dog’s paw, and she also looked a bit skinny and on the weaker side. A runt, probably. Kai knew automatically which litter she must have come from, since there had been no other wolves born recently but the ones belonging to the ex-Warden. It was pretty much the consensus of the pack that Gravity had been a loathsome, good-for-nothing scoundrel and a pathetic coward, but he had been before Kai’s time and she really held no opinion on him herself. She did vaguely remember seeing him limping around the packlands after the last battle with Iris, and she also remembered thinking he looked a little crazy, but he seemed like a decent guy nonetheless. The female he had taken for a mate was supposedly the one who truly was insane. She couldn’t help but wonder how their pups would turn out in the future. If anything, the four of them would provide some entertaining company, and she couldn’t help but give the one standing next to her a friendly crooked smile. The pup began rambling a bit, and Kai turned her gaze back to the cascading waters. She knew another youngster named Victoria who talked nonstop like that too, but the difference with Vic was that she was mature for her age, not out of control and annoying like most puppies were. Kai had very little patience for those types of kids. She couldn’t yet tell which type this one would turn out to be. “Just wandering around, exploring, checking out some new places,” she answered the first question with a mild shrug. “Anything’s better than being back home doing nothing.” The large mixed-breed stood and stretched out her forelegs, studying the wolf with some amusement. “Not afraid of heights, I guess?” She jerked her head towards the edge of the falls, raising an eyebrow playfully. “It’s a pretty long fall to the bottom, y'know.” The breeze brought a nice mist of water to her face. Maybe she would jump just to try and impress the girl. “I’m Kai. I’m in training to be a soldier. Not really much else to say about me.” Her eyes flickered back to the pup. Valkyrie. An unusual name for a most likely unusual canine. Then, suddenly, Kai’s face took on a look of horror as she realized she stood a good chance of getting in trouble for this. “You’re not thinking of telling anyone I’m out here, are you? ‘Cause if you are…” She trailed off ominously, fixing Valkyrie in an intense stare. Honestly, though, Kai didn’t exactly know what she would do if the kid actually ratted her out. After all, it wasn’t like she was going to beat up a helpless puppy. But Valkyrie didn’t know this yet, and Kai hoped she would be intimidated enough to know that running back to the adults wouldn’t be a very good idea.

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[atrb=background,http://i42.tinypic.com/33ufp07.jpg] Valkyrie blinked but remained where she was as the huge female turned to face her, their noses inches away from one another. She saw recognition spark in her pack-mate's eyes, and hope that she wasn't about to be teased for being the traitor Gravity's cub. More of the adults recognised her as his daughter than the ones that recognised her as her mother's, possibly because they had the same pelt colours, the same basic appearance. When she didn't speak straight away, the cub breathed an inward sigh of relief and examined the face that was looking down at her. This female was a bit of a troublemaker in the pack, she knew, even though she didn't really look like a youngster. Hopefully, then, they would get along - the cub didn't like being looked down on by anyone, and there was a good chance that she could be seen by the other female as a goody-goody if she wasn't careful. But since she wasn't a goody-goody by any means, she doubted that it was likely. The timber - cross - arctic wolf relaxed a little as the other female gave her a crooked smile, and returned it, her tail still wagging. After a moment, her questions were answered, and she bobbed her head in agreement to the other canine's statement. It could get very boring at home, seeing as Rikki rarely let her cubs wander around without someone to keep an eye on them, and never let them go out on their own outside Tempest territory, although Orion had done so recently and had been punished by having to spend the next few days within sight of his mother. Valkyrie had promised herself that she would have her own adventure, and not be caught if she could help it. If Orion could get out wihout being seen, then she should be able to do that and more. They were both the weakest of their litter, Orion because of his physical disablilty, and she because she was the runt and consequently undersized and without much stamina. "Oh no, I'm not afraid of heights," she barked proudly. And it was quite true, too. She had stood at the edge of the Tooth Cliffs several times without being afraid, despite the knowledge that she could die if she fell. "Really?" She leaned forward, the spray hitting her into face as she looked downward. The bitch was right - it was a very long way down, and she wouldn't want to fall into it. Backing away from the edge a little to sit in her original position, she found that staring into the waterfall's depths had made her a little chatty - anyone who might consider jumping into a waterfall as the older canine was obviously doing was not somebody to be taken lightly. Nodding when she was given her companion's name, she exclaimed, "Well, you're big enough to be a Soldier. I want to be one when I'm older, and then General if I can." The scrawny wolf cub knew from experience that she was most likely to be laughed at for this statement, but she told herself every time it happened that she didn't care. Nevertheless, she stared at Kai with a trace of admiration on her small face. Processing what she had just been told, Valkyrie realised suddenly that if her adventure was to be spoiled by anyone, it could well be the female in front of her, especially if she was becoming more responsible. Kai obviously was on the same wavelength as she spoke threateningly. Narrowing her eyes, and rising to her paws, the cub spoke boldly. She wasn't one to be threatened or blackmailed by anyone. "What would you do if I did? But don't worry, Kai, I won't tell anyone if you don't." Indeed, it came to her as she stood there that if one of them told, then that one would be found out as well. It would be inevitable, really.

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[Zen]

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[atrb=background,http://i1198.photobucket.com/albums/aa446/jadedog08/kaitable3-2.png] Kai’s little smile turned into a wide grin that showed off all the rows of her teeth. The pup seemed pretty confident that the waterfall’s steep drop didn’t bother her in the slightest, and Kai did believe her. Maybe this girl knew how to have fun after all. She calmed down when Valkyrie agreed not to alert the elders of her wandering off. Safe for another day. “That’s good to hear,” she spoke nonchalantly, reaching a paw up to brush some stray droplets of water from her ear. “There were a few other pups your age who wanted to tell on me. Let’s just say it didn’t end well for them.” That was a total lie, of course, and the joking lilt in her voice would probably let Valkyrie realize that too. As much as Kai liked to come across as seeming tough and fierce, she preferred having friends over enemies. She hoped Valkyrie would get that she wasn’t some kind of bully who got her kicks from pushing around and taking advantage of youngsters. All she really wanted was to do her own thing without constantly being worried about getting in trouble for it. “By the way, you won’t have a chance in hell of becoming General as long as Brooke’s in power.” It wasn’t her intention to sound rude, just honest. Kai felt a twinge of guilt at crushing her hopes like this, but she figured it was better that Valkyrie learn this now instead of later. “From what I’ve heard, she and your old man were never really the best of pals. By that I mean they pretty much hated one another’s guts.” She couldn’t really elaborate on that, since she had no idea where Gravity and Brooke’s disdain for one another even stemmed from. An older member of the pack would be able to tell Valkyrie more. “But then again… maybe you do still have a chance. She’s become such a witch lately that I’m sure no one in the pack respects her as much as they used to. In a few years you’ll be bigger and stronger than her, and she’ll be old and weak.” She glanced down at the puppy, giving the younger female a you know what happens then look. Valkyrie was a wolf while Brooke’s breed was of the domestic housepet variety. It didn’t take a genius to figure out who would have the advantage in a one-on-one fight. Even Kai would probably have had no trouble taking her down in a fair battle, young and inexperienced as she was in the ways of combat. “Not that I’m implying you should overthrow our queen or anything,” she added with a cough, a sarcastic smirk tugging at the corner of her muzzle. But what did it matter if she was? Kai was loyal to Tempest; that didn’t necessarily mean she had to be loyal to Brooke. It was her instinct to follow the dog who was strongest and most fit to be leader.

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[atrb=background,http://i42.tinypic.com/33ufp07.jpg] Valkyrie relaxed more noticeably than before as Kai's smile widened, her own smile becoming less hesitant. For a moment after the other female spoke, she stared hard at her, before realising that she was joking; while her words had been threatening, the tone in which she had said them was not. Giving a snort and a yelp-like chuckle, she let her teeth show and thumped her bushy tail on the ground several times in a wagging motion. The timber - Arctic wolf cross tilted her head to one side as the big mixed-breed spoke again, this time replying to her outburst about wanting to be General. It was true, she knew: there were still plenty of canines who speculated about whether Brooke would throw Gravity's children out of the pack as soon as they were old enough to fend for themselves. To prevent such rumours from worrying and puzzling the cubs, Ralph, a kindly, middle –aged Newfoundland who was almost like a father to Rikki and Gravity’s litter, had helped Rikki to tell her children about Gravity’s life, and that Brooke had replaced him as leader and almost tried to kill him when he had first returned. The little female also knew about how both her parents had suffered at the paws of the Iris Pride, and how after he had been freed, Gravity had not been the same as before, many believing him mad. Valkyrie didn’t completely understand it all, but she was mature enough to connect the dots and see that the Mistress of the Tempest and her former leader had become less than friends – to put it mildly – because Gravity had “abandoned” the pack. Fixing her eyes on the form in front of her, the cub nodded her agreement with her pack-mate’s words, several times – more vigorously the second time – she knew what Kai was implying. Their leader wasn’t immortal; she had to get old sometime. “That’s what I thought, too. But then there’s the General, Hueso, but then he is at least as old as Brooke, isn’t he?” “Of course not,” the crossbred wolf cub agreed instantly, not sure if she detected sarcasm – though she didn’t know that was what it was called – in the other bitch’s tone of voice. Deciding they’d talked about her long enough, she changed the subject so that they were talking about Kai, not her. “So do you have anything you want to do or be other than become a Soldier? Fall in love maybe? Do something. . . Great?” She scrunched her nose up slightly. One didn’t have the biggest vocabulary in the world when one was a cub.

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[Zen]

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[atrb=background,http://i1198.photobucket.com/albums/aa446/jadedog08/kaitable3-2.png] She hummed in agreement that the presence of the current General could also present a slight problem. “Hueso, right. Forgot about that guy. Well, he’s just one dog, and yeah, soon he’ll be an old geezer too. I wouldn’t worry that much about him.” It was fortunate she had come across Valkyrie out here in the wilds instead of back home, where eyes and ears were everywhere and anyone walking by could overhear their treasonous conversation. She made a mental note that if she and the pup ever had to be in cahoots like this again, the waterfall made a good place to talk in secret. The young mixed-breed shrugged casually and opened her mouth, looking over at Valkyrie in mid-yawn as she asked about her plans for the future. Kai made a noise of disgust and wrinkled her nose at the notion of herself falling in love with another dog. That was actually the very last thing she wanted in her life right now. A male to treat her like a queen and tend to her every whim didn’t actually sound that bad, but she couldn’t possibly imagine gushing over someone else, getting all weak-kneed when they touched her, exchanging petty compliments, having stupid pet names for each other, and all that other romantic stupidity. It was too bad she couldn’t get herself a man but without all the emotional attachments that came along with having a relationship. “Pssh, love? Who needs that mushy crap. Being a soldier is pretty much my life, and I don’t really want anything else. I wanna help lead the Tempest armies into battle, to watch those pathetic cats cower in fear when they see how mighty we are. I wanna watch the other packs burn and be there when Tempest claims the city for itself. I want to taste some feline blood on my lips, get a few nice battle scars and come home where they’ll shower me with glory.” Kai closed her eyes and smiled to herself, lost in a daydream. She imagined herself standing proud among the ruins of war, victory howls sounding out around her and younger soldiers looking up at her with wonder in their eyes, idolizing her. But then for a split second she also saw herself standing there with her fur covered in blood – that of herself, the cats, and her fellow warriors – along with the bodies of her slain comrades strewn all across the ground. Howls of victory became cries of mourning. A shudder ran down her spine and she hesitated before adding quickly, “Well, okay, maybe fighting isn’t really everything. I mean, I definitely still want to go out and have fun like this. Speaking of which, you said you weren’t afraid of heights…how ‘bout proving it?” Kai brushed off her overactive imagination and took a few tentative steps toward the edge of the promontory that overlooked the waterfall. The idea of taking the leap of faith still unnerved her, but she figured if a little puppy could do it, then it would be a cinch for a soldier-in-training. Her mischievous brown eyes drifted toward Valkyrie, her long, fluffy tail giving a quick wag that meant she was ready for some excitement. Hopefully the pup wouldn’t chicken out.

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[atrb=background,http://i42.tinypic.com/33ufp07.jpg] Valkyrie nodded as Kai spoke of Heuso. To her, a young cub, this wasn't treason, but planning her possible future. It was being realistic. She liked Heuso, or what she'd seen of the aging General so far. His second litter of puppies were several months older than Valkyrie and her brothers, but she had not played with them much before. She’d heard that he was a perfect match for Brooke in many ways, one of them being that both had a sadistic nature, at least when it came to felines. Rikki had told her children that while the Iris Pride was Tempest’s enemy and the enemy of all canines, she did not believe that every cat, very feline in the world was evil and should be destroyed. She had told them about the two felines she’d met who were living (hopefully) truth of the fact – a bad-turned-good snow leopard named Jinxerbee who had stopped her from going completely mad during her long period as a prisoner of the Iris Pride. He had talked to her, comforted her, told her all that was happening in the outside world and had encouraged her not to give up hope – that one day she would be free. The second had been a kind cat who went by the name of Althea, who had barged boldly into Iris territory and demanded to be allowed to treat the prisoners. She had treated Rikki’s wounds, and by conversing with her in a civil manner had also managed to help keep her spirits up. Shaking herself as if to clear her head of all the confusing thoughts involving things and issues which she did not understand, the scrawny cub watched as her large companion became the very picture of disgust at the mention of falling in love. Her eyes widened as the older female spoke. After Rikki had told the little she-wolf and her siblings about Gravity a month ago, she had continually wondered what it would be like to fall in love, to care for someone so much without being related to them by blood first. But then, of course, there was the fact that Gravity had disappeared, and even though the white wolf loved her cubs dearly, they could all see that she would not be what she had been before they were born and when Gravity was around, truly happy and with freedom of mind and soul, unless the timber wolf returned. Valkyrie wondered if Kai had ever fallen in love before and had learned that love was a waste of time that way, or whether it was something she had just decided was unnecessary. Either way, it sounded as though she truly just wanted to be a great Tempest soldier. It sounded just like the runt’s own dream, except that in hers, she was protecting the innocent and pure-hearted cats in the process, causing everyone in Tempest to see that not all felines were evil, and that, as their leader, they would see that she was right. Apart from that, the hopes and dreams of the two young females were near identical. When the mutt tempered her desire to fight by saying that fighting wasn’t everything, the timber – arctic wolf cross tried to hide her amazement and admiration. Kai certainly wasn’t a cold blooded killer, and Valkyrie hoped that the two of them could become good friends, despite their age difference. She, too, wanted to have fun while she could, without responsibilities (such as hunting for herself) hampering her. The little female was broken from her reverie by Kai’s voice – the other female was challenging her to prove she wasn’t afraid of heights. . . Meaning she wanted the wolf cub to jump into the waterfall. Following her packmate to the waterfall’s edge, she gazed down into its depths, heard its roaring as the water tumbled downward, over rocks that jutted out, causing spray to be flung in every direction. It was both magnificent and terrible, and Valkyrie caught her breath as she took it all in. “I’ll do it if you jump in at the same time as me,” she replied, lifting her head to gaze at the bitch she now almost considered a friend, her heartbeats quickening, betraying to herself the mixture of excitement and fear that she felt at that moment. “On the count of three?” Glancing down at her paws, she crouched, ready to spring. “One, two, . . . Three!”

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[Zen]

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[atrb=background,http://i1198.photobucket.com/albums/aa446/jadedog08/kaitable3-2.png] Good, Kai thought with a smile. Valkyrie was no coward. The older dog wouldn’t have blamed the pup for turning chicken at the last moment, but the fact that she was so brave in the face of something this obviously scary meant she had the makings of a fine leader indeed. And a good friend, as well. Kai had always wanted someone she could go off and do crazy stuff like this with. She bobbed her head, her eyes blazing with determination as she braced herself for the challenge. “Let’s do this.” Valkyrie began the count and Kai backed up a little to give herself more room to make the leap. “Go!” she finished, then took off at a running start toward the edge of the overhang, diving headfirst into the deep pool of roaring water below. The feeling of freefall made her stomach jump into her throat. The wind rushing through her ears and the sensation of weightlessness was exhilarating, but soon her heavy frame began to roll out of control in mid-air. Unlike a cat, she had no power over which way her body moved while falling, and she couldn’t twist herself around to make the landing any easier. She ended up dropping into the pool while flat on her back. The impact of her body meeting the water was a bit more painful than she had expected, and it took her several moments of floundering amongst the rapids before she resurfaced, sputtering and gasping for breath. Kai dogpaddled her way over to the bank of the stream and collapsed on to the grass. She was soaked to the core and her thick fur clung closely to her bones, weighing her down. She was too shellshocked from the experience to shake the water off just yet, though, and instead lifted her head back towards the falls, looking for the muddled brown body of the tiny wolf cub somewhere among the white rapids. When she couldn’t see Valkyrie right away, a pang of terror pierced her heart. She waited anxiously for the female’s little head to pop up out of the water and let her know she was alright.

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[atrb=background,http://i42.tinypic.com/33ufp07.jpg] Valkyrie launched herself off the edge of the waterfall, her mouth dry with fear. Her heart felt as if it would burst, her stomach as if it was doing somersaults. Her bushy tail streamed behind her, her fur doing its best to follow; for a moment she felt as if she was flying, he air rushing past her ears, adrenaline powering through her. Staring straight into the almost vertical waterfall, the cub landed headfirst, the impact of her body hitting the water almost knocking her unconcious. It felt as if she had shattered a sheet of glass as she was plunged into the waterfall's icy depths and hurled downwards. It was quiet, beneath the water's surface, the sound of the waterfall distant to her waterlogged ear. The little wolf was soaked to the skin within moments, and she shivered as she attempted to claw her way to the surface. Air was forcing itself from her mouth in huge bubbles and her head felt as though it would split apart; her lungs told her she needed air, and that if she didn't get it soon, she would die. As blackness, falling like snow, began to cloud her vision, she pushed out blindly. Am I going to die? She wondered wearily as her body began to sink downward once more, all stregth drained from her body. In a final burst of desperate, grimly determined strength, Valkyrie pushed with all her might, breaking through the water with a splash. She choked and spluttered, her paws flailing as she did her best to stay afloat; she did not with to go underwater again. Coughing out a lungful of water, she greedily sucked in oxygen, her tiny chest heaving. It tasted almost sweet; the ritual of breathing felt almost strange to her, though she'd never been more thankful for it than she was now. Letting the water carry her along, she steered herself around a protruding rock with her forepaws. Her whole body ached with exhaustion, her thick pelt dragging her down and causing her paws to feel as heavy as leaden weights. The timber- arctic wolf cross was thrown half into the air as the current dragged her down a steep slope, and it was all she could to do keep her head out of the water as she smashed back into it. Looking around wearily, she saw that the waterfall had turned into a stream. Knowing that she should get to dry land as soon as possible, she looked around, seeing the bank either side of her. Where was Kai? Was the huge female alright? Spotting a patch of mostly-white fur on one bank several hundred metres away from her, she attempted to make her way toward the side, paddling with her small forepaws. She was too tired to call out, and after a minute of trying she felt as if she was getting nowhere. The water was all around her, the bank no closer, and Valkyrie felt just about ready to give up. She'd used ip energy she didn't even know she'd had, but she was the runt of her litter, scrawny, undersized and with less stamina than her siblings. Lifting her wet head she felt as though she was lifting a boulder. Gazing into Kai's brown eyes as she was borne towards her friend by the water, she paddled doggedly towards her. She felt her strength leave her as she began to sink down, the water embracing her as she fought to stay afloat, her eyes wide with fear and utter exhaustion. OOC;; Sorry for taking so long and for this being such a bad post! D8

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