The day that I die

As her head breached the river's surface again, she thought she heard something, someone calling out to her. Was she imagining it? She wanted desperately to find out if she'd truly heard someone, to go to them, but her eyes could see nothing beyond the furious rapids, and she could focus on nothing but gasping for air. For a heartbeat she felt her paws skim the sandy river floor, and her claws extended, only to be swept away before gaining any purchase. Yet another heartbeat later, she felt a sharp, piercing pain in her scruff. She felt her body being dragged, not by water this time, but by another living being - her rescuer. She felt a surge of hope and renewed strength. She paddled in an effort to make it easier for whoever had a hold of her to get her out of the water.

Her claws touched sand, and this time she clung hard. As her body escaped the clutches of the river, she felt the exhaustion in her limbs and dropped, finding herself dragged further from the water's edge. Sprawled out on her side, she coughed and sputtered and took in great gulps of air, her lungs and throat burning. She tried to quiet herself as she heard a voice asking if she was okay. At last she peeled open her eyes and looked up at her savior, silver eyes meeting with ruby red - there was a glimmer of concern in the man's eyes as he loomed over her. A stranger - a man. And she was in heat. Another wave washed over her, but it wasn't the river that caused her distress this time. Anxiety flooded her, clawing at her belly.

She tried to push it down as she slowly sat herself up onto one elbow, squinting with the effort as she did so. This man had saved her - he was worried, he wanted to know if she was alright. Not every stranger was bad. Being in Fiori had proven that to her. She forced herself to glance up at him again. "I will live... " she murmured in a hoarse voice, losing herself to a bout of coughing before she could say anything more; at last she caught her breath, "Thank you, sir. You... saved my life. H-how did you find me?" Wait, why had she asked that? Surely she'd left a scent trail. He must have caught wind of it and followed her - and for how many reasons did a lone male follow the scent trail of a woman in heat? Anxiety clawed at her throat. There wasn't any other possibility, right? She blinked, trying to clear her mind, but it was futile. She had to believe in the good that existed in others, but experience urged her to stay alert, cautious and very, very afraid.