Flash Flood!

Part of Isa's daily personal duties was sifting through meat and produce to make sure that nothing would go to waste. She'd taken to turning the at risk food into thick, hearty stews. The pack seemed to like her cooking, and it was her pleasure and honor to feed them. Little made the woman happier than stuffing the faces of those that she cared for. Isa was within the food stores when the flood began.

Digging through a stack of root vegetables, the blue fae heard the muffled voice of Sirius yelling. She was wayyyy back in there as the stores were underground in the coldest parts of the cavern system. That put her deeper than the rest of the dens in the warren. And so, when the water began pouring in... Isa knew that she was in trouble.

Isa wasn't the biggest wolf by any means but she was strong for her size, thanks to the training with Sirius. She waded up through the tunnels as quickly as she could, trying not to panic as the water levels continued to rise. It was paw depth, then it was up to her chest in an instant. By the time she exited the lower tunnels, only her head was poking above the churning water. As it edged up her cheeks, then she began to panic a bit.

The waterlogged tunnels were dark, all lanterns and fires having been extinguished. Isa bumped into stone walls and felt as though she was swimming in circles. Within her chest, the woman's heart thudded. It hammered. It threatened the break through her ribs just as she wished she could break through these stone walls. She was swimming now, paws cutting through the turbulent waters. She considered calling out for Sirius, but there were others that he could save. Calling for him would make her feel selfish. She could do this on her own.

How many other wolves were trapped in the waterfilled tunnels? How many others were now swimming and scrambling for their lives? The thought kept Isa going. It kept her swimming. She was close to the ceiling now, her blue form gliding through the murky water. Up ahead, through the rippling, rushing riptide, icy eyes caught a flash of light. The mouth of the cave? Good timing too. Isa's ears were flat against the roof of the tunnel and she had to fight to breathe through the sloshing water.

Then suddenly she was submerged. There was no air left, the tunnel completely filled. With her eyes open underwater, Isa fought to make her way towards the sliver of light that wavered beneath the water. It was difficult to traverse the current and she could feel it trying to suck her backwards into the dark depths of the caverns. Isa's muscles burned and her strength was waning. The woman's lungs were on fire and everything within her tried to convince the fae to take a deep breath. Eventually, she couldn't fight that urge.

As soon as she hit the mouth of the cave that led into the Col, Isa's body forced her to take a breath. Water filled her lungs and the cobalt woman thrashed in the current that pulled her quickly down the chute between the two slices of mountain. She couldn't make it to the surface with the little energy left. Dark spots began to fill Isa's vision and soon unconsciousness took her.

The current pushed the seemingly dead body, moving her at its will. Not long after Isa lost consciousness, the gods smiled upon her and the current deposited her on an outcropping of rock. Isa lay there, lifeless, dying, lungs full of water. Rather than wonder if this was the end, she sent a prayer to the gods, asking that everyone else make it to safety in exchange for her own life.

"Speech"