Flash Flood!

The weather had been harsh when the dusty lavender girl had finally gone to bed but it was nothing out the realm of normal for the Armada. Rain has been pounding the lands for the past couple days, drumming rhythmically against the ground, leaving huge puddles everywhere, and causing the ground to become a muddy mess. But those of no concern to Andy at this moment because she is safely in her den, warm and comfortable as she slumbers peacefully. Outside, dawn draws closer and closer, bringing with it, untold dangers. Of course, she has no clue of the danger that is coming or the life and death struggles that many will be facing in the pre-dawn hours, so the girl continues to sleep.

But all that changes as the fuzzy warmth that her dreams offer is quickly stripped rudely away by her father’s booming voice. It rings through the Col, awakening the girl who had been not that far away. Andy is half-way across the floor to the opening that leads out into the Col when she properly awakens and it isn’t until she almost down the stairs that the weight of what her father had yelled sinks in. By then, it is too late, the distant roar that she had been unable to identify has grown in volume and the course of fate is bearing down on them all. The ice that lives up on the mountains around them has broken free, causing a cascade of snow, ice, and water to come rushing down toward the Warrens.

Paws spew up mud as she races across the Col in the direction of the training den in a desperate attempt to find safety. The rain has already soaked through her denser double coat and obscures the land around her. Thankfully, she knows the way without needing to see it. Lightning flashes above them, illuminating the world for moment and causing a flash of color to catch her attention. As the thunder cracks, booming loudly and feeling her chest with the sound, Andy turns her head to spy two pups playing in the puddles. Eyes round in fear and the girl immediately abandons all hopes of beating the water to safety in favor of trying to save the pups.

The roar that has been growing is no longer distance but now deafening and close as Andy’s places it to her back. Her heart leaps up into her throat as paws pound through the mud, mouth opening to shout a warning at the playing forms. That is when it hits her, the wall of freezing water devouring her purple form without mercy. She had not expected it to be so cold but, given the fact that was born from ice and snow, the girl should have realized what would happen. As the icy fingers wrap around her frame and her mouth hangs open in preparation to yell, the sudden chill that invades her senses causes an involuntary reaction.

Legs are swept out from under her as her body instinctively draws in a breath but, with no air around her, all Andy can draw deep into her lungs is the filthy water. Mouth slams shut as her brain registers the difference quickly but the damage has already been done. She cartwheels through the murky waters as her lungs demand that she coughs out the offending debris in them and fill them with pure air. The world spins as she fights against her body as in an effort to waylay the demand to expel and inhale.

The current is strong and it sweeps her forward, pushing, pulling her toward some unknown destination. Andy fights it, legs lashing out as she tries to figure out which way is up and what is down so that she can actually swim. Each second feels like hours to her burning lungs and the girl knows that the moment is coming soon when she will no longer be able to suppress her body’s instinct to draw air. Just when she thinks that the end is upon her, the girl’s head breaks the surface and with a forceful cough, she expels some of the liquid before quickly drawing in air.

The fresh air makes her lungs spasm and a series of jagged, powerful coughs rack her body. More water is brought up and the girl continues to suck in air, greedily. Rain continues to pound her, causing the murky water jump up toward her face and splash into her eyes. She blinks rapidly, spinning wildly in place in search of the reason that she had been out here while the coughs continue on. The water pushes her further and further out of the Col as she continues to try to tread water in search for the pups.

But it is difficult to see, difficult to think with everything that is happening. Andy no longer feels the cold, her body having grown numb to its gnawing bite. The water has become its own monster, pushing, pulling, trying to overwhelm her and draw the girl underneath its surface. Andy realizes that her strength is quickly waning and, while she no longer feels the icy cold water, its freezing touch continues to sap her strength. That and the coughing that does not seem to want to stop, are forcing her body to use up too much of her precious energy reserves.

The pups are nowhere to be seen and the girl is being shoved out of the Col with speed. Flashes of color enter and exit the flood with dizzying speed as Andy’s mind begins to slow. Lightning flashes, a bright snapshot of the chaos that is unfolding around her before plummeting the world back into darkness. Voices rise and fall, shouts of alarm and calls for help ringing through the air. Above them all, thunder cracks the air with its anger, chastising the pack for growing to lax in misplaced beliefs of safety. Below the chaos, far from the warmth and safety of her den, the girl does her best to stay above the water line. She tries ride out the current as the coughing finally begins to subside and takes with it, the last dregs of her energy.

Fear squeezes her heart as she flounders and slips underneath the surface. As Andy drifts downward, the world slowly growing dark, the girl finds peace and understanding in what might be her final moments. Nature has demanded a terrible price from the pack and the lavender girl may be the one to settle their debt.


"Andromeda Fatalis"