Flash Flood!

The marketplace was unguarded, or at least, he didn’t see anyone stationed like he would have normally expected. Though the disastrous downpour was far from normal circumstance. It was only with the flare of distant lightning that he truly began to grasp the impact of what was happening within the Armadan territory. Water hemorrhaged from the public entrance, flowing swiftly in its escape down the path of least resistance. The cries for help were nearly inaudible over the rush of the flood, though the voices were not totally lost to him. However, there was only one voice that could have possibly mattered to him- only one that he so desperately needed to hear- but it was one he couldn’t detect. Aresenn was chest deep in the freezing tide without even a spare moment to consider the consequences of his actions. None of that mattered now.

It was a chill he had never experienced before- the kind that stole your breath and paralyzed your muscles from the shock. Gasping for air, he pressed forward with as much force as he could muster, stumbling past debris as they were swept away with the current. It was only by the grace of adrenaline and his own determination that he made it to what he perceived to be the heart of the territory. In reality, he hadn’t the slightest idea as to where he was going- there was no true way for an outsider to comprehend the labyrinth of warrens that made up the Fatalis parklands. What he truly wasn’t prepared for, was the force that the flood ravaged the col. Clinging to the rocky incline, Aresenn fought his way to a vantage point.

He could have stood there frozen in time, and still not have been able to comprehend everything that was unfolding. Through a strained attempt to see, he could only vaguely make out other wolves present in the darkness- some fighting for their lives- some fighting for the lives of others. Drowned cries for help, names being screamed to no answer. The sinking feeling in his chest when he realized that there was a good possibility that she could be trapped inside the caves. How could he possibly find her time. He could no longer tell if it was the torrential downpour or the roar of his own pulse in his ears. Very few times in his life had he felt truly helpless. But now as the dread set in with the reality of the situation, he was completely submerged in it now.

Another flash of lightning momentarily illuminated the col once more, but a moment was all he needed. There she was! Met with a short pang of relief, it was immediately replaced with horror as she was swept further down the clearing, her head disappearing below the surface before being plunged in darkness once more. “Andromeda!” Aresenn shouted after her. Without a moment’s hesitation, he dove back into the freezing depths.

He would consider himself a fairly strong swimmer- having grown up on a beach- however, this wasn’t just a simple dip in the ocean. The current rolled forward and downward. Keeping his own head above water was a battle in itself. However, instead of fighting against the flow of the flood, he worked with it- propelling himself forward to close the distance where Andy had disappeared. She still hadn’t resurfaced from what he could tell, so when he felt he was close, he took one final gasp of air, and allowed himself to be pulled under as well. As he sank into the murky depths, he forced a slow exhale out of his nose, blindly searching for the girl he had just lost. His lungs burned for air, but each second that past became more crucial than the last. It wasn’t til the storm lit up the sky once more that he was granted a brief moment of clarity. She was limp, maybe unconscious, he couldn’t tell. Aresenn struggled to get to her, and once close enough, he forced himself beneath her- threading his head and neck between her forelegs to shoulder her weight. After quickly getting a firm grip on her forearm with his jaws, he kicked off the ground with as much strength as he had left to exert.

With Andy in tow, they broke the surface. Every muscle in his body seemed to ache. The current forced them closer and closer to the entrance of the col, as he quickly sought a place to take refuge. Veering off back towards the rocky incline, he landed them on an outcropping. It took him a couple of attempts but was eventually able to haul himself and Andy out of the water. Once secured himself, he drug Andromeda as high up as he could get her. They weren’t safe by any means, but momentarily out of immediate danger. “Andy!” He gasped breathlessly while shaking her with a paw on her shoulder. “Andy, wake up!” He barked out of desperation, as if commanding her to do so would spark a response. Aresenn frantically looked around to see If anyone else was nearby- if there was any help for her to be had.

But all he could see was darkness.


"Aresenn Praetor"