Flash Flood!

A flash of movement in the shadows of a cavern near the entry to the workshop, rapidly being swallowed up by the rush of water. Was that one of Aris' kids? He struggled against the flow of the current as he paddled frantically towards the sounds of splashing and spluttering as an exhausted packmate fought for freedom from the flooding tunnels. The man was familiar, he'd definitely seen the horned wolf here and there. The youngster sprawled awkwardly across his back was even more familiar, and the dun coloured warrior was being as fast as he could as he closed the distance between them. "Hang on, I'm comin'!" he bellowed, though his voice was more of a croak than anything after his diving expedition. There was a brief collision of his shoulder with the side of the tunnel before he could correct himself, the change in strength of the current being more than he had anticipated.

It was incredibly dark in the tunnel, unsettling and eerie with the deafening roar of water bouncing off the stone all around them. "You're almost out, lemme help carry him." he instructed the mocha hued wolf, shoving off against the wall with his hind leg to bring himself closer. In the low light, he could hardly make the two wolves out even when squinting. It was a miracle the pair hadn't simply swam down the wrong tunnel to their death. Stratum didn't dare try to touch the male who was still swimming, lest he force the man under the water where he might not have the strength left to lift himself back up to the surface. Instead, he muscled his way under Ansem's trailing hind legs and let his own broad back carry their weight. It might be just enough relief to get the duo to safety. "Alright, I've got his ass end. Keep going towards the entrance, we're not far from the trails." he assured his packmate, and quickly fell silent while the pair worked to carry their burden onto solid ground. Every second felt like hours as the dim light of open air grew slowly brighter, though barely enough to see by within the confines of the waterlogged tunnels.

It was impossible to imagine welcoming the sensation of pelting rain upon his face as they finally escaped the mouth of the cave, but there it was. Forced to squeeze his eyes shut against the driving rain, he grunted in surprise at the initial beating. "To your left, one of the paths is half underwater already, we can just walk right up onto it. Just a little bit further." the Fatalis youth called out over the deafening roar of floodwaters all around them, praying it was only his own ears that were struggling to pick up the sound of his voice. If he believed in a higher power, he'd have been thanking it as his companion turned with him towards the slippery pathway that led up to the Training den. His joints threatened to betray him as he tried to steady his paws beneath his bulk, hauling both himself and his cousin out of the freezing waters alongside their packmate. Mercury eyes screwed tight against the onslaught of rain, he tried to pick out a body among the stark lines of slick rock all around them. Someone strong enough to carry Ansem the rest of the way up the mountain. He tipped back his head to call for someone, just to be safe. "Let's put him down, I'll make sure he's still breathing." he said, more to himself than anyone else. Was this delirium yet? Who's to say.

With the silvery blue yearling laid out on the slippery walkway, the blond titan skimmed a shivering paw over his flank. Still warm, nothing sticking out at odd angles. He pressed his ear up against Ansem's nose, hoping his breath would stir the sensitive hairs of the inner ear (they were only a little bit wet, probably the driest fur he had left). Ah, there. He was still breathing, still alive. "He's okay for now, I'm going to see if anyone else needs help." he said now, lifting his impossibly heavy skull to rest between his shoulders. Ignoring how it bobbed and trembled with the effort to stay aloft. He was fine. This was fine. There were still members of the pack who hadn't been accounted for. Someone was thrashing in the water, calling out for help. Or was it just his ears playing tricks on him? Didn't matter, time to go check. With a pathetic wave of one heavy paw, he trundled back to the rushing flow of water. Started to patrol as close to the edge of the flood as he would dare, looking for someone who needed him. It would be over soon. Right?

The problem with having a bit of a hero complex? Not thinking about saving yourself. Stratum was exhausted. Hypothermic. Certainly in no condition to be headed back out to the rescue for a third round of heavy labour. So the misstep was inevitable. His careful paws were leaden and uncooperative at this point, all of the usual care in where he put his enormous paws down was lost. A wet stone shifted beneath his weight, and he stumbled. He was thrown bodily down the slope, with no ability to stop himself. Somewhere between the collision of his elbow with the gravel beneath him, and the scraping sensation of his cheek being dragged through that same sharp gravel, he was dimly aware of a very loud snapping sound. There was a half-dead tree being carried quite rapidly down the Col, crashing against one side and the other as it made its way along.

As he slid on his flank for a moment, and then began his rolling descent down the short incline towards the water, terror slipped into the forefront of his mind. Was he going to die? Right now? After all of the things he'd already been through? The yearling couldn't help the terrified cry that escaped him, waiting for the crushing embrace of the icy northern floes that whisked debris through the Col. Then, some kind of divine intervention let his outstretched forelimbs connect with the ground. Not kindly, mind you- he has all of the air knocked right from his chest as he crashed into a boulder. But he had something to hold onto, something to use as leverage to pull himself up. Try as he might, cords of powerful musculature straining beneath his dun and turquoise pelt, he wasn't moving anywhere. Dark claws scraping against the slippery stone, he fought to regain purchase before he tried again. Braced his right hind leg against the base of the boulder, digging into the gravel it was buried into. If he'd waited a moment longer to lit his left hind leg, he might have made it, too.

However, that vengeful log, rueful of its uprooting and cruel upheaval from the place it had been clinging to life for so long, was hurtling towards the Fatalis boy at breakneck speed. Nothing to be done about it, and no one to save him from the machinations of fate. The collision was impossibly loud, the cracking of bark and wood echoing for miles and hiding the simultaneous crunch of his tibia. The trunk snapped in half as it was carried away by the current, the waterlogged bulk being dragged beneath the water in moments. Stratum, for all of his bravery, was reduced to a screaming, crying mess. He'd never broken a bone like this, and it was like his entire leg had been torn clean from his body. He assumed it had, he could only feel white-hot pain from the hip down. After the hoarse scream died out in his throat, he could only weep quietly for himself and the cruelty of nature. The young warrior called out for the only comfort he could recall as he clung on for dear life. "Mama, mama!" the words were inaudible over the chaos around him, but in their own way they brought the boy comfort. Strength forgotten, body powerless to save him, Stratum just held on there for someone to come and pull him from the precipice of a watery death.