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Eventually, Opal caught a trailing vine, holding it as best she could in her teeth as she swam through the deep water. She made her way toward a tree, but when she got there, she could see no way to use the vine to help her, and let it go lest the weight of it drag her down into the depths. As the trunkbark rubbed against one flank, she looked out over the water, her eyes searching out platforms and fallen trees, and she spied one old tree, the large stump splintery where it had cracked, and still half-holding the trunk. Swimming over, she clambered atop gracelessly, shivering.

Light's screams mixed with the other doe's excited yells.

Was that doe INSANE?

Light's eyes watered from the wind rushing past and her white hair whipped wildly around her head. They were going way, way, WAY too fast for her liking.

The foxbun she'd had in her mouth had fallen to the log when she'd scream and was now digging it's little claws into her ankle, clutching her leg tightly. Light too wished she had a little claws to dig into the bark and hold on with. Her heart was slamming into her chest.

"This is scary this is scary this is scary this is scary this is.." her muttering was interrupted by a bright flash in the water. A tiny, sharp, squeal of terror from a tiny head poking out of the water.

With the log going faster then the creature, Light ducked down and dunked her head into the water as the log rocketed past the bright creature. Blindly she opened her mouth and clamped her mouth down, hoping she'd had missed. Her teeth skin and her tongue tasted water, dirt, and fur. She pulled her head out of the water, holding a mongoose in the air by the tail. The critter quickly leaped out of Light's mouth and wrapped around her throat like a fur scarf, digging all of it's little claws from all four feet into her skin.

Light's attention returned to the situation of the log ride she'd found herself on when there was a sicking CRACK as the log struck something but continued on. Whatever it was they hit, she hoped it had been dead before hand.

But the doe was getting a strange sensation. The rush of fear was changing in a way she couldn't quite understand. The other doe moved a little behind her and the log moved a little to the right, avoiding another tree. Was the blue spot and swirled woman actually guiding this thing?

SWISH past another tree. This was scary!

SWOSH between two trees. This was intense!

SPLASH through a small build up of large debris. This..was fun!

Fun? Yes..fun! That's the feeling that she was experiencing in her chest. The fear had turned into adrenaline, and Light was starting to ride high on it. Her yelps of terror had become whoops of joy! Despite the tragic circumstances, despite the terrible goings on, Light was enjoying herself.

As they raced along with the current, she spotted a familiar swatch of colors on a cluster of logs. Hey..HEY! That was her Mother!

"HI MOM!" she raised a foreleg in the air and waved it frantically at the group of kimeti and kiokote that her mother had taken shelter with as she whipped past.

Turning, she grinned at the other doe. "That was my mom.." she said, maybe a little too proudly.

Soaking wet and covered in mongooses was not how Rockface had thought he would be spending his evening. Nonetheless, there he was, gamely helping whoever or whatever passed his way through the unexpected southerly tide. His legs ached, and his voice was growing hoarse from the yelling, and he would have been absolutely covered in filth if it weren't for the constant wash of rain. His heart ached, too. He'd found children in the waters... not all of them alive.

Sad, sad fact of life, death is, he thought morosely as he swam, hauling another wet bundle of fur onto the tallest mangrove nearby. He regretted not being able to stay and keep an eye on the young colt, but there was too much more for him to do to spare another moment for someone who had sure footing.

CRACK.

Alright, maybe even they were not so sure of footing - at least two trees flew past Rockface in the current, passengers whooping and hollering in a bizarre mix of excitement and terror. Without seeing where he was going, he swam gently into a doe who was black and white and red all over. He gave a start, but regained his wits quickly. "I'm here to help, miss," he said to her. "Who are you looking for?"

Unblinking Eyes pressed forward until she was as close as she could get to the Legendary stag--she nosed at his tears, wiping them away in attempt to relieve him. She didn't understand his guilt and likely didn't even understand what he felt. It looked like sadness or something similar. "We're all fine," she spoke, lifting her head and staring around at all of them. Her attention was soon caught by the bright yellow doe shouting hello--and she stared until she could no longer see the exuberant female.

“Calm little one,” Alder rumbled, nuzzling the worried colt. He breathed heavily, taking deep breathes in and steadily blowing them out, his own body fatigued. “He is Chosen, I do not think the Motherfather will let him go so easily. Perhaps he will wake with something to say, some insight from the Swamp.” Alder glances towards the old tree, the one holding everything together. Motherfather willing, it would hold steady and firm.

He glances back to the purple buck. “Thanks are not needed in these times, with such chaos. But it is an honor to work with you.” Slowly, with each breath, he is regaining his composure, wise and sure. Alder moves to stand, bracing himself for any shake and shudder. A crack sends his eyes glancing watchfully into the water.

“You,” he starts, looking at Whistles Twice, “-and you,” looking at Unblinking Eyes, “both of you should move up there, towards the center tree. Away from the edges.” And suddenly the stag sputters, spitting up mucky water. Alder peered attentively at Mourning Fog, ready to try something to help the other. Yet he is also curious about the legendary’s answer, morbidly curious.

The answer truly breaks his heart and he blinks away his own tears. “You could not make sense of the chaos – perhaps it was the Motherfather’s wish. Perhaps some challenge, some test? Perhaps just life.”

When Thoushalt launches into the water, Alder nudges Mourning Fog comfortingly. “We just have to help. It's the only thing we can do.”

Aching Bones had made her way up (after being thoroughly soaked and drug under) into a high branch of an ancient, tall willow tree. Her mongoose shivered as it curled on her back and she watched with troubled eyes as the swift current pulled many past her perch.

It was the actions of a buck that made the impassioned fire within her burn bright. A doe, frightened, was trying to pull herself up onto the branch--her hoof slipped and kicked a small foal--and the buck, heartless or vengeful (she imagined) forced it to slip. She scowled, extending her neck and pulling fitfully at the long leaves of the willow before lowering her front half into the rushing waters.

As the doe, Bad Wolf, came within reach she flung the whip like leaf out--"Grab this!" she hissed through her teeth, hoping it would not break and extending a hoof in case the doe should miss and need something else to catch. She closed her eyes briefly, before opening them wide, hoping she would not fall.

Grimly Stardust and Skystain watch what has happened. The rains had started just a few days after they had set out on this treasure hunting trip. Neither had given any thought to it, rain is common enough. A mild annoyance at best, the drizzle or torrent making it impossible to catch the glint of shiny rock or bone. Still, they had trudged on. Mostly on Stardust's insistence, he claimed a foxbun's skeleton once told him where there was a stash of the shiny rocks Skystain so loves. Unfortunately it was half a swamp away, near the boarderlands between the Kimeti's home the the Kiokote's plains.

By the time they had reached the swamp's edge the water came to their bellies. Skystain had said they'd never find anything through all the water and muck. But they'd decided to stay, wait it out finish the trip after the flood dried up. If waters were this deep here they'd be deep everywhere in the swamp. Better not to travel, safer just to find a higher ground and stay put. Which is what they did.

Both of them would have been blindsided by the wave of water, eyes so fixed toward the swamp and not the plains. It was Skystain's pets, Hunter, Spotted Fruit and Bruised Fruit who saved them. The three had been agitated for nearly an hour, the mongooses skittering over Kimeti and trees alike and the hound pacing back and forth.

Skystain had never known her pets to be so jittery. She had trained all three from a young age to be steadfast and stable. It was her suggestion that had the group moving on, looking for a higher ground, tree actually. This saved them from being swept away in a wall of water, no sooner were they all settled in the branches of a huge mangrove then the flood wave swept past them.

Fear had skittered through Skystain's heart, freezing her for many long minutes. There was so much destruction and death. Bodies floated past and uprooted trees, bushes and the MotherFather only knows what else.

Stardust, being used to the dead, had no such fears. He watched the scene with a careful eye, trying to distinguish life from death. Out of no where he leapt from his perch, plunging into the now much deeper water and swimming off. Skystain looks around frantically, cursing him, the water, the rain, everything.

Finally she sees why he did it, a mongoose just barely clinging to a bit of driftwood. Skystain's heart gives another flutter, panic going through her as she looks around the tree, counting her own mongeese. Yes, still two here. Her eyes find Stardust again, now with the furry critter perched on his head as he swims back. For a moment she'd though it was her own Bruised out there, the colors were so close. Only, now that she could see, this one had a lot more black.

Stardust circles the tree several times, trying to get a hold of the lowest branches. "Just get up here!" Skystain calls, though he appears to ignore it. He circles one last time before simply hooking his front legs over the lowest branch. "Why bother? The water has calmed down a lot." Skystain glowers down at him but makes no comment.

Peregrine was eager to help out, luckily he blessed with above par swimming skills. The kimeti felt at home in the water actually, in addition to helping cool of in the mid day heat; swimming constituted good fun. At any rate, Peregrine looked down at his side to Triage, a most loyal eaglehound, who had been at his side since birth. Previously Triage had run off to follow some scent, but he had found his way back to Peregrine, and at a good time. Triage's help would be quite useful in Peregrine's current endeavor.

Take Flight's bright colors began to come into view as he made his way over. "Do you need any help," Peregrine called out.