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A Jolly Holly Christmas

As she approached the entrance to her cavernous home, Rei slowed to a stop. There was someone inside, she knew it; she sensed it. Also, it looked like someone had broken a few branches of the bush that sat right at the entrance. The bushes, more than any sort of sixth sense, were the main indicator. Her first instinct was that Kaida was lying in wait, ready to launch a surprise attack, or maybe that other eevee, what was his name? Arashi? She was pretty sure that was his name... Maybe he had followed her home and planned on continuing where they had left off? Shaking her head silently, she realized it was likely neither of them. Kaida wouldn’t have been that sloppy and Arashi, well, he probably would have been sloppier. Sure that some unknown intruder was inside, waiting for her. Rei knew what she had to do, she had to drive them out! How dare they violate her home! She slowly crept inside; she thought she was ready for anything.
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Holly could barely contain her glee, it was finally ready! All the decorations were up! It had taken her all day, but it was worth it! Inside the entrance, she had hung some mistletoe! It had taken her quite a while to get it that high up, she was rather proud at herself for that one. In the main room of the cave, she had set, dead center, a small, tinsel coated bush. Underneath the bush there sat a single carefully wrapped present. All across the walls, bits of garland were hung, rather randomly. Off to the side, and arranged in a circle, were several red, green, and white candles, all lit. Also, placed ever so carefully in the center of the back wall, hung a large wreath. She couldn’t wait till the caves owner came back and saw. After seeing all these decorations, she was sure she would have a new best friend!
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What the heck is this? Rei pondered as she sniffed at the plant that hung in her entranceway. Who would just stick something like this here? She was confused. An intruder was one thing, but an intruder that hung up plants? She didn’t even know what to think of such a thing. Slowly making her way further in, she made her way to the main chamber and, upon reaching it, she was immediately dumbfounded. Plants were spread across her walls, lit by the glow of a circle of candles. In the center, the center of her cave, there sat a shiny bush with what she thought was a Piplup, that was oddly wearing a hat, standing next to it. She was pretty sure it was a Piplup, but still, what was it doing in and to her home?

Noticing Rei standing silently behind her, Holly quickly turned, a wide open mouthed smile spread across her face. Spreading her arms wide, she started to waddle towards the eevee and exclaimed, “Merr…” only to stumble before she finished. Popping back up, she brushed herself off and continued. “Merry Christmas!” Rei, not sure what to make of any of this, stood in silence, staring at the intruding Pokémon.

Suddenly remembering the present, Holly quickly turned and made her way back to the bush. Picking up the single present with both flippers, she carried it over to the still vacant looking Rei. “I got you this,” she exclaimed and she sat the box down in front of the eevee. When Rei didn’t react to the present being placed in front of her, the little Piplup added, “Oh! I am Holly! It is a pleasure to meet you!”

“I, uh, I am Rei,” she replied, still quite taken aback, she obviously hadn’t been ready for anything, as she had thought. “What, um, what did you do to my cave?” the eevee girl asked.

“Doesn’t it look amazing!” Holly replied, more than an exclamation then a question, “I worked all day on it!”

Blinking slightly, she asked, simply, “Why?”

“Because it is Christmas, silly!”

“What is Christmas?”

“It’s when you put plants and pretty things on the walls and you decorate a tree or, well, a bush too, I am sure that’s alright, and you give people presents! Aren’t you going to open your present?”

“Um, ok?” Rei replied, not really understanding the concept. Still, it seemed harmless enough, so she slowly unwrapped the present. Had she not been in a state of shock, she would have likely torn it open, but, in her present state, she carefully removed the wrapping paper it. After removing the paper, she slowly removed the lid of the box, only to discover that it was completely empty. “An empty box?”

“An empty box?” Holly echoed, her eyes widening in surprising. Quickly waddling over, she exclaimed, upon viewing that the box was in fact empty, “But, but, the snowball! It was in there! Where could it have gone? Oh no! It is so hot in here, it must have melted! I’m so sorry Rei!”

“That’s….fine….” Rei answered, still in a state of disbelief.

“Well it’s getting late!” Holly happily added, “Time for some sleep!” At that, she waddled into the back room.

Rei, still standing there dumbfounded, asked, to no one in particular, since Holly had already left, “So, um, you are staying then?” Sitting down, still trying to comprehend the recent events, she slowly added, “And the sun hasn’t even set yet?” With a shrug she laid back and slowly rubbed her forehead. “What just happened?”

With a yawn, Holly gently pushed the blanket of her body and sat up. After rubbing her eyes with her flippers, she looked around. Rei didn’t seem to be around. She must be out exploring. As her stomach began to rumble, she couldn’t help wonder if there were some berries left in the main room. She doubted it though, Rei tended to finish them off. She couldn’t complain though, it was Rei’s home after all.

Waddling to the main room, Holly’s eyes suddenly widened in shock. There were presents under the Christmas bush! She rushed to the bush as fast as her legs could carry her, nearly stumbling. She cried out in glee upon seeing them. She was certain they were for her! Each present had a tag and while her name was in fact written on each one, she couldn’t read it, but, just above her name on each was also a picture, a picture of a Piplup head with a Santa hat. They had to be hers! There was so many of them too! She didn’t know where to start.
First she grabbed the smallest present. She didn’t shake it, she merely set it carefully in front of her and then slowly removed the paper wrapping it, which was quite difficult with a set of fins for arms. Once she had finished removing the outer layer, she slid the top off to reveal a small piplup plush. It looked just like her, only a little smaller. <> she giggled. She couldn’t wait to see what would be in the next one!

She decided to go with the largest present next. This present, though, it towered over her. Standing on her tip, um, tip webbing? She reached up and tore the side of the paper off. She would have preferred to open it carefully, but it was a tad too large to realistically pull off. It took her a bit of time, but she eventually got all of the paper off. Next she grabbed the lid and jumped up, pushing upward with all her might. The lid was knocked part way up and then fell right back down. Stretching first this time, she made another attempt, managing to knock it clear off this time. Grabbing the edge of the box, she tugged downward with all her might and managed to tip it over. Out fell a large coat, completing covering her. <> she exclaimed at no one in particular. Maybe this present was meant for Rei? Though it isn’t the sort of thing she would wear….

There were still so many packages; she wasn’t sure which to choose next. Closing her eyes, she grabbed one at random. It was a medium sized box with stars on the wrapping paper. I wonder what’s in here! Carefully she unwrapped the box and then removed the lid; it was much easier to get into then the large box had been. Standing on her tiptoes, she peeked inside. It was a star! <> Staring at it, she suddenly felt very sleepy. The other packages would have to wait. Even though she had just gotten up, she needed to go back to sleep. She didn’t even think she could make it back to her bed. Curling up in the oversized coat, she drifted off to sleep.

Quick Attack - Move Solo

[x]

In his distracted search of a trail to follow, what little hint in the scenery sparked interest and led the small reptile astray, Cardice had managed to venture quite far from his normal grounds. The day seemed relatively sunny and warm, just about normal for this time of year... except that it had been particularly abnormal lately, overall. Perhaps this was what made the small helioptile a little more adventurous today, excitedly pouncing at a gnat that flew a little too close, for the sun recharged his body once light touched the frills. Even though, he would be quick to assert, he much preferred the cold, winter couldn't give him such an excess of energy if it tried.

As the small insect fluttered away, unharmed, Cardice stood still, watching as it saw its little wings motor it away. It was about that time that he caught a strange chill on the air, barely noticeable except for the fact that it was unusual, and he wasn't entirely preoccupied at the moment. It felt... different than what may have wafted from the nearby river, and his head tilted to try to figure it out, but the sudden temperature change, minute as it was, startled the already skittish helioptile. Without missing a beat, he scaled the side of the nearest tree, latching onto the lowest branch and scanning the sky. It was clear... but why did it feel like there was a storm approaching? It left the pokémon uneasy.
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Leaning down, Holly ran a finger along the surface of the river. Smiling, she doodled a smiley face on the river with a finger. She was sure today would be a great day! It was a long trip, but she was off to see her friend Beta. It felt like ages since she had seen the other girl and, while she was arriving unannounced, she would not have been surprised to find out that her friend has foresaw her arrival; she was a psychic type pokemon after all. As she stood up, she glanced ahead; she felt a slight chill, as if the temperature had suddenly dropped. “Odd,” she stated out loud. The cold didn’t bother her, but it was unexpected. She had heard about odd bits of weather from Rei, but she wasn’t really concerned.

Shrugging it off, she began to skip away from the river, heading into the nearby trees. Even if it did get colder, she was wearing enough that it shouldn’t bother her. As she skipped along, she couldn’t help but whistle. A smile still spread across her face, she reached her hand into her pocket, confirming that her present for Beta, a small blue gem, was still there. Today was sure to be a great day!
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Holly's upbeat whistling tore Cardice's attention from the skies, his toes slipping slightly on the rough bark of the tree as he jolted from the sudden sound. He climbed further onto the branch in reaction, both to retain further distance and to assure a lack of slipping in the near future. He could see the piplup-girl coming from what seemed like a mile away, her bright clothing as a beacon through the greenery of the forest. What... what was she doing?


He skittered closer to the end of the branch to get a better look. She didn't seem dangerous at all -- in fact, she seemed to be having fun on her stroll -- so he didn't see the harm in trying to get her attention. <<Hey! Be careful down there, I th-think a storm's coming!>> he called over, pressing himself closer to the branch after speaking.
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Skipping along, Holly’s arms swung back and forth widely; she was completely oblivious to her unseen watcher. Stopping a moment, she bent down to look at a bright blue flower. It was peeking out of a pile of rocks. Smiling down at it, she contemplated how hard it must be to flower thought a pile of rocks. Concentrating slightly she released a much reduced version of water pledge, ensuring it had plenty of water. “Good luck flower!” she exclaimed with a giggle, before continuing on her way.

As Holly skipped along, she was startled by a call from above. Turning around, she asked, “A storm? But it seems like a nice day. And hello! I am Holly.” Standing on her tiptoes, she peered upward, “What are you?”
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Cardice swung his head below the branch, still clinging to the top of it, and tilted his head to right his perspective of Holly. Her cheerful demeanor diminished the nervousness as far as attention was concerned, but it did not cancel out how weirded out he felt about the temperature and pressure fluctuations. <<I-I know, but I'm p-pretty sure of it. It doesn't feel right, and the weather's been acting really... really weird lately,>> the pokémon explained urgently. Skittering sideways, as though offering the girl some room up on the branch he was perched on, his anxiety was clear through his distracted responses, <<I'm a helioptile, and you are..?>> Some weird kid? <<My n-name's Cardice. You should really get s-somewhere safer.>>

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“My roommate did mention that the weather had been acting up some, but I haven’t really seen it; it does feel a little colder though,” Holly replied. “It doesn’t seem that bad though,” she added, spreading her arms and looking around. “Do you think it is going to get worst then? I was going to visit a friend…” The disappointment was evident on her face; she didn’t want the weather to keep her from seeing Beta. “Though, if it is just rainy? Is that what the weather has been doing? Cause I am a water-type…so it shouldn’t bother me that much, right?” After he stated what he was, Holly appeared lost in thought for a moment, “I…I don’t think I have heard of a helioptile before… though with that name…. are you an ice type? And I am a piplup!” Looking around she asked, “Where would be safe?”

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<<Th-The weather's gone nuts!>> Cardice insisted, <<Today was the first nice day in a long time! B-But I don't think it wants to stay nice... The air's starting to feel all... sparky.>> Even in the sudden chill, he oncoming storm felt overpowering and it became a bit difficult to absorb. He shook his head, pacing a little on the branch, <<It feels like lightning... It might rain, but you might want to wait to see your friend. Maybe after the storm passes? Can you climb the tree? Maybe under the tree...>> He didn't know what all a piplup was capable of, or even that they supposedly looked partially human, it just felt dangerous. There had been flash flooding in this area before, evident with the muddy banks of the river. <<I'm a lightning type!>> he chirped, <<But... but I wish I was an ice type.>> If he was, instead of being reptilian, then he wouldn't have had so much trouble in the cold weather he seemed to prefer!

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“Really? Today has?” Holly was shocked. Had she somehow lucked out and come to visit on the one day where the weather hadn’t been acting up? It seemed like quite the coincidence. Still, if her new friend was correct, it wasn’t going to last long. Eyeing the tree, she found what she thought was the best path, and began to climb. Reaching a ledge near Cardice, she continued, “So you’re the lightning type? Wow. You should be safe if there is any lightning in the storm then. Though you’d rather be ice type?”

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<<Around here, it has! Well... not here, specifically... but nearby, it's been weird!>> Cardice explained, having remembered that he had strayed a little more than half a mile in his goofing around. Figures he'd end up in unknown territory at a time like this! He scooted closer to where Holly moved, more out of wanting to be polite than anything else, <<Well, I can't absorb too much of it, n-not as much as I'd probably like to, I'm not that high a level. But it would help! I like the cold, though. It just doesn't like me!>> Getting antsy in his nervousness, he crouched down on the branch, leaving room enough for Holly, wishing the storm would just pass by; it was already getting dark, all of a sudden. <<It's good you can climb trees. I think it m-might be safer up here...>> he considered aloud. The young reptile didn't like how wily the river in the distance was getting...
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“Just storms or has any other odd things happened?” Holly asked, curious about the unusual turn of events. Adjusting her position to better balance on the branch, she added, “Yeah it would…I am rather weak to electric though.” There was definitely a bit of concern evident in her voice now. As if nature had decided to punctuate her statement, there was suddenly the sound of thunder and rain began to poor down. “It…it seems to be starting….” Nervously, she gripped tightly on the present in her pocket. “You…you seem to be right..” She was beginning to get worried.

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<<Mostly storms around here. It got really dry earlier, even with all the rain, though... Oh, and the mountain sometimes rumbles, but I think it n-normally does that,>> Cardice tried to explain, <<At least it's not r-really windy this time, the trees can bend really far sometimes! I think this one is sturdy enough, though. And don't worry, I won't attack you!>> He inched closer, thinking it would be safer near the trunk of the tree where Holly now roosted, but he jumped when the lightning crashed. Luckily, he was not in the habit of randomly shocking the area upon surprise, leaving Holly safe to anything that could be misconstrued as an attack. Leaning over, he watched as the rain came down, hitting the grassy floor below with large rain drops, <<That's a lot of water...>> Suddenly, Cardice felt glad that Holly probably knew how to swim, even though he was fairly certain his mind was exaggerating the events in his head.
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“The mountain rumbles?” Holly asked, shocked. That was something that she was entirely unfamiliar with and it sounded rather dangerous. “And that is…normal?” Her eyes were quite wide at this point. Giggling, she replied, “I wasn’t worried about that! It was the lightning I was worried about. That would be one powerful electric attack right there….” Her grip tightening on the tree, Holly confirmed, “Yes, a lot of water… I haven’t seen rain come down like this before….” Suddenly remembering something Rei had said, she added, “Um, my roommate mentioned something about hearing about some floods….Do you think it might flood here?”
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<<Yeah, it rumbles. I-It's a volcano, but I don't think it'll blow, 'cause of the mountain god!>> Cardice explained, though he was still getting used to the knowledge himself. He had lived there for a while, but he hadn't known that a legendary had been in the area until more recently. It was actually kind of unnerving. Glancing back up to the sky at Holly's mention of possible lightning, he couldn't exactly see the sky, but could imagine the flashes well enough, <<Yeah it would! I bet it would hurt me, too!>> As though on cue, the sky lit up, but the corresponding thunder was delayed enough to indicate that it was still off in the far distance. Cardice jumped at the coincidence, but turned his attention back downward, to where he could see the damage actually being done, <<A flood? Y-Your roommate heard about floods? What do we do if it floods!?>> In his nervousness, he forgot to actually answer Holly's question, but his confusion on the matter managed to relay the fact that he had never seen it really flood before. Not that he was really ruling it out...

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“Oh it is? I think there might be one near where I live…It isn’t really active though… But the cave I live in, it has a great big hot spring and those are by volcanos, right?” Holly wasn’t particularly up to date on her knowledge of geology, but she was pretty sure that was the case. As if to emphasize her concerns, after the previous flash, there was another, not right at them, but close enough to cause concern. “I….I… ….Did you see that? I hope it doesn’t get closer!” Holly began to shake visibly; she was definitely scared. She had never seen a storm this close before. She no longer felt like she had lucked out. “I don’t know what we will do! I mean, I am a water type, and I can swim, but floods are way different then rivers and oceans….can they knock down trees? I think they can knock down trees!”
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Cardice's eyes lifted from the ground to Holly at that point, curiosity breaking free of the anxiety, <<Hot spring? I've never seen one of those... Maybe it is!>> It would make sense, as both were probably too hot for him! He flinched as the sky continued to flash brightly, squishing himself back against the branch he was seated on, <<Y-Yeah, same here. Is the rain coming down harder?>> He could have sworn more, and larger, raindrops were breaking through the barrier of the canopy above them. Cardice noticed Holly shivering in fear and scooted closer to her, as though leaning into her leg would help them both feel better about the storm that only seemed to be picking up in ferocity. <<I've never actually been around a flood before!>> he explained, a bit worried, <<I hope not! Th-The tree looks pretty strong...>> The smell of water was overpowering the area, the small reptile almost sure that it was playing tricks on his vision... The river was just very rowdy at the moment; it wasn't rising as high as it looked, right?
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“Yeah, a hot spring! The water is kept hot…I don’t really know how…” Holly responded, not really sure of the exact mechanism, but sure that volcanos might be involved. Though, even if she did know, it was likely that, at this moment, she would have been unable to remember how anyways. The storm was too much on her mind; it pushed most other things to the side. Leaning in towards Cardice, she added, “Yeah, I think it is coming down harder, and the rain seems bigger, and this isn’t looking good….” Agreeing with her new friend, she stated, “Yeah, I have never been in one either; I have just heard about them….I’d rather not ever be in one….” Eyes wide in shock as she stared at the river, “Um, Cardice….is the river getting higher?”
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<<Hmm... maybe your roommate knows for sure?>> Cardice considered aloud, still distractedly watching the rain fall down. There was much about this world he was entirely oblivious to, and he hadn't the foggiest on how things might work that he hadn't had opportunity to see first hand. He didn't even know how flash floods worked, but he was beginning to get an idea! <<It looks that way to you, too?>> he asked worriedly, scrambling back a little when a rain drop almost grazed his nose. However, it wasn't until Holly mentioned the river looked like it was growing in size that he really began to get more fearful, <<Ohh... oh that's bad... Idunnowhattodo!>> Were they really safe up here? Should they be running?
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“Hopefully I will have a chance to ask her,” Holly replied with a gulp. This was not looking good in the slightest. Holly traveled all over, but she never was really scared, at least not that she remembered. Her optimism and naivety could only take her so far, though. “Y…yeah… it does…I would say we should get out of here…but I don’t think it would be any safer on the ground…and…I’m not sure if I can move or not.” She really didn’t; in her fear, she was petrified, locked into place on the tree. “Yeah…I have to say, that seems very bad…” As she watched, the river seemed to break free of its bank and coming pouring towards them. “Yeah, definitely not safe on the ground…..”
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Cardice didn't like the pessimism in Holly's voice... it made the bleak outlook hit him that much harder when other people said things like that! He scurried back and forth a few inches on the branch, trying to grasp hold of an idea, preferably a good idea, that might work to get the two of them out of harm's way; it wasn't working. <<W-We could get it to work! If we just-->> he began, eyes growing wide as the river water splashed over the edge and across the ground, <<Uhh... maybe we can climb higher?>> Never mind that Holly just said her legs were near useless in her fear, or that the branches became less capable of supporting heavier weight above... He didn't suppose they could make the tree into a boat, either. <<Well... we're up really high. I'm sure we'll be fine!>> the helioptile tried to assure; he needed to know that all the same!
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“Even if I could climb higher…I don’t think the branches would hold me,” Holly replied, obviously worried, “If you want, you could go higher…it should be safer for you?” She didn’t want to hold him back from safety on account of her. “We are pretty high,” Holly stated, trying to sound hopeful. As she watched the river overflow her banks, though, she realized that, past that point, the ground was pretty level. “It looks like it is already coming around the tree….” It was at that point, that she heard a rumbling from farther upstream. “Um, Cardice….do you hear that?”
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Cardice was quick to shake his head in response to Holly's suggestion, finding it unthinkable to leave her here alone, <<No, I won't go by myself. Besides, it's a longer distance to fall, and I could get struck by lightning, so I'll stay here, too!>> His explanations may not have made all the sense in the world, but it was enough to convince himself to stay rooted where he was, at the very least. He watched as the water seemed to hit the base of the tree, and turned his body a full one-eighty to see the river water keep going, further into the forest. Hopefully that didn't... soften the ground too much... Poking his head back up, he tried to listen for what Holly was referring to, eyes darting over to the girl after a moment, <<Do I hear wh-->> He paused, blinking, <<Wh-What IS that!?>> He had absolutely no idea, but thought it'd probably best to tighten his hold on the tree branch, leaning further into Holly's leg. <<Was that... was that the storm..?>> he asked, peering around to where the sound originated upstream. That didn't sound right...


“I didn’t even think about the lightning,” Holly stated in response to Cardice. She was definitely glad that he had decided not to leave her. After she asked about the sound, Holly just kept staring in the direction it was coming from. Holly did not like the sound of that sound. It was a rumbling sound, like thunder, but on the ground, and it sounded like it was continually getting closer. If she had been higher up, she would have seen trees crashing down in the distance, as the sound approached. “I…I don’t know what that is…” Suddenly, at the far edge of her vision, she saw what looked like a wall of water. It wasn’t as high as she was in the tree, but it was close, and every tree it hit, it knocked down. Gulping, she wrapped an arm around Cardice.

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Cardice blinked towards the direction of the rumbling, cringing and sinking lower into his small claws, <<Is... is the thunder getting louder..?>> There was a different intensity it was picking up as well; as some of the drier trees were hit with the flowing water and crashing to the ground, it shook the surrounding area. As such instances neared, the more it shook the ground around them. Liquid felt different than falling trees, and the rolling sensation of the earth below transferred higher up the tree, bringing with it a stronger scent of fresh rainwater en masse. <<Is that--?>> the helioptile choked out before his half-posed question was answered visually. With a quiet yelp, he grabbed hold of Holly's jacket, his attention further up as he made sure none of the other trees in the area were looking to fall down, specifically on their tree!

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Holly was unable to answer his question. She just stared, wide-eyed, at the approaching wave of water. As it smashed into their tree, it bent back, its roots being ripped out of the ground. She lost her grip on the branch, but managed to hold onto Cardice. As she fell into the water, away from the tree, her other hand grabbed onto her hat, and held on tightly. She probably didn’t need to save the hat; she just did it without thinking, an automatic reaction. The two hit the water with a splash and Holly did her best to stay afloat, as the water pulled her downriver.