[ORP] The Flood

[gooberfeesh]

It came so soon.

Crimson Tears grew utterly exhausted from constant relocating through the steadily rising waters. What he thought to be a passing storm developed into something far more frightening; it was worse than he could have ever imagined.

Terrified that his mongoose would suffer the same fate as some of its unfortunate brethren, the buck refused to let the creature anywhere that wasn’t the top of his head. Reflects Light remained perched there, looking every which way, alarmed. A few times he attempted to join his keeper in the water, yet Crimson refused.

They needed to stay above the water. They needed to surive.

Sputtering, the male continued to struggle. He was nearly knocked aside by a trio of frantic kiokote – each whipping past him faster than he could keep up with. Somewhere, he heard bleating. Somewhere else, he heard voices. Fatigue began to descend over his subconscious as he swam through the rapidly overflowing swamp.  

[Jun D]

"Stay here," she told the cheetah, and splashed into the water again - she wouldn't be much help to the larger kiokote, but hooking a hoof into the tangle, she might be able to just catch a foal or two borne past on the current...as she nosed into the cold pelt of a small, glassy-eyed corpse, she had to shudder; no, there were others who were still alive. Ah - got one, pushing it roughly onto the roots. Before she could check on the little shivering bundle's condition, she had to lunge out for another - but, yes, now there were two.

Across the tide she could hear a shout; there were other kimeti so far out here? She craned her head but could not see him. "There are foals here!" she called, but could not tell if her voice had died on the wind. Looking swamp-wards - the dark wave chilled her to the bone. The waters had roiled into the swamp, how far would they go? How long would they charge, with this manic force? Was her brother safe? No, that was a thought she had to lock away even as it sparked a horrible fear within her heart. She glanced back desperately at the foals instead, huddled together with Far - had she caught them up only to have them all die here, unable to reach solid ground?

But life, even just for hours more, is always precious. Wedging her hoof further into the roots, she scanned the horizon for others.  

[Flayre The Pyro Girl]

The water was steadily rising, and Charm and Night had to do something, quick. "Night, grab that vine. We've got to stay together."
It didn't take long for the cresting wall of water to reach the siblings, and as Night's eyes widened, Charm looked at the highest point of the wave and shouted at her brother. "Jump at the highest point. Hold on to the vine, do Not let go, and do NOT go under!" Her instructions given, sister and brother leaped with the wave, riding the swell so it didn't take the duo under.

Water shot past them, carrying other Kimeti, Kiokote and various creatures of swap and borderlands. The siblings, holding on to the strong liana vine, swam together as they swept by trees and rocks twice the size of a Kimeti. Night caught sight of a small filly, and cheered when a tawny doe snatched the little one from the dangerous waters.  

[elufae]

Mourning Fog stood on the safe-root with a feeling of utter helplessness. What could he do against a force of nature? Letting the kiokote filly off his back, the young one still shivering and whimpering for her mother, he bid her to stay put. Wide-eyed at her savior, she obeyed, and the stag took one more glance at the flooding waters.

He heard a doe's voice. Something about foals? More foals in danger? He didn't even have a chance to make a decision when a dark grey kiokote barreled over a partly submerged cypress. Seeing the adult kiokote bob down below the surface, but not come up for breath, Mourning Fog dove into the water and pedaled towards him. When he saw a flash of red move towards the buck as well, his hopes were lifted. Two could bring the buck to safety better than one. Better yet, the other had a turtle, it seemed.

Reaching them, he dove underneath, nudging the underbelly of the kiokote a few times, hoping to break him from his daze after slamming into the cypress. Breaking the surface, Mourning Fog coughed and sputtered, as the kiokote began to frantically kick his way towards where the red and blue buck was motioning. As the stag helped nudge the horse-beast along, he looked elsewhere in the waters for others that needed help.

In the distance, he saw a buck and a foal, and a doe cast aside to fend for herself or die. Mourning Fog couldn't help but scowl.  

[hybridic]

Whistles Twice had been exploring the hollows under the exposed roots of a mangrove tree when the flood struck, water swirling around his little hooves and quickly rising higher and higher. He didn't realize what was happening, but he knew that he had to get out of the tangle of tree roots before he was trapped underwater and drowned. Frantic, the little colt scrambled and scraped his way through a space between two roots, only nearly squeezing his way through. A wave swept over suddenly, pulling the colt along with it.

When the water deposited him atop a hillock, god knows how far away, Whistle looked around desperately for the glowing eyes and chest of his mother. She was gone, separated from him by the water. "MOTHER!" Whistle cried out, panicking, his voice hoarse with fear. "WHERE ARE YOU? MOTHER?" He cast about frantically for some familiar sight.

Suddenly, to his right he caught a faint glimpse of a glow -- perhaps a little more yellow than that of him and his mother, but in the chaos of the rushing water it was too hard to tell for sure. It was something, at least, and the little colt had nothing else to work with. "MOTHER, IS THAT YOU?" thankful he knew how to swim, Whistle slid himself back into the roiling tumult of the water and attempted to make his way toward the light.  

[phoenix kiss]

The dark grey kiokote's head surfaces the water; agonizingly limp for a moment, it seems like all hope might be lost. And then it drags in a breath, pulling air into lungs that had been near to bursting; the stabbing pains in the kiokote's chest had clued it in to the fact that all was almost lost. The dark murk of the underwater swamp had been the last thing to see -- filled with threshing hooves and drowned vegetation and the bodies of the unfortunate: at least until a red blur (and then a more subtle greyish one) had brought consciousness back.

Weakly, hooves stroking as best it could in water (so unlike the mudflats), the dark grey kiokote manages to swim to high ground: a cluster of cypress trees, uprooted and now wedged against an old grandfather tree that has managed to withstand the flood. It provides a convenient platform to crawl upon and catch breath, vomit out flood water, and watch the debacle before them. Shaking on its long legs, a wobbly as a foal, the kiokote looks from Mourning Fog to Bitter Heartbeat and manages a nod of thanks.

It seems as if all the water in the universe has come pouring into the swamp. While Mourning Fog and Bitter Heartbeat stand on their hard-won platform, within minutes a mongoose joins the motley gathering, going so far as to clamber on top of the turtle's shell.

The kiokote's voice is thick and hoarse, still choked with floodwater, "We had no idea this was coming." It coughs harshly and then stomps a foot, looking around at the tumult. "Nothing like this has happened before. I fear for your swamp."  

[Flayre The Pyro Girl]

Charm heard the harried cry of a doe, and pulled her part of the vine taught, swimming crosswise against the rush to reach the doe. Seeing Night going in a different direction, toward a tiny filly caught in something, she yelled to him, "Bite through the vine! Save the foal, I'm going this way!"

Night was terrified of being away from his sister, but the small filly was nearly eye-deep in water and struggling valiantly to free herself from whatever had her caught. He severed the liana vine, keeping a portion for himself and the filly.
He finally reached the little one, and swung the vine to her. "Bite down, but not through it," he told her before he took firm hold of her neck and pulled her slowly clear of the sucking mud. Once free, he reclaimed his portion of vine and towed his rescue toward his sister, who was dealing with her own.

Charm had kept most of the length of vine for herself and the doe with the foals. She clambered up to them, trailing the vine, and took stock: one very wet doe, two foals, and a cheetah that didn't look all that happy. "Grab part of the vine," she told them. "We'll swim out like this and stay together. Foals in the center, does outside. Can your cheetah swim? or can it take the vine, too?" she asked.  

[Xerianthe]

Frantic screeching was not uncommon right now. What was uncommon was for it to be coming towards him. Alder had been swimming back and forth, from the tree out to small bodies to check for life. None of them were breathing, and grief threatened to overwhelm him, different bodies flashing before his eyes. That spell was broken by the unmistakable movement – life. A little colt, calling for his mother. The buck leapt forward, swimming with powerful strokes to meet the little one. Brisk, but gentle, he grabbed the colt by his neck, tugging him out of the way of a panicking kiokote. As carefully as possible in the chaotic waters Alder maneuvered the foal onto him back and set off swimming towards the swamp.

He spotted a few others standing on trees, something that looked like safe ground. Truly the flood must be getting to him – that one kimeti looked like one of the Swamp’s chosen. Delusional or not, Alder clambered onto the trees, leaning over to let the colt off of his back. He ignored the others for right now, sitting weakly on the edge of the platform as he rasps a question, “Are you okay little one? I am not your mother, but we can find her.” His bark-patterned head nudges the colt questioningly.  

[hybridic]

Whistles Twice saw the yellow lights coming towards him and splashed around more frantically, his small legs not strong enough to fight the pull of the rushing water. Just at the moment he was about to give up, the colt felt himself being pulled up onto the back of a kimeti. He slumped over the 'meti in exhaustion, shaking with shock.

"Not...my mother..." Whistles replied as he was returned to his feet, his legs wobbling. The colt looked up at the buck who had saved him, his eyes blurring over the wood-grain and moss and focusing on his yellow, glowing eyes. Not his mother, no, but the glowing eyes made Whistle feel safe, calm, almost instinctually. "No...no...but thank you," he said, his voice high-pitched and weak. "I...I'm Whistles Twice...you saved me. Th-thank you."  

[elufae]

Breathing heavily, Mourning Fog had managed to tear his stern gaze away from the pink and blue forms downstream and focus on getting the kiokote to safety. When the two bucks managed to guide the kiokote to a grand, solid tree with wedged several cypresses against it, he noticed his legs were beginning to shake and tingle from the overuse. He wondered how long these kiokote have been swimming. And how many were overcome by exhaustion.

Listening to the not-kimeti, he felt a pang of fear as well. The waters didn't seem to cease at all, and while his family lived much farther into the swamped, he hoped Life-Pulse, who was naturally in-tune with the song of the swamp, would be able to get herself and their offspring to safety in time.

At least their swans could swim..

He watched as other kimeti were helping the victims of the flood, save the pink and blue one downstream, but as much as it lifted his spirits that most were helping each other, the stag was far from smiling.

When would this end? He couldn't stand to see one more corpse drift by.

Hearing another call for help rise above the sound of rushing water, the stag instinctively lept off the cypress-platform towards the raven-haired doe. Kicking despite the burning pain creeping onto his worn out legs, he made his way past debris and remains, barely missing a torn trunk passing them by.

Although she said to save the filly, he knew he could not just leave her there. By the time he reached them, he was all but spent as well, and decided he would not be able to carry the filly on his own, letting the doe swim with less weight.

Instead, he moved to the doe's flank, his side against hers, and told to the filly, "Lay across my back as well, and we'll both carry you to safety." He moved onwards, trying very carefully to stay next to the doe so the filly could remain safe on their backs. His lungs heaved and burned under the slight pressure of underwater, and his legs were beginning to go numb.

But he would not let this doe and filly die.