Ice Bath (2) : Rainfall is rare in Destiny City during Winter; there have been a few light showers between the occasional snow but it’s never been enough to be significant. In some places, it’s just enough for a thin layer of ice to cover the ground and make it a little slippery, but ultimately it’s not enough to worry about. In an inconspicuous place in town, you step into one of these icy puddles and the thin layer of ice shatters. The hole itself seems maybe three feet wide and if you’ve ever been in the area before you know it’s just a pothole a few inches deep at most. Except, when the ice shatters, you fall, plummeting into it as if it were a lake of icy water. It’s pitch black around you and only pale blue lights shimmer above you. The darkness is never ending and you can’t make out the details of anything except the shrinking hole above you. Maybe you remember how to swim and pull yourself out, maybe you black out and feel someone else pulling you out--either way, your frozen, soaking body is pulled from the puddle. The chill is immense, but if you look at the hole after being pulled out, all you can see is the ground below. There’s no sign that what you just experienced is real--except for the fact that you’re still soaking wet.
The Mauvian had lost the warmth afforded by the bunnies. With the snow's sudden disappearance due to a warming trend the bunnies had become scarce to find. It was okay. When the temperature dropped and the snow returned, so too would the bunnies ... or so Quicksilver hoped. She had begun to befriend the little marvellous creatures and had seemingly been accepted as an honorary member of the colony. The small kitten could not have been prouder to be able to stand watch while the others foraged for sustenance. And in return even she was watched over when she had to hunt although she would never dream to hunt one of her new friends.
But the snow had disappeared and so had the creatures. Quicksilver had been investigating some of the holes that she had been lucky enough to share space with the creatures but had turned up no trace of the white furred bunnies. Giving a flick of her bushy tail the kitten sighed before peering down into another abandoned crevice in the earth.
"Well, that sucks: I was hoping at least some would have stuck around. I like those little furry critters."
Hanging her head morosely the silver-furred Mauvian crossed the next deserted road with caution before traipsing along the sidewalk. The surface of the walkway was covered in a thin layer of ice and every once so often Quicksilver would feel her paws starting to slide on the slippery surface. Moving onto the grass helped a little but now her paws were getting cold and wet from the damp ground. Her eyes scanned the road that needed to be crossed next before she moved off of the grass entirely. Her front paws left the sidewalk and as she brought her back legs off the corner of the walk and onto the road proper did her eyes briefly flick down to the puddle that lay directly in front of her before all hell broke loose.
The puddle that had been thinly covered in ice shattered even under her light frame and the young kitten yowled in absolute shock before feeling herself plunge into a world that would be alien and unfriendly to anyone on Earth. Fur that had once been dry and warm soon became cold and sodden and an extra weight that threatened to drag her down into some unimaginable depths of the frozen expanse. The temperature of the water sapped at the strength that lay just under her skin. She had always prided herself as being super strong but the elements that she was currently trying to battle against were taking their toll on the kitten's energy. The weight of damp fur pulling her further down combined with the absolute draining cold soon took its toll. Quicksilver stopped trying to fight the drag on her small body and began to sink further into the darkening water.
She was so cold, so very cold. Quicksilver gave one more feeble attempt to rise out of the depths of the watery prison that she had fallen into before she faintly heard what sounded like water splashing. An unknown pair of hands plunged into the space around her and Quicksilver's sluggish mind registered that she was being lifted out of the water. The air, although warmer than the water, continued to sap at her remaining strength, even as something warm was placed over her head and began to be rubbed over her skin in a frantic manner. A voice registered as uttering soothing words before Quicksilver felt her eyes close involuntarily. She would be out for the next few hours.
When it came to Quicksilver finally regaining consciousness she could not make her tired body respond to issued commands from her brain. She would have to be content to simply lie in an unfamiliar surrounding until it became clear that she would be able to move once more. At least, for now, she was warm ... and supposedly safe. If only she knew who had found and rescued her.
