Fire and ash

Crossing water

I pawed at the cool strong current river, the opposite bank seemed a long way off and We would likely be far downstream if we tried crossing here. "Why don't we head upstream to see if there is a shorter distance to cross there?" I offered. The others murmured in agreement each of them also had a look of uncertainty etched onto their faces.

We weaved between tall reeds shooting up through the muddy ground and pushing through thick weeds that made my sides itch. The grass that grew up on both sides of us made it difficult to see anything around us, and occasionally one of us would trip or slip on the slick, wet, mud. 

Eventually, we came upon a  place where the river banks were closer together but it was still going fast and it was still a decent length of swimming. "By the time we get across, we are gonna be at the place we began at!" Goyle exclaimed as we got ready to cross.

"Do ya have a better plan?" Nia snapped back at him.

"I was just stating fact!" Goyle said sticking his snout in the air. I was about to cross first there were a few stones jutting out of the water so I was just about to leap to one when Pip said that she would go first and lead the way, so I stepped back, letting her go first.

She slowly began to wade her way to the first rock that jutted out from the water, "The current isn't too bad yet," she called over her shoulder, "the next person can go!" 

I began to wade, deciding to not take the risk of me jumping then slipping when trying to leap onto the rock, the water was icy and my fur was already plastered to my sides. I shivered, "It's cold!" I called over my shoulder.

A few small minnows zoomed past me, swimming fast with the current. As I was swimming further past the first rock I heard a sploosh of water spray against my back, someone else had entered the river. I quickly looked over my shoulder, Fern had just hopped in, and it looked like Nia was at the far back of the line of wolves and foxes to wade across the fast-curented river.

I was neering the mid way point of the river when my paws could no longer toutch the sandy riverbed, I began going downstream quicker thatn before, now that I had nothing to keep me achored. 

I could see Pip, not far from the opisite shore as I was finaly half way accross the river, everyone exept Nia had gotten in the water so far. The bank we started at seemed so far away now and it made me realize just how far downstream I was now. My legs were sore from paddling so much and I was freezing from the icy water I had been in for these last long minuts. 

Nia's spash was faintly heard when she got into the water. I could feel the sand on my paw pads once more and a feeling of relif settled over me. I pushed my paws harder into the sand to forse my body forward. Pip was setttled down on the beach, cherring me on. my head was pounding and the water was roaring on my ears.

The sand turned to stones as I reaxhed the shore tht was just inches away. "You're almost there Sasha!" Pip was standing ahead of me yelling encoragement as I finaly dragged my body the shore.

My libs felt numb exept for the icy fire I felt burning my limbs as I had finaly left the cold river. My body ached all over when the numbness left my legs and tail, still I got unsteadlily to my paws and trudged over to cheer Fern to shore. 

Everyone else seemed to have a similar reaction when they finaly hit the rocky, grassy, reedy shore of the river, they colasped on the ground, they breathed hevily, they groaned in pain as the numbness was replaced by an aching agony, and finaly they trudged over the cheer on everyone else.

Winter who has been origonaly ahead of Nia fell behind to make shure she didn't needed help across, someone else needed help, or if something went wrong. Now it was the two of them swimming against the river's current, most of the others were either waiting antiosly for them to get across, or recovering from the jorney. 

"You got this!" I yowled to them over the crashing waves.  Slowly they inched their way over to the rocky bed of the river. 

A large wave came up and hit Nia hard on the flank, she fell down and did not come up for a while. Downstream a smokey gray head poped up further down stream. I ran calling her name as she was headed for more rocks. "NIA!" she was swimming twards the shore now, but her progresswas lost now that she had been pulled back to the center of the river. 

A flash of silver-gray fur hurled it's self into the water. Moon had jumped in after Nia! Pip's brown-red fur Jumped in after her. I looked back at Winter, her eyes glowed with worry, yet she could not summon enough streanght to go help them save her sister. I too felt the need to jump in after her, yet I could not find a way that i could help.

Moon and Pip were asisting  Nia as she swam weakly to shore. Mainly the other two were doing most of the work. I could fainlty hear Nia hoarslely muttering thanks to the both of them over and over again. "Hush," Moon told her softly, "save your streanth." she said as they arived. 

I colasped beside Nia Remebering how tired I was, and I wanted to warm her up as she was still shivering violontly even though her body was problebly to tired to do much else. "It's alright I'm here," I wispered softly. Winter and Moon also came ofver to console her. Before they had come over they both had thanked Pip for helping save her.

*****

After a while, we were finaly well enough to travle into the woods that were suposed to be our new home. 

"Wolves and foxes, I present to you... Your new home!"