Beyond The Mountains

Chapter 15: ???

It was so unbelievably loud, thunderous roars echoing around as icy depths beckoned and pulled. How many cats have suffered the same fate?  Something silvery flickered past. A fish? Or has Starclan come to take her? Her paws became numb from trying to swim against the current, the fight slowly drained out of her. Her whole body felt like it was being crushed with an unseen weight.. Who else had drowned here? Was she going to join them in Starclan? Something tugged at her scruff. 

It's not your time, not yet. 

A voice whispered, she never heard this voice before, but instinct told her that this was the cat who shared her fake destiny of determined death, this was the cat who was pulled into the unforgiving hold of the depths below and was never let go, taken away, hidden from light.

 Come, raise your head, breathe, Snowpaw.

So she did. Her head broke the surface and she took a gulp of air that seemed to scorch her lungs and kill her, but give her life and reassurance at the same time. Suddenly there was another wave of water pushed her back under.

 Fight it, fight.. fight the holds! You are stronger than I was! I was naive and I believed fate would guide me. But fate is not decided by Starclan! You choose your own fate! So fight, Snowpaw! Fight! 

Fight your destiny and make your own path!

The voice seemed to echo in the darkness as Snowpaw followed the instructions. Her paws seemed to rip the water as she rose higher and higher, closer and closer, light flitted through the surface, brighter.. brighter....Silver.. misty and ghost-like. A loud splash and a flurry of bubbles and the voice went silent and the light disappeared, teeth pierced her scruff and she was yanked out and over the water's surface. She was dropped heavily with a wet thump as she struggled to catch her breath, dizziness and exhaustion seemed to crash through her limbs and she fell forward. The world seemed to spin around her in a haze until grayish blue paws came into view, like a stormy sky was brought right up close. She looked up and was greeted with happy, exhausted and... sad blue eyes. "A-are- you- are y-ou the cat-  w-who- " She choked out, water spluttered from the edge of her mouth as she struggled to speak.

"My name is Webs. And by judging from the fact you didn't drown.. you must be a Riverclan cat?"

Snowpaw gave a shaky nod, excitement seemed to buzz faintly in her quickly rising and falling chest.

"Ah, I see..." Webs' voice went curt but melancholy droopiness drippled on the edges of her words like snail slime rolling slowly down her skin, making her shudder.  

" Gr..o..up.. A? " Snowpaw spluttered an uncertain and strange guess. For all she knew, this cat might have been a random loner.

" Yes. " The stormy pelted she-cat said, rolling her shoulders. Muscles flexed beyond her short fur and Snowpaw felt a spurt of respect for this cat.