Echoes Of War

CHAPTER XII | DROWNING

Blaze's chest tightens, lungs burning with panic. His eyes dart frantically across the churning current, and a thin, broken whimper scrapes from his throat with every pounding heartbeat. His paws strike the coarse dirt in a frantic rhythm as he races along the riverbank, mud and gravel skidding beneath him.

"Lunis!" he howls, her name ripping from his chest, raw and hoarse with desperation.

Only the river answers-roaring, deafening, cruel.

He spins, pacing up the bank, then down, then back again, heart clawing at his ribs. His gaze scours every ripple, every rock, every shadow in the water. But there's nothing-no flash of white fur, no shape, no sound. Just emptiness.

His breath shudders. "No," he whispers, voice barely audible over the torrent.

At last, the surface of the river shatters-two wolves erupt from the depths, maws gaping for air. Blaze surges forward, water splashing around his legs as he races to the edge. His eyes lock on Rodwen, who battles the current with every stroke, his paws churning furiously against the relentless pull.

Just a few tail-lengths away, the silvery rogue thrashes through the water before scrambling onto the far bank, just out of reach.

Ishka's voice rises above the roar of the river. "Rodwen! Over here!"

Rodwen's ears twitch at the sound. Gasping, he veers toward her voice, dragging himself through the freezing torrent, muscles straining, breath ragged as the current claws at him with every stride.

Once he was within reach, Ishka plunges into the lapping waves, clamps her jaws around his scruff, and swiftly hauls him to the safety of dry land.

"Are you okay?" Ishka asks, pressing her pelt against his, using her body to share warmth.

Rodwen hacks violently, water pouring from his mouth in heavy bursts.

He shivers, voice hoarse. "I'll live..." He lifts his soaked head, eyes darting frantically across the river. "Lunis-I couldn't find her." He pauses, wracked by another coughing fit. "The current is too strong-"

"It's okay, just save your breath," Ishka croons, worry still hot in her voice.

Blaze's heart plummets, but he refuses to give in.

She has to be out there. She has to be!

His eyes scan the river's surface, wild and franctic, a silent plea clinging to every heartbeat.

Then-something breaks through the dark water.

Before his mind can process it, his legs are already moving, launching him forward with explosive urgency. The river greets him with a vicious bite-its icy grip slicing through his fur, burrowing deep into his flesh, stealing the breath from his lungs. It's like plunging into liquid stone.

He swims hard, teeth clenched, muscles screaming as the current batters him from every angle, tossing him like prey caught in a predator's jaws.

At last, he reaches her.

"Lunis!" he barks, but the word barely escapes before another wave crashes over his head, choking him with a mouthful of river water.

Fighting back a cough, Blaze digs deep, summoning the last shreds of his strength. He clamps his jaws around Lunis' scruff, careful not to harm her, and begins the brutal journey back. The current claws at them both, relentless. With each stroke, his limbs grow heavier, colder, as if the river itself is trying to pull him under-turning his legs to stone and his lungs to ice.

But he doesn't stop.

He can't.

Not until she's safe.