Plunging into the ice-cold water was enough to knock the wind out of me as I come sputtering towards the surface. Frantically searching the water around me, I see Hayley's head bobbing in and out of the water a few feet farther up river.
"Hayley!" I really hope that she can hear my voice. "Rose!" I see her turn her body in the direction of my voice, quickly spotting me. "Hayley, look! Grab that log!" I scream to her, trying my best to point at the fallen down tree not too far from her, just close enough for her to grab ahold of it. Realizing what I'm saying, she takes action and thrusts her body towards the floating log and is able to pull herself out of the water.
Phew. Suddenly a current pulls me under and I inheil the water, not expecting it. Resurfacing, I spot the guys in their panther forms reaching Hayley, they give me a worried look. "Get...Hayley!" I cough out, hoping they understand me. One of the two, I'm assuming it's Kyle, using his massive jaws, drags Hayley by the collar of her shirt out of the rapids and onto the bank, stealthily avoiding falling off the slippery log.
As I'm being pulled farther and farther down-river, I see Kaden's powerful form racing after me, ploughing through branches and bushes like they weren't even there. He looks scared. Why would he be scared for me? I must have swallowed too much water and it's starting to make me hallucinate because Kaden hates me, I would be doing him a favor if I died. One less person to worry about.
With one last burst of energy, I attempt to propel myself off a boulder on the river bed just below me and grab ahold of a nearby beaver dam only to comes inches short of reaching it. The cold water renders my limbs useless as I take one more gasp of air before I am dragged under. But this time it looks like it's for good.
There are so many things I could have wished I could say to my family and Hailey. Would they miss me? Would they find my body? I could only hope. I love you guys, forgive me. That's when I release my last breath of air, black dots forming in my vision until I can see nothing.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"......ose!....Rose! Breathe! C'mon Rose, don't you dare die on me! I won't let you! Kaden, push harder!" someone shouts off in the distance. I can't make out who it is, their too far away.Come closer. I can't hear you.
"I'm trying Hayley! She isn't responding! Rose, breathe god-dammit!" another person shouts back.
"One, two, three!" with each count I feel a compression on my chest before I am met with something warm on my lips engulfing me with air. I begin to cough up water before I squint my eyes, not at all prepared for what I am about to see.
Leaning over me was Kaden's distraught form. His head only a few inches from mine. I blush furiously as I gently shove him off of me. Okay, that was weird. Two arms wrap around me and suddenly my face is pressed into someone's cleavage. Lovely. "Rose! Your alive! I thought you had died!" Hayley sobs, grabbing my shoulders and releasing me from her cleavage to look at my face.
I feel a slight sting on my cheek and look at Hayley appalled. "Don't give me that look woman! I was worried sick about you, you curly haired freak! And if you ever so much as die on me, I will drag you out of your grave, call a necromancer resurrect you, then kill you myself for leaving me!"
Laughing internally at her gumption, I remark sarcastically, "Aww Hayley! I love you too!" Playfully going to embrace her before I get shoved back to the ground. "Ah, shut your trap you uncultured heathen!" She tries to act mad but fails in the end when she laughs along with me at our little banter.
Wiping the tears from my eyes, a manly hand reaches down and pulls me by my wrist to my feet. Woah! Head rush! "Hey Rose! Glad to see your back! You had us worried there for a second" Kyle greets, patting me on the back but doesn't realize his own strength as I stagger from the impact. "What did you do that for ya' big oaf?!" Hayley exclaims as they begin to argue about how he 'man-handled' me per say.
I finally regain my balance and stand upright as they finished arguing. I swear those two act like an old married couple sometimes. "Sorry Rose" Kyle says sheepily, a blush beginning to make its way across his face. I give him a small smile, "It's okay Kyle. No harm no foul" he sends me a relieved smile back.
"Oh my gosh Rose! You should have seen Kaden! He was so worried about you! Picture a momma bear losing her cub and increase that by ten-fold and you might just begin to understand how worried he was about you. When he pulled you out of that water it was all he could do not to rip his own hair out. Wouldn't have believed it in a million years that Kaden was actually worried about someone if I hadn't of seen it with my own eyes. It was actually very sweet." Haley finishes, casting a knowing glance at Kaden who I forgot was even here, he was so quiet.
Blushing furiously, he says, "Yeah, yeah. I was just worrying about how much trouble it would be to get rid of the body as opposed to her living and saving me from the hassle." Yep, now that's the Hayden I believe.
"Sure you were" Hayley mutters softly as we continue our trek through the woods back to the cave in comfortable silence.
