Rising Water

Rising Water

The dog drooled as it approached the cowering, defenseless kitten. The kitten mewled again, for its mother and father, eyes wide with terror. It glanced around, heart thudding harder against its little chest as it realized that it was surrounded by the vicious dogs. For a moment, it met the lead dog’s malicious gaze, and then it looked away. The dogs closed in on the lone kitten. It was all that was left of the group of cats that had once lived in the neighborhood. The dogs had annihilated all of them, and the ground was still soaked with the blood of the cats and the very air seemed to shimmer with grief. Sneering, one of the dogs lunged. For the kitten, suddenly the whole world was the dog. Nothing else mattered. It was the slavering jaws, the rank of the dog’s acrid breath, and it was fear. The kitten made no move to protect itself. It didn’t have time. And then serrated teeth dug into the kitten’s throat. The world in the kitten’s eyes turned blood-red, crimson. Everything was pain. Fire seemed to rage in his throat, on his throat; he didn’t know.  It was excruciating, lacerating. But the kitten would not bear it for long. His body twitched in one last spasm and the light of life left his gaze as death claimed him. Death as cold as the winter night.

“Race you to the river!” Ribbon called, her dark blue eyes flashing in the morning sunlight.

            “Sure,” Stream replied, her dove-colored coat blurring as she dashed through the lush forest.

            Ribbon had winged paws. Even though she was a cat, she ran as fast as the wind. The giant fir trees and everything else around her became hazy, blurring into a sea of colors. Only the silhouettes of the boulders beside the riverbank remained clear, glowing incandescent in her vision. The wind whipped at her face and buffeted her fur, but Ribbon rammed through the headwind. Through the blur of colors, she could see the riverbank just a few pawsteps away. She recognized the mossy rocks and the sandy bank with round pebbles, smooth with years of erosion. The bank came up and she leaped onto it, feeling the smooth stones underpaw. Her eyes bright with anticipation, Ribbon looked forward to the soothing feeling of basking on a rock, the calm river softly lapping at the shore. The sun warming her fur. Feeling like a newborn kit cuddling against her mother. The ecstatic feeling of exhilaration.

Of winning.

            Ribbon skidded to a halt where the water lapped against the bank. The fur at the back of her neck pricked with curiosity. Narrowing her eyes, she cautiously padded up to the river. The water level was higher than usual. It had raised two tail-lengths. The calm river that Ribbon was so used to had been replaced by one with spinning whirlpools. She jumped, startled, as a branch from a tree broke off and fell into the river with a splash. Immediately, it resurfaced and sped away in the rapid current. One moment it was there, the next it was gone. The sound of pebbles flying made Ribbon whirl around. Stream had reached the steep bank and was scrambling down it, her muddy paws trying to get a grip on the slippery pebbles. A moment later, Stream crashed into Ribbon, pushing her hind paws into the river.

“Hey, you’ve gotten me wet!” Ribbon exclaimed, shaking her sodden mottled pelt.

“Sorry,” Stream apologized, “I lost my footing on the bank.”

“It’s fine. Haven’t you noticed how high the river is?” Ribbon asked curiously, gazing at the swollen river.

“No, want to swim?” Stream questioned, a playful twinkle in her eyes.

“No way!” Ribbon replied. “I don’t want to swim in that.” She remembered how Silk, her sister, had drowned and shuddered.

“Scared?” Stream teased. “C’mon!”

“Not!” Ribbon’s tail shot up indignantly.

Ribbon took a tentative step forward, her heart pounding furiously against her white chest. She couldn’t back down now. Stream was watching on the bank. The river was twice its size now, swallowing the bank slowly. Rocks in the middle jutted up and the swift current seemed strong enough to pull even a dog downriver. She took another timid step, and her heart leaped as the freezing water sent a tremor through her. Ribbon mustered up the courage and forced herself to go deeper. Glancing at the opposite bank, she noticed that it rose steeply up to a glade of trees. She wondered if she would be able to climb up the bank, let alone cross the river. She did not want to answer the question, afraid. Eyes widening with fear, Ribbon’s breathing quickened. The water rushed past her in a steady flow, and she dug her claws into the pebbles at the bottom of the river, not wanting to be pulled into the swirling currents. Closing her eyes, she took another step, the icy water numbing her paws,-

-and almost fell as her forepaw plunged into a hole in the bottom of the river!

Off balance, Ribbon struggled to keep upright. Her consciousness screamed at her to call for help, but she kept her mouth clamped shut. She would not back down. Ribbon looked across the river again, and at that moment, a branch overhead cracked. The noise resonated through Ribbon’s ears, blocking everything else out. She only had time to look up, dread filling her body, before the branch crashed into her. She opened her jaws to yowl for help, but only succeeded in swallowing a mouthful of water. Choking, Ribbon churned her paws, fighting the pull of the river. But it wasn’t enough.

The river was taking her downstream.

Water coursed down her throat and her trembling paws seemed helpless against the tugging river. Ribbon’s head resurfaced and she sucked in air hungrily. Water blurred her vision and all she could see were a mess of colors: green, blue, and a blur of gray. Groggily, she squinted at the bank. Or what Ribbon thought was the bank. A blurry gray shape was hurtling toward her, yowling her name. Water streamed down her face and her strokes grew feebler and feebler. Her head bobbed for a few seconds and then she went under again. She was dimly aware of Stream shouting at her not to give up, but her voice sounded distant, like she was miles away. Then a wave of black rose up to overwhelm her, but Ribbon pushed it away. She would not give up. She had to persevere. This could not be the end of her life. Panic clouding her gaze, Ribbon struggled as the black wave once again rose up to engulf her. And then there was a flash of gray. Was it Stream? Through the murky depths of the water, Ribbon could make out a vague shape. Claws grabbed hold of her. Bubbles emerged from her mouth as she opened her jaws to call out. But her voice seemed to be robbed from her, because only more water coursed down her throat. Ribbon’s vision blurred. She could not longer see anything. All was gray. And when the black rose up to swallow her, she no longer had the strength to resist it. The wings of unconsciousness enfolded her in its embrace, enveloping her in total silence.

   Ribbon opened her eyes to a completely different world than the one she was used to. The trees here had branches that seemed to reach for the ground, filled with sweet flowers. The smell of honey filled the air, and someone leaned over her.

“You’re awake at last.” A tom with black fur blinked at her. “I found you lying on the riverbank. The river must’ve washed you downriver.”

“Where is this?” Ribbon began, “I-“ Then she broke off, vomiting water.

“You shouldn’t talk. You swallowed some water,” The tom said, his green eyes, the color of wild grass, were concerned.

“Thanks,” Ribbon managed to choke out, “for saving me.”

“It’s all right,” He said. “By the way, my name’s Storm.”

“Mine is Ribbon.”

 “You shouldn’t stay near the river, you know. It’s flooding,” Storm warned.

“What!” Ribbon jerked up, alarmed. “My family and friends live close to the river. I have to tell them.”

“We can leave tomorrow. You have to rest. I guess I’ll go with you. If you’ll have me, that is.”

“Of course.” Ribbon drowsily replied, her dark blue eyes drooping like the setting sun as exhaustion overwhelmed her.

Darkness closed onto Ribbon as sleep claimed her. She dreamed of the river flowing over its banks.

The scene blurred and was replaced by a new one: a tortoiseshell she-cat with the same color eyes as her, streaking through the forest. Water tugged at her hind paws as she tried to escape the rising water. Then she suddenly stopped and turned around, facing it. She had reached a dead end. Giant rocks blocked her path and Ribbon watched helplessly as her mother disappeared in the swirling water. Then she heard a familiar screech, but this time it was of fear, rather than the usual complaints. It sliced through the night like a blade. Ribbon’s sister, Blossom, only two seasons old, teetered on a rock with water rising around it. Blossom was wailing now, calling for her mother and for Ribbon, who was watching, frozen on the sidelines. She struggled to leap up to help Blossom, but her paws were rooted to the ground. Blossom suddenly turned around and locked her terrified gaze with Ribbon’s. Just then, a wave of water rose up, knocking Blossom into the waiting tide below. A thin wail escaped her mouth and Blossom’s paws flailed around helplessly before her sodden body slowly sank down, out of Ribbon’s view.

 No! Ribbon screeched. Paws suddenly unfroze, as if the tendrils bounding her paws had finally yielded to her, she raced toward the still-rippling water where her sister had vanished, paws pattering on the ground. Ribbon slowed to a halt at the edge of the swirling pool, hesitating. She knew how it felt like to drown. The emptiness around her, her lungs screaming for air… Shaking her head to clear it, Ribbon took a step forward into the water. She gulped and took another deep breath, putting her paw forward. And then she halted in her tracks. Her ears pricked. Something was roaring to her left, resonating through the forest. Whirling around, Ribbon spotted a huge wave of water stretching up to the sky, towering over her. Trees were uprooted, sucked into the ravenous monster. Closer and closer it came, tearing Ribbon’s beloved home apart. She didn’t even have time to screech. One moment the roaring boomed in her ears, and the next it was eerily silent. Once again Ribbon fought the pull of the current. Desperately she pushed her body toward the light above her. Then she felt a tight feeling in her chest, as if something were squeezing the air out of her. Her subconscious mind sought out the name for it, and found it: suffocation.

Ribbon began to panic, but then, suddenly, something touched her lightly: a tail-tip. Ribbon gasped as she recognized the slender body in front of her. It was poor Silk. Her sister simply looked at her, her eyes pools of sorrow. Ribbon opened her jaws to speak, but her sister gave her a tiny shake of the head and put her tail over her mouth. Then she left, disappearing into the gloom, leaving her alone on Death’s doorstep.

“No!” Ribbon yowled.

Storm immediately sprang up and prodded her belly with a paw. Ribbon woke with a start, her sides heaving as she panted.

“Sorry, just a nightmare,” Ribbon puffed once she calmed down.

“It’s alright. It’s almost dawn anyway,” Storm replied, looking up at the brightening sky, “We should leave if you’re ready.”

“Okay,” Ribbon told Storm, scrambling to her paws.

Ribbon and Storm padded side by side toward her home, following the river’s winding path. The willow trees thinned and were replaced by fir and pine trees. The ground was covered in bright leaves and leaf mold. Ribbon breathed in, smelling the scents of home.

“We’re-“ Ribbon began.

Storm suddenly pushed her beneath a holly bush. A whiff of dog filled the air and a nearby bush rustled. A dog with two tufts of cinnamon-colored fur as ears pushed through. A wet black nose sniffed the air and its owner sat down. More dogs shoved their way into the clearing, some with spotted coats and some with mottled.

“Today we gather to discuss the trespassing cats. Too long have we put up with them. We won’t tolerate this any longer!” The first dog barked.

Enraged barks and growls rippled through the no longer silent clearing. The first dog, which evidently was the leader, held up a snow white paw for silence. The maddened barks died down and stillness filled the clearing once more.

“You all know of those other cats that had quarreled with us. They refused to obey our orders, and paid dearly for it. Now, we must do the same again. We will attack tonight, when they are sleeping, and drive them out!” The dog barked.

Echoes of agreement traveled through the clearing. Ribbon caught glimpses of dogs nodding and exchanging glances with one another. A shiver passed through her as the spotted dog with the cinnamon tufts continuing on describing the battle plan. And then, as silently as they had come, the dogs left.

Ribbon burst out of the bush, frantic. I have to warn them, she thought. Storm slid out gracefully, a look of worry on his face.

“What’s wrong?” Storm asked, gazing into her eyes and seeing the horror in them.

“They’re going to attack my home!” Ribbon wailed, clawing the ground in distress.

Storm looked up. “The sun is setting right now. We should hurry then.” Ribbon and Storm raced toward the glade where Ribbon lived. The ground grew lush as she approached her home. To her right, Ribbon saw that the gray rocks that she loved to bask on were submerged in water. She tore through the forest as fast as she could, Storm hard upon her paws. The sun had set and the last of its warm rays had gone with it, leaving the world swathed in shadows.

Yowls of terror and rage reached Ribbon’s ears as she burst into the grassy clearing. Dogs were everywhere, tearing the moss and bracken nests the cats slept in. Cats flailed under their thundering paws and slavering jaws. From behind, a dog leaped onto her back, digging its claws in. Ribbon’s legs buckled under the weight. Fangs aimed for her neck. Then, suddenly, the weight lifted, and she whirled around. Storm clung onto the dog’s back and hissed until the dog fled. Giving him a nod of thanks, she whirled around to drag a dog of the back of another cat. 

“Climb trees! The river’s flooding! Flee from the dogs,” Storm yowled.

Dazed cats began climbing. Seeing that they had reached the top of their trees, Ribbon scrambled up a pine. A shaggy dog snarled at her at the bottom of her tree. Its claws gouging into the bark, it began to climb. Heart thudding, Ribbon sent a silent plea to whoever was watching over them. The dog was only a couple tail-lengths away from her now, eyes glittering. As an answer to her call, the swirling tide swept in, carrying with it a couple of dogs. The others fled in terror, their snarls dwindling to whines and whimpers.

The midnight sky was jet black like a crow’s feathers. The river had calmed down, the water going on its usual journey through the woods. The swollen river had been reduced to a quiet one. Ribbon’s family and friends all came up to her, congratulating her and embracing her -all except for one: Stream.

Ribbon spotted Stream lurking on the side. Once she met her gaze, but Stream instantly looked away. Wondering what was wrong, Ribbon padded up to her.

“ Anything wrong?” Ribbon prompted.

“Nothing.” Her friend turned away to leave.

“Really. Tell me what is bothering you. Perhaps I can help. Just spit it out.” Ribbon blocked her path.

Stream looked at her paws. “ I-“ she began hesitantly, then broke off. Suddenly she jumped to her paws and wailed,” It was all my fault. If it weren’t for me, you would not have nearly drowned!” Her gray paws churned the ground and with every word, Stream’s voice rose.

“No! It was never your fault. I should’ve refused to swim in the river. I should’ve known that this would happen.” Ribbon exclaimed hotly. “Besides, I would never have found out about the attack, if it weren’t for you,” She added, hoping to soothe her friend.

“I thought you drowned,” Stream mewed, tail drooping and eyes filling with sorrow.

“But I’m here and no one’s hurt,” Ribbon replied, trying her best to sound convincing.

“I guess,” Stream acquiesced, nodding.

“Who’s that?” Ribbon’s mother, Velvet, asked, pointing at a black tom. Ribbon jumped in surprise. She never noticed her mother coming up.

“Oh. That’s Storm. He saved my life. Can he stay here?” Ribbon beamed.

“Sure, if he wants to,” Velvet replied.

“Will you stay? Velvet said you could,” Ribbon purred to Storm.

“Of course. Do you think I’m going to leave and let you get all the praise?” Storm answered, butting her with his head.

   Ribbon breathed in his warm scent and stared into his green eyes. She pressed her muzzle against his for a heartbeat and then went to look for a dry sleeping place. She found one and called for Storm and Stream to come over. As Stream bounded over, Ribbon asked if she wanted to rest together. Stream nodded and together, they all ducked under the bush and made themselves comfy. Lying by Storm’s side, Ribbon couldn’t remember having ever been happier.