TW: Death your SWORD my THROAT ───〃trapped

Character death is present in this thread.

Jackdawpaw

SPEAR OF JUSTICE ♆
RiverClan
Apprentice
5
2
Freshkill
55
x
JACKDAWPAW

I'm down but you know I'm not out! I'VE GOT ANOTHER ROUND!

Mudpool had told him repeatedly not to do exactly what he was doing. The lynx point bounced slightly on the collapsed tree over the small river bend, it had fallen last moon and made what he felt was a perfect bridge to get across or even fish from at the point it dipped low in the river before arching back up near the other side. The river was especially fast today, the water frothing and white as it rolled along, lapping up the edges of the shore with enough force to splash and puddle along places where the water did not often reach. It was cold, too cold to go diving in to fish and he wasn't keen on lingering on the shore where he could be soaked by a wayward wave of the current so the apprentice had opted for his tree spot despite knowing the scolding he'd get for going there.

The downside was being a little too close to that gross ThunderClan smell but there were much worst fates than that he supposed. Such as the branch breaking. Which it did.
Jackdawpaw had been bent over the side of it, his paws loose in the water and tail twitching as he waited for something silver and scaled to slip by for him to nab, his eyes wide with their usual enthusiasm before he heard a sudden crack. Immediately his ears pricked upward, shoulders hunched and he pushed down to stand which inevitably applied more pressure to the already strained length of tree. His belly lurched as he felt the world drop out from under him, a partial scream was muffled by the waters and choked as he sucked in the river that flooded around him; Jackdawpaw's legs kicked, paws scrambling to try and hook his claws into some part of the tree that remained but he couldn't find a grip and was unceremoniously tossed and rolled through the strong push of the current. His head broke the surface as he spun, long enough to give a shattered yelp, "HELP!", before he was dragged back down again. His world became a blend of blue and white, his eyes burning as he struggled to see through the murky cold to find something to save himself with when pain lanced around his neck and a tug yanked him up. Balance precariously on the edge of a slick stone in the middle of the river, Mudpool had found him and grabbed his scruff before he could be dragged further away from any hope of being saved. Jackdawpaw wheezed, gave a pitiful yowl as the water still beat around them and he clawed at the stone beneath them for support as his mentor set him down and tried to hold them steady to no avail. A particularly harsh wave slammed into them and the apprentice suddenly found himself alone on the rock, isolated at the center of the frothing water, "M-MUDPOOL? MUDPOOL!"
His mentor was gone, vanished in the churning waters and he was not far behind.

Ooc- Anyone may rescue him! His NPC mentor is sadly lost </3
BATTLE WITH A TRUE HERO
JACKDAWPAW

━━━━⊱ apprentice of riverclan
━━━━⊱ son of lichen & haze
━━━━⊱ he/him & they/them
━━━━⊱ A lanky blue tabby lynx point with ocean blue eyes.
"SPEECH", 'THOUGHTS', ATTACK

#74CFE7
 
And that's why we share all we have with you
Though there's little to be found
When all you've got is nothing
There's a lot to go around

.


Sheer luck, that was all it had been, sheer luck that Wavesong happened to be patrolling the river that day. She had been searching for signs of a good hunting spot, and, as always, for any trace of young Rainpaw. Determination kept her paws moving, but when her gaze caught sight of Mudpool and Jackdawpaw struggling in the churning water, instinct took over before thought could. " Hold on! " she cried, her voice cutting through the roar of the river. Her heart hammered as she surged forward, claws scraping for purchase on the slippery bank. The water was wild and dangerous, swollen with rain, but she didn't hesitate.

Stars above, Mudpool!!

She couldn't think about that. Not now. Not while Jackdawpaw was still out there, clinging desperately to a rock in the center of the current. She would not lose him too. " I'm comin', Jackdawpaw! Jus' hold on! " she shouted again, braving the river's pull as she fought her way toward him. The cold bit deep, but she forced her limbs to move until, with a final heave, she scrambled up beside the trembling apprentice. The rock wasn't large, barely enough for the both of them, but it would do.

" Yer okay, Jacky. Jus' breathe, aye? " she murmured, pressing close to steady him, a quicky, soft rasp of her tongue brushing his ear. " We're gonna get yer pretty tail back t'shore before ye know it. " Her eyes flicked over the raging water, mind working quickly. " Th'river's wild, but if we drift with it... Less fightin', more thinkin', aye? Strategy over struggle. " She met his frightened gaze and gave a firm nod, her grin brave but gentle. " Come on now, before th'current decides fer us. Follow me, keep yer head up, an' don't ye worry. I'll get ye back safe, I promise. " She positioned herself in front of him, bracing against the slick stone. " Alright, on me mark. Stay right behind me, don't let go, no matter what! " she urged, giving the other a firm look before she finally nodded, her gaze finding the waters again, waiting for a moment in time when--. " Now! "

One deep breath. Then she leapt.

The current tore at them instantly, pulling and spinning, but Wavesong kicked with every ounce of strength she had left. The weight of Jackdawpaw against her back, his claws gripping her fur, was the only thing that mattered. Her lungs burned, her limbs screamed, but the sight of the bank, so close now, pushed her onward. Her paws finally struck mud. With a desperate push, she heaved herself and the soaked apprentice onto solid ground. The rush of water behind them faded into the background, replaced by the sound of her ragged breathing. She collapsed beside him, chest heaving, a wet laugh bubbling out. Relief. " See? Told ye I'd get ye safely t'the other side... " she rasped, pressing her forehead to his for a moment. " Stars above, don't ever scare me like that again, guppy… " she uttered out before her gaze found the river, an icy cold settling in at the realisation that Mudpool had not been sighted. She hoped that others of her patrol had rushed forward, tried to figure out where the body of Mudpool was being taken.

The body... No, he could still have made it...

' ... And may th'currents carry Mudpool home...'

Speech, thoughts/emphasis


40 MOONS
𖧧
RIVERCLANNER
𖧧
SONG
𖧧
bio
 
cw; uhhh... angry mom? NOT gentle parenting

Perhaps all the luck Jackdawpaw had expended in surviving this mistake had been the entire stockpile for his entire life. It is not his willowy-breathed dam that finds him and Wavesong as a sopping pile of fur on the shore, but his far more rigid sire, whose fear often made her unkind at the best of times. This is one such moment, muscles taut with the adrenaline that still screamed her son was drowning actively, even as he sat before her sputtering and shivering. The painful grit her teeth is all the noise she makes at first, the tips of her ears burning with frustration as icy eyes scour the bubbling, relentless pull of the river for his mentor. His mentor who should be here... his mentor who had made a sacrifice she'd never get the chance to thank him for. She stands like a reed bending in the wind, unheard in all its snapping above the roar of the river itself.

Until... only until she has connected enough of reality to grow frustrated, to become so overwhelmed by her relief and anguish that it becomes anger. "What were you thinking?!" He is not a newborn to be coddled like he didn't have enough braincells to rub together to know better. Wavesong is not his parent and cannot kiss this boo-boo all better for him, cannot decide this isn't worth scolding. She strides forward the rest of the distance to sink her teeth into Jackdawpaw's scruff to drag him that much further away from the shore, lest he decide he really is a fool and leap back in. His judgement is clearly not worth trusting, if the present evidence were to be believed.

It is only when she's sure he's sufficiently far away from the torrent that she rounds on him, pressing her body between the shore and her boy. Her precious, stupid, beautiful boy. "I hope your ears are still working because you mother will have them as trophies when she's through with you! How many times have you been told to listen, Jackdaw? Are you listening to me now? There's no fixing this... do you understand me? Get up, now. If you were any luckier you would have the power of StarClan themselves, assuming they didn't just waste all their supposed strength keeping you here by claiming another instead."

Her gaze snaps to Wavesong, still bubbling with the heat of her own humiliation. Her child, to have caused this mess. "I can't thank you enough for risking your hide... Is Mudpool-? I didn't see him..."
 
FALLING FOR THE PROMISE OF THE
EMPTINESS MACHINE

.


Russetfall hears it before she sees it and she acts accordingly- rushing towards the source of the noise and bursting through the reeds just in time to see a wave slam into both Jackdawpaw and Mudpool.

"MUDPOOL! JACKDAWPAW!" The yowl that leaves her surprises even herself and she's vaguely aware of Wavesong already throwing herself into the water to swim towards the apprentice. Mudpool. Mudpool..!

Her paws move frantically along the shore, desperately trying to spy the warrior amongst the froth and foam of the raging current. More than once she catches a brief glimpse of his head poking above the water only to just as quickly lose him before she can make the decision to jump in after him. It's too fast, too strong even as the tabby runs as fast as she physically can in an effort to keep up. There's a roaring sound and it takes her a moment to come to the horrible realization that it's the waterfall.

The life guard slows to a stop, eyes wide. "MUDPOOL..!"

By the time she returns to where she'd seen Wavesong dive into the water for Jackdawpaw, Lichentuft is also there. No doubt berating her son and even she finds her ears flattening with the heat of the mother's words. Deserved, certainly in her eyes but still Russetfall finds herself on edge even if the sharp words are not directed at her.

"I tried to follow to pull him out but..." She shakes her head, shoulders sagging in defeat. "The waterfall..."

No cat would survive such a fall. If she had gotten there sooner... Been faster... Perhaps this wouldn't have ended as it had. Retrieving the... the body was likely impossible as well with the river as it was now. She glances to the three, something akin to anger and concern on her face though the former is not directed at them but rather herself.

"...Is everyone else alright? Jackdaw? Wave..?"


22 moons
Life Guard of Riverclan
she/her
tags


it's been decided how we lose
RUSSETFALL

— Life Guard of Riverclan
— She/Her
"SPEECH", 'THOUGHTS', ATTACK
— A Green-eyed Chocolate Mackerel Tabby With Low White
#8a2c55