Perch's Flow

Along the way, Iceflood had noticed the skies beginning to darken. He'd found it rather strange, considering the fact that it wasn't yet sun-fall. The trees in the forest prevented him from seeing anything out of the ordinary when he looked up, All he caught were glimpses of blue and the occasional white cloud. Is a storm coming? What other possible explanations could there be? The clouds he managed to see were not threatening, however, so he was quite perplexed by the entire situation.

Finally he neared the river, but he stopped short, freezing with shock. The water was completely gone. Fish were flopping about in the mud hopelessly, and most of the wading birds had left. How had this happened? Slowly, Iceflood approached the river, looking upstream to see if an object was blocking it, but he didn't see anything. Iceflood's ears flattened back against his head. First the sky was acting strange, and now the river?

Speaking of the sky, Iceflood gave it another glance now that he had cleared the forest. The normally expressionless wolf could not hide the look of bewilderment that now came upon his features. The sun was beginning to disappear. The bright light of what remained caused him to turn away quickly afterwards, but there was no mistaking what he had seen. Were either of the two situations related? Either way, he needed to inform the Clan that the river was empty. He figured that they must have known about the sun by this point. He gave the river one more look before he sprinted back towards the camp. What would happen if their entire supply of fish was gone, especially with the colder seasons just around the corner?

Grizzly, an old leonberger who had been blind for quite a while due to aging had wandered far enough from Shadesbury to find himself in a place he didn't recognize the smell of. He sniffed the air and blinked his sightless eyes, trying to make sense of where he was. He smelled wolves, the scent was recent but he could tell he was here alone for the moment. His pawsteps were short and slow, as he tried to get himself used to having wet dirt under his paws. After a little while he yelped slightly in shock as his feet touched water. He then realized just how thirsty he was. He flicked his ears every now and then, listening out for anybody else around, but all he could hear was the flowing of the water. He lowered his graying muzzle to the water's surface and lapped at the water with his long pink tongue. As he did so he still listened and sniffed out for anyone who were approaching but he scented and heard none.

After a while of lapping at the water he lifted his head, water dripping from his muzzle onto the rocks below. He fell a little unbalanced as rocks were loose under his paws but eventually gained balance once again. His mouth gaped open with a loud yawn and he licked his lips afterwards. He was tired but he knew he couldn't rest here, fearing that if somebody came around he wouldn't be welcome and he'd be chased off. Memories flooded back a little to when he was younger and he could see, though those days were gone forever. His eyesight was completely gone, all that was left was the milky darkness that surrounded him, and his imagination to map out the lands he had travelled. Luckily the wise dog knew well enough that his other senses would always be a benefit, but he was also worried that over time those senses would start to fade away as well. He took another step back and then realized the mud was half-way up his ankle on his one hind paw. He pulled on it and then realized he was stuck in the wet mud. He then sighed in little relief as he wasn't sinking more into the mud but still scared because he didn't have the strength right now to free his hind paw.

Padding up, she arrived first at the river, and watched it, her heart sinking. There was barely any water, just tiny puddles in the middle of vast sections of mud. And the poor fish, it already smelled like there were so many dead ones. hearing Ted and Ripplesplash join her, she looked over at them, shaking her sadness off. It wasn't in her nature to stay sad for long anyway. “Right, so Ted and I are probably better for getting the fish, it's in our instincts to fetch them and not hurt them. Do you wanna stay out of the mud and start ferrying the fish to the lake, Ripplesplash?” It seemed the most logical way of doing things to her, and it meant that there wasn't the risk of anyone getting stuck in the mud. “It gets super sticky though Ted, so we'd better be careful and keep a good distance from each other. Otherwise we might trap each other.” Hoping that it was going to be an alright plan, she turned her head back to study the mud flats, working out the best way to go forward.

Ripplesplash came up from behind Ted and pulled him back gently with a bite to the tail. "No wait, look at his eyes. He cannot see us.......but I don't think he's a threat. Ted, Follyfoot. You two stay here and try to save the fish. I shall free him, I've worked with this muddy place since I was an apprentice." she told them gently and slowly stepped towards the older dog, making sure she was upwind of him as to not startle him. She saw the male's fur bristle which told her he had caught onto her scent.

"Greetings elder dog, I'm here to help you get out of the mud. I will not harm you so please do not harm me. My name is Ripplesplash and two dogs from my Clan are here." she said, even though Ted really didn't belong to RiverClan yet.

Grizzly's ears twitched upwards as he heard pawsteps that weren't his own approaching and somebody voice he didn't recognize talk about saving the fish and mention two names - Ted and Ripplesplash. They sound like Clan names to me! he thought to himself as the old dog had learned about the five wolf Clans that lived in this area. He soon heard pawsteps approaching and then a female voice introduce herself as Ripplesplash, the one the other female voice had spoke to seconds earlier. This Ripplesplash sort of insulted him with "elder dog", he knew he was old but did he really need a reminder? He made his ears go back in slight annoyance and then blinked his sightless eyes. He sniffed the air around her and scented RiverClan.

The she-wolf spoke to him as if he'd bite into at any second and that had annoyed him even more. "Can you not tell I am blind, there's no need to speak to me as if I'm a loaded gun, ma'am." he said to Ripplesplash, hopefully not angering her.

Rolling her eyes at Ripplesplash's haughty words, Follyfoot sat and watched her make her way through the mud. It didn't come as a surprise to her when the wolf got stuck, and the easy going retriever sighed. Giving Ted a glance, she shrugged her shoulders a little. “Start saving some fish for us,” she told him. “I'll rescue the wolf and the dog.” Taking a moment to look at the mud and see which bits were the driest, she got to her feet and padded forward slowly, spreading her weight instinctively so that she wouldn't get stuck. Getting close to Ripplesplash, she got a firm hold on the wolf's scruff and pulled her free of the patch of mud she'd got stuck in. “Look, you wanna go for the patches of mud that are firm and dry,” she explained in her usual friendly way. “Why don't you go help Ted with the fish, and I'll help here. Too many paws will make the mud even worse.” Giving Ripplesplash a friendly wag of her tag, the retriever turned her attention to the big dog. “Hi there, I'm Folly. Let's see if we can get you outta here.” Placing her paws carefully and spreading her slightly webbed toes to give her more traction, she made her way to the paw that was stuck. “Gonna tug your paw out, okay? Sorry if it hurts.” Gripping his leg, she gave a firm tug, hearing the sucking noise of the mud as it finally let go. “Right, so spread your paws as wide as they'll go. You should be able to feel the difference between the drier mud and the soft stuff fairly easily. We don't wanna go in the soft stuff.” Cheerful as always, Follyfoot made her careful way out of the mud and waited at the edge, watching the older dog carefully just in case he needed any more help

Ripplesplash wasn't exactly pleased with having to be rescued, she had simply forgot to check if the mud would support her weight. She had had her toes spread to help out but still wounded up stuck in the mud. So now when Follyfoot came to her rescue she was quite embarrassed and the she-wolf found her fur heating up. As she was freed she quickly ran towards Ted, but remembered to keep a distance between them so she wouldn't fall into the mud again. She stepped on the solid mud only. "Thanks for the help, Follyfoot." she thanked the retriever.

Grizzly's very fluffy tail went tucked between his legs in fear, he didn't like meeting others especially when he can't see them. But he relaxed slightly as the one female (Follyfoot) spoke to him. His tail gave a little wag before his milky eyes became widened as he felt teeth on his stuck leg. He yelped, it had hurt for just a second but it didn't draw blood. He stood up and spread his toes out and then ran as he felt himself sinking. He stopped when he knew the ground would hold him up. When he knew for sure he wasn't sinking he sat down and began licking where he had been bit. He smelled mud but no blood. He let out a sigh of relief before his ears pricked upwards. "Thanks, young-un. I owe you now for getting me out of the mud. No thanks to Ripplesplash I guess." he said in a rough elderly bark.

"My name is Grizzly, I was named after my size and the color of my fur, it's still brown and black isn't it?" he asked them with a raspy laugh. He wagged his tail a little playfully.

Iceflood had traveled further upstream in an effort to determine the issue, but it was to no avail. He didn't see anything that could possibly be affecting the water level. How strange. After some time he'd decided that it was pointless to investigate further and that he should get back to where the other three were. It bothered him that he didn't know what was wrong with the river, but he figured that the cause wasn't the most important thing at the moment.

He soon reached the part of the river where the other patrol members were and slowed down his pace. He noticed an unfamiliar dog alongside the other warriors, but was uncertain of his reason for being here. The dog didn't seem threatening or aggressive, however, and it appeared that he might even be blind. "Hello," he said after a moment's pause, before looking back to his Clanmates and Ted. "What would you like for me to do?" he asked them, referring to the fish. He didn't know if they'd already come up with a plan but wanted to help in any way possible.

Grizzly's ears pricked forward and his tail stopped wagging as he bared his fangs at the new voice and growled a warning. He narrowed his sightless eyes before relaxing as this new person was no threat to him. If only I could get my eyesight back, I'd be a lot less fearful than I am now! Maybe if I had it back I wouldn't be this fearful! he thought to himself before he felt himself sinking in the mud. He yelped and then crumpled as his knees gave way and he found himself collapsing, the mud soaking his fur. He tried to stand back up but he couldn't as the mud was too sticky and both his hind legs this time were stuck. He managed to stand on his fore-legs and try to crawl his hind legs free but his fore-paws kept slipping on the wet mud.

The happy young retriever watched as the older dog managed to get out of the mud he'd been stuck in, her tail wagging happily. Glancing over when she scented Iceflood, her tail didn't stop, greeting him in her usual friendly way. “Hey Iceflood. We've thought that me and Ted can go and get the fish, and if you and Ripplesplash can handle them super carefully, you two should be able to get them to the lake without hurting them.” As much as they were all Riverclan members, she and Ted did have the upper paw with being bred for water and mud work without sinking. “Come on Teddy, let's get started. Once I help Grizzly out again.” Moving back to the poor older dog, she imitated her movements from before, tugging him out of the mud and nudging him onto the banks of the now water-less river. “That's the bank, buddy. Try stay there for us, kay? We gotta rescue the fish now.” Perkily heading back into the mud, she placed her paws carefully, getting a few fish in her gentle mouth and heading back to shore, placing them next to Iceflood, she glanced at him. “No blockage upstream then?” She could guess that was where he'd gone, and if there wasn't then it was super strange that the river was gone.

Dolphinsplash arrived and instead of greeting the patrol, she moved a ways down the now dried up river. What she saw made her heart stop, there seemed to be an animal stuck out there in the mud. Dolphinsplash having a helping heart decided to try and rescue the animal by herself. She carfully walk onto the river and when she got closer she recognized the scent. She had no idea how long the pup was there but considering he wasnt moving she knew that he was dead. But she knew that his mother would still want to sit vigil for his body. She jumped over the body, thinking that she had hit a dry spot but she too had made the same mistake as the pup. Quickly the mud started to rise and Dolphinsplash let out a quick howl before the mud finally covered her face. The mud claiming too bodies this day. But hopefully at least with her howl they could retrieve their bodies. Dolphinsplash's last thought before she died was 'at least i will be with family.'

Happily working with the other dog, Follyfoot was pleased with the amount of fish they managed to save. Once they had a decent pile, she ferried a few to the lake, coming back in time to see the huge wave wash her new friend down the riverbank. Ignoring what would be the logical thing to do, she pelted down the bank, keeping pace with him, and keeping an eye on him. Coming to the end of where she could safely barrel along the bank, she gave a worried whine. He wasn't moving, what if he was dead? Bounding over when she spotted that he'd washed up on the bank, she sniffed at him, making sure that he was fine, and wagged her tail when he turned out alright. Feeling the mud on her coat beginning to harden in the warm sun now that it wasn't covered over, she splashed into the river, pleased that the fish were going to be saved now. “Yeah, isn't it great?” Tail wagging, she bounded out, the mud all washed off her, and nosed the other retriever. She didn't mind that he'd shortened her name, it was something she was used to by now. “I bet Graystar wouldn't mind you joining! And now that your collar's been washed off, you're a proper wild dog now.”

Grizzly watched and once he felt water under his paws he smiled. He wagged his tails and waited to be leaded somewhere. He could hear them talking to one another and felt a little left out but he had to get used to things. He stood up from his sitting position and tried to walk towards the sound of there voices. "Follyfoot?" he called for her, feeling scared. He whimpered and then sat down again, the water now up all the way of his tail, making his thick fur wet on his legs half-way up. He barked to try and get their attention but he doubted he had any of it right now.

Iceflood gave a glance in the unfamiliar dog's direction upon hearing him growl, but the dog's expression soon relaxed and the warrior decided that there wasn't any threat. His focus turned back to Follyfoot when she started to speak. "That plan sounds fine to me." He sat down while he waited for the retrievers to bring back the fish, watching as they worked. "I couldn't find anything wrong with the river when I checked," Iceflood said in response to Follyfoot's question. "It's really strange." It almost seemed impossible. How could so much water just vanish? Where had it all gone? Why had it gone? Iceflood couldn't answer these questions, and it bothered him. The river was so important to RiverClan, and if it was gone forever, what would they do then?

He sighed inwardly before he picked up some of the fish Follyfoot and Ted dropped in front of him, carrying them back to the lake with Ripplesplash's help. He quickly returned back to the others after depositing the fish and was about to grab another mouthful when he heard a short howl. It had been cut off suddenly, and he hadn't be able to tell who it belonged to. Someone must be in trouble. Leaving the fish mission behind for a few moments, he sprinted downriver in the direction of the howl. He glanced about as he ran for any signs of a wolf in trouble and eventually came across a muddy bundle of fur. There was no movement whatsoever, leading Iceflood to think the worse. Upon closer inspection, he spotted a small tail in the mud as well. Iceflood flicked his ears, uncertain what he should do. It was likely that the two were already dead, but what if they had been his Clanmates? After all, he couldn't tell from this distance. If I'm careful in crossing the river, I should be okay. He still felt quite doubtful, but he'd made up his mind.

Iceflood scanned the mud ahead of him to determine the best possible route. He noticed a few areas where the mud had dried up, but there were also spots which seemed rather ambiguous. Hesitantly, he placed a paw on the dry spot. It supported his weight and he didn't feel himself sinking. Taking in a deep breath, he put his other paw forward. Still safe. Gradually, Iceflood made his way to the center of the river, each pawstep carefully planned. It was now, where the scents were stronger, that he recognized the bundles of fur as Pantherpup and Dolphinsplash. His ears flattened back with sadness. How many lives would RiverClan lose in such a short period of time? In particular, he felt bad for Moonbreeze, who'd not only lost her mate but also one of her pups. He stopped a little distance away, as the mud in front of him appeared soft and dangerous. Can I go any further? He didn't know if he could retrieve their bodies without endangering his own life. Very cautiously, he placed a paw forward but immediately recoiled when he felt it start to sink. It took him a bit of effort to free his paw and he took a couple of steps backwards. Was this an impossible task?

He hadn't had much time to consider his options when he heard a low rumble. He perked his ears and stared up the river, uncertain what was happening. The sound gradually grew louder, and it was at this point that Iceflood figured he should get back to shore. Something was definitely wrong. He frowned as he looked back at the bodies of Pantherpup and Dolphinsplash, but maybe he'd be able to get help to retrieve them. He began to make his way back to the banks when he cast a glance upstream again. He felt his heart drop when he saw the flood of water racing right towards him. For a few moments he was frozen with fear, but he quickly came to his senses and sprinted back to the banks, forgetting about caution in light of the water. He'd just made it to shore when the river went raging past him. He'd narrowly avoided it and his heart was still racing. Iceflood stared at the river for a couple of minutes, shocked by all that happened. He realized he was even luckier to have avoided the softer mud. If he'd gotten stuck in it when the river came, it would be four lives that RiverClan would have lost. He tried to calm himself down, taking in deep breaths, and headed back upstream to where he'd left the others. Along the way he noticed that the sun had returned; he hadn't realized when exactly that had happened, having been too worried about escaping the river.

Eventually he came upon the others in his patrol. He was quite relieved that they were all safe. He paused for a moment, trying his best to keep his expression neutral and to keep his voice from wavering due to his earlier fear. "I'm happy that the river has returned. Now we no longer have to worry about the fish," he said, before pausing once again as he recalled what had happened to Pantherpup and Dolphinsplash. "When I heard a howl, I went downstream to see if anyone was in trouble. I ran across Pantherpup and Dolphinsplash in the mud, but by the time I'd arrived there hadn't been anything I could do to save them. I wasn't able to retrieve their bodies before the river came back." He knew that they'd have to inform the Clan, not only of the river's return but of Pantherpup's and Dolphinsplash's deaths. He only hoped that no more lives would be lost for a long time.