Drip. Drip. Drip.

Alarmed, Littlepaw blinked open his eyes. The green orbs shone in the abnormally dark apprentice den and drank in what little moonlight was filtering in through the entrance. The fact that there was any light at all was surprising, as the sky had been covered with heavy rainclouds for days now. Even in the dim light, he could see that the nests of his denmates were empty, though the white tom could smell that they had been present not too long ago.

With the scents of the other apprentices came another - the unmistakeable stench of fear. It was a smell Littlepaw was used to. Though he seldom smelled it on his Clanmates, he was constantly surrounded by it. He wondered what it was like to be big and strong, unafraid of the world around him. All he could do was cower during battle training and scare prey away during hunts. He was scared of the eagles that circled over the canyon; the cliff that dropped away into nothingness at the south edge of RockClan's territory; the claws of his sister, Emberpaw, as they dug into him during battle practice.

And, above all else, he was afraid of water. Though it was necessary for his survival, especially here in the canyon where it was unbearably hot during the day, it still terrified him. It was too fast, too strong for a little tom like him. Perhaps it was why he had woken with such a start at the sound of water drops hitting the red rock floor of the apprentice den.

It was now that he noticed the desert moss of his nest was wet and he leaped to his paws immediately, short fur bristling. It, too, was damp, and added weight he was not used to to his small body.

His paw hit liquid as he stepped out of the confines of his moss nest. He could feel it lapping at his fur, pulling at his cracked pads. Littlepaw shivered, the only movement he was capable of. The rest of him was frozen in fear, the sight of the gleaming water making his mind numb.

Outside, he could hear his Clanmates shouting, the thundering of their paws against the rock as they moved to higher ground. He thought he heard his name, the familiar voice of his mentor, Mapleblossom, floating into the den. He was unable to answer, ears having picked up a horrifying sound that required his full attention to make out.

What had started out as singular drops dripping from the ceiling of the apprentice's cave had now become a dull roar, far enough away that it was not yet deadly. But it was coming; Littlepaw could feel the vibrations of the stone beneath his paws as the water flooded into the canyon. Already, the water was brushing up against his belly, lapping at him enticingly.

"Littlepaw!" The voice of his brother, Whitepaw, shocked him out of his numbness and sent the apprentice into a panic as he realized his situation. RockClan's camp was in a canyon, the dens made up of caves dug into the side of the rock. If he didn't move soon, he would be trapped by nothing less than his worst nightmare.

Taking a shuddering breath, Littlepaw struck out against the tide that was threatening to submerge him. The fur on his legs and sides was plastered to his skin, the cold of the water seeping into his bones. Each step felt as if his legs were made of rock, heavy and immovable. Each breath felt as if it were stinging his lungs, the sudden coolness of the air making it difficult to breathe.

The entrance of the den was right there before him, yet so far away at the same time. The little white tom tried not to think about the fact that the water was continually rising around him, but the evidence was there all the same. Already, he was having trouble keeping his head above the deadly substance. Again, his muscles were seizing up in utter terror, but he refused to give up all hope.

Then, he was completely submerged, a sudden wave having filled the apprentice den to the top. His air supply was cut off abruptly, not even giving him time to take one last, deep breath. The idea of death had never really occured to him, but now Littlepaw stared it right in its watery eyes. Did those dancing black spots mean he was on his way to joining StarClan?

In one last moment of consciousness, Littlepaw wondered if drinking the water now would help him survive the heat of the canyon. It was a silly thought, really. The queens, Dapplefur and Ripplestream, had always gone on about how easy it was to get heat stroke while out in the sunlight that scorched the canyon during the day. It was ironic, that the one thing that could prevent that was now the element that had come to take his life away.

The moonlight continued to filter in through the entrance of the den, shifting through the swirling waves, and Littlepaw's green eyes drank in the sight of it for the last time. Slowly, very slowly, the deadly water turned into darkness.

Out of that darkness came the glittering of stars.

A/N: And there is my first ever challenge! This one was written for the flood challenge in The Clan of Clouds forum.

Littlepaw is a minor character in the fanfiction I'm currently working on, The Coming Storm, so I didn't know very much about him as a character before starting this challenge. The only things I had about him were his physical appearance and one descriptor - cowardly. I hope this short story conveyed that aspect of his character.

Let me know what you thought in the reviews! Your opinions, dear readers, are always very much appreciated :)

- Spirit