Ripplepaw's Grief
Challenge for the forum BunnyClan
Author's Note:
Hey guys! This is yet another challenge, and I suggest to listen to 'The Eye of the Storm' by Ryan Stevenson. I kinda based this story off of the song, so I strongly suggest listening to it before, while or after you read. Without further ado, enjoy!
-Diana
RiverClan Territory
It was raining.
Pitter, patter, pitter, patter, pitter, patter, the cycle was never-ending.
It washed the earth, it swept all the bad things away. When it goes away, the earth is left clean. Flawless. They say watching the sky cry is beautiful. It's refreshing. It feels like all those sins you did were gone now, because the rain wiped you clean. The rain's forgiving. It's kind. It's gentle.
But there were those days where the rain would get angry; create something so fierce that it would wash event the mightiest trees away. It would let the wind blow it's heart out, rip plants from the roots, strip the trees and bushes bare. It would fill the river up to the point where the riverbed couldn't hold it anymore. The rain would summon the darkest, meanest-looking clouds and let thunder deafen our ears and lightning scorch the sky.
I remember those, dark, stormy days and nights when rain, thunder and lightning tormented RiverClan. The day I asked Troutpaw to show me the river,, it was only clouds. The breeze came, which wasn't really that bad either.
I was only an apprentice then. Ripplepaw, was my name. I remember begging Troutpaw to show me the flooded river, promising him we wouldn't go close.
And so we did.
It was only us two, enjoying the breeze, staring up at the darkened clouds above us, wondering what StarClan was doing. Little did we know that that breeze would become a full-on hurricane of wind, and those clouds would become even darker, sending harsh rain, ear-splitting thunder and terrifying lightning.
I was practically bouncing up and down, anticipating to see the flooded river. I'd boast to my friends, tell 'em a real tale. We made it to the river, gaping at the sight. The river was huge. More like a lake than a river. There was a bridge of stones across the river, and the wind was blowin' up a pretty strong current, able to sweep you away and drown you if you were foolish enough to try and cross it.
Just then, it started getting worse. The wind started getting louder and stronger and we heard bursts of thunder, even streaks of lightning not too far away. Troutpaw started saying we should cross the bridge of stones so we can cross the river. "I don't think that's a good idea..." I called out to Troutpaw. I was gettin' scared. By the sound and sight of the river, it was clear that if we fell, it ain't gonna be pretty.
Troutpaw started taunting me, telling me I was a coward, that I wasn't brave enough to cross the bridge of stones. "Are you scared, Ripplekit?" laughed Troutpaw. I bristled in annoyance and anger. "I'll show you, mouse-brain, that I ain't no kit or coward!" I answer back defiantly. "I'll cross all by myself!"
I start my horrifying journey across the rocks. My stomach churned with fear, and my body was tense, my fur up. I can see the current, swirling and seething, threatening to swallow me whole. The water crashed against the rocks, and I prayed and hoped the stones would hold. I unsheathed my claws, trying to get a grip on those stones. I make it towards the second rock, then the third. I realize that I can make it. I hear Troutpaw cheering me on, telling me that I'm doing great.
I make it to the fourth rock, seeing two more. I gather my muscles and jump, making it to the fifth rock. My paws ache and my heart is beating out of control. The wind's whipping the side of my flank, the frigid water making my paws feel completely numb. The water's colliding against the rocks I'm crossing. I bunch up my muscles and get ready to jump to the sixth and final stone, relief washing over me like seawater does over smooth sand.
And then, I slipped.
The first thing I feel is the impact of my body hittin' the water, submerging me completely. Then, the current forces my body to move, and I feel my body being hit by the tide , whirling me around like a leaf in the wind. Panic overwhelms me and I struggle to get to the surface, and when I do, I gulp in air like my life depended on it.
Which it did.
Instantly, the water takes me down under, where it can end me, take my life. I'm again whipped around, and I knew if I didn't get out fast, I would be goin' to StarClan before even making it to apprenticeship. I tried, I really did. I fought the current, struggled with all my strength, but no matter what I did, the water would crush me down. I was just too weak.
Before my vision blackened completely, I feel some cat grasp me and then...nothing.
I remember opening my eyes, wondering if I was dead, in StarClan. I stand up as quickly as I could, despite my legs feeling painful, cold and extremely tired. I started to cough, water spewing out of my mouth. I see the river, the shore and realize I'm still the same place that I was before. I look around, confused. Was this StarClan?
I turn around and see Troutpaw with his mentor, Fallensplash, their backs towards me. They were looking at some kind of creature, but I didn't know what or who it was. I wondered if they were dead too. "What's wrong?" I ask, limping towards them.
They both whip their heads around in shock and relief, but I don't pay attention. I'm too occupied being absolutely horrified that I'm struck speechless.
Right in front of me, was the body of my mother, Silverbriar. She was dead.
"She...she saved you, Ripplepaw," whispered Fallenleaf. "And-" her voice choked with tears. "-and she lost her life while doing it."
At first, I don't feel anything. The shock's so enormous, I just stare at her wet corpse for what seemed like moons. Then, the emotions of pain and heartache swallow me, swirling inside of like the current that killed me.
That's when I realize I'm not dead. My mother saved my life, and she drowned doing it. My breath comes in short gasps. Every beat my heart makes sends an ache throughout my body. Tears swell into my eyes and spill down my face, warm and salty. The lump in my throat prevents me to speak, and I stand there, crying, my head down.
You didn't have to die, I thought bitterly. Why, Mother? Why? Why have you left me here, alone and abandoned? Why? You could've seen me become a warrior, Mother! Why did you have to die? Why did our future just have to fade away?
The salted tears drop to the ground, dispersing once hitting the ground, making blotches. Then, there were four blotches. Then five. I feel the delicate impact of a rain drop hit my fur, and realize it's raining.
I don't know when Adderpaw and Fallenleaf left me, but I didn't care. It was just me, my mother, and the rain. The wind whispered into my ear and the rain started getting quicker, more urgent. I buried my muzzle into my sweet mother's fur, letting her scent embrace me. I didn't care if her pelt was wet; all I wanted was her. The rain continued as if telling me it was grieving as well.
I knew that I would always be thankful for her sacrifice.
I knew that I would always remember her.
And I knew that she would always be by my side in the eye of the storm.
The End.