Tis I. The literal Shadow because I'm here one second and gone the next.
Thank you all SO much for the support as I literally poof for weeks, I really appreciate it!

This chapter was going to be longer, but I really needed to post something after that rather cruel cliffhanger so here you go! :D

I knew this mission would be shitty!

Pain lanced through his body, briefly cutting through his panic, as the current slammed him against a boulder.

Don't scream. Don't cry out. His helmet protected him from the worst of it, but water seeped in nevertheless. He hadn't made it off that watery hellhole just for water to get him in the end.

Crosshair blindly grasped for a handhold. A rock, a branch, something. His fingers snagged something and hot pain tore through his shoulder as it was nearly jerked out of socket when the current tried to snatch him from his salvation.

Sickening dread churred in Crosshair's stomach as his fingers already began to slip, numbed by the cold even through the gloves. Was the river literally alive and trying to kill him?

Gasping for air while he could keep his head about the raging rapids, he could barely hear his squad yelling for him from upstream.

Above those, a yell sounded closer.

"Hang on, Cross!"

Shadow? No, not her! If she pulled him out he'd never hear the end of it!

Trying to raise his head to spot the guide, his eyes widened. Running across the rocks with hardly a pause, as sure footed as any soldier, she rapidly closed the distance between him and her.

But as he watched her race towards him, his attention slipped and the current tore him away from safety.

"Shit!" he heard Shadow yell before the water forced him under again and dumped him into a deep pool. The current waned, but he couldn't feel the stream bed beneath his feet and struggled to fight his way back up to the surface.

A dull crash.

An explosion of bubbles.

A blurry figure, distorted by the swirling water.

A strong grip on his arm.

A violent tug.

The diver forcing themselves down to push him up.

His head breaking the surface.

A hard shove towards a wide flat bolder.

No. No! Not Shadow!

Damn it!

Splashing erupted next to him before Shadow hauled him up onto the rock. Her hands gripped his helmet and yanked it off.

"Crosshair! C'mon, Cross! Be ok! I ain't given' you mouth to mouth, breathe damn it!" she yelled, dragging him upright and twisting him around so he faced down.

He weakly shoved her away. "I'm fine!" he hissed, voice hoarse as he staggered to his feet.

"The hell you are! You could have drowned!"

The concern in her voice cut deep, anger soon following.

Furiously wiping water from his eyes as Shadow got to her feet as well, he glared down at the woman who was also soaking wet. Her soaked clothes clung to her and water streamed from her flattened fur as she minutely shivered from the cold.

He pushed away the brief concern that threatened to rise and took a threatening step towards her. "I had it under control!"

"Yeah, sure! Look at you, damn it!"

"You think you're better than me because trainin'?" Crosshair sneered, voice hoarse from the water as he jabbed a finger into her chest. "Trainin' is no match for experience, and I've been far more places than you will ever be. You're just some backwater guide. I didn't need your help and I never will."

She looked taken aback, and for a brief moment Crosshair almost regretted his harsh words. Guilt twisted his stomach at the intense hurt that flashed in her eyes. He'd hit a nerve. Judging by the fact she was still silent, he'd hit a pretty big one.

But he was unprepared for the blue fire that sparked in her eyes. Hatred filled her gaze, and her next words held none of her previous concern. "I was going to say," she began icily, "I'm not weighed down by around thirty extra pounds of armor."

Oh...

"But if you're so concerned about experience," she growled, lips curling back to reveal teeth, "I've been swimmin' longer than you've been alive. I did it competitively too. Not to mention I know this stream far better than you ever will."

Pride drove his next words. "Don't care how good you think you are, I didn't need you."

"Then allow me to rectify the situation."

Her foot slammed into his midsection before he saw her move. The force drove him backwards off his feet and he landed back in the pool. Frantically trying to keep his head above the water, Crosshair shouted curses at Shadow.

"Said you didn't need my help. Just wanted to give you a chance to prove it. Hope you were right, for your sake."

"Crazy bitch!"

"This crazy bitch can drag your ungrateful ass back out of there if you'd show a little gratitude."

If he wasn't the one about to drown, he'd admire her harsh approach to someone who'd insulted her. He would have done the same.

"Shadow! Get him out!" Hunter yelled, coming over the rise.

"Oh! No, it's ok Hunter! Crosshair said he didn't need my help!" Shadow laughed.

"Dammit kid, move!" Hunter barked, running past her and jumping in to help pull Crosshair to a shallower area.

Panting heavily, relieved to have ground under his feet, Crosshair glared at the rock Hunter had him hanging onto. Unable to meet Shadow's harsh stare, Crosshair could only withhold a cough as she snorted.

"Maybe you aren't as strong as you think after all."

"Kid, go get your pack and wait upriver!" Hunter ordered.

Shadow stood her ground. "Better tell your sniper to be careful who he pisses off. Never know when someone will snap," she hissed before turning to leave.

Crosshair watched her go, an unfamiliar emotion beginning to spread through him as her hurt gaze from before flashed across his eyes. Hurt didn't even cover it. Whatever nerve he'd hit with his comment...

He hadn't... dammit he hadn't meant to set her off like that. She didn't have to save him...

No. No it wasn't his fault! Did she think she was entitled to his appreciation now? Any fool could have drug him out of the creek.

But could they have gotten to you as fast as she did?

So what if she could run across the rocks fast? So what if she easily traversed the obstacles with hardly a pause? So what if she dropped everything the moment she saw him in trouble...? Risked falling into rapids... dove in without hesitation to pull him out... braved the icy water... stayed under to keep him above... frantically yanked off his helmet with the sole intent of making sure he was ok... even after he'd said those things to her earlier...

She didn't have to help you. For how you've been treating her, she should have let you drown.

That inner voice... they were right.

Why hadn't she just let him drown?

"Crosshair!" Wrecker yelled from further up the bank, crashing through the trees to reach his soaked batchmate. "You alright?!"

"Fine, quit yellin'."

Crouching beside him, Wrecker grinned. "Damn, didn't know Shadow could move that fast! Looked like she was flyin'!" He looked around. "Where's she go?"

"Upstream after she pushed him back in," Hunter grumbled.

"Wait, what?" Wrecker's jaw dropped. "Why'd she push him back in?"

Hunter turned his glare towards Crosshair. "Because someone insulted her after she saved his ass."

"Crosshair!" Wrecker exclaimed.

"She'll get over it. Doesn't matter," he retorted.

But it did...

Oh it did.

The arrogant bastard. Who the hell did he think he was?

Fucking asshole!

I should have left him to the creek. Hunter would have gotten him out.

A fierce snarl ripped from my throat as I reached my pack. Taking my rage out on the nearest rock, reinforced claws leaving deep gouges, I continued to curse the sniper.

"Shadow! You're soaked! You need to get dry, you'll get-"

Tech stopped abruptly as I glared at him, teeth bared.

"Shut it, nerd!"

His eyes widened. "Shadow, what happened? Are you alright?" he exclaimed, hurrying closer.

Water logged tail bristling, I growled, "I'm fine.

"I want to help, did you get hurt?" Tech asked, springing across some boulders to reach my side.

Not physically. "Back off."

"Crosshair said something, didn't he? You know he's just proud," Tech began.

I stepped forward and backed him against a tree. "I said, leave it! I don't give a shit what his excuses are, I don't want to hear it!" I snarled, tail lashing.

"But-"

My hand slammed into the tree by his head. "Drop it," I hissed, teeth bared.

Beneath his helmet, his eyes somehow grew wider as faint red crept across his face, but he nodded.

"Good." Turning away, I snatched my pack off the ground and hopped across the river to the other side.

He swallowed and called after me, "I just wanted to help."

"Yeah?" I replied without turning around. "So did I."

Hopefully the next chapter will be out sooner than later!