Submission (#3609) Approved

Word count: 1,491
Elnin AP is for: Aisling - https://worldofeyre.com/character/ELN706
Other elnin: Primrose (https://worldofeyre.com/character/ELN2512) and Donaar (https://worldofeyre.com/character/ELN1637)
Mini requirement: Noble rank requirement act

Aisling has never told anyone but she fears deep water. A little bit of shallows is manageable and so isn't usually an issue when they are traveling. Being on a boat is a bit hair-raising but she usually can hide the fact that she is afraid as long as her feet are firmly planted in the base of the boat. While she can swim, she is not great at it which is another reason why water deeper than her waist unnerves her. Here she needs to face her fears to save a kittom in need.

     It was an uneventful morning in Ealei, the early sun still rising over the waters edge. Warm summer rays betrayed the event to come. Aisling was setting up for the last day of travel in high spirits. They had come in by boat, the caravan left behind in the harbor, and stayed in the small island port overnight. Now it was time to head to the main central town in Ealei, Skyhaven. The place fascinated Aisling with the wide roots that formed the basis of the island, over shadowed by the huge tree in the center. She had gathered the kits together and left them with Gwyn to watch them for a moment while she secured a guide for the last leg. While she was familiar with the path, the nature of the root causeways meant that it could change between visits. Aisling felt the wind pick up as she walked through the port, the sudden clouds looking ominous. She shivered for a moment. While she was ok when in a boat, Aisling had never told anyone that she feared deep water. Shallow rivers were managable but anything deeper than her waist unnerved her.

     The long-tailed elnin treaded carefully as the wind tried to pick her up and push her off the short bridge that lead further into the canopy that protected the path headed towards the village center. She paused as she heard voices over the gusting of the wind, her ears pricking up, trying to gage where it came from. At first she thought she was imagining things but then she heard it once more. Aisling turned towards the sound, noticing the waters around her had started to get more insistent with their pounding on the roots and wooden structures that she walked upon. A little worried for Gwyn and the kittoms she considered turning around to check up on them before the voices came to her once more. They were clearer this time; there was someone in trouble!

     Quick as she could, Aisling tried to pinpoint where they were over the sounds of the wind and crashing of the waves. It took a few moments before she heard a scream and dashed down the causeway towards it. She hoped that scream didn't mean she was too late, the wind pushing against her as if trying to hold her back. The Caravan leader felt lost for a moment as a branch from the trees above her creaked and she almost had to dive out of the way to escape the branch as it came loose from the structured weaving and fell down towards her. Re-centering herself, Aisling took care with her steps now, trying to move quickly but cautiously towards where she had last heard the voices. A few moments later she heard a new voice, slightly higher than the other, trying to call out words of encouragement. She rounded a corner when Aisling found herself running smack-dab into a small kittom, paws grabbing tightly on a branch, the other reaching out a second branch to a shape that kept bobbing in and out of the frothing water.

     The kittom turned in surprise before taking in the adult and calling out. "Help! They lost their footing and fell. I can't reach them and the tide is pulling them out into the bay!" She went back to trying to help the other figure yelling over the whistling winds. "There is someone here to help! Hold on tight!"

     Aisling, took a look at the situation and tried to ascertain a good solution. She quickly realized that the vines and roots that the kittom was using for support were not strong enough for her bulk. Even with her longer reach she would not be able to bring the branch any closer to the waterlogged figure. Aisling took a deep breath as she realized that swimming might be the only way she was going to be able to reach the one in the water.  What is worse, not only was the river deep at the mouth but also turbulent from the stormy winds. While she knew the basics, swimming was not her strong suite as her fear usually got the best of her. Gathering up her druthers she looked around for a spot where she could safely climb down into the water, noticing the embankment was pretty steep which explained how they may have fell in the water in the first place. Aisling tried to psych herself up again, taking a few more deep breaths as to reasoned with herself that jumping in might be the better way to get into the rushing waters than climbing. Already soaking from the rain, she felt the biting wind pick up again and the figure in the water squeaked with fright as another branch snapped and dropped with a large splash.

     There was no choice, if she waited any longer there would be no hope for the little one in the water. Aisling calmed her wildly beating heart and jumped in, flailing around a little at first before her instinct kicked in and she paddled towards the one in trouble. It was then she realized they were another kittom, dark blue fur making it almost impossible to see against the pounding waves. She reached over as best she could while still kicking her legs to keep afloat and attempted to grab at the kittom. "Here! Grab!" a wave pushed into her face, leaving her spluttering for a moment, "Grab on!" she choked out, reaching her paw towards the kittom who was clinging onto a root for dear life.

     It took what seemed like hours though was probably just minutes for her to finally coax the dark kittom from the root and into her arms. She held them close to her chest before striking out back towards the bank she had leaped from where the pink and purple kittom was dancing along the edge. For a moment she attempted to will the kittom away from the muddy ledge with her mind, not wanting to have to rescue a second kit before kicking her feet one last time as she felt the rocks and gravel of the river mouth under her feet. Even with her height, she fought against the waves and rising storm waters, struggling with the elements until she let herself sink slightly to use the riverbed as leverage and jumped out of the water, her free paw reaching for a root or vine to pull herself up with. The first kittom was holding a thick vine she had secured around a tree and reached out to hand it over before scooting back as the wind buffeted the trio. Aisling grabbed it thankfully and pulled herself up, her heart beating in her chest. Feeling the cold seeping into her fur she knew the other two had to be chilled to the bone. After checking on the dark blue kittom, she scooped up the other and, hunched over to protect them from the mind as best she could, carried them back towards the caravan. With luck Gwyn would have secured everything down and tucked the other kittoms into the small boathouse they had landed by.

     An hour later found them all gathered together, the two kittoms piled high with warm towels and blankets, Aisling close by with her own towel around her shoulders, "Primrose and Donaar I see. What were you doing outside on your own?"

     Primrose spoke up first, "I heard him fall in and ran to help. We usually keep an ear out for travelers who are not expecting the weather to change so quickly and can get stranded." She finished drying her hair and tied it back up in her braid that had come loose.

     "Got separated from my family." The other kittom wrinkled his nose before sneezing a few times. "They were heading to the village..."

    "That's the one I'm from!" Primrose interrupted

     Donaar gave her a quick look before continuing pointedly "To the village because we were supposed to meet someone there. Well, Kai was supposed to meet someone." He gave a shrug that was almost lost in the pile of blankets around his shoulder before adding. "Didn't mean to get lost... they are probably looking for me."

     As she listened, Aisling nodded in agreement. "As soon as the storm passes I'll take you both to the village." She looked around at Gwyn and the other kittoms they had been traveling with. "We'll all go together so that no one else gets into trouble, I'm assuming you can lead us to your village, Primrose?" She smiled warmly at the smaller kittom.

"Yup! I know this area like the back of my paw!" Primrose held up a paw to illustrate her comment before tucking it back into the warmth.

"Fantastic, we'll start up soon." Aisling nodded once more, glad that her foray into the water wasn't as bad as it could have been.