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Powerful winds gusted, sending dark clouds skittering across the sky. Waves crashed against a rocky outcropping, seeming to echo the oncoming storm's imminent fury. On the edge of the high cliff above the towers of water, a lone figure sat, its white hair whipping all about. Feline ears were flicked back slightly, in puzzlement or annoyance. The figure sighed, the sound feminine, as she lifted an amethyst hand to push back a stray lock of hair. On her back hung a large, ragged pack. She seemed to be thinking...but of what? ~ The water was as cold as it was dark. It stung so badly his skin could have been aflame. The rock he clung to was sharp, slick and jagged, and it was all he could do to keep hold of it in the high winds, despite the deep slices it had put into his hands and arms, for if he let go, all would be lost. He was so tired, so mortally fatigued... but he had to hang on, he had to... ~ The woman atop the cliff sighed softly again, a single strand of silver in her hair tucked behind one ear. She relished the feel of the wind in her hair and closed her eyes, letting it wash over her like a soothing balm. Suddenly, she paused, ears pricking. Her eyes snapped open and she leaned over the cliff's edge, intently searching below. Unable to see past the wave's spray, all the Kougress could do was try to listen for any sound. The lithe creature had a feeling something was amiss, but she couldn't place it. ~ He coughed. A dark substance that must have been blood sprayed on the rock, but was quickly washed away by the churning waves. He was beginning to feel very woozy... A crack of lightning lit up the sky, illuminating the cliff. He looked up in time to see a partial figure leaning off the cliff... they shouldn't be doing that, they could fall... Why were they even out in conditions like this? He looked up again, when another ribbon of lightning spread across the sky. The figure was gone... or was it? He could no longer tell. His vision was failing him, turning blacker with every breath he took. ~ Hair whipping wildly in the wind, the Kougress narrowed her eyes to try to see past the spray of foam. Suddenly, her eyes widened. The lanky woman may not have been able to see, but she could smell just fine, and the scent of fresh blood had hit her like a brick wall. Knowing she had no time to lose, the ivory-haired woman quickly shrugged out of the pack she wore. As soon as it was off, a magnificent pair of feathered wings spread from her shoulders. Folding them behind her, the Kougress dove off the cliff, falling rapidly towards the crashing waves. Her eyes roved the depths, trying to spot the source of the blood-scent, as she belled out her wings and caught herself just feet above the water's murky surface. Those same eyes caught movement, a shape clinging to a rock. Expertly using the winds to her advantage, the woman flew towards that spot as lightning rent the sky again, illuminating the figure through the mist. ~ His grip was slipping. The flesh of his fingers had worn down to the bone, sending shooting pains up his arms. He looked up to see something hovering above him; or was it just a hallucination? He didn't doubt that. He'd heard somewhere extreme pain causes hallucinations. It didn't matter anyway. He'd be dead before dawn, dead before he had the chance to apologize to his brother. Resigned to his fate, he let go of the rock slowly, taking in the cold he had been trying so hard to force out. ~ She could sense it. Sense the suicidal leanings, the loss of grip on life, and desperation filled her. 'I'm not letting someone else slip right through my fingers, someone I could save!' she thought, swooping lower. The waves were brutal. Their force was nothing short of Herculean, and the Kougress almost couldn't stay in the air. Wrapping her arms tightly around the figure, taking no time to notice details, she forced her wings to pound mightily against the air as she tightened her grip. The water fought back, trying to pull her below. The woman did her best not to let panic overtake her. She may not have been the strongest, but desperation and primal fear lent strength to her arms and wings. They beat mercilessly against the air, and she and her load surged upwards. Ignoring the pain shooting through her shoulders as a result of the stress, she focused on the cliff's edge. 'Just a little...farther...' she encouraged herself, fighting the added weight of the water to the weight of her and her burden. It was all she could do to crest the cliff's edge and collapse, releasing the poor soul onto safe ground. |
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