Redhawk Caldera i hit the sunday matinée

There had been another disagreement last night.

They had tried to keep quiet, but Sorana was a light sleeper and overheard a little of it. She'd jammed her head into her elbows and covered her ears, trying not to listen, but with limited success. She fell asleep again before they came to bed, but not without some uneasy tossing and turning.

She was alone now, playing with colourful rocks near the water and trying not to think about it. There was a mommy rock, a daddy rock, and five little baby rocks in various colours. She was playing a fun game where the babies played hide and seek with the parents, only daddy rock said, where have you been? to mommy rock when he found her hiding under a leaf and Sorana was reminded all over again.

She scuffed her paw over the baby rocks, sending them rolling, and lifted her eyes to the opposite shore. She wished she could go visit Jay and Chickadee and Aiden. She didn't blame her parents — they were without fault in her eyes — but she was getting older and her feelings were becoming more complex. She was having a hard time processing them lately. Her friends were good at keeping her mind off it.

Sora licked her lips and glanced around. It hadn't been so far when Teya carried her. The water was cold, but nothing she couldn't handle. Mommy and daddy both often said how strong and big she was getting. She licked her lips again and left the rocks where they lay, stepping gingerly to the edge of the lake. She dipped her toes in, withdrew them with a gasp, then slid them forward. When her paws didn't feel so cold, she moved a little more, until the water was up to her elbows. Then a little more, until her belly was submerged. Then another step or two, and Sorana was floating.

She began to kick her legs, seizing upon the ancestral instinct to paddle. Sora leaned back her head and puffed above the surface, and was pleased when she did not slip under. This was easy! Now she could visit her friends whenever she liked! With her confidence boosted by the taste of success, Sorana began to paddle harder, casting away from shore and bobbing out into the lake. Water tickled her ears and slicked back the fur on her cheeks.

She wasn't even halfway across when her inexperienced legs began to tire. There was a burning ache swiftly growing in her shoulders and hips. It was getting harder to keep her head up. Sorana's breath came in faster gasps as her heart and chest grew tight with panic. Her paddling turned to thrashing and floundering. She wasn't going to make it!

She tried to turn around, but the island felt so far away, too. As soon as she realized how much trouble she was really in, the sucker punch of true fear in her gut, Sorana screamed for help around a mouthful of water.