Russet Mask

Part Seven

Nickysha waved her paws desperately thought the bubbles. Her shoulder numb from pain and bone chilling waves. Branches six times her size where sweeped about like twigs. Nickysha held her breath as she was shoved even further into the waves. Her eyes were clouded by the roaring foamy water. She felt herself being whisked away faster and faster. Then a sudden splash cause a flurry of bubbles to whisk around her in greater swarms.

The flashing wet pelt of a golden orange pelt simmered through the dark eerie water.

Abhasvara! The image of the golden tom flashed through her mind, his pelt rippling in the breeze and sun shone through it. His paws rooted on the soft hill in her old den.

Please don't let me die like this! I have to see him again! Please don't let him die!

Then sharp teeth clamped onto her scruff. Nickysha felt herself being lifted towards the surface of the foaming water.

Then her head broke the surface of the rushing currents. She gasped in lungfuls of air as she and her savior were carried on.

Nickysha caught a glance at the cat that had pulled her from the depths.

"Abhasvara!" she stuttered, "how?"

His reply came as a muffled grunt as he continued to guide her through the waters.

"I'm going to try to get us to that floating debris," he mumbled around her scruff.

Nickysha caught sign of the object he was talking about. A wet and soggy derb of wood that was bobbing through the waves away from the massive clumps of scraps.

"I think I can make it on my own," Nickysha painted. Feeling the pressure on hr scruff disappear, Nickysha paddled her paws strongly as her and Abhasvara fought their way to the damp bark.

As they neared the floating derb, Nickysha stuck her claws into the softwood. Next to her Abhasvara clung on as they caught their breath.

"Where's Satsuma?" Nickysha gasped.

"We lost each other as the water swept you away, so I decided to see if I could locate you," Abhasvara explained.

"So you decided to save me," Nickysha interpreted.

"What! I," Abhasvara stuttered.

Nickysha purred as the sigh of him getting flustered, "I know what you meant,"

Abhasvara relaxed, "I'm glad your safe, I don't know what I would do If you,"

He didn't finish his thought. Both him and Nickysha knew that they weren't out of the woods yet, they still had to find a way to get out and survived this terrible wash of water.

"Your such a big sap," Nickysha purred.

Abhasvara chuckled as her words, "well you such a fool to go tripping over rocks,"

"Hey that was your fault!" Nickysha protested, "your words distracted me!"

Soon they were laughing over the stories of what had happened during their separation.

"But seriously," Nickysha breathed, "what are those scratches really from?"

Abhasvara hesitated, think about what his reply would be,"It was from the other tom, I told you that!"

"But who gave you them," Nickysha insisted.

Sighing Abhasvara looked at Nickysha hesitantly as their wood patch bobbed violently, "It was from Angar,"

Nickysha gasped, "No way, why would he do that!?"

Abhasvara glanced nervously down, "because of you,"