TW: implied animal death, injury SRP of Astercharm and her fall into the canyon. It was to long for one project, so I decided to devide it into four or five short parts. The other parts will come asap, probably in the next few weeks or so. First part here: https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/876833257/ Part 2: https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/877602734/ Part 3: https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/878269982/ ❀ act. IV " time's up " "I'm warning you," Astercharm said urgently, moving further toward the loner. "Come away from the bridge, it's dangerous." But the other feline didn't hear, /wouldn't hear/, and kept moving back as if afraid of Astercharm. The bridge rocked under a gust of wind, and the loner flinched. For a moment, Astercharm's heart stopped, afraid the she-cat would fall off, but fae shook off the thoughts again. Subconsciously, the feline had begun to extend and retract faer claws as she considered what to do now. But before fae could make a decision or come up with a plan, the wooden slats shook again in the wind, causing the other she-cat to sway more. She backed away further, standing now with all fours completely on the bridge. Without thinking any longer, Aster made a dash for the beginning of the bridge. "Get down from there!" the molly shouted, loud enough to stand up to the surging wind. Dark clouds had been brewing in the sky, and from the looks of it, a huge summer thunderstorm was imminent //She needs to get down there, now! Once it starts raining, I won't be able to get her down there.// Time was running out for Astercharm. Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. If she didn't do something quickly, then-. With a bursting sound, the wooden board on which the loner was standing broke apart. Her hind paws slid into the depths. Eyes wide with fear, the feline clawed at the remaining boards, her back body slipping further and further. She shrieked in panic, her scream mingling with the sound of thunder rolling in the gathering storm. Her claws drew long scratches across the wood as she lost her grip. And Astercharm stood by, unable to move, unable to do anything. Images flashed before faer's eyes, like the lightning bolts in the sky that heralded the storm. The first drops fell to earth, on the dry desert floor, while the sky darkened. But Astercharm saw only faer mother before her. Saw, how suddenly big chunks of stone fell to the earth instead of raindrops, like then. And like then, fae could not move, could only watch as fae's mother pushed her out of the way, away from the falling stones. But this time, there was no one there to push her out of fae's shock, to /rescue/ faer. //Pull yourself together!//, a voice screamed in her head, louder and louder, until the scream made its way out of Astercharm's mouth and up into the sky, where the first flashes of lightning were twitching. And before fae could even think, she jumped. It felt like fae was floating, and for a moment time stood still. The raindrops pelted the bridge, making the wood slippery. And Astercharm flew, over to the other she-cat. But she was too slow. There was a scraping sound as the claws of the now exhausted molly scraped across the bridge slat, finding no more grip. And even before Astercharm's paws touched the wood and the bridge rocked, the loner slipped. With the force of the jump, Astercharm came up on the bridge, just a few foxlenghts from the hole that now rattled in the wood. And then suddenly there was a crack beneath her, and before Aster had even a clue what was happening, it was going down. A scream echoed through the storm, and Astercharm looked around in confusion, unable to comprehend where it was coming from, until fae noticed that her mouth was wide open. Faer's eyes watered in freefall, her claws extended and paws stretched toward the sky, which was getting farther and farther away, making way for the passing walls of the canyon. Together with the raindrops, she went down, further and further. In all, Astercharm's fall didn't even last several seconds, but it felt like an eternity. And yet, her mind was suddenly blank, as if struck by a strange calm. Fae was, for the first time in her life, at one with herself, and when-. The impact on a jutting ledge took the feline's breath away. The air was forced from her lungs as fae heard her bones crack. A stabbing pain spread through faer leg, but before she could scream, fae felt her mind drift away, leaving only a black void. Was her time up now? Tick Tock Tick - And black. [ Astercharm broke faer leg, and will stay in the med den for the next few moons, unable to walk. ]
