The moment you arrived, they built you up

she had only wanted to go out for a short swim. it was a relaxing activity to her, so she held no worry as she entered the waters slowly and casually, certain she would return soon. the water was nice and peaceful. there were large clouds in the far distance, but again, she didn’t plan on being out for long, so it wasn’t really a concern of hers. it was nice and sunny, though, and perfect weather to cool off with a swim. she’d been a bit overwhelmed by...everything lately, and while she did want to work to help her papa, she also needed a bit of break. and she didn’t have plans of sleeping anytime soon. so, a short swim would be plenty relaxing.

the blue waters were clear and calm, nothing bringing her any reason to feel worry. she slowly entered them, letting the waves gently push at her as they rolled in and out. she closed her eyes softly as she got deep enough that she would need to kick to stay afloat, moving out with a soft hum. it was a nice day, and she would enjoy this, she decided. it would be quite pleasant. she let herself blindly move out in the deeper waters, still staying relatively close to the island. she looked out upon the large expanse of blue with a relaxed expression. she was already enjoying herself.

what she didn't know, though, was that she was trailed by a predator. a barracuda. it was about three times longer than her, making her a fitting target. its strike was foreign and unwelcoming. she didn't know what else to do but to kick it and swim quickly away, causing her to stray even further from the shore and deeper into its world. this chase would last for a while, it getting a bite from behind her and her kicking it away. it wasn’t until she had gotten so far out that the island’s shore became small that she realized maybe she was going the wrong way. but, it was too late now. just her taking the time to look back gave the predator the chance to strike.

it launched into her back, causing her to instantly shrivel in pain. this gave it the opportunity to push her down into the waters below. before she knew it, she couldn’t breathe. the girl thrashed about, flailing around as much as she could to throw the fish off. she swam back up, kicking her legs wildly now to keep the barracuda away. her back bled and she felt a sharp sting from it as she breathed in. the kitten thought about swimming back, wondering if she could make it. but, just as she came to the obvious conclusion that she wouldn’t, she was dragged back down.

she knew nothing but instinct now. she had to fight. the fish was easily larger than her still growing body and had an advantage, having been adapted to move quickly and freely in the water. she, however, had adapted for land. plus, while she had healed, she still had her injuries. most notably, her concussion. thinking was still hard and it distracted her from making good, quick decisions like she normally could. still, she had to fight. she couldn’t swim away fast enough. and, she couldn’t keep it up forever. she was growing tired. she had no choice.

You looked at death in a tarot card and you saw what you had to do

the girl felt the fish strike at her, unable to move out of the way fast enough. it snapped at her shoulder, to which she would immediately respond with clawing at its side. blood immediately began to flow out, the bite being deep. she felt herself losing air as she drifted underwater to fight back, so she swam upward as she pushed it away, gasping for breath. she really couldn’t keep this up forever. she felt it bite at her neck, causing her to sharply inhale. she let herself sink back down, clawing harshly at the barracuda, hitting its face. she hit it hard. it swam back now, wounded. she kicked at it and swam away from it, causing it to end its pursuit.

she breathed, worn out as she slowly pushed herself away, still not moving towards the island yet. she didn’t want to potentially run back into the barracuda. but, she couldn’t swim much longer. she wasn’t sure how she would even make it back to the island at this rate. it was worrying. and, clouds were rolling in now. the waters out here were harder to swim in. she tried not to think about that now, though. she tried to focus on her family instead. they would be worried if she was out much longer. she should start heading back now. it felt like she was bleeding out faster than she thought. she just needed to move. for her family. they would worry. she didn’t want them to worry. so, she forced herself to struggle against the waters.

it wasn’t long before she grew too tired, though. her muscles froze up on her a few times at first, then a few more times, a bit quicker, and then they wouldn’t move at all. she had lost a lot of blood. she felt lightheaded. the clouds were closer now, thundering in the distance. everything started to feel numb. she couldn’t stop moving, though, she thought. her family would worry. she wanted to show them that she was okay. but, she couldn’t move. it hurt so bad. even breathing was a lot of work. but, she needed to get back to her family...she needed her muscles to move. but they wouldn’t. she needed to breathe, but she couldn’t. everything started to slowly fade. the waves pulled her under. she was gently drawn into unconsciousness. the waves passed. her body was limp as it sank down.

her last thoughts were of her family. what would they think? were they all okay? it hadn’t been more than a few hours that she had last left, but she wanted to be sure they were all okay. she wanted them all to be happy. it’s important that they’re happy and healthy and okay. she wasn’t scared. she wasn’t even totally aware that she was dying. she didn’t think it would be so lonely. it just felt like she was falling painfully asleep. it called out to her, telling her to rest. but, she didn’t want to rest. she just wanted to see her family. but, its call was like a spell, and pulled her under with ease. any thoughts at all would drift away into nothingness.

it was still for a little while, nothing emerging from the depths. if someone were to look overhead, they would spot her body sinking through the clear blues, but it soon started to fade from visibility. the waters became a bit more rough, crashing harder as the storm started to approach. the only sound around was the waves. the sky grew slowly darker as the clouds made their way over, causing everything to fade a dark, dull color. blood gathered to the top of the water only to be sloshed around. her lifeless body was deep beneath the waters now.

But nobody knows you now, when you're dying in LA

and, even though she didn’t know it, her heart had stopped. she sank deeper. the storm grew closer. her body was still, the waters pushing and pulling it as they chose. the clouds rolled in, booming until they were overhead. the sky turned a dark, dull blue. rain poured down. her blood scattered through the waves, her body being shoved back and forth now. lightning struck above until suddenly it hit right near the spot she sank, the electricity shooting through the water. her body was struck, and, in an instant, a ball of electricity exploded around her body, shoving her back into consciousness as her heart beat rapidly. her eyes shot open and she realized how badly she needed air, immediately pushing herself up and above the waves. adrenaline poured through her.

electricity shot all around her, and this time, it wasn’t just the storm. it was her. she didn’t think about it. she just moved. moved forward. moved to her family. she needed to see them to show them that she was okay and see that they were okay too. she felt nothing but determination to return for her family. nothing else mattered. and that drove her forward, the electricity shooting around her wildly. the waves pushed against her and pulled her under, but her adrenaline caused her to keep moving despite it.

any weariness or pain that she had felt before melted away into nothingness. the only thing she felt was the determination. this is what kept her fighting. this is what brought her home, the electricity still shooting from her body. she pushed herself onto the shore, waves still crashing against her as it stormed over the island. she gasped for breath, her whole body quivering as she dragged herself further on the beach. she had made it. she breathed heavily. her body was soaked and the electricity still flew around her wildly. she needed to make it stop. no one would be able to approach her like this. she didn’t exactly know how, though. so, in an impulse decision, she quickly stomped her front paws into the sand, shooting most of the energy she had into it. the electricity that previously surrounded her transferred to the sand around her, turning it into glass pieces and causing a loud boom to rumble through the island. there still remained some shocks around her, although now they were tiny and harmless.

the fur she had left stuck upward from the static. and, although she wasn’t aware at the time, she was covered in burns. an odd, very bright blue and yellow glow illuminated off of them. she panted heavily, her legs shaking harshly. she blinked a few times, unable to speak or even call out for help. the adrenaline was seeping from her body and now she just felt more and more exhausted with every passing moment. she let herself collapse, her legs giving out. she could only breathe. pain started to enter her and she grit her teeth from it.

she thought back to just hours before, wondering how long she had gone unconscious. she had been bleeding a lot. now that she really thought about it, it didn’t make sense. she doesn’t understand how she was here now. had...hadn’t she died? she was bleeding too much and she sank underwater, unable to breathe. there was no reason she should have survived that. did she die? a wonder that she never thought she’d experience entered her. she wasn’t afraid, just unsure. how had she made it back? maybe...maybe her papa would know. should she ask him? he might worry if she did, but she couldn’t help but wonder. maybe she will.

Oh, the power, the power, the power

her breaths slowed down now as she laid on the ground, her eyes slowly closing. but, she fought back the urge to go unconscious. she just got back. she needed to see her family, that was the whole reason she’d made it this far. she wanted to call out, to tell them that she was here, that she was okay. well, no, she wasn’t really okay. but, she was alive, and that was enough to her. the pain increased with each moment and she couldn’t say anything, only able to make weak croaks each time her mouth opened. she was absolutely exhausted and losing it.

but, at least she was home. just being on the sandy beach as the rain passed by was a comfort. her family would see her soon, along with the rest of her crewmates. the glow that came from her wounds faded away as the rain slowed and the sky cleared and revealed the old, healing injuries she had, along with the new, deep bite marks and fresh burns. her wet fur continued to let out tiny sparks and would likely give a harmless shock if anyone were to touch it. she looked blankly in front of her, struggling to keep herself awake with slow breaths. she wasn’t too sure if she was dying again at this point, but she wanted to tell everyone that she was okay. she wanted to see that everyone was okay. she forced herself to stay awake for that. it would all be okay.

she knew it would be okay. it had to be.

When you're dying in LA

//2076 words!! and, 100th post yayy!!
TL;DR: goldie goes out for a swim but is attacked by a barracuda. she tries to swim away from it at first, but realizes this was a mistake as she grows tired and further from the shore, so she fights it. it gets in quite a few deep blows but she manages to injure it enough to stop attacking. she tried to swim back, but she loses so much energy and blood that she passes out in the attempt, eventually leading to her heart stopping. she's shot by electricity which triggers her electric elementals and sends her enough adrenaline to wake up and make it back to the shore. she's currently breathing slowly, collapsed on the shore as she fights the urge to fall unconscious again. she is covered in burns all over.

As lazy and hedonistic as Coldblue is, there is no denying the love he possesses for his family. Well, it only truly displays itself in regards to Goldenluxury, of course. Beneath all the disgust and resentment, however, he even loves Pincher. The boy will never admit to that, though. Unlike Goldie, he is resistant to showing affection to a father who is only minimally involved with his children. Pincher was absent, more or less, when Blue and Goldie were younger. He was not present when Guru disappeared, leaving the children motherless. Just because Pinch is a (somewhat) involved father now does not mean that Coldblue is willing to forgive him so easily. And the recent demise and resurrection of the captain is just another mar on the record. It will probably take some time before the boy can find it within himself to forgive his father for causing so much pain, especially in regards to Goldenluxury.

Ever since that incident, Blue has been a bit more involved when it comes to interacting with others. Granted, only when his sister is present, but it's still a considerable change from before. Perhaps the youth harbors some sort of guilt over isolating himself from his family for so long, and it took the death of Pincher to force him to reenter society. Whatever the cause may be, the fact of the matter is that he has become fairly protective over his family. Especially Goldie. She is the sweetest, kindest, smartest person he knows. His sister is everything Blue ever wished he could be. Goldie was born a good person—something Blue has to work especially hard at. Not to say he is a bad person, but he does not particularly care about the plights of others unless they are related to him somehow.

Coldblue had arisen before tender rays of golden sunlight kissed the horizon, instead glowing a dull orange like a dying ember. Most creatures who possessed this kind of behavior can only be up to no good, which would be true of the child on any other occasion, but today is different. Today, he went to get his sister a present. The other day when Goldie sang a little song for everyone, Blue was quite impressed. He never knew his sibling was such an amazing singer! It reminded him of a song book he once saw in a chest that washed ashore many moons ago. Perhaps she would appreciate something like that? He hopes so. Blue wants to hear Goldie sing some more because she looked so happy while doing it. Coldblue began his search in his own personal library, tossing books this way and that in search of the collection of songs he found so long ago. But to no avail. So he went back and methodically checked every place in the territory where he stashes his things. And there are many. Like a true pirate, Blue does not keep all of his treasure in one place. The search takes a lot longer than necessary, but Coldblue eventually finds it. Success! Now all that's left to do is deliver it to Goldie.

Upon searching the submarine and finding it empty, Blue wracks his mind as to where his sibling might be. It's still a tad too early to greet joiner so...maybe she went swimming again? The boy does not understand the obsession with the sea and sand. It's just dirty and messy and the beach is all-around a place he wants to avoid, but Goldie loves it so he holds his tongue. Coldblue is begrudgingly trudging through the sand when he hears the last words he wanted to hear today: "Someone get bandages! Gold's been hurt!" No. No, no, no, no! The svannah cat launches into a sprint, sand spraying this way and that as he rushes to his sister's side. "Goldie? Goldie, can you hear me?" his voice wavers. The songbook falls to the sand, forgotten in his panic as he crouches beside Goldenluxury. "What happened?" he is afraid to touch her, afraid to hurt her. The sight of her charred flesh makes him ill, he can't get the scent out of his nose. Blue is angry that he does not have any bandages or first aid materials in his possession. If he did, he could help his sister instead of sitting here, useless. He wants to help. He wants to do something worthwhile instead of always showing up and watching while other people take care of his family. "I'm sorry I'm so useless. I can't help you..." Stupid, stupid, stupid. Why didn't he think to start bringing first aid with him everywhere after what happened to Goldie the first time?

paper's words didn't reach her, as she was so focused on breathing now that she didn't even realize he was there until she felt his touch. she let in a sharp breath from the sudden feeling, pain arising. but, she held onto the pain. it let her know that she was still alive. she heard him call out for help, his voice feeling distant. she felt unconsciousness begin to tug at her again. it was hard to fight back. it was really hard. she felt her eyes begin to slowly close, the feeling starting to escape her once again. she was fighting, but she was losing. the adrenaline that had helped her come back evaporated completely and exhaustion overwhelmed her.

the fact that she was close to death was not a secret if you were to look at her. her eyes dilated and struggled to keep open. her muscles seemed to want to relax, but she fought against it. her breathing struggled between rapid and slow. but, her stubbornness kept her fighting, even if she may not last much longer without immediate help. the muffled sound of her brother's voice only helped strengthen in the fight. she felt bad - he had seen her injured not too long ago and had been quite worried. she wished she didn't worry him. she struggled to move her head to face him, her breathing becoming harsh again. he asked what happened, but she wasn't sure she could explain. and then he started calling himself useless. no, no, no. he's wrong. she loved him. he helped her just by being here. she wanted to scream it but, she couldn't.

"n...bl-blue..." she croaked weakly, struggling to even get it out. her throat was dry, after being out in the ocean for so long. she could ask for water, but she wasn't sure if she had time. she wasn't sure if it would help in the end anyway. she wanted to say her goodbyes, just in case, but she would feel so bad doing that to blue alone. he shouldn't have to carry that. "is okay...l-love...you..." she tried to reassure, though she could not reach the tone she desired. "th-tha-an-k you..." she directed this statement to both paper and blue. she hoped that would be enough for now. she let herself close her eyes for a moment, breathing in even harsher as she forced herself to stay awake. she still had things to say, but it was growing more and more difficult.

She's breathing. Goldie's breathing. The sight of her lying prone in that horrid sand and the angry red burns tainting the luxurious golden sheen of her fur makes him physically sick. She should be standing tall with that wonderful smile she always wears. Not like this. But at least his sister has breath in her lungs. Coldblue hovers at her side, stroking the top of her head with his paw in gentle, soothing motions--soothing both himself and his sibling. Sharp ivory teeth gnaw on the flesh of his cheek. He is unaware of how hard he chews on his lower lip until he tastes copper in his mouth. "n...bl-blue..." As much as it hurts, Blue pays it no mind the moment he realizes that Goldie is making noises, attempting to speak. The boy instantly becomes attentive: triangular ears pricking atop his narrow skull and crystalline blue eyes shining with tears as they fix upon his sister's angelic visage. "is okay...l-love...you..." His heart wrenches at the sound of her painful speech--Blue didn't know that that his heart could do that. "Shh.." he soothes, not wishing for her to strain herself. "I--uh--me too." Blue wanted to say the words back, but that is a challenge for another day. For such a talker, he is surprisingly terrible at speaking when it actually counts.

Currently, he is more concerned with getting Goldie some water. Blue can't heal her, but he can get her something to drink. The kid never goes anywhere without snacks. He carries them in a rather prissy leather bag embellished with simple designs carved into the material. "Here--" With surprisingly steady paws in spite of his obvious unease, Coldblue attempts to pour a small amount of water into her mouth. Not so much to choke her, but enough to remove the hoarse dryness. The child is vaguely aware of Caesar's presence, but, thankfully, the asshole holds his tongue for once, so Blue pays him no mind. Should he ever find out about Caesar's involvement in Goldie's earlier injury, he would not even take the time to consider the consequences of his actions before trying to tear out the older male's throat. It's probably best for everyone that Blue stays ignorant of the involvement.

his strokes were another feeling for her to grasp onto, and she appreciated them. his responses were short and she wanted them to be longer. she wanted more things to help her hold on. the noises and the feelings kept her grounded for now. as the feeling of the drink hitting her mouth, she came to the conclusion her brother was able to identify her need for water and she would quickly drink it. the water alone was a lot more relieving than she thought it'd be, giving her a little bit more strength. she opened her eyes again slightly, trying to keep herself breathing. her breaths were starting to break up slightly, though, causing small wheezing. it honestly hurt really bad. she couldn't stop yet, though.

"'m so...tired..." she said weakly, breaths slowing. "bu-but i don-dunno if...i'll wake...up agh-again." that was the nicest way she could admit that she knew was dying. she wanted them to know she was fighting. she was fighting really hard. she was fighting for them. she knew speaking so much was straining her, but she needed to let it out. she had so much she needed to say. she didn't want to leave them without at least reassuring them. they deserved that. they deserved to all know how much they mattered.

"i-i'm not sc-scared...'m happy...be-because o-of m-my fam...ily...n' frie-friends..." she hoped that would make them feel a little better. she really did mean it, too. she didn't want to leave them, and she didn't really want to die, either, but she would be happy at least. not happy to die, but happy about her life. "it'll...b-be o...kay." she let out next, her words a promise. she specified "it" this time though. she was referring to life. they would be okay in the end, with or without her. they had to be. she didn't really know how much she affected anybody, though she thought it to be at least a little. they were allowed to be upset, but she wanted to remind them it wouldn't be forever.

she tried to give a small smile to her brother, hoping it would help bring even more truth to her words and possibly reassure him, even if it's only a little. she had prepared herself for whatever would come next by now, still wanting to say more but unsure if she had the energy to. unconsciousness threatened her greater and greater. her breathing took more breaks as she tried her best to keep herself awake and alive. it was a hard fight that she was losing.

"Goldie, you really should stop getting injured on the beach," Rosemary thought to herself, nearly saying those exact words as she quickly trotted over to the group. She frowned to herself as she wondered if Pincher neglected to tell his children about the ocean's dangers - and failed to even implement a buddy system while swimming, by the sound of things. However, now certainly wasn't the time to berate Goldie for being the most accident-prone member of the group. Sooner or later, though, she would need to hone it into Pincher's thick skull that his daughter couldn't be trusted to wander the island alone. "Goldie, when's your chicken sense going to kick in, hm?" she spoke, a lighthearted hum in her throat as she spoke, settling down beside Goldie and Coldblue.

She barely acknowledged the others, mostly because she didn't need to. Her priority was on Goldie, though everything honestly seemed quite superficial. "You're not dying, your body is likely going into shock because of the pain. Now, you can fall asleep after you drink enough water," she spoke, side-eying Coldblue with an approving nod as she spoke. He, despite being the youngest of the rest, seemed the best at handling emergency situations. The others apparently had bystander syndrome, which Rosemary was quite sourly tempted to punish them for with a subtle flex of her powers.

But, for later. Now she had Goldie to tend to, as she certainly didn't want her favorite niece to end up with even more permanent injuries.

"Now, I need you tell me how much pain you're in. Are you numb anywhere? Answer honestly, if you're in pain, tell me and I'll help you," she added calmly, trying to make sure not to continue supporting this martyr complex the bengal kitten seemed keen on developing. Sniffing, she leaned in closer to Goldie as she attempted to appraise the damage of the burns. Second degree burns she wasn't concerned with, she could deal with those quite well once she got back to the more sterile environment of the ship. First degree were even more trivial. But any burns that didn't hurt, that just seemed numb? Well, that was cause for concern.

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© MADI

she felt quite bad about getting like this just after waking up hurt. everything was happening at once and she hated the thought she may bring more unhappy feelings to others. but, it was an honest accident. goldie was perfectly aware of the dangers in the ocean, though she hadn't expected to come across them so close to the shore. it was only a short swim. that's what it was supposed to be, anyways. but, obviously, it didn't turn out that way. she didn't want to bother anybody else by asking them to come with her, since it was just something for herself. to clear her mind. but it was a mistake. she hadn't known this would happen.

upon hearing rosemary's voice, she shifted her eyes upward slightly, though her vision became a bit blurry as she did this, due to her inability to open her eyes any wider than her small, tired squints. she had no clue what "chicken sense" was, so she wasn't totally sure how to answer. "'m n-no chicken..." she responded, weak tone holding a childish tease. as the female then said that she wasn't dying, she felt a bit of relief, but still didn't quite accept it. she trusted her aunt, but she didn't want to raise her hopes. she wanted to prepare for the worst in case it did in fact happen.

"eh-everywh-where...'cept m-my back. th-the middle." she explained, knowing it wouldn't be wise to lie right now. rosemary certainly knew what she was doing. plus, the girl didn't want to make this worse than it already was. she definitely didn't feel like she could say more than that now, though. her body was growing too tired now and talking was using up a lot of energy. she still tried to stay awake for now, just in case. her breaths became slower despite her efforts.

the world seemed to be growing hazy as she barely realized the presence of her papa. something was weird. he was crying. she was making him cry. she shakily and weakly placed her paw against his face, as if to hold it. but, she could only keep it up for a few moments before losing the strength to do so. it hurt that he was crying. she didn't want him to feel so bad. "pap..a...'s okay. you're a...goo...d papa...i lo-love you."

that was really all she could say, though. she had more to say, but as she was letting out the words, her eyes were closing. she couldn't fight it anymore. she had prepared to die now and she had ran out of strength. but, it would be alright. she was alive now and, though she didn't know it now, she would continue to be alive.