21st, afternoon[/html]
With the town hall secured and the embers of the Great Fire saved Gemma finally focused upon her own meager belongings that were still trapped inside of her house. She was thankful that she lived so close to the town hall for she didn't think she could go much farther than her own hut. The winds were fierce and screamed in her ears, tore at her fur and stole away any heat she might create leaving her a shivering hunched figure as she unhappily trudged across the short distance. The Adagio river roared not too far away, its waterway filled to the brim by the storm waters. She had reached her front door before a whimpering behind her made her swivel on her feet.
What she saw caused her great, great pain inside, again her children had defied her word and followed her out into the storm. It was too far to chase them back to the town hall so she hurried them inside quickly and after telling them off sternly again she set about trying to gather up the few belongings she did have. She wasn't long into her task when water began to flood into her hut through the door and the house gave an ominous groan only just heard over the winds raging. Wild eyed Gemma grabbed her two children and leaped for the door, scrambling away from her home and out into the hateful weather.
The adagio river had overflowed and now snaked its way through her home cutting away at the earth surrounding it and undermining its foundation. The small garden she had managed to cultivate with spare seeds from the planting season was gone and she watched with horror as her house gave another moan of protest before tipping sideways, cracking and breaking as it did and disintegrated into the river. She gave a mournful cry as the home she had lived in for the better part of a year was swallowed up by the hurricane's untamed fury.
She couldn't rip her eyes away from the sight of her home tearing up into pieces and thus failed to notice the water around her ankles until a child's scream broke her revere. A rapidly disappearing bundle of white met her sapphire gaze and it took her a second to realise that it was Nate-River that was being taken by the sweeping current. Her voice cracked through the air, loud and scared "NATE!" The Sawtooth princess picked up her remaining child and ran after Nate as fast as she could, trying to keep his white face in view, he kept disappearing beneath the boiling, angry water.
They reached a stretch of the river that was moving more slowly and Gemma managed to catch up, letting Payne down Gemma lunged out, holding onto the slippery bank and throwing out her hand as far as she could to try and catch him as he bobbed past. She missed by a hair's breadth. She screamed again and suddenly a strong golden arm was holding onto her. Light. She couldn't hear what he was saying, only focus on her son drifting further and further away. The hand was trying to pull her back from the river's edge. Her temper rose and she turned, sinking her teeth into the arm that held her. He let her go with a cry of pain and Gemma darted forwards, without thinking, without considering the fact that she didn't know how to swim and dived into the raging torrent.
Almost immediately she went under, the water closing above her head and forcing itself up her nose. She came to the surface spluttering and coughing out the wetness. It was instinct that drove her to kick forwards and claw at the water and quickly realised it was bringing her closer. Again and again she lashed out, almost attacking the river until at last, at last she grabbed hold of the boy's scruff and pulled him back. He was soaked through and shivering, unconscious in her arms. Grabbing onto a branch hanging into the water she pushed him out of the water and away from its reach, saw Light approaching quickly towards her. She was about to pull herself out too when she was struck in the side by a large chunk of wood and was forced back under the dark water. The air was knocked out of her and she inhaled water into her lungs. She came up again coughing fiercely, caught in the strong currant and unable to pull herself free.
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