Flashback Sink Or Swim

[Raven Nightfoot]

57th of Autumn, 501AV Darkness, that's all there was. Darkness, cold and piercing silence. Her head spun as she tried to make sense of what was happening to her, the sharp pain at the back of her skull and stinging ache of her lungs being the only things that kept her from drifting off into a much needed yet completely unwelcome slumber. Contrary to popular belief, in her last moments there were no flashes of her life, no rapid stream of memories forced to the surface... and why would there be? She was only a child, her life had barely begun and yet, now it was nearing it's end, so suddenly. She was drowning. She couldn't swim. She was going to die... Young amber eyes shot open, the thought of death forcing her out of the depths of her mind, only to find herself in the depths of the ocean. The cold water chilled her to the bone, numbing her body while the silence numbed her senses. Above she could see the faint light of Syna, dancing as it was distorted by the moving of the ocean. With every moment that passed she sank deeper, further from the surface, further from hope, further from life. How had she gotten here?

[Raven Nightfoot]

Today had started out like any other for young Raven, she'd awoken to find herself alone in the Nightfoot home, her parents had recently started taking earlier duties so she had to look after herself in the mornings. She didn't mind, nine years old now, she was a big girl. She got out of bed, making it immediately, her parents were strict and didn't tolerate untidiness at all. As soon as she was done she'd wash herself, get dressed and brush out her long silky raven hair. Several chimes a day were spent on brushing her hair, it reached a little further half way down her back and was probably the young girl's most notable feature. After doing all her morning chores and having breakfast Raven let herself out of the apartment and made her way out of the castle and on to the busy streets of Syliras. No matter what day, season or year it was, the streets never seemed to change. Always filled with people buzzing about from point to point, trying to do their dreary jobs. Raven dreaded growing up and becoming a worker bee just like everyone else in the city, but what was her alternative? Join the knights like her parents wanted? She was only nine but she already knew that they were hoping...no, they were expecting her to follow in their footsteps, to spend her life following orders from other people. She may have been shy and timid, but she already knew that it wasn't the life she wanted when she grew up, not that she had any ideas of her own. The little girl forced her way through the crowded streets, long dark hair hiding her face as she was unintentionally bounced around between the taller adults trying to reach their destinations. "Watch it kid." a man said as she bumped into her with his hip, "Sorry." she replied in a faint mumble of a voice. Raven continued to apologise to everyone that she came in physical contact with, even though it was hardly ever her fault. The dark haired girl was shy, timid and scared of confrontation. She walked around with head down and face hidden by her hair, as if trying to be invisible, not wanting to draw attention or to have to speak to anyone. Poor little thing. She was a beautiful child although hardly anyone noticed because of her nature, the strict upbringing from her parents making her polite and a great example of a child who is seen and not heard...although she wasn't seen that often either. Not that it mattered, her parents were always off on duty for the knights, they didn't have time for her.

[Raven Nightfoot]

Recently the timid young girl had taken up a new hobby, one that she knew for a fact, her parents would not approve of, perhaps that was exactly why she did it in the first place. Raven had begun to steal things, just minor things now and then, things that would hardly be missed, or even noticed to be missing. She found a thrill in the illegal act, a thrill in defying her parents' strict and disciplined ways. Yes it was childish, but she was a after all, a child. Today she found herself eyeing a fruit stand near the docks, peering at the colourful array of fruits from behind the curtain of dark hair that hid her amber eyes. She waited, walking towards the stand at an unusually slow pace, waiting curiously for the old owner to allow his attention to flitter elsewhere and as soon as it did she struck, her hand reaching out to pluck a banana from the stand and instead of casually hiding it she just started sprinting as if her life depended on it. Long dark hair danced behind the little girl as she ran through the streets, weaving nervously between the crowds of people. There were no shouts or screams coming from behind her, no indication that she had been caught or found out, and yet she continued to run. Her young mind adamant that she needed to put as much space between herself and the bad deed as possible. Even know as she ran, her lungs beginning to burn slightly as she gasped for air and a slight ache starting in her short little legs, the thrill of the theft pumped through her. Take that parents! Take that knights! The thoughts ran through her head and caused the young girl to smile as her fast pace finally slowed to a stop and Raven found herself at the docks, looking out at the many ships and further off, the seemingly infinite ocean. She had heard so many tales of adventure, of foreign lands and people, most of them coming from over the sea, and often the young girl found herself here, trying to imagine what it would be like to see all those strange and interesting places. She sat down at the edge of the dock, little legs swinging happily above the water as she unwrapped her prize, peeling the banana and taking a bite as her amber eyes curiously scanned the horizon, as if in search of something that had yet to appear. Several chimes passed by with Raven sitting there, her young mind lost in thoughts of fairytales and adventure. After a long while of sitting in silence the shy young girl decided it time to leave, to return home or perhaps try and find some kids to play with? She was shy but every now and then there were a bunch of kids who asked if she wanted to join them and she always tried to accept. She left the banana peel lying there at her side as she got back to her feet, casually straightening out her dress before turning to leave. And then... Her foot slid, legs shooting into the air as she fell backwards, her heart mimicking her body and doing a fearful back flip of it's own. A loud thud echoed as her head met with the edge of the dock, drawing a girlish squeal from the nine year old's lips as the pain shot through her skull and she tumbled backwards and into the water below.

[Raven Nightfoot]

She was drowning. She couldn't swim. She was going to die... Her recollection of the days events seemed to click into place in her mind, she knew the where and how, but none of that could help her now as she sank deeper. She wasn't scared, instead she felt oddly calm, a soothing serenity overcoming her. With every moment that passed she could feel Dira drawing nearer, waiting to claim her young life, it was time. "No!" The sound of her own voice echoed through her mind, forcing her to fight, egging her on, forbidding her to give up. She may have been shy and timid, but the voice would not allow it this time. There was a spark inside of her, be it of desperation, or hope or fear, she wasn't sure, but she held onto it with all she had as she began to fight for her life. Small hands began to claw frantically at the water as if attempting to reach for the surface, her short legs kicking wildly at the water, trying to shake herself free of it's grasp. Her throat, eyes and lungs stung as if they were on fire, her legs and arms aching from the exertion, but she did not stop. With every frantic swipe of her hands Syna's light seemed to inch slightly closer and with every desperate kick of her legs she found herself propelled slightly further towards her goal until finally she emerged, broke the surface. "HELP!" She screamed the moment she had gathered enough air in her lungs to do so, the desperation in her voice cutting through the air just before she found herself slipping below the water yet again. The young girl continued to claw and kick for her life, re-emerging a second time and gasping for air before being pulled under once more. There was no way she could fight much longer, her weak body had reached it's limits and her frantic movements died down, leaving her limbs to float weightlessly on their own as the world darkened for the second time today. It was then, that she felt something large wrap tightly around her, her eyes still closed as she felt her body being pulled roughly, not knowing who or what had a hold on her, was it death's grasp that now enveloped the young girl, or was it something else. The grasp on her body disappeared and now she could feel something cold and hard beneath her, muffled sounds attempting to break through to her consciousness...voices. Raven's amber eyes shot open, the bright light flooding her vision for a moment before the world began to come into focus, the sight of a young boy looking down at her, his mouth moving as he spoke, but she couldn't make sense of the words just yet, she was too busy coughing out the salty water and gasping for air.

[Raven Nightfoot]

By the time the young Nightfoot's bout of coughing and spewing up salty water finally came to an end, a small crowd had gathered around her, much to her dismay. If there was anything young Raven hated, it w as being the centre of attention, a position she currently found herself in. One more cough escaped the girl's lips before she pulled the long veil of dark hair from her face to reveal two sparkling amber eyes that widened in shock at the sight of the assembled crowd peering back at them. "Hey girl, are you okay?" This time the words registered, but Raven was too petrified to respond, or even to move as realised she was precisely where she did NOT want to be. A few more voices echoed that same question, the young girl's eyes darting nervously between each set of concerned eyes that watched her and without so much as a thank you to the young man that had rescued her, she darted off. The small gathering of people didn't bother to stop her, seemingly put at ease by her ability to run, which clearly meant that she was more than okay. Those in the way quickly stepped aside to yet the young girl slip past and only the voice young man that had saved her called out after the fleeing child. His words may or may have not reached her ears, but they certainly were not heard as raven continued to run through the busy streets of the town, quite quickly, in a desperate attempt to put as much distance between herself and the ordeal as possible. Besides hating attention, Raven did not want anyone to recognise her as the daughter of the Nightfoots. Her parents would not be happy to hear that their daughter was hanging around the docks and they'd be even less happy to find out that she'd nearly drowned. So, the only sensible solution(to her at least) was to run, something she was quite good at. Her short legs carrying the little girl swiftly through the streets, her breathing already heavy as her lungs complained at the sudden exertion placed upon them, so soon after being filled with sea water. "Hey girl, wait!" The young man's voice coming from somewhere behind her made Raven's heart drop and eyes widen. He was following her, chasing after her to see if she was okay. Why, why couldn't he just let her get away from the disaster at the docks? The young man may have been a big concern, but the stinging sensation in her legs and lungs was certainly the biggest. She wouldn't be able to run for much longer and when she stopped she'd be caught, gods, why did this have to happen, why! Now, faced with the threat of exhaustion and being caught simultaneously, Raven resorted to the only remaining solution, which certainly wasn't giving up and facing the concerned young man. No, her last resort would be to hide, something she was particularly good at, one could even say the young girl had been blessed with an uncanny ability to disappear, although by no means was success guaranteed. Without slowing down for even a moment, the dark haired young figure suddenly turned on her heel and darted into a long and narrow alley between to buildings. The alley was filled with empty boxes, along with a particularly appalling stench. As she gasped for air, the horrid smell filtered into her already fed up lungs and they could take no more. Raven felt her wind pipe tighten to the point that she felt as if she couldn't breathe and was forced to stop dead in her tracks as she heaved for air. A frantic search of her surroundings revealed a rather tiny empty box nearby laying on it's side and without any other options, the young girl got on her hands and knees and crawled backwards into it. It was a tight fit, with Raven only barely being able to get her legs in but she was hidden, and not a moment too soon as the young man's voice called out yet again. His voice and footsteps drew nearer to her and Raven forced herself to hold her breath, covering her mouth and nose with her hand for extra measure, even though her body demanded air. Her heart was beating so rapidly in her chest that she feared the sound of it would get her caught, but even as she saw the boy's feet pass by only a foot from hers the young man seemed to not notice her hiding there, much to her relief. A moment passed before, with a large sigh of defeat, the young man turned and made his way out of the alley, an overwhelming feeling of relief rushing over Raven's body as she removed her hand and allowed herself to gasp for air. She stayed there for a few chimes longer, until the pain in her lungs and legs had died down until they weren't the only thing on her mind, before finally crawling out of her hiding spot and making her way home. The day certainly hadn't turned out the way that the young Nightfoot had expected it to, she had almost drowned because of her own stupidity but luckily Dira had allowed her to escape, thank gods. From now on she would have to be much more careful around water, until she learned to swim properly at least.

[Archailist]

Raven :

Skills:

• +1 Swimming
• +1 Stealth
• +1 Larceny

Lores:

• Stealth: Hiding In Boxes
• Swimming: Clawing For Water
• Larceny: Picking The Moment

Notes :

Short but filled with tension!

Was I a little too nuts in my grading?
If you've got concerns, just call me.