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Suggested blacklist tags: peril, drowning, death

From source:
[section,expanded=Adrift in the Dark (+ Story) - by ColbyCat ( https://www.furaffinity.net/user/colbycat )]
Content Warning: [Drowning, Fear, Death]
Length: 1.2k words

[section=Story]
"Get back here!"

The thunderous voice echoed through the cavern. Kaga had made ample progress, but it wasn't enough. The troll was closing in.

And she had reached a dead end.

The cavern was dimly illuminated, but through the haze, Kaga could see where the walls converged ahead of her. The ground was steep and uneven, making it difficult to stand. Despite the obstacles, however, she continued. Something else had captured her attention: An underground river.

She stopped at the water's edge. There was a small current that flowed out and away, but otherwise, there was simply no way to tell where it led. More pressingly, Kaga couldn't tell how deep it was, or how deep it got. Her heart raced. She didn't know how to swim, which meant that jumping in would be a grave gamble.

But it was one she had to take.

The troll's booming footsteps grew louder. There was no other way out of this. The river was her only option. Kaga just couldn't let herself be captured by that dreaded brute. Not again.

She took a deep breath and stepped over the ledge, letting herself fall in.

[b]*SPLASH[/b]

The water was cold. No. It was frigid. Kaga tensed up and gritted her teeth, kicking herself forward and feeling for a bottom.

Fortunately, she found it.

The river was about as deep as she was tall. With a tilted-back head, she was able to poke her nose above the surface and draw in breath. Her gamble had paid off. Quickly, she scraped herself forward, shuffling deeper into the cavern.

Kaga could hear the angered grunts of the troll from behind. As she pressed on, though, the yelling grew more and more distant. To her relief, he didn't follow her into the water. She was free and gaining ground yet again...

Regrettably, her relief didn't last long.

The riverbed began to pitch downward, making it difficult to keep her nose dry. Not only that, but the current became slightly stronger, occasionally knocking her off balance. Kaga acted quickly, drawing in a deep breath and letting herself sink to the bottom.

She had a new plan.

With the sharp claws of her feet, Kaga began to run along the river's length.

Though she was now fully submerged, she was managing to travel even faster. Staying close to the ground let her move with greater strides, and the passing current pushed her along with more and more momentum. Her gaze was fixed upwards to the surface, roughly 4 feet above her head.

Bubbles trickled out of her closed mouth. Kaga could feel the cool pressure build around her muzzle, and with time, the sensation grew stronger. She could feel the tight stinging of her chest, now filled with stale air. She looked up. This was where the second phase of her plan began.

With a strong whip of the tail, Kaga thrusted herself upwards and broke the surface.

[b]*GASP[/b]

She managed to buy herself a few moments of reprieve, sucking in a refreshing breath of air before her body sunk back down towards the floor. Yes. This is what she'd do: kick herself onwards with her breath held, and occasionally, jump up for air. This could work, she hoped.

Kaga kept at it for a while. The river winded and meandered, the darkness increasing by the minute. The plan was working, but that didn't stop her from being overwhelmed with dread. With every jump, her body sank like a stone. Her tail could propell her slightly, but other than that, she was at the complete mercy of the river.

Not only that, but the air pockets above her became more and more narrow. Her gaze was now locked to the surface. She could feel her heart pounding: if the river ducked under the rocks for too long... If the air pockets ran out... No. She couldn't stomach it. The journey felt like an eternity. She kept her gaze to the lifeline above her, praying that it stayed there; praying that this all would just end. Her chest contracted. She needed air again. With a push, she lifted herself upwards, breathing in, and letting herself drift down again...

But this time Kaga's feet didn't touch the ground.

[i]"Mmh?"[/i]

She looked below. The darkness that enveloped her had become an even darker shade of black. Her heart dropped. There was a cliff...

Kaga was plummeting over the edge of it.

[i]"MMMGH!"[/i]

She thrashed out and began to swing her arms and legs wildly, desperately trying to grab on to the ledge behind her. She managed to grip the very tip of the formation, slowing her fall, but the swift current that had been helping her was now dooming her. She fought briefly, but her claws couldn't dig in fast enough.

Kaga watched in horror as her fingers slipped, the waters carrying her away.

[i]"NOOGHLGLG!"[/i]

Kaga thrusted her tail against the flow, but that only delayed her descent. Bubbles rushed out of her mouth. She was fully panicking.

[i]"BLARGLGL- MMNHK!"[/i]

She snapped her maw shut, fighting against the downward current with all her might. She punched and clawed at the water, desperately attempting to regain any semblance of control. She winced frightfully; this was a losing battle.

The miniscule amount of light that had reflected across the river's surface was now gone, replaced by a freezing darkness that now fully surrounded Kaga. She couldn't see two feet in front of her, but she could feel herself dropping lower...

And lower...

And lower...

[i]"MMMnn... Mh!"[/i]

Her body ached and protested. She had expelled most of her breath higher up, but she still had enough to remain conscious. Her eyes were open wide, and her hands were tightly pressed against her mouth and nose.

The seconds ticked by. And her descent wouldn't end.

It was impossible to tell how deep she had sunken. She couldn't tell which way she was oriented, or which way was up. There was no noise, no surface, no floor... There was only the void that engulfed her, the pitch-blackness that threated to invade her at any moment.

[b]*HRGLRK[/b]

Kaga's chest convulsed violently. Her legs kicked and spasmed, her tail tucked close.

[b]*HGLK[/b]

Air trickled out in momentary spurts. She could feel the bubbles brush against her face as they rushed by.

[i]"Mmnnh... Nh..."[/i]

More contractions came, striking her with stronger and stronger blows. She could feel her lungs shrivling, her heart fluttering, her muscles throbbing. She had pushed herself to her limits. There was nothing left. Her body caved and contorted. Kaga's grip loosened.

The last of her breath evaded her.

[b]*BLARGHGLGLGUHKLGLUGLUG[/b]

Water quickly rushed into her windpipe, flooding her lungs and filling her. Her arms flailed and squirmed, her last moments of consciouness spent trying to stop the deluge. She clawed at her neck fiercely. Her tail whipped and writhed.

*RRGLuHGLug... RRRghl...

The pressure soon equalized, and slowly, the fight that overtook her had settled. She bagan breathing the water in strained gulps, her body shuttering with each inhalation.

[b]*HGLK *HGLHK *HGLUK[/b]

Kaga's thoughts drifted with the current, her arms and legs soon falling limply beside her.

[b]*Hgllh...[/b]

She could feel the cool water work its way inside her. It was cold, she thought. Her eyes flickered and eventually closed, the darkness all but the same. It was inescapable.

Kaga's world turned black.

She became still, the river claiming her completely. Her lifeless body would eventually rest on the stony floor of the abyss, impossibly far from the beast that hunted her. Truly, she was free at last.
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Commission for Wolfbyt!

Thanks for reading! Feedback's always very much appreciated! :3
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