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by papolatte on Mon Sep 29, 2008 6:49 am
Ruddi flung himself over the side of the horse, stumbling when he landed on the ground. He had seen the girl, far up the bank, run out of the woods and trip into the water. Why she didn't slow down as she approached the bank, he didn't know, but after realizing she wasn't coming back up, he figured she either couldn't swim or the current was too strong. Ruddi kept his eyes trained on her as he rushed towards the bank of the river, dropping his sword and his backpack as he ran. He wasn't sure if he alone could pull her out of the rushing water, she was already drifting towards the middle, where the current was much stronger, and where there would be no footholds for him. Ruddi didn't know if Meredith had the strength to help him in the current, and he was pretty sure Valek wouldn't be able to move quickly in the water with his armor on and his large size. This only further resolved his drive to get to the girl before it was too late.
As he passed the horse carrying the injured man and little girl, Ruddi's eyes froze on the man, causing him to stumble and nearly fall. This was the man that had helped him with the thugs. If not for this guy, Ruddi might have died.
"HEY GUYS HELP HIM! HE ISN'T GONNA LAST MUCH LONGER!", Ruddi shouted back to the others as he ran past the horse, continuing to where he had last seen the girl. She was now completely submerged.
Ruddi reached the bank looking both ways, but he couldn't see where the girl had gone. Wasting no time he plunged into the freezing water. Within seconds his skin burned and froze at the same time, sending that strange tingling sensation up his arms. This water was cold. Very cold. His movements were sluggish as he desperately tried to slough his way towards the middle of the river. He wasn't gonna be fast enough. He didn't want to, but he knew his only option was to go under and swim with the current. He would have to try to find her that way. Bracing himself, Ruddi took a large breath and dunked himself completely under, relying on his ability to swim.
Ruddi gasped and choked as the large breath of air he took was wrenched away from him. No amount of preparation could have stoped the shocking cold. His first thought was to swim back for the bank, but he steeled himself to keep looking. The water was murky, and he couldn't see much farther than his fingertips completely stretched out in front of him. He slowly made his way to the middle, noticing how considerably deeper it got. Seconds felt like minutes, and each second was agonizing as he stayed under. The current was starting to pull Ruddi back to , and as he fought against it, he felt something brush against his leg. It was a human arm.
"No!", Ruddi mouthed, though no sound came out.
He swam after it, just barely keeping the arm in his line of vision. He wasn't sure how long he had been under water, but his vision was already dimming. Ruddi was becomign desperate as he kicked himself forward trying to reach the girl. His knee brushed the ground as he stetched out for her. They must of been close to the river bed. Using the momentum of the current, and his leg for force, Ruddi managed to propel himself forward just a little. Grabing the girls arm, he now turned his attention on getting out of the freezing water. Now the easy part was done.
Shifting the girl's weight to his shoulder, Ruddi knew fightignt he current, would be a losing battle. Instead he let it lead him. It was still dragging him along the bed of the river though, and he was already starting to see black spots appear in front of his eyes. Slowly, but suredly, Ruddi began using one arm to swim up, using the speed of the current as a leverage. Since it was night, he couldn't see if he was even making any progress. It was as if he was swimmign through murky darkness into more murky darkness. Ruddi's hands breifly touched comething rough before he himself collided with it, almost dropping the girl. The ground? A rock! Ruddi had hit a lard rock that was jutting out in the middle of the river. Wasting no time, He clambored up the rock, heavily dragging the girl.
Gasping and sputtering as his head broke the surface, he quickly threw the girl up over the rock with his last bout of energy. Completely spent, he limply clung to the rock, allowing the current to push him into it. He didn't expect the river t be this strong. When he was younger, he used to play int he river near his house, but this was pretty bad. A storm must be coming he thought. He numbly hoped the others would get here quickly. His tunnel vision was quickly worsening, and he wasn't sure how much longer he could maintain conciousness.
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"I used to think the worst thing in life was to end up all alone. It's not. The worst thing in life is ending up with people who make you feel all alone."
-Lance Clayton
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