Colours in Shadows: Book 1 Flooding and Fury

It was dark, only him and his thoughts, his chest and sides expanding with every breath. He felt as though he could hear his own heartbeat. There was only solid ground beneath his paws, not like the grass he had felt before. This was hard, like rock and he didn't feel the sun on his fur. 'Ugh... what happened?' He felt as light as a bird, just laying there, almost as if he was drifting off of the ground.
He finally shifted his position and that made him feel like he was more grounded. It was a weird feeling. He opened his eyes but his vision was quite blurry. There was a small bright light and the smell of must. There was a dampness and the smells around him filled his nostrils. He twitched his nose. 'Where am I?' He blinked and slowly, his vision started to become more clear.
He found himself inside of a cave that was mostly dark except for an opening on the other side. There was an orange and blue light seeping through and he assumed that it was the mouth of the cave. He lifted his head and immediately held it with his paw. "Ow... my head." he grumbled. It felt as if his head had been hit by a rock. He heard a series of quick footsteps and as he listened more intently, they slowed down.
"Tide! You're awake." he heard a voice say. He looked up to see Branch standing in front of him, a smile on his face.
"Branch? Agh. What happened?" he looked at Branch.
"I'll give you something for the headache. You were dehydrated and passed out. You're okay now though." Branch explained, optimistically.
"How did that even happen? I've been out in the sun all my life. Why would this suddenly happen now?" Tide scratched his head with his right paw.
"Don't think about it too much. It's not good for that headache. I have a feeling Talon was a part of it somehow. Also, maybe you've never been in weather that hot without water? It was a good thing that Sapphire found that river! It really helped with your recovery."
"Sapphire?" Tide shook his head for a second. He didn't know what to think at that moment. Tons of thoughts were flooding through his mind and this throbbing headache didn't make things any easier on him. "But... wasn't she scared? She hates water."
"I was surprised, as well, but I guess she has changed. We don't know how long it will last though..." Branch replied. Tide watched as Branch looked off to the side. He had a weird look in his eye and was scratching his head.
Tide was just about to say something but he was interrupted by the fact that there was something on his left arm. It was green. "What is this?" he sniffed it suspiciously. It had a tangy smell to it and he stared at it with a look that meant that he wanted to bite it off.
Branch turned his head. "Oh... don't touch it! While you were out, you were injured. I put a herb on it and wrapped it in a fern so it won't get dirty and it will have a chance to heal."
He looked at his arm again and recognized the fern. He didn't know what had happened after he passed out but he knew for a fact that it wasn't good. He was grateful that the others were there because he knew that if they hadn't been, he would be just as good as...
Tide looked up and noticed Branch standing near the mouth of the cave. He was looking through a pile of leaves. He must have been wrapped up in his own thoughts because Tide didn't even notice that he had walked away.
"Branch?" Tide said, "I want to thank you. I know if you and the others hadn't been there, I would definitely be stuck in the mud-."
"There is no need for praise." Branch turned "You needed help and I helped you. That's what buddies do. As you said before, we're all in this together and we have to be together." He walked back to him. "I just have to check your temperature, may I?" he asked, politely.
"Sure." Tide responded, watching Branch's paw as it hovered over his forehead.
"Well that's a good thing. Your temperature has come down and seems to be back to normal. We can probably continue the journey this afternoon but you need more rest. Just make sure you're feeling better. I-"
Branch was cut off when Sapphire appeared outside of the cave. "You're awake!" she meowed, a faint smile crept across her face and her pelt flickered with her excitement. She walked over to him and he watched Branch walk back to his pile of leaves. Tide looked at Sapphire, "I wanted to thank you." he meowed. He meant it. If it wasn't for the three of them, he wouldn't be here.
"For what?" she asked, confused.
"You helped me and I wanted to thank you for that." Tide explained.
"Oh... yeah. No problem." she said, smiling weakly. Tide caught a glimpse of a look in her eyes that he had not seen before. Branch was right but he couldn't tell what it meant.
"Oh! I've got something for you." she meowed. She walked over to the entrance and collected something from just outside of the entrance. She walked back to him and placed a mouse down in front of him.
"I know you're trying to be nice Sapphire but it's okay. I still have to go on a walk." he said, politely. He tried to stand up. "Ah... ah... ah..." he held his head. His head was still pounding. Branch quickly ran over and helped him lay down again. "Tide, you need to rest. You are going to open up that wound again. Rest... please!" he said.
"Here... take it. I've already eaten. You need food and rest. It will help you regain your energy. And you don't have to pay me back..." she smiled and then left the cave. Tide watched as she left. He definitely wanted to thank her later. 'She's acting so strange.' he thought as he took a bite, 'This isn't like her at all... maybe it's just a girl thing.'