Heartbeats in the water meant one of two possibilities to Jay. The first-- what Pale had suggested --they were food. The second, more unlikely possibility, is that they were other gembounds that'd gotten trapped in there and needed help. For a moment, the massive kitten just stared into the water, blinking very slowly.

I mean... she wondered, staring. ... it's worth the risk?

Jay knew, at least, if she were trapped in there, she would want to get out. She'd want help. Something told her that getting stuck in the water at all was a bad thing, and that she might end up akin to the mice she ate if she stayed under the surface of it too long. That definitely wasn't good.

But if it was just food? She could haul it out the water and they could both eat. It seemed like a win-win situation, right?

Well-- win-win if she didn't fall into it.

The kitten looked up the river, then down the river. It seemed calmer down below the drop, but she was unsure how to get down there and Pale didn't seem very willing to help. So, instead, she travelled up the river.

It didn't seem to be getting calmer, at least-- but the incline separating shore from water as shallower here, meaning that if Jay were to be swept into the water she could likely still stand in it, if she were strong enough.

Jay would like to think she were strong enough.

She got close to the edge of the water, lowering herself until her belly was on the damp shoreline-- uncomfortable as it was. The water reminded her, vaguely, of the chrysalis she'd hatched from, and that had sucked just as hard.

Regardless, the kitten extended one white mitten into the water, claws unsheathed, and....

... caught something.

Something big enough that she immediately had to pull it back and grab onto it with another claw to keep a hold of it, yowling in alarm. Something big enough that it damn near took her off her feet when it tried to wriggle away, but not big enough that the kitten had a bad time hauling it out of the water.

The fish she pulled out was slimy and had deep, black pits for eyes. Under the mucus, its scales would have shone an iridescent silver, but for now, it looked clouded and... icky. Not something you'd want to eat. Plus, it was still moving around.

"Uh," Jay offered, to the fish. "Are you alright? Are you food?"

@Palefur

Pale followed Jay up the river, a sense of unease settling in her stomach. Was Jay really stupid enough to try and get one of the things out of the water? Was she really going to try and get to the water?

But the water she was going to looked much calmer then the racing torrent from before. She watched carefully as Jay got close to the shoreline, flexing her claws, ready to grab her friend if she looked like she was going to fall into the water. Her tail flicked a bit nervously behind her and her ears swiveled, hyper aware of what was happening.

Right when Jay pulled back with a yowl, Pale leaped forward. She grabbed Jay's scruff in her jaws and planted herself firmly on the ground, grabbing at the rocks with her claws (not that it did much). She helped the kitten drag her catch back and released her when things were in control again.

She circled around Jay to look upon whatever she had dragged from the water. It was certainly much bigger then the mice they had caught before, but she remembered the way its heartbeat sounded. Different then hers or Jay's, more similar to their prey's hearts. And when it didn't respond to Jay's question, she knew that it was probably as mindless as mice.

She planted a paw on its body and leaned forward, sinking her teeth into the back of its head. With a quick twist, its spine snapped and it stilled a moment later but Pale was leaping back, her lip curling at the disgusting taste. "I think it is food...but it is disgusting!"

She licked her lips, trying to rid them of the horrible taste. "I much prefer mice."

But, it was food and Pale was not going to pass up that opportunity. She leaned forward and sunk her teeth into the body, tearing away a strip of its meat. It didn't taste much better then the first bite, but she found the insides to at least be a bit less slimy. When she swallowed, it slipped right down to her stomach, making her shiver with displeasure.

On second thought...perhaps she should pass up this meal. If she ate any more she was afraid she'd lose it soon after.

@Jaysong