The gray-brown tabby cat laid down on the white sand, the golden rays warming her pelt. She felt relaxed and content; her head rested on her paws and her eyes closed as she bathed in the summer sun. Courtney often came to the beach, and she was used to the sound of waves crashing against the shore and twolegs chatting and playing with each other a distance away. Other cats also enjoyed the beach and groomed their pelts, or perhaps they stayed at the edge of the water, the cool blue liquid lapping at their paws.
Courtney stretched and rose to her paws. She felt as if she were sizzling and she needed to cool off. She padded closer to the sea and sat down on the muddy shoreline, the ocean breeze cooling off her face and pelt. She wanted the water to soak her fur so she went deeper and deeper. She stopped moving when the water had moved to her chest. She closed her eyes and dipped her head under the surface, then pulled it back up.
That's when it happened. A large wave rolled overhead, which frightened the other cats. They immediately got out of the water and collapsed onto the sand. But Courtney remained standing still, paralyzed with fear. She started to turn and run but the wave caught her and threw her roughly under the water. She tried to resurface but she was in a much deeper area now. Smaller yet just as violent waves continued to throw her up and under. "Help!" she tried to yell, but all that came out was a spluttering, panicked sound.