Now we are back to the beginning

He moved with a purpose he hadn't felt in months. Had it...really been months? The cold sure told that story. The way it pushed into his bones, chilled him to his entire core, he knew it had been a long time. Time had slipped by so quickly, and yet, at the same time, it felt like he had lived long enough to witness the whole world perish and restart before his eyes. He could feel it under his paws, this sand was new, was fresh. And soon, in the manner of weeks, life would begin again. Though perhaps, and most importantly, not his own.

He could feel it in his lungs, every breath he took felt like the last. But he wasn't scared anymore. His world had perished on that day, and he had mourned and he had survived and now it was time to find his purchase in this new world.

But...it didn't feel like it was here.

He would smile softly, a strange foreign feeling on his lips, but there it was. Perhaps not back to normal, perhaps not his signature grin, but he was smiling. The sun was rising over the quiet ocean, and he stood in the black sand, toes massaging the earth as he thought, as he remembered. It had been years now since they had come here, had settled, had made this their home. They had started their families, and while his...well, that was just what was meant to happen, wasn't it? No matter what Glacier or Astrea said, his life was molded to be used by his family. He was meant to protect them, to worry about them, to lift their hopes when they felt so low.

It was wrong of him to dream his own dreams, to live his own life, to turn his sights away from his siblings and onto his children. So, the universe had righted his wrong.

But the new world was rebuilding itself, and Voltage could feel a rebellion coursing through his veins. He wouldn't bow down to the universe's decision, to his lot in life. He would go out and find his daughter, and his siblings would be just fine.

He sighed in the sweet air, moving slowly away from the shore to turn towards the dens, his stormy eyes searching for someone in particular. Someone he rarely saw, rarely spoke too, but held a special place in his heart.

He only hoped the universe would be kinder to her and his brother's new family.

"Burn Baby Burn"