Into the Ocean

Cold. It seemed all he knew was the cold. He was sent away before feeling his mother’s warmth and the sheet of ice beneath him stole any heat he could accumulate. Erystotle was wasting away, just like his little ice floe. When his mother had set him upon it and pushed him into the ocean she hoped she wasn’t just sending him to his death. Now Erys lay on the ice, his paws dangling over the edge just barely keeping away from the frigid ocean waters. His form was thin and tiny, his ribs protruded from his side and his face was sunken in. His silvery eyes had lost their luster and his chest barely rose as he struggled to continue breathing.

The shrinking iceberg collided roughly with the shore, throwing Erystotle from his place. He’d tumble hard on the solid shore while a pained yelp left his lips as the air was forced from his lungs. He tried to intake air into his lungs, he’d gasp as he lay flat on the ground. The ocean rose up to lap at his pink toes, further stealing the warmth from his body. The small pup felt dizzy, his vision had started to tunnel and he couldn’t focus on anything. He started to accept that he was going to die. Just like his brothers.

The only reason he had been born was to be offered as a sacrifice to the gods, a product of an ancient ceremony. His mother had been weak though, unable to watch as all three of her sons were offered to the sky. She had taken a chance that he might make it out on the ice. She’d drugged him, gave him herbs so slow his metabolism and make him sleep, hopefully until he had found safety. Now he lay here on the edge of a great ocean, counting the moments until his death. Another ragged breath was drawn from his lungs, one more until his last.