Stay Alive

The gentle lap of the surf against his hind legs kept Artorias drifting in and out of consciousness. He had no idea how long he had been lying on that dark beach for. It could have been hours, minutes, or even days for all he knew. The young wolf lay broken and beaten, his body too ravaged and in pain to move. Warm blood continued to spill from the ragged wounds on his neck and shoulder, leaving dark stains on the black sand beneath him. Every short, shallow breath made his chest ache. His brain had mercifully shut down as soon as he made it safely onto the shore to prevent him from experiencing as much of the agony as possible, but every time his amber eyes flickered open to stare out at a blurred world, the pain returned, centered in his neck and beneath his tail.

Soft whines and grunts left the boy as he tried to pull himself further up the beach, but was unable to. Artorias could only collapse in a crumpled heap where he lay every time he tried to move, the soft waves lapping almost mockingly at his hind end, a stark contrast from the raging river that had left him battered and covered in bruises and cuts. At some point during his delirium, Artorias thought he heard someone calling his name, but whenever he tried to lift his head, there was no one. He was alone, bleeding slowly to death on an empty beach in the middle of nowhere. How could things have gone so wrong? How had he been bested so badly and humiliated the way he had? The feeling of Oxx smothering him... He shuddered and whined.

Artorias was so far gone that he didn't even notice Corbin flying overhead, calling out to him. He heard a distant voice, like someone was trying to lead someone, but the instructions were unclear and the voice garbled. There was a ringing in his ears and a pounding in his head. Was this what dying felt like? Had he failed so badly that the cost of his loss was his life? The pain of humiliation and physical hurt was far outweighed by the pain of knowing he'd never get to see his loved ones again. Briar. Tamsyn. Gwyn. Rudy. Bowen. I'm so sorry everyone... Artorias' eyes drifted closed again as he fought to stay awake, wondering how long it would take before his body finally gave out.

"Artorias" | "Corbin" | "Argent"