The Dead Won't Die

From her spot on her side, Andy has a great view of Isa and the dying bear. In her dazed state, she watches the blue woman retaliates against the infected and dying creature easily removing its one good eye. It is a daring display of acrobatics and skill as the woman first blinds the polar bear and then shreds its nose. Feeling slowly seeps back into the pup, awaking all the aches and that rolling over gnarled roots and ground have caused. The world tilts on its axis as she shoves away the pain and sits up … just in time to see Isa get grabbed by her scruff and tossed away by the fading beast.

Instinctively, the pup springs up to her paws only to find that her right hind leg refuses to hold her weight and collapses underneath her. The world spins at a dizzying rate and her breath is pushed from her lungs as the pain from her hip slams into her brain which causes Andy’s butt to connect with the ground once more. She decides to stay there a moment as the bear finally stills and Isa approaches her. Her world slows its dizzying spin and the pup happily beams at her friend, grateful for her presence. If she had not been there, Andy knows that the bear would have killed her.

Despite the concern etched into her friend’s features, and the pain that the movement causes in her hindquarters, the purple girl joyfully thumps her tail on the ground. With a smile on her lips, the girl cheerily says, “I’m fine, thanks to you! That was really… scary.” The smile that had been tugging at her lips a moment before falters as she admits that she had actually been afraid. As Isa helps her stand and Andy gingerly tests her right hind leg, the purple girl spies the blood that coats her friend’s scruff and her ears lay back as worry tugs the lines of the face down.

With a gentle nudge to the side of her friend’s neck, she softly asks, “Are you okay?” She settles more of her weight into the injured hip and grimaces at the pain that flares but she is fairly certain that she can walk back to the Col. Just as she begins to walk with a slight hitch in her gait, the sound of thundering paws reaches the pair. A soft groan rolls past her lips as she knows who will arrive before his tall frame even graces the scene. Stopping, the girl’s hind end gives out and she sits heavily on the ground, just as her father arrives.

He moves to join her and the world tilts as he approaches forcing her to close her eyes and breath through the nausea that hits her. Andy hears his words and she can only nod as the nausea swells and her stomach flip-flops, forcing her to clamp her teeth shut in an attempt to keep her food in her stomach. She feels someone gathering her up and she lifts on eyelid to see that it is Bear. Helping as much as she can, the purple girl climbs onto her father’s back and settles in, thankful for the ride.

Giving him a gentle nuzzle on the side of his neck, she gentle whispers, “Isa saved my life. That… thing would have killed me.” A soft sigh is expelled as she buries her face in his fur in an attempt to block out the slowly spinning world. Had she knocked her head on one of the roots as she tumbled away? Honestly, she couldn’t remember but it wouldn’t surprise if she had. A headache is blooming behind her eyes and promises to be really bad.


"Andromeda Fatalis"