Only A WishWritten by: Udon T.E. And Abigail K.T.

Chapter Thirty-Seven: Canis Alatus

Chapter Thirty-Seven:

[]Canis Alatus[]

I'd cracked open my near-frozen shut eyes, and stared up into the blinding, somehow almost neon, white sky.

Memories tugged at me and threatened to take me back to sleep, black tinting the edges of my vision.

A sizable puddle of sticky, scarlet-red liquid sat to my left.

I sat up quickly, my head buzzing in painful protest as soon as I had.

I put my hand up to my forehead, willing the pain to go away.

But it didn't.

It stayed, stubborn like a hardy tundra plant taking root, wrapping and squeezing around my mind and leaving me trembling. Everything ached, lungs, bones, muscles, everything.

A huge wet tongue slathered saliva over half of my face, leaving a dripping trail. I quickly brought my numb arm to my face to wipe the slime off before it froze.

I tried to use my hand and push the mass of brown away, but I was just met with a vague tingling sensation and a fistful of dog hair.

'Zephyr!' A voice said, setting off a series of louder ringing sounds that made my head buzz.

I started to be able to see again, brown clouding my vision.

"C-Chocolate?" I asked.

'Yeah! You okay?' It was clear he was in pain as well, probably as much or more than me.

"...Not really." I replied, trying with as much energy as I could muster to keep pain from my almost frozen voice.

I levelled my gaze downwards, eyes locking on Chocolate's paws.

Crimson liquid stained the snow around him.

"Your blood?" I questioned, examining his paws, where all of it had come from.

He bobbed his fluffy head up and down, a cloud of dog hair had created a quickly dispersing cloud.

My face twisted into an agonised expression as I stood up, features contorted and muscles tensed.

I had to lean on Chocolate a little bit, but minded my dead weight, careful to not put too much pressure on his delicate, blistered, and bleeding paws.

He stood, bracing his body for my extra weight and sinking into the fluffy, but deadly, snow a few inches more.

Swoosh.

Thud.

Swoosh.

Thud.

"Chocolate? What is that?" I looked into his large, glossed, warm brown eyes.

'I think I smell another dog?' He said, his frozen nose had tried to twitch, and failed to breathe deeply. His breathing sounded as if he was scraping against glass.

"C'mon buddy." I said, and looked backwards one last time. Large blood-red footprints followed us, and I grimaced, realising that they were from Chocolate. Hold it together, Zephyr.

A flicker of a hulking mass of brown, black and white, a blue sled behind it.

I ducked, then realised it was probably a rescue team sent out for me. And Chocolate.

Worry and relief both flooded me, unsettling and strangling the chill set deep in my bones and tucked into every fibre of my being.

Oh no. I completely forgot about Ira. I had just left her. She must be so worried.

I ran, more like I stumbled, in their direction.

Chocolate loyally followed, pushing through waves of pain that came from his shredded and freezing paws.

"Help!" I called, my frozen voice regrettably raw.

The team turned, sped in our direction.

"Zephyr?" The driver yelled.

"Yeah! It's me." I replied, voice shredded and cold, any sense of short-lived confidence withering.

They jogged up to Chocolate and I, slowing before they reached the two of us. Without much more than a glance at Chocolate, the driver told me to get in the sled. Before leaving, another search and rescue team member bandaged up Chocolate's paws. They gave Chocolate and me warming blankets, gently tying on Chocolate's.

I melted into the heated blanket, letting the softness and newfound warmth carry me to sleep despite the nagging thought of Chocolate- who was unfortunately too large for the sledge. "Sorry, buddy." I had managed to croak, my voice mostly smothered by the howling winds. The new silver line in my mind pulled tight.

"I'll survive." The bond itself seemed to be frozen, the numbing chill from the outside world seeping into the silver fibres of our bond as the horrific reality of the quickly fading day took hold.

"Hold on." The last words I heard that day took me to a restless sleep.

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Word count: 700 words

Thanks for reading! See y'all next Friday!

Xx Abigail

(UPDATED X X)