[Cove.]

    The entire family had fallen into the water, darkness overcoming them all. The first born pup was swept away, as were his sibling, all in different directions. The parents sunk. Cove, the eldest, was washed away from his family, probably to never see anyone of his blood again. Time passed, the pup having no track of time as his vision grew dark. He didn’t know if it was natural darkness, or if he had passed out. When he felt himself wake up, he was caught between rocks, the water drifting softly about him. Somehow he had managed to be swept against rocks and his head to land on top of a rock, saving his life. The child woke up, coughing hard enough to make his body tremble.

    Cove walked up onto the shore on shaking legs, water dripping still from his mouth as much as his pelt. The night had overtaken the earth, the only light from the full moon that hung heavy above him. As soon as his paws hit solid ground, he started vomiting again, trying to get rid of all the water in his body. It took time for him to realize he was alone. He thought he felt his mother next to him, trying to softly comfort him. He thought he heard his father walking around, looking the territory they had landed a look over. But no one was there, just Cove. When he could finally no longer throw up any water, he looked around, confused as to why he was alone.

    For a while, he didn’t know how long, he simply sat there, thinking of what had happened. It was fuzzy, but the more he waited the more he remembered. They had all fallen, and the water had taken him away from his family. He got to his paws, ready to run around in frantic search for his parents or his siblings, but he was already breathing too heavy, too exhausted to do anything. “Mama? Papa?” There was the crushing knowledge that they would not respond to him. His voice cracked at the end, as tears somehow began to form in his eyes, dripping down his already wet face. He wasn’t sure if his shaking now was from throwing up, exhaustion, or sadness, but he started to curl up, whimpering. What would he do? He was just a child.