Totoka River Stoned on Shiva

Olive’s eyes remained closed as her chest heaved and coughed, diaphragm convulsing and causing her exhalations and inhalations to sputter. She was not in danger of dying, but the pain of recovery was unbearable. How had she not felt the burn of cold water inside her when she was in the river? How come her plush coat suddenly felt like it was crushing her?

The pain was not only physical, but mental. The river, the water she trusted so – how could it betray her like that? If it were her time to depart from this world, why must it have been is such a violent manner? Did a creature of peace not deserve an end which upheld the same values?  That, Olive guessed, what a demonstration of the true balance of nature.  When you believe “I’ve got it,” that is when you stop learning and your awareness diminishes. She had been 'checked' by the forced of nature - but graciously stopped before it was a 'check-mate.'

Olive saw then [quite clearly] that she would forever be a student of the cosmos, unwilling to concede herself to her ego.

Amid coughs, a voice entered her ears [not unlike that of an angel]. Olive’s eyes opened momentarily to see the [almost translucent] silhouette of a wolf standing over her, but the green orbs closed immediately to shield her pounding head from the bright light. Where had this wolf come from? How was it that she were randomly present in Olive’s time of need? Though Olive was rendered unable to speak, she did not resist the stranger's help.

The pale stranger nosed her body and curled beside her, an act that Olive appreciated. She had not realized how cold she was until that moment – and why shouldn’t she be? Soon slushy winter ice would flow down from the mountains into the river, only eventually to be covered entirely by ice. At the thought, Olive’s coughing abated and intense shivers began to rack her body. Olive moved a paw [as heavy as that paw was right then] to touch the woman, silently asking her for more. More touch, more warmth, more comfort, more... anything.