Wheeling Gull Isle stranded

The first thing she experienced was the sound of ocean waves beating against the shoreline. She heard birds overhead, the screech of seagulls, the trilling of smaller birds farther up the beach where the tree line started. Tangy ocean spray stung her nose. The smell of salt and wet sand overwhelmed her. A breeze blew through her fur and she realized she was wet. Parts of her were dry. The fur on her head and neck were dry. Her legs and belly were wet, and the fur along her sides. The breeze on her wet fur was cold. She cracked her eyes open and was blinded by the sun. Her eyes had sand particles stuck in the corners and she blinked hard, many times, trying to clear the stinging itchy feeling.

She stood slowly, her legs unstable. There was a weakness in her body, in her bones, that frightened her. The act of standing for more than a few seconds set her legs to shaking. She was exhausted and starving. She looked out at the ocean surrounding her. There were fish in the ocean… but no. The idea of swimming in the waves frightened her. She vaguely recalled swallowing seawater, her head going under the waves… crawling slowly up the beach. No. She would not go back into the ocean.

She turned and saw a forest behind her. A forest meant food and water. Slowly, one shaky step at a time, she made her way up the beach to the shady trees.