Ankyra Sound There are 5.25 trillion pieces of plastic debris in the ocean.

He tried mightily to stifle his laughter and nearly succeeded, though a small snort escaped his nostrils anyway. Shuffling his paws, he looked sheepishly contrite, molding his features into bland surprise if the boy were to look his way. Damn, that's weird, he remarked, shrugging. Never seen anything like that before.

Verx padded closer, sniffing at the object. It was salt-scented and damp, but it didn't seem like anything that would realistically emerge from the sea. Just part of the sound's strange charm, he supposed. He licked it and grimaced, shaking his head. Nope, didn't taste edible, either.

What's your name, kid? he asked, staring down at the youngster in the sand. He looked a lot like Rosalyn; this must be her boy. Who was the daddy? He found himself jealous, for a heated instant, of a man he didn't know.