Ocean's Breath Plateau lonely times when i could not find a friend

seventy-three seconds.

for seventy-three seconds, aditya's heart stopped. by the grace of some deity—hari, to his mind, but perhaps another—it started again, the man coming to on a gasp upon the sand. his limbs were rubber, her body bone-tired.

in the maelstrom that was seelie's disappearance, he'd been moved to a secure location by tullik and taggak, and there he rested now.

perhaps he should have died.

he'd wet himself and had required clean-up assistance. his back legs barely functioned, the front enough to drag him inch to inch. his eyes were heavy-lidded, and stared into abyss when not diverted.

a shell of his former self—but alive, despite the odds. and still, his granddaughter was missing.

tonight, adi sighed, and rested his muzzle upon outstretched forepaws. it was a comfortable enough den, and he could hear the soft murmur of the sea. was this not enough for him to die peacefully? apparently not.

the moon glowed amid intermittent clouds, and so, too, did he carry on.