—
You’ve possibly sustained a rather significant head injury. Did the ocean give you too many blows to the head? The healer avoided the question entirely. A gruff rumbled from his chest as silvered paws carried himself closer to the shoreline. Where her mess of fur laid, he set forth to try and drag her away from the ocean. Ain’t no way he would help her with the tides. One… awful experience in water was enough to keep this man from wanting to swim.

But the white beach had other plans.

Far different plans.

As Chisuke leaned to bring himself closer, extending a foreleg caused sand to give away from his weight. A loud YELP.

THUD.

Then SPLASH!

The musky canine had fallen into a small pit leading into a puddle of water. Teeth sneered as his tail stung from the sensitivity of the warm waters.

Nonononono. Chisuke screeched loudly, climbing the octave. Silvered paws scrambled uselessly at the collapsing sand. Ebisu, a small pink chested robin had soared up into the air, leaving the canine to his own fate. Mud and grime that caked his fur, was now tangled in the richness of salt-infused water.

Sharp claws tried to grab onto anything to clutch himself out, but it was useless. Chisuke had begun thrashing himself. Blue eyes widened as he gulped a lump in his throat. Not like this. Not in front of someone who needed his help. He could fix this—

He could—

It was useless. The sand refused to cooperate, he could only hear the rippling sounds of the tide.

Oh.

And the rapidly increasing heartbeat of his own.
—