The air swelled thick around him as he trot, worn out paw pads caressing the ground beneath him.  It had been days since the young pup had seen anyone, and he almost considered himself lucky. Perhaps it was on account of the fact he’d nearly died to get somewhere. Regardless, the child of rot would need to stay with someone. That is, if he hoped to preserve his own survival.

Eyes glazing over wearily, the child would collapse upon the border, his ebony gaze trailing off into the distance. He shifted his legs, parts of which were mostly invisible to display the bones and parts of his body. Then, his bone tail lay still, the pup not sure what else to do. His purple fur ruffled in the wind as he let out a brief sigh, flickering an ear with decay resting upon it complacently.

If he waited, perhaps someone would come rescue him.

WHEN I LOOK IN THE MIRROR,
KNOW WHAT I SEE?
THE ANIMAL IN ME!

She wondered what she would tell her younger self, who was left abandoned and alone at the edge of eternity. What she would tell this small, cowardly wolf-rottweiler. Janky legs moved toward the border, limbs moving oddly, wings folding in and unfolding.

Black eyes stared at the smaller retriever pup. The memory of her father dropping her at the border hit her in the head, hard enough for her to shake said head rapidly. "Hey. Can you stand?" She rumbled, stepping closer on limbs that moved far too awkwardly for her to be okay. But when was she ever okay? She was rotting, much like this small pile of fur.

A voice.

Ebony eyes drifted upward, landing perplexed on the new creature ahead. She was rotting too? Perhaps he wasn’t so disgusting after all. That was a big feature of his body he had grown to hate, and now there was reassurance. A gentle smile tugged at his taught lips, and a brief shake of his head ensued after. “Too weak,” replied the pup, shifting his aching paw pads up to face the stranger. Perhaps he was a bit too trustworthy, but he knew that survival was of upmost importance. If he didn’t receive help or shelter, he could die.