Can't Woof It Out | Marshall x Everest [Book Two] ✔⚙

Chapter Ten

| trigger warning |
| self-worth, (mild) trauma (?), |
| suicidal thoughts|

| don't read if you feel uncomfortable with these topics. |

          Beads of cold sweat had threaded a young boy's forehead. It's breath were ragged and hitched violently; eyes dilated larger than those of usual, without questioning it twice — he's tired.

          Panting created by the exhausted boy, that's probably aged somewhere in its tween, he held himself upwards correctly by using his palms as a support, it being placed onto his knees, though too, were weakened by the sudden rigorous activity.

          His rich forest green orbs skimmed their way to the scenery that stood behind him; there was nothing to look at for that everything he's meaning to look at has been burnt into ashes by a vicious flame.

          During his escape, he's lost quite a lot of sentiments that were endearing to his heart, it from being his childhood home, his beloved sentimental objects, and his parents that he never knew what had happened.

          He was aware that before their beloved structure — built from love and earthen resources, had collapsed upon the tundric weathered-ground, everyone had managed to flee from its underneath. The point was.. They've had separated due to panic that was caused by the unsuspecting inferno that decided to pay them a visit.

          To make matters worse, there's no telling if he could ensure their safety status as of now.

          "Now what?" He shivered in cold as he questions himself, completely clueless of what else to do; he's just a boy after all, he's supposed to just play around in the neighborhood with children his age, and do dumb things and know nothing at all.

          Ever since he was young, he never knew the dangers of the outside world, and what its true colors were. He had his rose-colored glasses on for far too long to realize that the world's just painted with dull colors — dotted with a few vibrant ones here and there.

          Because of this.. Where is he to go? Upwards or downwards? There's nothing worth making him go forth but rather go backwards and yearn for something that can't be brought back by means of time and common sense.

          With the little hope left in his heart and a freezing body of a child, he decided to wander off farther anyway — in hope that he'll somehow find mortals that would be kind enough to take him in until he figures out what to do next.

          Though as the journey to nowhere had stretched from hours to useless fars — it being traveled afoot, the poor boy's will to stay determined had diminished by every footstep he buries within these thick sheet of snow that's blanketing a vast expanse of the area.

          Despite being delirious, for no reason, his two pedestals somehow perpetuated in its aimless perambulate and had only continued to weaken until his knees were somewhat kneeling onto the ground, the tip of his clothed knee caps hovering an inch above the cluster of frozen dew.

          Walking had almost fully enervated all his energy from the equation he's been trying to solve that is obscured in his field, to only have a null of a result as his achievement. Oh, how deserving and pleasing must that feel.

          As weakened knees had corrupted his bottom half, he had collapsed himself in the midst of an unknown place.

          Rather though, it was vaguely familiar, but only due to the verity that it was similarly like any other town — it's gotten structures, cozy restaurants with a burning fireplace within them, and people. But it seemed that there's not much folks loitering around the area, which leaves the poor boy alone outside — underneath this icy climate.