Chapter Text
Thomas lay on the muddy bank of a frigid river, his mind hazy and his sides rising and falling at slow, uneven intervals. He lay there, a sopping, freezing mound of brown, white, and cream fur laying on death’s door. He didn’t even remember how he had gotten there, he couldn’t remember, his memories run farther and farther away like a deer fleeing the hunt. But, unlike a deer, he did not wish to pursue them as they left him. He lay there in a sort of peaceful acceptance. The river’s water coursed around his lower half but he was too numb to feel anything anymore and slowly but surely the cold was sapping his consciousness away. He felt himself fading and smiled, his tongue tasting snow as it lolled from his muzzle. As he closed his eyes two pairs of paws stepped in front of him, one set grey the other blonde, and he sighed a final sigh and fell into oblivion. A gentle pressure gripped his scruff and the sound of snow crunching underfoot were the last things he heard.