It was calm and serene all around her. The ocean waves, currents and tides held her it their arms. They swayed her in a comforting and absorbing embrace. Moved her without making the splitting headache worse. In fact the opposite was true; it was making it better. She could concentrate on the rhythm of the sea and be lulled into not thinking about or feeling the pain.
That same rhythm allowed her fall asleep as she floated on the surface. When she wasn’t tired, she treaded water slowly, again following the same rhythm that carried her. But there wasn’t any urgency to tread. No real reason to swim. She only did that little bit when she felt like her limbs were starting to fall asleep and the weight was pulling her down. Swimming also gave her something to do. Otherwise it was a constant pattern of sleep, wake, sleep and wake again. It was relaxing. More and more it was becoming too relaxing. She was spending more time in the sleep period of her cycle of existence.
Like now. Or rather a few seconds ago. She had slept. For how long or how far? She didn't know. Those questions and answers were lost even before she could have thought to ask them. The shallow water came up beneath her without her even noticing. it was the sand in her mouth that woke her. The grittiness of the sand in her already dry mouth had her coughing, choking. Where the ocean had been gentle, the shore was much less so. She hadn't been exactly dump her on the beach like she could have. The ocean often dumped or not so gently deposited other things and creatures on beaches and shores.
If she had had the energy, she would have spoken her thanks to the body of water behind her. She couldn't express how thankful she was to the ocean and it’s tides and currents and waves for the gentleness it showed. She imagined that the dumped would have caused another headache on top of the one already taken up residence in her head. She didn’t need it to have a neighbor. It was noisy and jumping enough all by itself. No vacancy here. In fact, an eviction would have been nice.
She wobbled as she tried to stand, And fell, her knees buckling, her body tipping to the left. Landing on her left didn't help with the headache. The jarring sensation of the fall aggravated it and bashing rocks against her skull had her closing her eyes and just breathing through the pain for a little while. She focused on the water now lapping at her belly and hind legs. The tide was receding, leaving her here. Wherever here was.
She had done that in the wrong order apparently. She kept her eyes closed as she sighed softly at her attempt to stand. What good was standing if she had no idea where she was or what was around? As she grew used to the pain again, she opened her eyes to take in as many details as possible. Sand. Sand. Sand. So she confirmed that she was on a beach. Slow and careful movement allowed her to look to the side. It was difficult, but she could do it. The movement and the light annoyed her headache and it in return pierced at her brain making it throb. It wasn’t fun. Or necessary really. Spiteful thing.
She took in some of the details of the beach the ocean had deposited her onto. Not all. She really was having a hard time focusing on anything, but she saw that It was a nice stretch. Nothing on it. No one one it either. At least that she could see. As comforting as the ocean had been, she was starting to prefer being carried away again. At least she wouldn't have to think what to do next or which way to go.
That luxury was gone though. The ocean had left her here with the tide quickly receding. She was awake and at least semi-aware which she couldn't be in …. In forever. Not only did she have to decide what to do, where to go, but she had to deal with the pain in her head. And if that wasn't enough hunger pains were starting to make themselves known. As if she could hunt in her condition. She was starving. She didn't even know when was the last time she had eaten. How how long since the last time. The thought of food, any food at this point had her licking her chops. The dryness had her adjusting that thought. More concerning was how thirsty she was. She didn’t have any idea how long it had been since she had last eaten OR drank something. Both were high on her priority list. Water first though. Drinking water.
Nothing for it then. The ocean could do many things, but getting her drinkable water wasn’t one of them. She stood just as slow has she had turned her head and just stood for a few seconds. Her legs were weak. Her body in general was weak. But when she took her first wobbly, unbalanced step, she didn’t fall. And another and another. The unbalanced-ness and wobbly only got worse as she went from sand to firm earth beneath her paws. She felt like she was trying to walk on swaying, stormy waves or something. She fell no less then five times in a span of ten feet.
This was going to be a long trip for water.
If she even made it that far.
Wobble, side step, shake, cross step, ti~p. She made slow progress and hadn't even scented water yet. Well fresh water anyway. She could smell the sea. If she looked over her shoulder, she would see that she hadn't even made more then a few foot away from the sand. There was still sand beneath her paws in the mix.
But she needed that water, so she kept walking her unbalanced, tipping, cross step, side step gait, remembering to sniff for some drinkable water.
She'd get there.
Eventually.
