username;; -WillowKist
name;; Korrina
gender;; Female
species;; Canine
breed;; Labrador/Akita mix
age;; 1yr 5mos
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
about the shell;;
"Wait! Wait! Wait up!"
The voice of a young female akita mix laughed out as she raced behind a slightly older female. Sand kicked up behind them both. Ocean water washed up and ebbed quickly away to their right, just barely falling short of their paws.
The two raced along the shore, the younger always chasing the older. It was apparent the two were sisters. The way they both looked. The way they both talked. The similarities were too great for them not to be.
Suddenly, the older female stopped. She bent down to get a closer look at something, her interest interrupted by her younger sister running up beside her.
"Why'd you stop?" she asked, voice somewhat pouty and holding confusion.
"Look at this, Korri!" the older said, lifting something out of the sand. It was a smooth, pearly conch shell. It's color was a light peach and there were few, if any, smooth bumps along the spiral.
"Wow.." Korrina breathed, following her sister closely as she took the shell to the water to rinse the sand off it.
The older canine rolled the shell over in her paws some, looking at it closely. Without warning, she too a deep breath and brought the shell up to her mouth. Blowing hard, the shell belted out a loud, monotone sound. Similar to that of a bugle. All Korrina could do was stare with wide, wondrous eyes.
____________________________
The older of the two sisters kept the shell for years. It remained displayed in her room for years. Gathering dust and never given a second glance. After that day, it's brassy sound never again to be heard by anyone's ears. That is, until one day the older of the two sisters took it from it's resting spot.
"Korrina!" she called through the den. The hustle of paws could be heard trying to find a grasp on the floor.
"Coming!" Korrina called out, rushing to appear at her sister's room, "What is it?"
Her sister was getting ready to leave home and make her own way in the world. That meant a lot of packing and a lot of things needed to go away. It was a bittersweet time in the den.
"Korri, you remember when we found this thing?" she asked, taking the shell from where it rested. At the sight of the shell, the younger akita's mind was cast back to that day and she couldn't help but to grin at the memory.
"How could I forget? That was one of the best days of my life!" she nearly chirped out, eyes only for the shell.
Her sister took her paw in hers, rolling it open and placing the shell in the palm.
"It's yours now, Korri. I know how much you wanted it when we were kids." she told her, smiling fondly as she remembered a young Korrina crying about how she couldn't keep the shell. More so about how she had ignored her older sister for days afterward.
Korrina took a sharp breath, covering the shell with her other paw. "Sis, I-" she murmured, being unable to find the words to thank her.
"Korri, you know I'm gonna miss you. Take care of Mom and Pa for me. And be good." she murmured.
____________________________
As the memories faded from the forethought of her mind, Korrina realized she could no longer even remember her sister's name. It had been years since she had vanished, and it was as though she had never even had a sister.
Her parents had died before it was realized she had gone missing. Korrina knew it was likely for the best. It would have killed them to know she was gone. A body had never been found either. Korrina sat back on her haunches, rolling the leather-tied shell over in her hand. Grasping it in both hands, she took it in a deep breath and exhaled into it. The loud, brassy sound echoed through the snow capped mountains.
As the sound faded around her, she rose to her paws and straightened up. The sound always made her feel powerful and bold. Korrina smiled to herself. She started forward again, paws barely sinking into the fresh snow. All she could think of as she walked was how calm yet empowered the bugling sound of the peach colored shell made her feel as it gently fell against her chest as she went.
The shell horn had always been a vessel of memories for her. There were many fond memories kept within the item, now tethered to her forever by a leather bind. Though the leather was not that old, it was worn and soft. It showed years beyond it's age. For that, it had always felt as though it were a part of herself- not as much as the shell however.
What had made the shell so special to her was not that her sister had given to her, or that they had found it together. No, what made it so special to Korrina was the fact that it's echoing brassy sound had saved her life.
____________________________
The day had gotten surprisingly warm early on and Korrina was out foraging in hopes of a meal. The winter had been harsh, and for most of the months she had been snowed in her den.
Finally it had melted enough for her to dig out. Now she trudged through the melting, ice-covered snow. It was slick under her paws, making getting traction difficult. Having grown up on the coast, Korrina was somewhat used to ground that was difficult to get a paw-hold on.
The day, thus far, was like any other day in the great frozen wilderness. The sun hanging over head and reflecting blindingly off the pure white. The bitter chill nipping at her body. Her coat has grown thick and heavy since she moved to the tundra and the cold wasn't so much to her anymore.
She grunted under not only the effort of getting down the side of the mountain but the sun beaming down onto her fur and heating her every movement. The frozen pond was something of a trip from her home, and going there meant spending the night. She had always packed prepared for that.
Another step forward and suddenly the ground below gave way with loud shutter. Korrina didn't even have time to scream before snow was piled over top of her. The leather strap tied to the shell around her neck caught on a branch. It didn't take much effort for it to snap and be ripped from her. Lost in the avalanche.
She lay buried in the snow for who knows how long. Drifting in and out of consciousness.
Whether it be by some strange twist of fate or simply an odd coincidence, the peach colored shell Korrina had carried with her for years made its way to the top of the snow just as the chaotic mass stilled. The sun shown down and glistened off the glossy outer coat of the shell.
The way the shell lay in the snow, the slight breeze that flitted over the placid scene caught in the shell. It was just enough to force out a low, contrabass tuba echo that resounded and bounced through the tiny mountain range.
While there were not many who lived in the area, avalanches were still monitored and counted where she lived. Let regulation, search and rescue teams were sent out to assess the damage and see if anyone had been unfortunate enough to be out and gotten trapped in the packed snow.
As the team members reached the mountain to begin their search, the faint call of the shell-horn reached their ears. It was that sound which put them on high alert that someone was trapped beneath the snow. Locating the shell horn, they began using dogs to try to find who it belonged to.
Korrina had been trapped below the heavy snow for two hours, and an additional two hours for rescuers to locate her. By that time it was unsure whether or not she would live. A rescue helicopter air lifted her to the nearest hospital where she spent nearly a week in a medically-induced coma in the ICU before she was allowed to wake up.
When it was explained to her what had happened, she broke down into tears. She was ashamed of how foolish she had been- driven to extremes by hunger.
"But it's how you were found that was the real miracle." the doctor's droning voice mumbled.
She looked up at him, a confused and rather angered. Never did she say a word, though, instead allowing him to explain himself.
"It was this shell that alerted rescuers to the fact that you were there. Without it, they likely never would have known someone was under the snow, and you would have died." he explained, reaching into his coat pocket and pulling out the peach colored shell that was so familiar to Korrina.
Her eyes stretched wide, and all she could do was stare. She herself did not know how she had gotten so lucky, but one thing was for sure. She was grateful to be laying in that bed- alive.
It was another month before she was released as she had to be treated for hypothermia and pneumonia. Other than the lingering memory, she had no residual effects of the near-tragic accident.
She returned to the coast after that, though not where she grew up, and chose to remain there. However, during avalanche season she always returns to the mountains as a volunteer search and rescue team member. Her shell always tied around her neck and ready for when some, or signs of someone, are located. It saved her life, and with her alive and well it can- and has- save others.
name;; Korrina
gender;; Female
species;; Canine
breed;; Labrador/Akita mix
age;; 1yr 5mos
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
about the shell;;
"Wait! Wait! Wait up!"
The voice of a young female akita mix laughed out as she raced behind a slightly older female. Sand kicked up behind them both. Ocean water washed up and ebbed quickly away to their right, just barely falling short of their paws.
The two raced along the shore, the younger always chasing the older. It was apparent the two were sisters. The way they both looked. The way they both talked. The similarities were too great for them not to be.
Suddenly, the older female stopped. She bent down to get a closer look at something, her interest interrupted by her younger sister running up beside her.
"Why'd you stop?" she asked, voice somewhat pouty and holding confusion.
"Look at this, Korri!" the older said, lifting something out of the sand. It was a smooth, pearly conch shell. It's color was a light peach and there were few, if any, smooth bumps along the spiral.
"Wow.." Korrina breathed, following her sister closely as she took the shell to the water to rinse the sand off it.
The older canine rolled the shell over in her paws some, looking at it closely. Without warning, she too a deep breath and brought the shell up to her mouth. Blowing hard, the shell belted out a loud, monotone sound. Similar to that of a bugle. All Korrina could do was stare with wide, wondrous eyes.
____________________________
The older of the two sisters kept the shell for years. It remained displayed in her room for years. Gathering dust and never given a second glance. After that day, it's brassy sound never again to be heard by anyone's ears. That is, until one day the older of the two sisters took it from it's resting spot.
"Korrina!" she called through the den. The hustle of paws could be heard trying to find a grasp on the floor.
"Coming!" Korrina called out, rushing to appear at her sister's room, "What is it?"
Her sister was getting ready to leave home and make her own way in the world. That meant a lot of packing and a lot of things needed to go away. It was a bittersweet time in the den.
"Korri, you remember when we found this thing?" she asked, taking the shell from where it rested. At the sight of the shell, the younger akita's mind was cast back to that day and she couldn't help but to grin at the memory.
"How could I forget? That was one of the best days of my life!" she nearly chirped out, eyes only for the shell.
Her sister took her paw in hers, rolling it open and placing the shell in the palm.
"It's yours now, Korri. I know how much you wanted it when we were kids." she told her, smiling fondly as she remembered a young Korrina crying about how she couldn't keep the shell. More so about how she had ignored her older sister for days afterward.
Korrina took a sharp breath, covering the shell with her other paw. "Sis, I-" she murmured, being unable to find the words to thank her.
"Korri, you know I'm gonna miss you. Take care of Mom and Pa for me. And be good." she murmured.
____________________________
As the memories faded from the forethought of her mind, Korrina realized she could no longer even remember her sister's name. It had been years since she had vanished, and it was as though she had never even had a sister.
Her parents had died before it was realized she had gone missing. Korrina knew it was likely for the best. It would have killed them to know she was gone. A body had never been found either. Korrina sat back on her haunches, rolling the leather-tied shell over in her hand. Grasping it in both hands, she took it in a deep breath and exhaled into it. The loud, brassy sound echoed through the snow capped mountains.
As the sound faded around her, she rose to her paws and straightened up. The sound always made her feel powerful and bold. Korrina smiled to herself. She started forward again, paws barely sinking into the fresh snow. All she could think of as she walked was how calm yet empowered the bugling sound of the peach colored shell made her feel as it gently fell against her chest as she went.
The shell horn had always been a vessel of memories for her. There were many fond memories kept within the item, now tethered to her forever by a leather bind. Though the leather was not that old, it was worn and soft. It showed years beyond it's age. For that, it had always felt as though it were a part of herself- not as much as the shell however.
What had made the shell so special to her was not that her sister had given to her, or that they had found it together. No, what made it so special to Korrina was the fact that it's echoing brassy sound had saved her life.
____________________________
The day had gotten surprisingly warm early on and Korrina was out foraging in hopes of a meal. The winter had been harsh, and for most of the months she had been snowed in her den.
Finally it had melted enough for her to dig out. Now she trudged through the melting, ice-covered snow. It was slick under her paws, making getting traction difficult. Having grown up on the coast, Korrina was somewhat used to ground that was difficult to get a paw-hold on.
The day, thus far, was like any other day in the great frozen wilderness. The sun hanging over head and reflecting blindingly off the pure white. The bitter chill nipping at her body. Her coat has grown thick and heavy since she moved to the tundra and the cold wasn't so much to her anymore.
She grunted under not only the effort of getting down the side of the mountain but the sun beaming down onto her fur and heating her every movement. The frozen pond was something of a trip from her home, and going there meant spending the night. She had always packed prepared for that.
Another step forward and suddenly the ground below gave way with loud shutter. Korrina didn't even have time to scream before snow was piled over top of her. The leather strap tied to the shell around her neck caught on a branch. It didn't take much effort for it to snap and be ripped from her. Lost in the avalanche.
She lay buried in the snow for who knows how long. Drifting in and out of consciousness.
Whether it be by some strange twist of fate or simply an odd coincidence, the peach colored shell Korrina had carried with her for years made its way to the top of the snow just as the chaotic mass stilled. The sun shown down and glistened off the glossy outer coat of the shell.
The way the shell lay in the snow, the slight breeze that flitted over the placid scene caught in the shell. It was just enough to force out a low, contrabass tuba echo that resounded and bounced through the tiny mountain range.
While there were not many who lived in the area, avalanches were still monitored and counted where she lived. Let regulation, search and rescue teams were sent out to assess the damage and see if anyone had been unfortunate enough to be out and gotten trapped in the packed snow.
As the team members reached the mountain to begin their search, the faint call of the shell-horn reached their ears. It was that sound which put them on high alert that someone was trapped beneath the snow. Locating the shell horn, they began using dogs to try to find who it belonged to.
Korrina had been trapped below the heavy snow for two hours, and an additional two hours for rescuers to locate her. By that time it was unsure whether or not she would live. A rescue helicopter air lifted her to the nearest hospital where she spent nearly a week in a medically-induced coma in the ICU before she was allowed to wake up.
When it was explained to her what had happened, she broke down into tears. She was ashamed of how foolish she had been- driven to extremes by hunger.
"But it's how you were found that was the real miracle." the doctor's droning voice mumbled.
She looked up at him, a confused and rather angered. Never did she say a word, though, instead allowing him to explain himself.
"It was this shell that alerted rescuers to the fact that you were there. Without it, they likely never would have known someone was under the snow, and you would have died." he explained, reaching into his coat pocket and pulling out the peach colored shell that was so familiar to Korrina.
Her eyes stretched wide, and all she could do was stare. She herself did not know how she had gotten so lucky, but one thing was for sure. She was grateful to be laying in that bed- alive.
It was another month before she was released as she had to be treated for hypothermia and pneumonia. Other than the lingering memory, she had no residual effects of the near-tragic accident.
She returned to the coast after that, though not where she grew up, and chose to remain there. However, during avalanche season she always returns to the mountains as a volunteer search and rescue team member. Her shell always tied around her neck and ready for when some, or signs of someone, are located. It saved her life, and with her alive and well it can- and has- save others.
