Heights (Story Included)

The ship had landed at the docks of Sharktooth Bay not terribly long ago. Bermuda trudged reluctantly off the ship and across the dock, bitter still about what he considered to be a rather rude wake up call from Cap'n Bark. Bermuda found himself rather displeased about the fact the Captain didn't even bother joining him and the rest of the rather poorly put together crew, but to say something would be hypocritical, given since the search for Marina began, Bermuda has been trying his hardest to do the absolute least possible. He couldn't blame the Captain for wanting to sit this one out. He wanted to, too.

Grumbling quiet distasteful comments to himself, Bermuda set foot upon the sands and glanced around. The others around him seemed to be...looking in rather pointless places. Obviously, Marina would not be hiding underneath the sand at the edge of the beach. If she chose somewhere so easy to spy, they wouldn't have been on this little rescue mission for as long as they had been. He sneered at his peers as they continued shuffling around on the beach's edge, while only a few of them seemed to have the brains to move inland like he planned to.

He turned his gaze back to the island itself. An idea soon dawned upon him. Higher ground would provide a more efficient means of search... You can see much more much easier when you are above just about everything. If Marina were here, surely he'd be able to spy her from a higher position. Sure, he thought, it would mean some exhaustive...hiking. But that would be alright, because in the long run it would mean he still would have done ultimately less work than the fellows around him flipping over every rock and stick they come across. And once he's done, simple as he got up there, he could go ahead and climb down and say he's done his part and simply found nothing. Or found something. There wasn't quite any telling, not yet anyway.

From there, with his mind made up, Bermuda set off. As Bermuda trotted along a well-trodden path carved by the local wildlife, pressing into the trees beyond the beach, his nose twitched, sniffing the air for any familiar scents. The forest he found himself in hummed with life, and the whispers of rustling leaves provided a symphony for Bermuda's "noble quest". He knew already that to find Marina this way would have him irritated the whole way, but he'd always prided himself on being a special brand of stubborn.

Guided by an innate sense of direction leading close to the higher elevation he sought, Bermuda veered off the familiar trail, venturing deeper into the wilderness. The ground beneath his paws grew rougher, and the foliage thicker, as if the forest itself conspired to test his determination. Undeterred, Bermuda pressed on, his gaze focused on the evergreen canopy above.

Before long, the forest gave way to towering cliffs that kissed the heavens. Bermuda's heart sank momentarily, knowing that he had to ascend these steep cliffs to gain a vantage point. He looked up, contemplating the daunting task ahead. A series of grumbles escaped his mouth, expressing his reluctance at having to strain his legs and risk his impeccable fur in the process. Definitely harder than he anticipated, from the looks of it. Something in his stomach shifted as he gazed up...but he elected to ignore it.

Nonetheless, the thought of achieving his self-assigned task spurred Bermuda onward. With each leap and scramble, he scaled the rocky terrain, using his nimble paws and agile body to conquer the vertical ascent. The cliff face seemed to challenge him, but Bermuda refused to surrender. By this point, he sought to prove it to himself rather than anyone else that he would be successful. At the very least, he could be proud of the fact that he'd contributed more today than earlier on in the search. Productive team member, or something like that.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Bermuda reached the pinnacle of the cliffs. From this elevated perch, the landscape unfurled before him in all its glory. The lush forest stretched as far as the eye could see, revealing hidden trails and untrodden paths. From his newfound vantage point, Bermuda cast his gaze across the vast expanse, but his spirit seemed to crumble in an instant. He stood at the precipice of the cliffs, his paws rooted to the ground, as a sudden fear gripped his heart—a fear of heights that had lain dormant until this moment.

Any semblance of confidence in his heart buckled in an instant, as he was overthrown by uncharacteristic trembling legs and a quivering tail. His soul was gripped by a sense of deep, intense unease, with each step forward looming as a potential plunge into the abyss below. A rush of thoughts flooded poor Bermuda's mind, conjuring images of perilous falls and dizzying drops. The cliffs, once a pathway to a sense of personal fulfillment, now morphed into a dreaded nightmare. He couldn't comprehend how he had resisted his fear on the way up, but the treacherous descent ahead overwhelmed him.

His ears flattened against his head, and his body recoiled, taking an instinctive step back from the edge. A chorus of anxious whimpers escaped from his lips, his voice betraying him in his growing panic. Bermuda's eyes remained fixated on the dizzying height before him as his heart pounded like a drum in his chest. Minutes ticked by as Bermuda wrestled with this newfound phobia. He needed to get down. He couldn't handle this much more. But down... It seemed so much more terrifying than up once had.

With trembling limbs, Bermuda gingerly inched back and navigated himself across the same steps he had taken earlier, retracing them as exact as he could muster, despite his heart roaring louder with each step. Each time his paw landed on solid ground, he felt a flicker of relief amidst the churning fear. He tried his best to focus in on each movement, deliberately placing one pay in front of the other, refusing to succumb to the anxiety that threatened to consume him.

As Bermuda slowly descended the cliffs, the world around him seemed to blur, his vision narrowing to a singular focus on the path ahead. He shut out the dizzying drop as best he could, hanging desperately to the dim light of strength within him. It was a slow and arduous descent, fraught with moments of panic and hesitation, but Bermuda tried his hardest to not allow his fear to dictate his actions.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Bermuda touched down on flat, safe ground, away from the heights that had wracked him with fear. Exhausted and rather emotionally drained, he collapsed onto the forest floor, his body trembling from the whole ordeal. Amidst the lingering fear, however, Bermuda felt a vague sense of accomplishment. At least he got down without dying!

Recovering his breath, Bermuda pitifully glanced back at the towering cliffs that had tested him. Cursing to himself, he dragged himself to his paws once more and began to head back to the ship. He needed a nap. He wasn't meant for this kind of work.

Submitted By volnoir for Search n' Rescue
Submitted: 1 year ago ・ Last Updated: 1 year ago