furaffinity.net/user/colbycat
Description
Suggested blacklist tags: peril, drowning, death
From source:
Snagged (+ Story) - by ColbyCat ( https://www.furaffinity.net/user/colbycat )
Below is a story to accompany this artwork.
Length: 1.6K Words
CONTENT WARNING: This story contains: [Peril, Drowning, Death]
Hope you enjoy :]
Story
It was a hot afternoon, and Colby was on his way back home from summer school.
The bus dropped him off about a mile from where he lived. It was the last stop on his route, and the closest it could take him; the remainder of his trip had to be done on foot. It was a familiar journey, one that he had taken hundreds of times. He usually was okay with the walk. It gave him time to think, a reprieve between the dullness of class and the exhaustion of completing chores at home. He could clear his head a little before he had to deal with his berating parents...
But today, all he could think about was scorching heat.
"Ugh."
The sun beat down on Colby harshly, baking his dark fur in waves of sweltering, humid air. His paws stung on the asphalt with each step, and there was hardly any shade for him to hide under. He felt his stiff school uniform stick to his shoulders with each uncomfortable stride, and his backpack weighed him down all the more. Groaning again, Colby looked up; there wasn't a cloud in the sky.
"And to think I could've been at the beach today..."
It was a perfect day for a swim, and Colby had to spend it miserably making his way home to do chores. He knew he would'nt get a break from the heat either, his dad was expecting the lawn to be fully mowed by the time he got back from work. The cat sighed tiredly. He would do anything to cool off at this point.
And that's when Colby got the idea.
His daily walk home took him though the old navy yard at the edge of town. It was a quiet area by the shore, and hardly anyone passed by it these days. Colby knew the spot well; there was a long, industrial loading dock that spanned out above the rocks and over the sea below. The water was usually pretty calm, and there didn't appear to be too much pollution floating around. No. It wasn't the cleanest, but it looked good enough to swim in.
And that's exactly what Colby had in mind.
He got to the spot. Much to his delight, there was no one in the general vicinity. With a shrug, he dropped his backpack down and began to undress himself.
"Well... It ain't the beach..."
He tossed his shirt down and began to unbuckle his pants. Colby intended to be quick. Not only was he on private property, but he had stuff to do later. Besides, a quick dip is all he needed to refresh himself.
"...But it'll do."
Now in his drawstring boxers, Colby made his way out onto the dock. The sea breeze felt good on his bare fur, and the water looked ever so inviting. He walked all the way down to the end of the platform, pausing at the edge and glancing down.
The ocean was a dim green color. It was murky, and he wasn't able to see to the bottom. Colby looked back. He was definitely far out enough to avoid hitting the rocks, and from what he could see, the water was deep enough to jump into.
After hesitating for a few moments in the relentless heat. Colby took a step back and leapt over the edge.
*Splash
The cold relief of the sea washed over him immediately.
"Ahhh... I definitely needed this!"
Colby disappeared below the surface, going in feet first. He opened his eyes, taking a moment to relax his body. The temperature got cooler the lower he got, so he allowed himself to sink all the way down to the sea floor. It didn't take long, as the water was only four meters deep. His paws soon rested upon the soft bed of seagrass below. It was quiet. Serene. The stresses of the day seemed to melt away all at once. Colby was at peace down here, now completely protected from the harsh rays of the sun above. The light glistened and danced around him. The current pushed and pulled him with a hypnotic rhythm.
Colby would spend the whole day here if he could, but as tranquil as it was, he knew he had to leave. With a soft kick, Colby pushed himself off the sea floor and made his way to the surface.
"Man, I should come here more often-"
*YANK
Colby's ascent stopped suddenly, and his thoughts were cut short by a sharp pain at his ankle. He looked down, struggling to see what had caused it.
"Mmmph?"
Colby repeatedly tugged at his leg, unable to pull it more than a meter from the ground below. After several unsuccessful attempts, he bent back down to get a closer look. As he lifted his right foot up into view, his heart sank.
Colby's leg was caught in a thick strand of fishing line.
"Mmmmph!"
The wire dug deep into his skin; His upward push off the seabed had pulled the wire taught, tightening several loops around his lower calf. Colby tried loosening the strand by wedging his claws between it and his leg, but the efforts were in vain. The fishing line was too far deep below his fur, and with each movement he made, the loops wrapped tighter and tighter.
"Oh no..."
Colby told himself not to panic. Instead of pulling his leg, he further examined the fishing wire. The tangle at his ankle was attached to the ocean floor at two points. He followed either end of the wire down to the ground, hoping to dislodge whatever it was attached to. To his horror, he discovered that the fishing line ran deep below the sea grass, knotted strands running every which way. It'd be impossible to pull it out.
Colby instinctively put his hand to his mouth. He was going to run out of air.
"Oh nonononono..."
Trying his best to maintain his composure, he focused back on the entanglement around his leg. All he had to do was unwrap his foot around the wire, going in direction opposite of how it got tangled; except he didn't know which direction that was. The wire was looped around his leg nearly half-a-dozen times.
"Blub."
Colby began twirling his foot around the taught end of the line. If he could get himself wrapped up this easily on accident, surely he could unwrap himself just as fast, right? He felt a stinging pain at his ankle as his foot got caught, unable to twirl any further.
"Blubblub."
Colby's chest was beginning to burn. Frantically, he whipped his foot back around, twirling it the other way. The task was becoming more and more difficult as the sharp wire began to grind deeper into his skin. He could feel his chest pounding, his head spinning. He pressed his paw harder against his mouth, covering his nose: holding his breath was becoming increasingly more challenging. Colby continued to spin his foot in what he hoped was the correct direction this time, but after several twists and kicks, it got stuck again.
"MMPH!"
Colby began to panic, spinning his foot back in the way he had tried before.
"This can't be happening..."
His chest began to convulse and bubbles began trickling out of his nose. He hadn't taken that big of a breath before he jumped in, and his entire body was aching painfully.
"Bubblub!"
Colby shuttered uncontrollably as he pressed on with the kicking. He frantically attempted to give the fishing line some slack, but his body was naturally bouyont, pulling the wire upwards and keeping it taught. The gradual passing of the tides also rocked him back and forth, pulling and tugging the knot tighter and tighter.
"MMMPHHH!"
His chest convulsed again, this time much harder than before. Colby blew out more bubbles, clawing at his muzzle in a hopeless attempt at keeping air in.
"...Nonono please!"
He jerked his leg around, more frightfully than ever.
"PLEASE. Not like this."
His vision was blurred. In his struggles he had kicked up a cloud of sand and dirt. He looked every which way, frantically searching for something to aid him. It was getting dark. More bubbles were streaming out. Colby screamed internally, looking down to see that his efforts had only caused him to become even more entangled. He was doomed.
"NO!"
Colby's chest convulsed a third time. In a last ditch effort, he blisteringly kicked off the ocean floor and launched himself upwards.
*SNAG
"BLUBUBUBUBUBB!"
Colby's body exploded with pain, and large bursts of bubbles erupted from his open mouth. The wire had sliced itself deep within his leg, sending waves of excruciating pain throughout. He fumbled his hands, covering his muzzle with one and reaching out with the other.
"I DON'T WANT TO DIE."
Colby's head was just short of breaking the surface. He could only raise the fingertips of his outstretched paw above the water. He splashed and thrashed back and forth in a final attempt to catch the attention of anyone up above. Deep down though, he knew it was hopeless.
"NONONONO!"
Colby remained suspended for several moments, desperately containing the last bit of air he had left. His chest convulsed rapidly, contorting his torso violently. A steady stream of bubbles escaped from his dying grasp. He became cold, and his strength left him.
"I DON'T WANT TO-"
"GLLUUUG GLUUUUGH GLLUUUG GLUUURK."
His arm fell to his side. The remaining air quickly left him, and he began to ingest water.
"GLLK!"
Colby tensed up as his body naturally fought against the inundation of the cold, salty sea. It was a short lived battle, however. His flickering vision remained fixed on the air just within reach. He was completely unable to move. Everything became dark.
Colby's last thoughts were frantic and incomprehensible, images of pain and regret flashing in and out. If only he was a little more careful. If only he hadn't swam where he wasn't supposed to. If only...
With time, these thoughts soon slowed, and as the sun above him faded into nothingness, they came to cease all together. With one last shake, Colby became still.
Hope you enjoyed. This was definitely the biggest thing I've written and holy shit I'm exhausted.
Feedback is appreciated!
boolde
MemberAww, poor little fella's been through so much ): (ps story is amazing :D )
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