The water feels calm today.

Too calm, maybe, but that is why you came. Away from the village, away from the Dogfolk, away from everything that makes the land feel smaller than it used to be.

The sea is the only place that still feels open.

You move further in, letting the water rise around you. It is cold at first, then familiar. The sounds of the shore fade behind you, replaced by the quiet rhythm of the waves.

For a moment, there is nothing else.

Then something grabs you.

Small. Sudden. Clinging tightly to your side.

Your body reacts before your mind does. You try to pull away, but whatever it is does not let go. It holds on with surprising strength.

You look down.

And freeze.

It is not something you recognize at first. Not fully human. Not fully anything you have seen before.

A small face looks up at you. Wide eyes. Curious.

It does not seem afraid.

It simply holds on.

"Stay."