Nanook

by Yutong Guo

My legs are sore, eyes hurt, belly rumbles. My arms are crossed under my head as I try to position the rest of my body on this board. I raise my head and look up at the blazing light.
Mama­- I wish Mama was still here.
I look into that familiar shine again, and my memories carry away.
That day, I was walking behind Mama after our fishing trip. I always loved fishing trips with Mama. Everytime, I loved trying to match my small dainty paws to her large printed paws in the snow or seeing Mama duck her head under the water and pulling out three fishes. These fishing trips reminded how precious Mama was to me. Natasha hated it though. She always said she didn’t like to get her fur wet in the ice cold water. Truth is, Natasha was always the one cuddled up under Mamas thick, warm fur. I was so focused in my thought, that I didn’t even realize Mama had stopped her tracks. I slowly marched beside her to see what was going on. It was a large seam of water that had only stopped Mama. I looked up into Mamas eyes, but all I see was confusion. Home was still 8 miles away. I can see her eyes lit up when she saw a possible piece of land to jump on. Her paws carefully leaped onto a big piece of ice, but I was scared. Mama showed my warm eyes, and my leged unjonted to jump. My heart stopped skipping until I felt Mama’s thick fur in my face. We continued to jump unto smaller and smaller pieces, until we reached a piece that didn’t look like the rest. It was a lot denser, a lot bluer.
“We’re going to crawl.” I didn’t want to crawl though.
“But Mama, it’s so far away- “ Mama started to bend her knees and slowly lowered her body. Her white previous fur spread apart as her belly touches the dense ice. Mamas power was lowered to her back legs, as she pushes and rolls down the ice. My legs stayed jointed though. I can Mama crawling farther and farther away. Uh-Oh. I needed to catch up with Mama.
My legs carefully laid on top of the ice, and I put all my force behind me. All I can see was Mama’s figure disappearing in the white vast snow. I needed to catch up with Mama. My feet was sturdy on the ice and I rested all my power on my legs. I was ready to push. Until I heard a deep crack under my feet. I knew I needed to run. My belly raised up as I feel ardeline raise to my head. I was getting dizzy. The ice was no longer dense and shallow, there was no more ice.
I felt ice cold water surge to my paws and my fur was no longer freely flying within the air. It felt as if I’ve gained double my size. My vision blurred with tear, but my heart finally started skipping as I spotted her familiar form bobbing in the water. As I reached Mama's side in the icy waters, I clung to her fur, but as my feet grappled firmly on the ice, hers had not. I started feeling her strength fading beneath my trembling paws. Panic seized me as I watched her struggle against the powerful current, her once-powerful strokes grew weaker with each passing moment. Tears fixed with the freezing water as I held onto desperately, refusing to let go.
“Mama!” I screamed.