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- Story Listed as: Fiction For Teens
- Theme: Survival / Success
- Subject: Nature & Wildlife
- Published: 09/07/2023
The Arctic Fox and The Titanic
Born 2007, M, from Melbourne, AustraliaI had never taken a life before, but the time had come for me to learn. Slowly, I
padded through the fresh snow, feeling its soft touch on my paws as I listened to
the familiar melody of my surroundings. The whispers of the wind, carrying with
it many secrets, the gentle cascade of fresh snow…and there it was, the
unmistakable sound of a lemming, scuttling around in its subterranean
sanctuary beneath the white blanket before me. I had watched my older brother
demonstrate this a thousand times. He would always say “Watch this Astrid!” and
he would pounce four feet into the air and dive straight down, slicing through
the snow like a steak knife, then coming out with a lemming locked in his
powerful jaws. Malik was good at everything. I was not.
Cautiously, I approached the source of the sound, and I readied my strike. My
paws flexed and I waited with bated breath. Then I leapt up, shifting my body to
aim downwards, and I opened my mouth to claim my prize. My effort was in vain
and the lemming slipped between my grasp and left me with a mouthful of snow
instead.
My stomach panged from the hunger as I walked back home. My mother had
thoughtfully saved me something to eat- she must have known that I would fail. I
devoured it quickly and decided to go for a brief walk to clear my head. I wanted
to see Malik. Malik had left home a few years ago and now lived far away with his
wife and kits, but he had brought them down to visit us earlier this month and
was now staying nearby. To get there, I had to pass through the icy terrain
nearest to the sea. It was dangerous and my mother had forbidden me to ever
cross this way without her, for fear of me running into a polar bear. I had no way
to defend myself against these shaggy white beasts that had killed one of my
uncles.
I trekked along the icy terrain, avoiding areas where the ice was uneven and
prone to snapping off. I walked straight for about 10 minutes until a small noise
caught my attention. I turned my head to the left and saw it. About 10 metres
away, was a lemming, sitting there minding its own business, munching on some
delicacy. It had not yet noticed my presence, as my white coat blended in well
with the snowy surroundings. This was it, my time for redemption. I slinked
closer to the lemming, keeping my eyes locked on the little creature as I stalked
towards it. I licked my lips, as I anticipated the success of this hunt. I pounced on
the unsuspecting creature, and by the time it had seen me, it was already too
late. I ate it up, feeling incredibly happy about the first successful hunt of my life.
That was when I felt the crack. The ice split, 30 metres away. I sprinted in a
desperate attempt to get back to the forest, but I was too late. The ice had
already split off from the mainland and into the ocean. I was now on a
100-metre-long iceberg with no way of getting back to my family. I lay on my
stomach and cried.
I had been adrift for several hours before I realised that I was not alone. Bob had
found me while I was crying and sat by my side as I whined for my mother. As I
sat up, he instantly started talking to me. Bob was old, with a massive and
weathered body that shone like a wet rock in the setting sun. His tusks curved
gracefully and his leathery skin showed the marks of a long life lived in the frigid
ocean water surrounded by predators. My first question was if he could swim us
both back to the mainland so I could return to my family, but he had suffered an
injury in a nasty clash with a polar bear several years ago. The injury had never
healed, and had severely handicapped his aquatic abilities, meaning he couldn't
swim for more than a few metres without needing to stop and rest. This only
deepened my hopelessness.
After being adrift in the ocean for many hours, I knew I was starving. This is it, I
thought, there is no way for me to hunt and get any water from my food. I will
die. But Bob the walrus would not let me sit and starve. Despite his inability to
swim much, he managed to catch a few fish and saved two for me to eat. I moved
them gently with my nose. I had never eaten fish in my life and wasn’t sure if
they were tasty or not, but I was so hungry that I ate them up greedily. Bob
talked to me for a while, providing me with the only company that I would ever
get for as long as I was adrift. I cried into his leathery skin one night, and I said
“Why does God not love me? Surely he would save me if he did?”
“Astrid, no God shall come to save us”
“Then how will we survive?”
“By relying on each other, that is the only way. You have to learn to be
independent.”
“But I can’t even swim!”
“I will teach you, and I will teach you how to hunt in these waters. You will make
it, but if you want to survive, you must work for it”.
And so he took me under his fin and taught me how to swim, and how to hunt in
the waters. He taught me how to hold my breath for periods of time so I could
swim for longer. I hoped that one day I could swim all the way back home, but I
didn’t know where home was anymore.
After two years adrift, Bob and I had become an inseparable team, surviving the
unforgivable frozen sea together. He became my mentor, my friend, and my
protector. On one cold grey morning, I noticed a dark shadow approaching the
iceberg, and it made my fur stick on end. Bob, his aged eyes noticing the shadow
at the same time as me, bellowed a warning as he sensed the imminent danger.
“Astrid, stay close, and do not trust what you see,” he said as the ominous
shadow drew closer.
The shadow took the form of the killer whale, Oswald. His deceptive charm was
intoxicating, and I found myself drawn to him. A wicked grin broke out on his
sleek black-and-white face as he said, “Astrid, my dear, come take a swim with
me, for it is a beautiful day!” But Bob, conscious of his malicious intent, called to
me “Do not listen to him! He wishes only to devour you!” I hesitated, torn
between the seductive words of the orca and the trust I had in my mentor. I
clung to Bob’s side, trusting his wisdom.
Oswald's friendly facade crumbled, replaced by hunger. He lunged towards us,
his massive body slicing through the frigid waters. Bob, despite his injury and
frailty, positioned himself between me and the oncoming threat, ready to defend
me with the last of his strength. A fierce battle took place beneath the icy
surface. Bob and Oswald clashed, their massive forms creating violent turmoil in
the water. Bob fought valiantly, his tusks flashing in a desperate bid to protect
me. But the orca was relentless, his powerful jaws snapping perilously close to
Bob's vulnerable body. In the end, the harsh reality of the food chain prevailed,
and Oswald's cunning and size overcame Bob's determination. With a mournful
cry, I watched as Oswald overpowered my beloved mentor, ending his life in a
gruesome struggle. Tears welled up in my eyes as I witnessed the lifeless body of
the walrus who had saved me so many times be dragged away into the icy abyss
by the devil whale. I was now truly alone.
Life went on for another year. I lived alone on the iceberg. It was never the same
without Bob, I was so lonely. I pined for a friend. Occasionally, a bird would come
and perch itself on my iceberg, providing me with a short conversation before it
continued on its way. One night, as I lay admiring the Northern Lights during
another sleepless night, I saw a massive shadow approaching the iceberg. I
cowered in fear, assuming it was Oswald who had finally come to drag me to the
dark depths of the ocean just as he did to Bob, but no, it was a hulking ship that
was even bigger than my iceberg. Its sheer size made me feel like an ant. I
watched in awe as it chugged closer towards me, having never seen something
so breathtaking in my entire life. The awe soon turned into panic when it
collided with my iceberg, sending shockwaves across the ocean. As the
enormous ship began to tilt and groan, overwhelming sadness consumed me.
The humans on board were now facing such a disaster, and they were bound to
succumb to the same fate as Bob in the murky ocean depths. I watched in
despair as the lifeboats were lowered, and the cries of the passengers filled the
air. As I watched the ship slowly succumb to the depths of the ocean, a piece of
ice had broken off from my iceberg and hit me on the head. In a dazed trance, I
stumbled into the water.
I witnessed the ship's majestic bow dipping into the water. My body ached as I
could still hear the distant cries of the humans, those people whose lives I had
inadvertently touched with my iceberg. I felt cold now, and looked back up at my
iceberg as I sank deeper into the water. As the icy waters closed around me, the
ship and my iceberg, I felt Bob's weathered flippers wrap around me, and
Oswald's sleek back figure by my side. “Take me,” I thought, “Take me home”. And
I closed my eyes, as I followed my iceberg to its new home in the depths of the
North Atlantic Ocean
The Arctic Fox and The Titanic(DigitalDialga)
I had never taken a life before, but the time had come for me to learn. Slowly, I
padded through the fresh snow, feeling its soft touch on my paws as I listened to
the familiar melody of my surroundings. The whispers of the wind, carrying with
it many secrets, the gentle cascade of fresh snow…and there it was, the
unmistakable sound of a lemming, scuttling around in its subterranean
sanctuary beneath the white blanket before me. I had watched my older brother
demonstrate this a thousand times. He would always say “Watch this Astrid!” and
he would pounce four feet into the air and dive straight down, slicing through
the snow like a steak knife, then coming out with a lemming locked in his
powerful jaws. Malik was good at everything. I was not.
Cautiously, I approached the source of the sound, and I readied my strike. My
paws flexed and I waited with bated breath. Then I leapt up, shifting my body to
aim downwards, and I opened my mouth to claim my prize. My effort was in vain
and the lemming slipped between my grasp and left me with a mouthful of snow
instead.
My stomach panged from the hunger as I walked back home. My mother had
thoughtfully saved me something to eat- she must have known that I would fail. I
devoured it quickly and decided to go for a brief walk to clear my head. I wanted
to see Malik. Malik had left home a few years ago and now lived far away with his
wife and kits, but he had brought them down to visit us earlier this month and
was now staying nearby. To get there, I had to pass through the icy terrain
nearest to the sea. It was dangerous and my mother had forbidden me to ever
cross this way without her, for fear of me running into a polar bear. I had no way
to defend myself against these shaggy white beasts that had killed one of my
uncles.
I trekked along the icy terrain, avoiding areas where the ice was uneven and
prone to snapping off. I walked straight for about 10 minutes until a small noise
caught my attention. I turned my head to the left and saw it. About 10 metres
away, was a lemming, sitting there minding its own business, munching on some
delicacy. It had not yet noticed my presence, as my white coat blended in well
with the snowy surroundings. This was it, my time for redemption. I slinked
closer to the lemming, keeping my eyes locked on the little creature as I stalked
towards it. I licked my lips, as I anticipated the success of this hunt. I pounced on
the unsuspecting creature, and by the time it had seen me, it was already too
late. I ate it up, feeling incredibly happy about the first successful hunt of my life.
That was when I felt the crack. The ice split, 30 metres away. I sprinted in a
desperate attempt to get back to the forest, but I was too late. The ice had
already split off from the mainland and into the ocean. I was now on a
100-metre-long iceberg with no way of getting back to my family. I lay on my
stomach and cried.
I had been adrift for several hours before I realised that I was not alone. Bob had
found me while I was crying and sat by my side as I whined for my mother. As I
sat up, he instantly started talking to me. Bob was old, with a massive and
weathered body that shone like a wet rock in the setting sun. His tusks curved
gracefully and his leathery skin showed the marks of a long life lived in the frigid
ocean water surrounded by predators. My first question was if he could swim us
both back to the mainland so I could return to my family, but he had suffered an
injury in a nasty clash with a polar bear several years ago. The injury had never
healed, and had severely handicapped his aquatic abilities, meaning he couldn't
swim for more than a few metres without needing to stop and rest. This only
deepened my hopelessness.
After being adrift in the ocean for many hours, I knew I was starving. This is it, I
thought, there is no way for me to hunt and get any water from my food. I will
die. But Bob the walrus would not let me sit and starve. Despite his inability to
swim much, he managed to catch a few fish and saved two for me to eat. I moved
them gently with my nose. I had never eaten fish in my life and wasn’t sure if
they were tasty or not, but I was so hungry that I ate them up greedily. Bob
talked to me for a while, providing me with the only company that I would ever
get for as long as I was adrift. I cried into his leathery skin one night, and I said
“Why does God not love me? Surely he would save me if he did?”
“Astrid, no God shall come to save us”
“Then how will we survive?”
“By relying on each other, that is the only way. You have to learn to be
independent.”
“But I can’t even swim!”
“I will teach you, and I will teach you how to hunt in these waters. You will make
it, but if you want to survive, you must work for it”.
And so he took me under his fin and taught me how to swim, and how to hunt in
the waters. He taught me how to hold my breath for periods of time so I could
swim for longer. I hoped that one day I could swim all the way back home, but I
didn’t know where home was anymore.
After two years adrift, Bob and I had become an inseparable team, surviving the
unforgivable frozen sea together. He became my mentor, my friend, and my
protector. On one cold grey morning, I noticed a dark shadow approaching the
iceberg, and it made my fur stick on end. Bob, his aged eyes noticing the shadow
at the same time as me, bellowed a warning as he sensed the imminent danger.
“Astrid, stay close, and do not trust what you see,” he said as the ominous
shadow drew closer.
The shadow took the form of the killer whale, Oswald. His deceptive charm was
intoxicating, and I found myself drawn to him. A wicked grin broke out on his
sleek black-and-white face as he said, “Astrid, my dear, come take a swim with
me, for it is a beautiful day!” But Bob, conscious of his malicious intent, called to
me “Do not listen to him! He wishes only to devour you!” I hesitated, torn
between the seductive words of the orca and the trust I had in my mentor. I
clung to Bob’s side, trusting his wisdom.
Oswald's friendly facade crumbled, replaced by hunger. He lunged towards us,
his massive body slicing through the frigid waters. Bob, despite his injury and
frailty, positioned himself between me and the oncoming threat, ready to defend
me with the last of his strength. A fierce battle took place beneath the icy
surface. Bob and Oswald clashed, their massive forms creating violent turmoil in
the water. Bob fought valiantly, his tusks flashing in a desperate bid to protect
me. But the orca was relentless, his powerful jaws snapping perilously close to
Bob's vulnerable body. In the end, the harsh reality of the food chain prevailed,
and Oswald's cunning and size overcame Bob's determination. With a mournful
cry, I watched as Oswald overpowered my beloved mentor, ending his life in a
gruesome struggle. Tears welled up in my eyes as I witnessed the lifeless body of
the walrus who had saved me so many times be dragged away into the icy abyss
by the devil whale. I was now truly alone.
Life went on for another year. I lived alone on the iceberg. It was never the same
without Bob, I was so lonely. I pined for a friend. Occasionally, a bird would come
and perch itself on my iceberg, providing me with a short conversation before it
continued on its way. One night, as I lay admiring the Northern Lights during
another sleepless night, I saw a massive shadow approaching the iceberg. I
cowered in fear, assuming it was Oswald who had finally come to drag me to the
dark depths of the ocean just as he did to Bob, but no, it was a hulking ship that
was even bigger than my iceberg. Its sheer size made me feel like an ant. I
watched in awe as it chugged closer towards me, having never seen something
so breathtaking in my entire life. The awe soon turned into panic when it
collided with my iceberg, sending shockwaves across the ocean. As the
enormous ship began to tilt and groan, overwhelming sadness consumed me.
The humans on board were now facing such a disaster, and they were bound to
succumb to the same fate as Bob in the murky ocean depths. I watched in
despair as the lifeboats were lowered, and the cries of the passengers filled the
air. As I watched the ship slowly succumb to the depths of the ocean, a piece of
ice had broken off from my iceberg and hit me on the head. In a dazed trance, I
stumbled into the water.
I witnessed the ship's majestic bow dipping into the water. My body ached as I
could still hear the distant cries of the humans, those people whose lives I had
inadvertently touched with my iceberg. I felt cold now, and looked back up at my
iceberg as I sank deeper into the water. As the icy waters closed around me, the
ship and my iceberg, I felt Bob's weathered flippers wrap around me, and
Oswald's sleek back figure by my side. “Take me,” I thought, “Take me home”. And
I closed my eyes, as I followed my iceberg to its new home in the depths of the
North Atlantic Ocean
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