Rio felt hollow, his life stripped of meaning. He believed he had failed his only duty. Arnoll was gone, yet Rio couldn’t bring himself to accept it. Rio was hopeless. Stranded in the ocean with no food, no water, no shelter, and no friend, he felt utterly lost. He laid down to sleep, hoping it was all just a nightmare, wishing he would wake up back in the cabin on the Maritania.

Rio didn’t know how long he slept, but when he woke, he found himself surrounded by ice and snow. The air was frigid, biting through his clothes. He zipped up his jacket, took Arnoll’s cat, Timmy, into his arms, and started walking. After a few aimless minutes, Rio realized he had shored up on a massive, deserted iceberg in the middle of the ocean.

With nothing in sight but endless snow, Rio felt a growing sense of dread. Cold and hungry, and with darkness closing in, he dragged the float up a small mound. He spread his jacket down, flipped the float upside down, and crawled underneath it with Timmy to spend the night. As sleep overtook him, Rio chanted to himself, “It’s only a matter of time before someone finds me.”

Rio could barely sleep, he was too cold, too hungry, and too lonely. All he could think of was Arnoll and how he had lost him. Timmy was the only trace of Arnoll he had and swore he would protect Timmy no matter what.

He peeked out from his spot in the morning. Hunger gnawed at his stomach, urging him to search for anything edible. Rio wandered aimlessly, circling back to where he had started. He approached the edge of the iceberg where he had come ashore, scanning the horizon for any signs of rescue teams or other survivors. There was nothing.

“Help!” Rio screamed at the top of his lungs, hoping his voice would carry on the wind and reach someone—anyone—who could save him. “Help!” he shouted again, desperation creeping into his tone. But the only response was the howling wind. Rio refused to give up. He kept screaming, louder and louder, even as his throat burned and his voice cracked. He didn’t stop, not even when exhaustion tugged at him. After more than an hour of shouting, Rio spotted something in the distance—a small ship on the horizon, heading his way.

A surge of hope flooded him. Energy reignited, Rio began jumping up and down, waving his arms frantically and yelling as loud as he could to get their attention.

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

But instead of attracting the ship, his cries summoned something else.

From a hidden cave in the ice, a large, furry shape emerged. Rio froze as he saw it—a polar bear, and it looked furious.

Fear coursed through him. He had never seen a polar bear before, not even in the zoo. The creature let out a deep, menacing growl.

Heart pounding, Rio turned and ran as fast as he could, his instincts screaming at him to escape. He had heard how dangerous polar bears could be, and now he was living that terrifying reality. The bear roared and chased after him, its massive paws thundering against the ice.

Rio ran as fast as he could toward the shore. His chest burned, and his legs felt weak, but he couldn’t stop. The growls of the polar bear behind him pushed him forward. When he reached the edge of the ice, he froze, gasping for breath.

He looked at the freezing water in front of him. Maybe he could swim away and escape the bear. It was a risky idea, but he had no other choice. Just as he was about to jump in, a huge shape burst out of the water.

Rio’s heart stopped. A walrus climbed onto the ice, its long, sharp tusks gleaming. It was massive, bigger than Rio had ever imagined. It let out a loud bellow and stared at him.

Panicking, Rio backed away, but the walrus snorted and moved closer. It was blocking his escape. Rio slipped and nearly fell, but as the walrus lunged, he dodged to the side just in time. He ran behind a mound of snow and crouched down, hiding.

Then he heard the polar bear’s growl again. Peeking out, Rio saw the two animals facing each other. The bear bared its sharp teeth, and the walrus reared up, swinging its tusks.

The fight started. The bear lunged, clawing at the walrus, while the walrus struck back with its tusks. The sounds of growling and roaring filled the air. Blood sprayed onto the ice as they fought fiercely. Rio stayed hidden, terrified and unable to look away.

After what felt like forever, the walrus gave one last bellow and fell onto the ice. It didn’t move again. The polar bear, bleeding and limping, stood over the walrus.

The bear growled softly and turned away. It was badly hurt, with deep cuts all over its body. Slowly, it walked off into the distance, disappearing into the icy wilderness.

Rio didn’t move. He stayed hidden, his heart pounding in his chest. When he was sure the bear was gone, he slowly came out of his hiding spot.

The ice was covered in blood, and the walrus lay lifeless near the shore. Rio shivered, not just from the cold but from fear. He had survived, but he knew this icy world was still full of dangers.

Rio just stood there deep in thought, if he really had stranded on a glacier, there would be no animals in it, other than a few birds. Over here, there were polar bears and walruses and who knows what else. That means Rio had floated all the way to the Artic. No one would find him hear in this wasteland. Rio lost the only shred of hope in survival.