The creature Sofia had found was indeed a dog. It looked like a dog, anyway. But not like any other dog she had ever seen.

This animal was enormous—wolf-like, but stockier—and its fur looked as if it had been painted purple with yellow markings.

There was a wound on its hind leg and back that looked old and infected. Its mouth grimaced in pain, and its eyes winced with the light from Sofia’s phone.

Unsure of what to do, and afraid of both the creature and whatever may still be around that had hurt it, Sofia began to back away. What were her options? She had nothing to treat the wounds of this animal, and wasn’t sure that she should. It was too big to move, but she didn’t want to leave it alone in its condition. She looked over the horizon at the setting sun and noticed the rising tide. 

Maybe I should call animal control? But would they even know what this creature was?

Sofia suddenly became aware that the creature was looking directly at her, almost as if it was asking for help. 

“All right,” she said out loud,” I-I’m going to see what I can do.” Maybe there’s something back in my car that I could use? “I’ll be right back, ok?”

Sofia climbed back up the trail to her car where she remembered she had a small first aid kit. Gratefully, she also realized she had not unloaded the case of water she bought for the trip. She grabbed the first aid kit and a couple of water bottles and rushed back to the beach.

It was completely dark now, except for the faint light of the moon. When she reached the animal, she realized that the strange dog had pulled itself from the remaining sea matter. Its breathing was labored and it seemed as if it had used all its energy to get away from the surf. With her phone held high for light, Sofia gingerly approached the animal and called out to it so as not to startle it.

“I-I’m back,” she stammered. “I’m going to try and patch you up, ok?”

Sofia began rubbing an alcohol wipe on the creature’s hindquarters, and it twisted around to snarl in pain. She jumped back in fear, uncertain of what to do next. The creature looked from her to its wound and back at her again. It seemed to realize what she was doing, and eventually laid its large head back on the sand as if to say, Go on.

Although it winced from time to time, the creature did not snarl at her again. Because her kit was small, Sofia had to improvise by wrapping gauze with seaweed to cover the wounds. She eventually went to clean the creature’s face, also stained with old blood. It growled softly, but made no attempt to stop Sofia as she gently wiped its mouth.

“There,” she said, “you’re looking a little better now. Are you thirsty? You must be parched, who knows how long you were under all that debris.” She overturned her hat and poured a bottle of water in it. “Sorry, I don’t have anything else.”

The dog seemed to have a quizzical, almost human expression Sofia noticed, as she poured the water but gratefully lapped up the life-giving liquid. Sofia had a thought to try petting the massive head, but when she made to move her hand the animal snarled.

“Ok, ok. Boundaries, understood.”

The animal turned its gaze from her to the bottles she had tossed behind her. She followed its gaze, and felt as if the creature was… judging her.

“I-I was going to pick them up,” she said as she grabbed the bottles.

They stayed there on the sand looking at each other for several minutes before Sofia said, “So… it’s getting late. I need to head to the hotel. We should probably take you to see someone tomorrow so they can properly patch you up. But I don’t think I can get you up those stairs…” 

And I’m not sure how anyone else would react if they found you… she thought to herself.

Concerned with the continually rising water, Sofia looked around to find a shelter for the strange dog, but found a shallow cave at the foot of the cliff. 

“Erm…do you think you can make it up there?”

The animal didn’t seem willing to move again. 

“Ok, what if we hide you again with that kelp and driftwood?”

Again, a very human expression of confusion seemed to appear on the animal’s face. 

“Trust me, it’s probably better if no one else finds you. I’m going to just…” Sofia started grabbing nearby driftwood to create a sort of circle around the creature. She then wove seaweed through the wood to create a sort of tent that, she hoped, didn’t seem too manmade. 

When she was finished, Sofia admired her handiwork. “That should do it. Hopefully the water won’t come in much further…”

The creature was not so sure, and tried to get out. 

“No, no! Please!” she motioned it to stop. “This is to keep you safe. I’ll be back first thing in the morning, all right? Try to sleep and we’ll figure out what to do tomorrow.”

The dog settled down and rested its head on its paws. 

“Ok,” said Sofia. “I-I’m heading back to the hotel. I’ll see you in the morning, all right?”

Heading quickly down the beach and up the trail, Sofia’s mind was whirling. Once at the hotel, she fell into a fitful sleep and was visited once again in her dreams by the boy on the beach. 

“At the gate between earth and sea,” he said, “you’ll always be able to find me.”

Early the next morning, Sofia bought more first aid supplies and groceries and headed back down the beach. Even with it being off season, she did not want to take the chance of other people stumbling across her discovery. With the early morning light, she could now see the green blue water, the colorful vegetation, and the stunning white cliffs that stood proudly in the distance.  

Upon reaching the makeshift shelter, Sofia called out gently to the creature. When she circled to the front of the structure, however, the dog wasn’t there. 

Where did it go?

She looked around, worried that maybe someone else had found it and taken it away. She started to head back up the beach when she heard a loud bark behind her. The dog was a little further up the shoreline, sitting inside one of the shallow caves that dotted the foot of the rock face. It seemed glad to see her, and in better condition than the night before.

Shouldering her backpack, Sofia walked towards it. “How did you get over here?” 

The purple and yellow fur that had been so noticeable by her flashlight now shone brilliantly in the early morning sun. The colors, although odd, did not seem to be the result of dyeing but were the animal’s natural pigmentation. Where could this animal have come from?

The dog waited for her to reach the cave before it stretched itself out, as if in preparation for its wounds to be cleansed. 

“Wow, you know what I need to do, huh? All right, let’s get started.” Sofia gave the dog some dog food she had purchased from the grocery store to munch on while she placed true bandages on its hindquarters. The animal still winced while she worked, but did not growl. 

It’s amazing how quickly I’ve earned its trust, she thought to herself. It’s like it knows I am helping.

She started to think out loud while she worked. “I’m doing the best I can, but we really should get professional help to look at your wounds. What even happened to you? It looks like you were in a serious fight…”

“Where did you come from?” she continued. “I’ve never seen anything like you. I mean, who’s ever heard of a purple dog? And it seems you must have had some sort of contact with humans before because you became comfortable with me so quickly… I wonder what I should call you.”

“Harton,” said a voice. 

Startled, Sofia looked around but didn’t see anyone. 

“My name,” repeated the dog, “is Harton.”