WOMAN AND DOG 20250215181023RT1PUB

The cold wind cut through her skin as she advanced along the rocky path. Cesca had set out at dawn with the intention of disconnecting from the world, of losing herself among the peaks and the silent valleys. But now, in the majestic solitude of the mountain, she realized she was not alone.

A soft howl, almost a whimper, reached her from behind a bush. Cesca stopped and turned her head. Among the slender branches, a pair of bright eyes watched her warily. It was a dog, a thin and dirty animal, its fur blackened by grime and its bones visible beneath the skin.

"Hey, little one... What are you doing here all alone?" she murmured softly, so as not to scare it.

The dog curled up, hesitant. It was cold, and she noticed how her breath turned into small white clouds before her. She took a careful step forward. The animal did not move.

Cesca crouched and extended her hand, letting time do its work. After a few moments, the dog sniffed her trembling fingers and, with infinite hesitation, took a step toward her.

"That's it... You have no one to return to, do you?"

Cesca's heart tightened. Maybe that dog wasn’t so different from her. Maybe both of them had ended up in that mountain to escape something, to find some kind of answer that the world refused to give them.

She took a piece of bread from her backpack, and the dog devoured it hungrily. When Cesca stood up to continue walking, the animal followed her. No words were needed, nothing more than that silent companionship. Because, in that cold, in that vast expanse of rock and path, they were no longer alone.

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