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The sound of waves crashing against the shore was loud and echoed across the area, rocks became submerged and any animals that stayed within the vicinity were either drowned or killed by a hit to the head or side with a sharp rock. The island looked nearly abandoned with planks of wood lying around, items strewn across the beach floor and even some belongings that were washed up from a shipwreck. The water crashed against the sand once more, wiping clean away the two pairs of footsteps that were embedded within it.

Merlin looked to and fro, kicking up sand with his sandals and letting his eyes wander for anything that could be of good use. The young boy had planks of wood tied together underneath his left arm and didn't see the need to get more at the moment as he bit his lower lip in thought. A low growl was what had him pause, turning to look towards the small cub that sat on its haunches, right next to a large brown bag that looked as if it held promising items.

"Arthur!"

The boy cried out, dropping the planks of wood and quickly walking over, the small cub simply looked up at him, head tilted and dark eyes glinting with the promise of something good as its master managed to untie the straps on the bag and flip the hood upwards. Cans of food and water bottles lay everywhere inside it and as Merlin carefully rummaged through more pockets, he found a first aid kit and a large book that dealt with magical creatures. Lips pulling upwards slightly, the boy quickly picked up the small animal and squealed happily, forgetting about the sand that was getting in his sandals as he bounced up and down.

"Oh, Arthur! I knew you would be a good pet! Mother didn't know what she was talking about when she kicked you out!"

The small and brown bear cub stared at its master with curious eyes. Often times, it would go to staring at the brown bag before Merlin set him down and started to giggle in supposed Happiness. It had been a while since he found food washed up on here and although having Arthur scavenge and kill rabbits, Merlin didn't want the bear to suddenly get killed out in the island. After all, he still didn't know what was beyond his small cottage on the rocks. Turning his attention back to the task at hand, Merlin attempted to lift the bag up only for gravity to weigh it down with a soft thud that had sand flying in dust piles. Coughing and choking, Merlin let go of the strap and watched his pet sit there, still staring at him as if he was some intruder.

"Arthur, go get the wood, please?"

As the bear scrambled to his feet and quickly waddled off towards the planks of wood that were tied together, Merlin gripped the strap of the brown bag with both hands and began to drag it across the beach. He could hear the pants of the baby bear behind him and with a single flick of his fingers, Arthur quickly made his presence known by jogging up to his master, string in teeth as he pulled the wood along. The rocky terrain was visible as Merlin shifted to catch his breath but in a moment of pure excitement that he was getting food and clean water, Arthur began to waddle faster towards the rocks, the planks of wood clanking together behind him as he did so. Merlin giggled once more before following suit, sighing in relief once he noticed stepped foot on solid ground.

Looking up, the boy noticed Arthur jumping around impatiently near the door of the cottage, growling and scraping his claws against the rock in order to somehow intimidate him into walking faster. Rolling his eyes, the boy stepped forward, dropping his hands to rest on Arthur's furry head as he rubbed it affectionately.

The bear jumped up on its hind legs, administering multiple licks of gratitude and love towards his master. Merlin squeaked, falling backwards as he let Arthur lick his face heavily, now leaning his entire body weight on the Boy.

"Ok, ok! I love you too, even if you're such a pig when eating."

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The smell of freshly cooked beans and rice wafted through the room as claws hitting against wood were heard. Arthur raced inside, fur fluffed up still from a shower as he stopped directly near Merlin who snorted underneath his breath once more, dumping the contents of the food he had mixed with rabbit meat in a dish and watching the bear gobble up the food as if it was starving. Merlin took his own generous helping before placing the lid back on the pot and grabbing a wooden spoon.

The weather outside hadn't been that bad but Merlin wasn't taking any chances as he ate his food silently, mind buzzing with a multitude of thoughts that he couldn't quite understand, not yet anyways. A soft sigh left his lips causing Arthur to look up from his eating, beans and rice smeared across his muzzle as he made a confused squeak, pawing at Merlin's leg. Looking down, the boy gave a half hearted smile hoping that his pet would dismiss it as nothing and continue eating. It took a few minutes but once Arthur was sure that Merlin was fine, he removed his paw and began eating once more.

Staring down at his empty plate, the boy slowly stood up, sighing in relief once he noticed that Arthur had passed out on the floor, snoring in his sleep. Rolling his eyes just a bit, Merlin quickly exited the cottage, arms wrapping around himself as he closed the door and the cold wind bit into his limbs. He scanned the area wistfully, remembering a time where everything was nearly peaceful, where he didn't have to live alone on a island that possibly held murderous creatures. It wasn't until his eyes landed on something brown and white against the rock steps that the boy scrambled over, peering across the ledge at the item before deciding that he would have to go down for a better look.

Slowly walking down the second ledge of steps that led to the back of the cottage and island, Merlin bit his lip as he found himself standing on the last step that separated him from rocks that were covered in water. Although there weren't any waves, standing so close to the ocean still frightened the young boy. Images of twisted bodies, blood becoming a puddle across the steps, and those unblinking eyes staring into his own were enough nightmares to deal with but still, his curiosity wouldn't let him leave whatever was out there so, closing his eyes, Merlin ran across the rocks, slipping to his knees once he hit the object he was searching for. Eyes slowly cracking open, he was met with a nearly frozen animal that was clutching a letter which was possibly delivered to him if he had any guesses.

Slowly tearing the letter away, Merlin furrowed his eyebrows while picking up the unconscious animal. His eyes read over the letter numerous times before he gave another sigh of supposed resentment.

"I guess I'm going to Hogwarts... I wonder if they accept bears..."