Cold
Repede was cold.
It wasn't like Yuri hadn't been expecting this. Repede had turned eleven not too long ago and that was already way older than a dog's average lifespan, so Yuri had known this would be coming and coming soon. But that knowledge gave him no comfort now, not when Repede was unmoving and stiff beneath his hands and wouldn't wake up from his sleep no matter how roughly Yuri shook or how loudly he yelled. Yes, Yuri had known it would happen, but spirits, how he had wished it wouldn't.
Because Repede had been his best friend when he'd been lonely and still kind of was even now that Yuri was surrounded by people who loved him like family.
Because confiding in Repede when he'd trusted no one else with his thoughts and emotions had been the only thing keeping Yuri sane during that time after the knights and before the journey.
Because Repede had stayed with him through everything and had always been there to talk to and had somehow seemed to even understand Yuri's feelings despite being a dog, and Yuri had wanted to hold onto that forever.
"…Dammit Repede," Yuri whispered, voice pained and shaky and weak to his own ears as he finally stopped jostling the dog. His hands trembled slightly when he picked Repede up, shifted him into his arms and held him to his chest, and something inside Yuri shattered.
Yuri buried his face in the blue coat like he'd done so often before, like he'd done whenever he'd needed to lay bare his soul and had nobody else to turn to, like he'd done all those times when nothing could make him feel better than the feeling of soft fur and wet tongue and squirming, barking, lively warmth.
Repede was so cold.