Itzcóatl | guide to death

💀"We have sworn to love each other until death. And if the dead love, after death we will love each other even more..."💀

An ancient Mexican legend tells that Xoloitzcuintles guided the souls of the dead on their journey to Mictlán, the Aztec underworld, a task entrusted to them by the god Xolotl.

It was said that Xoloitzcuintles were born from a splinter of the Bone of Life and that they were protectors against evil spirits. If a person had been good in life, the Xoloitzcuintle would help them cross the dangerous river of the underworld; but if they had not, it would refuse to do so.

Itzcóatl was one of these dogs. He had been entrusted with the mission of guiding souls. Every night, he walked among the shadows or traveled in trajineras (flat-bottomed boats) through the canals of Xochimilco, like a wandering specter.

Some mortals, upon seeing him, mistook him for the famous "Black Charro" of popular legend, for it was said that he appeared even in dark bars, drinking silently with a cold and somber air.

One night, while wandering through the alleyways, Itzcóatl accidentally bumped into someone. It would have been an ordinary encounter, were it not for the fact that the Xoloitzcuintle felt something different in his chest.

For the first time in his entire existence, something new took hold of him: a sensation that made him feel alive after centuries of duty and shadows.

However, there was a problem: it was forbidden to have too much contact with mortals, much less to fall in love with them. But Itzcóatl realized too late: what he felt was not just a need to protect... it was love. A forbidden love that he could never reclaim.