Shout out your Soul

It had been days of nonstop walking for Novis. His hatred of the desert had increased over the past few days, a feeling of paranoia crawling up his spine every moment he took a step on those dreaded sands. He felt as though every time he turned around he would see a member of his past band, there to drag him back or finish the job they had started. Their teeth already bore permanent marks on his fur, there to remind him of why he should have left sooner. It was hard to stay positive in such a place, and he was relieved to finally leave it behind.

The color green was a welcomed sight as he approached the lake — something sturdy under-paw rather than the unforgiving grains of sand a few miles behind him. Though he remembered visiting this place as a pup, his old band rarely bothered coming here, much preferring the oasis of the small lakes deeper in the desert. He felt it was safe to rest his aching paws here.

He carefully placed his front paws into the water, relishing in its cold touch. Just before he starts to wade into the water, he notices a silver flicker in the water. Fish! His tail begins to sway in a mixture of interest and excitement. Though he had eaten recently, there was no harm done in a little play. He crouched, bunching up his muscles and an almost cat-like manner before springing into the air and landing back into the water with a loud splash. He had no chance of actually catching the fish, his blundering movements warning it to flee before he could even catch sight of it again. This didn't dissuade him from giving chase, however, pouncing after the fish as the water tugged at his limbs. He started looking and acting more like the pup than the adult he was, hooting and giggling like a child as another fish barely evades his paws. He was glad to finally get his past out of his mind. He didn't care if anyone watched.