The Next Step Forward [Célestin]

The shade of the trees was almost indiscernible from dark as Dove stepped to the river, lowering his head to drink from the bubbling brook before him. To his right, waterfalls poured from the river that dwelled higher and, water dripping from his chin, Dove looked up, studying the glare of the slivered moon on the water's surface. It seemed cooler here, perhaps because he'd traveled a bit north in his explorations or perhaps because water was less scarce here.

Whatever the cause, the night-adorned man sighed and stepped into the running water at his paws, a hiss coming from between his lips at the temperature of the water. He bent to drink again as he gave his body time to acclimate before pacing towards the falls and lowering himself into the deeper parts of the water there. It was frigid, compared to the warm, starless night that hung above but as he reached a hind paw forward to tend an itch behind his ear, he forced himself to relax. His body rocked with the slight movements of the river he'd found, and he dunked his head beneath the surface for a moment before coming up again and shaking the loose droplets free.

A sigh left him as his body finally climatized to the stream, and he noted with quiet disdain the dirt flowing from his pelt, hard to detect among his dark fur. Nails dug into the soaked, malleable soil beneath him as he studied the trees and wildness around him. The wildlife had gone silent as soon as he'd found a clear path here, and so, the night was silent but for the brook, his breath, and faraway creatures.