Put The Gun Down

For awhile longer she walked, eventually resigning herself to the likely possibility of an idle journey between not being able to stop and eat and not getting to share in the scenery with others. It wasn't like Hayai wasn't used to this, anyway. She'd had more than her fill of silent, lonely trips and figured she'd be able to get by on another. At least she was here--alive--which was more than what could be said about some of the wolves she'd left behind, friend or foe.

However, this optimism rewarded her--and grandly. As she continued down the riverbank, she found herself pausing, blinking, as something captured her attention from the corner of her gaze. With a furrowed brow and perked ears, she turned on her heels, perhaps too eagerly, to investigate further, only to immediately be greeted by another pair--no, two pairs--of eyes across the water. They didn't seem particularly social, but nor did they seem disinterested; in fact, she dared to think they were waiting for something, which she felt was flattering directed toward her. So plain she looked, and yet, the other little one was dressed in braids and long, flowing feathering, her towering counterpart in the most intriguing coat. Nothing like she'd ever seen before of her fellow koi. Among her own, they might have even achieved a position of status. Hayai observed them for a moment more before she lit up with a smile and a wagging tail.

"Hi, there!" she called out across the river. She turned to face the pair more fully, but in her excitement, she failed to consider the fragility of the most saturated mud lining the riverbank. Almost instantly, it caved beneath tapping paws, plunging her into the ice-cold current before she could retreat onto more solid ground. But she was no fish, and it left her fighting shocked and rigid muscles to reach for the surface.

"