Moonlight

I wondered if I could ever spend a night happier than this one.
I doubted it.

I could feel the difference when my mind finally made the connection of doing things for myself without any regard to anyone's opinion. All the frustration and anxiety escaped my muscles until they were loose again and languid. I don't think I ever really felt this way. The rhythm of my paws against the earth echoed the beating of a drum inside my chest. Hardened gray paw pads clawed vigorously against the sandy shore, pushing my body forward with enough momentum to make me feel as if I were barely touching the earth. Deep orange eyes were lit up with adrenaline, excitement almost. My chest felt better than it had in the previous weeks and god damnit I was going to enjoy myself tonight. For the past few nights, I had resumed my training as if I were back at home and surprisingly enough it brought me more happiness than I have felt in a really long time. And I mean a REALLY long time. The feeling reminded me of home but it brought my head back to doing something that I enjoyed and something that I was good at. Furthermore, I didn’t have someone overseeing any of it. I was free to do what I wanted when I wanted to. This was a new feeling for me and one that I hadn’t realized that I was missing until recently. I felt free!

A pink tongue bounced up and down while my body moved. My jaw hung open as I panted heavily – a white mist lightly gliding against my cheek lightly obscured my view when I slowed down at turns. My optics scanned the distances ahead of me, not looking for anything in particular but rather for better places to run up to. I hadn’t been paying attention to where I was going for I figured I would go for as long as I could without someone stopping me. I wasn’t planning on hunting in the area, nor heading inland where I knew I had a higher chance of meeting another soul or worse, stepping on some hot head's toes… I mean, pack borders.

The world around me began to come to a stop as I rounded a bend and caught wind of another wolf’s presence. My gait slowed to a trot. My body was finally beginning to feel the effects of sinking in the sand further as my weight evened out under my paws. Hm… I couldn’t tell how close they we- Ah. Nevermind. A white nose lifted into the air came back down with a snort. It wasn’t a strong scent. So…female? A young wolf?

Bingo. A wolf, seemingly younger than myself was hanging out on the shoreline a few yards away. Mmmm, nope. Little ones meant SOMEONE was nearby. I was the type not to care about venturing over certain lines but being next to another wolf that was this young meant more trouble than I was willing to get into tonight. Especially since I was in such a good mood. I came to a stop some distance away. Close enough that I could see him and his details clearly, but far enough away that if he saw me and wanted to run… and hopefully if he did he would keep his little trap shut… he could get away without any concern about me getting to him too quickly. The wind ruffled my crimson and black mane this way and that, picking up in speed and dying down as erratically as if pleased. Oh… I remember being this young and spending the nights to myself on the mountains outcrop… I began to think about if this little guy was living a better life than the one I was used to. Or if it was this way for everyone.