Walls

He wasn't really in the habit of making a lot of noise on his own, but every now and then there would be a place - a feeling - and Mikhail would find himself being carried away from the world and the life he knew. His mind would wander and his heart would follow close behind... and that is exactly what happened when he first glimpsed the wall, separating grassland from snowy tundra. He hummed a few soft notes, unable to contain himself. The white wolf padded gingerly over the snow, his long limbs carrying him far with each stride, his broad paws keeping him from sinking into the snow. He looked at that wall, a spark of awe in his eyes. All the while, a gentle melody he made up as he went continued, a throaty hum that might be soothing to one wolf and annoying to another.

Unlike some, Mikhail had some idea what this was - he'd heard of the humans, though he had never encountered them himself. He'd heard of the horrors... and the wonders. This wasn't something natural, from the earth. This wall was tall and magnificent. It would have kept anyone from passing it once, he imagined. Except, perhaps, other humans. The man's head canted as he eyed the wall, then began to trot alongside it, stopping when the wall stopped to reveal the grassland beyond. "Tch tch tch. Well, look at that," he mused aloud, blue eyes observing how time had crumbled the wall into dust. "Nothing is strong enough to withstand a force like time." The whisper faded into the chill air, gobbled up hungrily by it. Giving his head a shake, the lanky, white-coated fellow started on his way again, crossing by the wall into the grasslands, where the snow gradually melted away.

Mikhail was a stranger in a strange land. If his movements didn't give him away then his accent would. But then, he had kept under the radar since Annabelle's passing. He supposed it had left more of a mark on him than he would have liked. It was the thought of her that caused him to stop and glance back toward the wall, his musing expression returning. There were many types of walls... the strong, physical kind men had built once... and then the kind a person built to hold their heart safely. The kind that kept others out and needed to be torn down again. Done musing, he moved again, this time his steps heavier and the gentle, constant melody he hummed ceased. The warm light of the sun was his only companion today.