Moon Rise

The boy ventured from the Desert region inland towards the direction where he heard about a river. On the way, however, he'd decide to stop for a rest. All he seemed to do was walk lately...and a lot of it. His little paws were tired and sore, the young boy panting with the miles traveled. Even though he was so small, he could definitely cover a lot of ground. Rolling his shoulders, he slowed his pace to a lumbering trot, seeking out a place he could rest. And finally after about an hour or so, he came upon a cave he hadn't seen before. Shiki stopped at the mouth, peering in and wondering if it'd be safe. Carefully, he scented the air and noted that he couldn't smell anything...not fresh anyway. Moving forward, he decided he would explore a bit of the cave and hopefully find some water and maybe a quiet place to rest before he continued his journey in the morning. To where, he was unsure of at the moment...

As he entered the cave, a sigh escaped his lips. Though it was suddenly louder then he anticipated, for the small sound echoed all around him. It awed him, he had never been in a cave before and if all caves were like this, then he sure as hell wanted to go explore some more! Moving further into the cave, Shiki stopped at a puddle that was fed by a steady drip of water from the ceiling, night had fallen and thus he had only been able to find it in the shadows by scent and sound. He lapped up the cool water, reveling in how fresh and crisp it tasted. Winter, after all was approaching. Moving along, he went a little deeper into the cave, at last finding a small overhang in which he could curl up in the shadows. His small stature could very easily be missed, and possibly his scent as well due to the strong scent of water.

As he peered out from his resting spot, he gazed up at a hole that was nearly over the puddle from which he just drank. And just as he was about to close his eyes to rest, a shaft of moonlight filtered in, illuminating the pool of water and making it appear as if it were a hole filled with light. His eyed brightened, the boy feeling very calm and relaxed as he watched the light filter through the cave ceiling. And as the minuted ticked by, he was soon falling into an easy slumber...