Further and further outward she went. Her strength and courage grew the more she explored and she liked how she was able to go out on her own. There was a good chance that she would become more then the scaredy-pup then she had started out as. Though she still refused to venture out in the dark, when shadows so easily hid the monsters of her nightmares. That was still a mountain that she needed to climb.
The lake was a safe place, but still hid various mysteries that had yet to be solved. She skirted along its bank, weaving in and out as the lake’s design allowed. As always it was a game, the number of steps that she took, the colors that she found in the icy surface and the creaking that the frozen parts made as she stepped on them. They played with her ears, and warned her to not get too close. She was fully aware of all the dangers that hid beneath the placid surface. Drowning was a real threat, it was like when she ran to fast, or when she was tickled or the moment she began to panic. Her breath was lost, and her chest so tight that there was no room for air.
Before she knew it, she had left home. Running strait out of the comfort that the scent of her pack provided violet eyes looked around noticing that it truly didn’t seem any different. Once she settled in the thought, she found that there wasn’t much of a change in how she felt. The lake was still present, the landscape hadn’t morphed into something that was unpleasant and she was certainly still whole. Relaxed, an easy smile curled her lips and she padded easily on her way her thoughts far from the notion of a crushing chest or of drowning.
Scents lingered and sounds floated on the still winter air. Though her body continued to move along its guided course Mati looked on with interest until the origin of the smells and sounds came into view. The different creature made her pause, though only for a moment. He was unlike anything she had ever seen. Her head cocked to the side in confusion, his actions were fierce and quick. Smashing the ice of the water’s surface in one fluid motion then taking what he needed from it in another. She stood, staring blatantly at the beast her mouth parted idly and much closer to it then she had thought. The combination of his coat, hat and facial cloth made him something out of her dreams. But he wasn’t a nightmare, she would know if he were one of the dark things that spawned from evil. Instead he was just something different.
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