Bright eyed and bushy tailed, the little explorer was ready to continue play. A ferocious nod bobbed the boy's head as he agreed to the head start. Arlen could catch the elated beam within those Olive eyes before they turned away. The boy darted up the hillside, back the way they came. A white flash darted beneath the worldly greens of the forest.

One... Two... Three... Arlen climbed to their feet. Indigo gaze watching the pup's silhouette grow smaller and smaller. Four... Five... Six... With each increasing number, their voice grew louder. Rising to carry to the boy as the distance between them grew. Arlen stretched their legs, splaying their toes into the dirt. Seven..Eight-nine-ten!

Leaping forward, Arlen bounded up the slope after the pup. Legs extending as far as they could to cover the lost distance between them.