8/9/2026, 4:50 AM
the first splash makes fa’liya jerk her head back. water spatters harmlessly against the bank beneath her muzzle, and for an instant she stares at him with something near offense. then nen’tah does it again, stomping through the shallows with the graceless delight of a child who has apparently forgotten the original purpose of entering them.
there is something almost alien in it. joy without occasion. joy without having first earned it. he does not seem to care that his fur is soaked now, nor that mud has replaced vomit upon his paws. he simply enjoys the water because it is there.
fa’liya lowers her muzzle again, taking a careful drink while the water settles around his legs. cold eases some of the sourness from her mouth, though not the raw ache left behind. when he stops, fa’liya is still staring.
his look turns expectant. her ears tip backward. why, she has no idea.
there is something almost alien in it. joy without occasion. joy without having first earned it. he does not seem to care that his fur is soaked now, nor that mud has replaced vomit upon his paws. he simply enjoys the water because it is there.
fa’liya lowers her muzzle again, taking a careful drink while the water settles around his legs. cold eases some of the sourness from her mouth, though not the raw ache left behind. when he stops, fa’liya is still staring.
his look turns expectant. her ears tip backward. why, she has no idea.
what?