The night was growing longer, it felt. Even with the time she'd burned behind her it felt as if many more hours lay in store. Moonlight was scattered from the trees around her, dappling the ground in a mis-matched pools of light. It somehow made the shadows deeper. Enough so to have her eye rolling about in an attempt to discern if there was truly danger waiting within. Her head swiveled with the movement as well, trying to ensure that nothing would come at her from her blind side. Atop her head, her fluffy white ears could be seen twitching and attuning to every sound. So far the journey had been peaceful. Yet the voluptuous woman had not stopped glancing back now and again as if there were phantoms at her heels.
Distantly could be heard the tin of the falls crashing into the basin below. She'd seen the basin from far, far up in the mountains when she'd crossed them. Good, then, that whatever she had left on the other side had not followed her here. Whatever monsters she left in her wake could remain there, forgotten like so many sorrows.
Time passed and soon enough she was pushing out of the trees and to a place where she could see the edges of the waterfall. She was approaching it from the top of the falls and she strolled out under the moonlight onto the moss-covered stones to stare at the myriad of flows that cascaded into the water below. Effervescent waves and rivulets danced on either side of her and she watched as sparkling water sprang up in a mist, some of it decorating her muzzle and her face.
At least the white noise of the water was cathartic. It bid her to finally settle, to relax her stiffened stance and close her eye and breathe in the petrichor of water and earth combined. So unbothered was she by the wet and the cold that she simply lay on the exposed surface of rock she had strode out on, letting the jewel-like froth alight on her topcoat. This time of year, it would never make it deep enough to chill her.
For a moment, an anxious woman found reprieve.
Distantly could be heard the tin of the falls crashing into the basin below. She'd seen the basin from far, far up in the mountains when she'd crossed them. Good, then, that whatever she had left on the other side had not followed her here. Whatever monsters she left in her wake could remain there, forgotten like so many sorrows.
Time passed and soon enough she was pushing out of the trees and to a place where she could see the edges of the waterfall. She was approaching it from the top of the falls and she strolled out under the moonlight onto the moss-covered stones to stare at the myriad of flows that cascaded into the water below. Effervescent waves and rivulets danced on either side of her and she watched as sparkling water sprang up in a mist, some of it decorating her muzzle and her face.
At least the white noise of the water was cathartic. It bid her to finally settle, to relax her stiffened stance and close her eye and breathe in the petrichor of water and earth combined. So unbothered was she by the wet and the cold that she simply lay on the exposed surface of rock she had strode out on, letting the jewel-like froth alight on her topcoat. This time of year, it would never make it deep enough to chill her.
For a moment, an anxious woman found reprieve.