The tall grasses of the foothills tickled against my abdomen and sides as my loping strides parted the golden sea, each tendril whisking lightly through my fur before swaying back into its former place once I had passed by. Rhythmically my paws touched against the earth before lifting once more, a cadence set by the extension of my long legs. Ashen limbs carried me along the periphery of my realm, moving through my patrol of the borders at a steady pace. Occasionally I would stop to refresh a scent marker or sniff at the remnants of aromas I did not immediately recognize. But each time that I moved to continue onward, I picked up that long, flowing lope that practically oozed with regality and grace. My genetics had given me a predisposition for such a resplendent figure, but the polish and refinement had come with age and a sense of self respect - never entitlement.

Mid-afternoon autumn sunlight warmed my silvery back as I skirted the edge the Aplos River's headwaters, continuing along towards the farthest southwestern reaches of my homelands. But the quiet lapping of water against the shore remained fresh in my mind as I came to the end of my duty's path. Typically I would turn inland then, cutting up a well worn trail that would quickly take me back into the heart of my home. But charcoal ears flicked backwards, the possibility that this could be one of the last truly warm days of autumn before the temperatures began to dip ever more so towards winter begging me to indulge in the cool waters that sourced from within Spirane. With a flick of my tail the decision was made, and I pivoted and headed back towards the waters that seemed to call to me with the movement of the reeds in the gentlest of breezes.

Coming to the shores, I glanced down at the slow ripple of the water, a constant movement that seemed to have no beginning or end. My reflection was unsteady as it stared back up at me, shifting and breaking so that my mahogany eyes never met with themselves. Lowering my maw to the surface I lapped eagerly at the water, parching my throat from the continuous work that border patrol entailed. As I lifted my head away from the surface, I stepped forward, submerging one obsidian limb after the other in the shallows. I walked forth with ease, but always maintaining that level of respectability that a Queen came by naturally. This was far from the first time I had partaken of the cool refreshment o these waters, and so I knew well where the bottom would suddenly give way to a depth at which no wolf could hope to keep their paws in the sandy mud. If one paid close enough attention, they could see the way the water abruptly grew much darker, a tell tale sign of its depth. As I came to the edge where the bottom would give way, my tail slowly waved back and forth over my back. I could simply take another step forward and effortlessly move into a swimming paddle...or...

Rocking backwards just enough onto my hindquarters to coil the muscles there, I suddenly launched forward. Front paws rose from the water momentarily as I leapt out into the deeper waters. My entire bodice cleared the surface of the water, if only for a moment, before I sailed down into the water with an unceremonious splash. Even my head was engulfed for a moment, completely submerging my form before I resurfaced with a laugh, paddling about the calm waters and simply enjoying the day.

What was the point of life if you couldn't have a little fun now and again?