Falls

There was a constant restlessness that had settled deep in the pit of his stomach. Here he was, so far from home and so very unconcerned that he might not ever see a familiar face again. It had not been hard to make the decision to leave. He had outgrown his fathers lands and there was nothing that held his interest for long. His mothers words echoed in his mind, urging him to chase the stars and see the world if that was what he wanted. She had always maintained that she wanted more for him than their small herd and small world that was the forest. He had naturally gravitated toward the ocean, which had always concerned his father. Somehow, even from a young age, he had known there was another world across the ocean.

Here he stood, basking in the knowledge that he’d been right all along. He had swum the ocean and survived and this was his reward. It was a land with unfamiliar scents, unfamiliar faces and it begged his discovery. His body moved fluidly, as though he belonged to this world and it belonged to him. Deep amber eyes scanned the land around as though he would remember each scene with picture perfect clarity. There was no room to doubt whether he’d made the correct move.

He crossed the roots that jutted up from the ground, his dark form brushing through the bushes as he made his way toward the sound of trickling water. The silence that surrounded him allowed the world to speak louder. Voices did not drone on and muffle the Earth's symphony. Instead, he heard the birds cry, the water run, the wind blow as if he’d been given a front row seat. His muscles flexed in accord beneath the dark brown of his hide, his body drifting onward without a thought of anything else in his mind. He could sort out a home tomorrow. Today? Today he would enjoy all that there was to this new and strange land around him.

He pushed through the brush and finally spied the waterfall. His lips tilted in the slightest grin as he stepped into the water without pause. This was just what he needed. Here he could wash the salt of the ocean from his pelt and linger in the cleansing liquid for a time, to sooth his weary muscles. He peered up at the fast-flowing water that fell from the cliffside. Soon enough his body was swallowed by water until only the top half of his body remained above the cool water. He grunted as the soothing sensation wrapped around his dark form and he relaxed into the cold embrace of the reservoir.

You can swim the ocean if you want. Chase the stars. Take me with you, in your heart. Show me the world, Xanthus. Make the more that you’ve always wanted. We cannot give that to you here.