[AW] with dirty paws,

[Howl]

the frigid water sloshes underneath heavy hooves, flecking the thick hair of his ankles. his pace is slow, ambling - ignoring the biting cold of the water below. it is an easy thing to push past, and as his feet numb further with each stride, it's almost easy to forget the ice. it'd be an easy enough thing to stray back onto dry land and try his luck there but howl does no such thing - instead he sticks to his path in the shallow water. the afternoon is still and quiet, the biting cold lessened a bit by the lack of breeze. the air instead remains calm, fluffing up his tail only every few minutes rather than every few steps. he ignores this, too, along with the painfully bright reflection of the snow. any fish that dwell here are surely hurting from the half-iced lake, but they are not any of his concern. howl's concern is only to walk, to roam, to - to - to - do. and, god, it's been so often since he was able to do anything. idleness fits him awkwardly, a sweater a few sizes too small, and it weighs heavily upon maimed shoulders. and this, this pacing - it does little to settle the frenzied thrumming of his heart. it does little to burn off the manic, excess energy that dwells inside him, hovers just above his skin like static electricity. he feels it hum in the air around him, louder than birdsong and the crickets. that, at least, is somewhat reassuring - that, at least, feels almost right. he doesn't know what else to do, right now or with himself, and so he simply continues - plodding through the water and pushing on past the cold. he'll shiver and shake eventually, but surely it won't stop him until his mind finally quiets. ""