And [I]n the en[D]

[Nnok]

‘As always, the grass is wet.’ Time didn’t matter, now that it was fall, and only the change of the leaves and the frost in the air could be recognized in the season’s altercations. Even as the weather transformed, time still went on. The sprinklers had gone off again, as an example, though it only seemed to happen every time her paws took a step within a mile of the park. One o’clock will, in an hour, become two o’clock, and so forth until midnight, and then the cycle would repeat regardless of everything else. ‘Sometimes I just wish there were some chance of change.’ Time moved too quickly, and with the blink of an eye, you just lost a second’s worth of your life. Time was also taunting, moving just quick enough to steal more than a second’s worth of someone’s life, but all of it. Or slow enough, making life more agonizing to live through. Right then and there it wanted to tease, if only it wasn’t near midnight, but pass midnight, the grass would have dried.

No, sadly, Naomi would just have to put up with wet paws. She had come looking for food, though why she had chosen the park was a mystery even she couldn’t figure out. Maybe it was the peace it seemed to possess. There were only a few black clouds in the sky, giving the crescent moon more room to cast its silver gaze. Shadows were sent running for the few trees that covered the park, but it obviously wasn’t the best retreat plan. Stars danced in the sky with more spots than the spots on a Dalmatian’s back. It was a nice sight, pretty maybe, ‘if it weren’t so damn cold.’ A swift breeze didn’t help dry the wet ground, only made things worse. Breath hard enough and you could see your breath, though it wasn’t cold enough to dig in to the skin too deep.

However cold, and however much she may complain to herself, Naomi showed absolutely no sign of any discomfort, not like she really had any. Her thick hide was hard enough to rip through, and the midnight chill would have to try harder to reach into the bones. Instead, the lean frame of the demon was standing still, unmoving on long and well built white legs. Clear blue eyes, the only color that seemed to stay its natural shade despite the moon, traversed from one direction to the next. Ears, mostly black however with some white defaults, scanned for any sign of noise that might disrupt her meal hunting, though even if there was someone there, Naomi just wanted to know and was going to walk out of the safety of her bush anyway. The spotted Dalmatian was too proud to let herself be turned away from any challenge or obstacle. She only moved forward, not back, and now had her cold sight on a concrete path that would keep her out of the grass yet within scavenging areas.

So, with a confident pace, Naomi moved forward, her nose sniffing here and there to catch a whiff of something that might lead to a meal. With every step came the relief of how close she was getting to the concrete and away from the grass as it tickled at her paws and between her toes. There really wasn’t a lot to look at, except the drunk who tried to reach one of the benches, and missed. He now lay on the ground, mumbling things Naomi couldn’t care less about. His scent reeked, and however excruciating it was to ignore the urge to tease the knocked out man, Naomi ignored him, turning away on the path and heading for one of the basketball courts.

Word Count: 627
Thread; Open
Character; Naomi
Comments; This was hard to write, it sucks, I know, but the next post with be lots better.