Embry was drawn away from the ocean today. It was a rare moment for the man, who had grown up along the seashore. But in all honesty, had he really? As a boy, he had fond memories of the sand. But now, what was he but a castaway? Someone who had merely returned to find that what they had left so many moons ago was still there; was still the same. Someone who came to realize that it was themself that had changed. 

He was moving along now with an uncharacteristically detached kind of lope. It was the gait of pensive unease; restlessness reigned into paws that were, alas, only mortal. And he trudged along in deep thought for much of the day, without so much as a glance back at the shore. 

When he saw the familiar girl, he believed he was only dreaming. It was amazing, after all, how the world could find just what you needed sometimes. And he definitely needed something - anything - to keep him from thinking about who he had become. So he picked up speed and, remembering their past encounter, emit a jovial bark in greeting.