Mudminnow River and the smell of the ground

words interrupted her romping, and she twisted to see another- a woman from their group. she didn't remember her name, only her face, yet this did not concern her. she paused in her wild antics, soaked and completely covered in mud. brow furrowing, she said after a moment, "I'm-I'm playing." 

no, it was more than that- she simply did not know how to explain it. she was delighting in the wild spirit of youth, in the coming of the spring and the cold she had known all her life. she was overcome with happiness that came with new adventure and new beginnings. and, she did not know how far she had come. she approached the woman, the absence of the warmth that came with movement bringing a chill to her fur. "What's your name?" she asked curiously, the rain beginning to taper off steadily, now.