Arrow Lake every breath of borrowed time is heavy in my chest.

Wanna fade here? :)

He was surly and tired after all that work, but the mention of another hunt perked him up a bit - not that Mesa wasn't further disgruntled by the offer too, to some degree. It was like playing tug-of-war; he didn't want to give an inch, but his mother knew the way to his heart and something exciting like another hunt would easily dwarf the tedious digging of caches. He was flustered from the digging and his maladapted body was getting sore, growing stronger, but he still had the energy of a child. He would bounce back quickly if given the right incentive - and she'd spoken the magic words.

Do you want to track something else now? She asked, to which Mesa responded by getting to his feet and bounding away from her a few steps. He called over his shoulder, Yeah -- but I'm gonna do it myself this time! Yet even with this proclaimation he paused to let her catch up, keeping her in his periphery to act as a safety net while they prowled the territory together.