Alpine Lake oh whatever that your days may bring

He went on his way undisturbed, moving along with a lengthened walk that carried him on towards the edge of the lake. With his glances spent divvied between the sky, the lake, and what the greater picture that surrounded it, he eased himself into the quiet scene--and minded himself, for though he did not spot prey converging on the area at first, times were too lean to risk scaring off the unseen with easy to avoid carelessness. If he could make his trip out wandering worth it with a fresh meal, then that was more than what he had set out with.

But distraction came for him quickly, unexpected despite his mindfulness and perhaps faster than he even realized. First a mere tickle of his nose with something familiar (notable enough out here in the winterscape), then more--and by then, the rhythm his paws had set to was already aiming that way, towards a grayscale form, marked notably by the strip of darkness he had come upon a few times before.

He set his sights on a spot beside her, his tail wagging slow as he came. Long time no see, he said chuffed, his breath furling in the cold while his expression seemed to search for some middle ground between surprised, relieved, and just.. overall, consoled.

It had barely been spring, last time, and a far different time for him at that--before so much had changed, although not all of it had been bad in the end. Still, he found something inviting about the relief to see she was here now, very much as he had remembered her. Maybe he had been mistaken in guessing she was gone, or maybe... Ah, little point in debating it now, not when he had barely had time to miss her. He hoped he might be welcome at her side now, to start.