Big Salmon Lake I got used to living without you

-sees temptation and doesn't resist it-

Only a couple hundred metres away from where Fennec would enter the lake and submerge herself, Bronco had been resting, dozing in and out of a restless sleep. His dreams were vivid and violent, and even though he forgot them as soon as he woke up, the anguish dogged him like a shadow for several hours afterwards. He kicked and bared his teeth in his sleep, silently protesting his dreams only to wake up still tired, and resigned to what reality had become for him. 

The sudden inhale of breath when Fennec broke back above the surface startled him. He'd fallen asleep on a grassy bank that rose a few feet above the lake's surface after having had a drink and spent some time unsuccessfully trying to find and catch a fish. The effort had tired him so he'd chosen to rest there, hoping perhaps he could try again later. 

He lurched up, propping himself up a bit as he scanned the lake, and at first he didn't recognize her. With her fur slicked and only part of her visible from that distance, she could've been anyone...But the hue of her coat narrowed the field significantly, and while he was too far away to note the colour of her eyes, he felt sure it was Fennec. 

If he stayed still, said nothing, qnd perhaps if the wind stayed low, she might not notice him. He'd already anticipated that he might get cold feet, and that he might instinctively want to just cut and run, and never go back. He felt simultaneously drawn toward her and paralyzed with fear- which made him essentially helpless. He couldn't move toward her but in frustration a soft whine came unbidden from his throat that surprised him so much he almost yelped. He froze, hair lifting along his hackles. Had he just given himself away?