Hoshor Plains coming home

for @Cassidy! <3

days and night bleed together, days spent monitoring the herd, making and refreshing borders; nights spent curled against nephele's side, falling asleep to the serenade of the crickets and owls and if the world is still enough, arktos swears he can hear the soft sounds of the slumbering herd.

sleep eludes him tonight; the sky painted a dark navy, the swirls of the stars above guiding his way. the gold of the plains look different in the night. shadows dance, flirting with the soft sugared touch of the moon.

arktos makes a pass by the herd where they slumber together among the tall swaying heathers. one cow snorts and arktos realizes she, too, is awake. their gazes meet. her head rises and the wrangler's chin lifts in return, breath held. can't sleep either? he asks, not expecting an answer.

the cow snorts again, and returns to her light grazing; ignoring him.

he returns to his night-time stroll, warring with himself whether he wanted to patrol or work on progressing borders. there was no time for idle paws but there was something calming about the plains at night. stilling his always strategizing mind.