Duck Lake russian courier

All welcome! No need to match the length :D

A soft coating of snow blanketed the rolling fields beyond the wilds in flawless white. Coupled with the fluffy, marbled grey clouds in the sky, it was a picture-perfect landscape fit for the back of a postcard. Only a small black smudge of charcoal marred the otherwise pristine scene. Picking its way across the fields, the smudge continued to ruin the landscape, leaving a trail of paw prints and disturbed snow in its wake. A slight breeze pulled at its dark fur, leading it away from the fields that seemed to never end, in towards a forest of tall, pale trees with vibrant yellow leaves.

It was the first time Nyo had seen such trees and he observed them with only mild curiosity, hunger keeping him from truly stopping to enjoy the view. His legs quivered from exhaustion but he continued to push forward, having picked up the scent of fresh water and the accompanying scent of...bird? He wasn't sure. But the promise of water was enough to keep him moving until he finally came across the small lake, frozen at the edges but still relatively untouched by winter for the moment.

Unfocused eyes filled with sudden excitement, the boy stumbled through an unexpected snow drift before reaching the lakes edge, sliding slightly on the icy shore. His front legs plunged into the freezing water but he didn't care, dunking his head under and taking breathless gulps from the lake as if he had just crossed the Sahara desert.