Word Count: 245
If Tagg had been worried about Moonshadow’s ability to keep up, he wasn’t anymore. At the sight of her bounding about like a puppy, he couldn’t help the full-out laugh that bubbled from his throat. He wagged his tail and jumped about with her for a moment, surprised at how easy it was to let the years of hardship fall away and simply have fun again. It wasn’t long before she stopped and began intently smelling the ground, though.
“I don’t know. I’ve only ever smelled it once, but I never found what it belonged to.” He said, voice low as he joined her search, head swinging back and forth to cover more ground with his one eye. He sighted a small hole nestled between the roots of a tree and investigated, only to leap back in alarm when a creature he’d never seen before scuttled out, large teeth bared and emitting squeaks of aggression. “What is that?” Tagg exclaimed, sniffing at it but being careful not to get close enough to get bit. “It sort of looks like a beaver, but not really.”
He looked over at Moon briefly before returning his gaze to this new animal. It smelled like it could be food, but he wasn’t sure he wanted to face those teeth. He’d seen wolves go up against beavers before and come out worse for wear. This creature was definitely not one of the river-blocking rodents, but still. It was strange indeed.
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