Euphoria [Zeal]

[Gin]

Teige rounded a corner perfectly in time to see the rush of birds escaping the trees. She panted quietly from the swift run she had done to get there and carefully looked around, not that it mattered now that she could easily be seen from anywhere. Yet, unsafe as her position was, Teige felt no urge to hide herself. The white dog stood at the edge of the trees, sharply contrasting with the deep greens and browns behind her. About twenty feet in front of her, the cliff dropped sharply, giving a precarious look out post over the waterfall. Teige’s eyes locked on the water she could see and then turned to the cliff edge. Making a quick decision that today she would take the danger, Teige padded forward to the ledge.

The roar of the water surrounded her, the dog could barely hear anything else. Her eyes closed in sheer pleasure as her body sank carefully down to the damp ground. Scooting forward another two feet, Teige could easily have let her white paws dangle from the ledge but she wasn’t feeling quite that daring. Black eyes followed the stream of water, first down from the top of the cliff, then to a chaotic pool at the bottom, and finally along a smoother current down the river. It was peaceful.

Many things had totaled up to bring Teige into a good mood on this day. Trouble was, she didn’t know any one of them. But that didn’t matter of course. It was a good day and that shouldn’t be ruined just because one doesn’t know why it is a good day. And so Teige had woken up, a long yawn and a sudden happiness warming her body. Not totally understanding why, the dog had taken a path through the forest, admiring the natural beauty. But when the thought crossed her mind that the epitome of natural beauty was further into the forest; the waterfall.

So with such perfect background music, Teige couldn’t help but let that warmth creep back. Her eyes closed once more as her head drifted carelessly down to her paws. Her thought process switched off and simply let her mind be carried away with the water, happily floating downstream to some waiting pleasure.