RE: A recent heat wave has left the forest drier than usual.
“Where did the rain go?” Vaken’s words were sharp but good humoured. He was only slightly annoyed with the dry climate. It certainly made things harder. He could feel the heat, but it wasn’t as bad as it had been. Fall was certainly coming. He stepped on a twig, crunching it beneath his small paw. “You as thirsty as I am buddy?”
It was a rhetorical question. The scruffy adolescent was learning that it was best to make all his questions like that, let Ferr pick and choose which ones to respond to. It felt good not having to uphold small talk. The boy was free to speak when he wanted to, if he wanted to. Today he was feeling more talkative than usual. He took another step, pawed at a small pine cone, then stopped to watch it tumble towards his small friend. “The creek is around here somewhere.” He could smell it in the air, even if he couldn’t see it.