Empty Feelings. [OPEN.]

Even before the sun chased the moon from the sky, before it peaked above the horizon with its long tendrils of light, Na'zyia knew it would be hot. The nighttime air had dropped, sending the dog into hiding for the night. She was a master in the heat - a master of the heat - but when the temperature went low, she suffered. She suffered more because she had no other dogs to curl up with. She did have a companion, however. Xolani, a strange little creature whose ancestry could also be traced back to Africa. The Genet was the one who finally convinced Zee to move on from her mental patient of a mother, and he'd stuck by her ever since. She was happy to call him her friend, certainly, but her longing for other dogs was still quite strong. Xolani didn't seem to take offense to that, thankfully.

"Na'zee, when are you going to get up and take me to the rapids like you promised?" Xolani questioned, pouncing onto the resting dog's side. He stood like that, his long body almost as long as Na'zyia's, and with his tail added in, he was more than twice as long as she was. His paws were on her shoulder, semi-retractable claws digging into her fur uncomfortably. Na'zyia sighed, opening on of her deep amber eyes to give him a half-hearted glare before she rolled her eyes with a smile. "You're too impatient, Lani." She informed him in a matter-of-fact voice, as if that would change his actions, though she knew that nothing would change Xolani. And she didn't want anything to change him. The African Wild Dog finally lifted herself up to her paws. She stretched, yawned, and shook her patchwork coat out. All the while, the little Genet chattered and pranced about excitedly, racing around her and climbing nearby trees.

When she looked like she was ready to go, Xolani skittered back to her side and climbed her hind leg to rest himself on her shoulders. He didn't weigh much of anything at all, so Na'zyia allowed him to do this. "You're going to get fat if you never exercise, you know." She teased, taking off at a slow trot toward the rapids, as she had, indeed, promised him the night before. The sun continued to rise as they traveled, the heat causing the dog to slow even more, her jaws parting in a desperate pant to cool her body off. "Are you alright, Na'zee? Do you need me to get off?" Xolani propped his front paws on Na'zyia's head, leaning his own head forward to peer down at his friend's face. Her eyes glanced up to meet his briefly and she smiled at him. "I'll be fine. Can you hear that? We're almost there." Na'zyia's own ears were pricked as the rapids roared. Xolani stiffened, leaning forward and listening. He chattered excitedly, shifting his weight from paw to paw rapidly.

As they got close enough to see the rapids, the Genet jumped off of Na'zyia's shoulders, landing in the soft clump of foliage, and raced toward the pool. "Careful, Xolani. You don't want to fall in." She warned him, coming up behind him at a slower pace. She had to yell over the sound of the water, but she was certain he heard her. She carefully waded in, only getting deep enough for the water to cover her paws as she dipped her head into the pool to drink. Xolani continued to chatter as he ran around, climbing trees and running around to get different views. Na'zyia waited patiently until the Genet came up to her with a questioning look. "Can we see the other pools now?" He asked her, much of his fur plastered to his coat from the spray of the rapids, his tone rising to be heard above the noise. Na'zyia chuckled and nodded, slipping from the pool and shaking out her own wet coat. Xolani once again climbed onto her back, and Na'zyia set off.

The couple continued moving, with Na'zyia wading through the waters whenever she could. They would pause to drink frequently, the temperatures continuing to rise as they continued to walk. Na'zyia paused when she noticed two figures ahead. One, a dog lying in the pool. The other dog was standing. She stayed still for a moment, before picking up her pace. Xolani had fallen asleep on her back, his body stretched out, his tail dragging in the water. Na'zyia padded closer to the pair of canines, careful to make sure they could hear her approaching. "Hello." She greeted them with a small smile, her ears pricked and eyes carefully observing them.