when the night is over / introduction

[emil]

[align=center][div style="width: 500px; padding: 10px; height: auto; overflow: auto;"][div style="width: 400px; padding: 0px; line-height: 14px; text-align: justify; font-family: arial;"]it was only a few days ago that the young toulouse had come out to his family, told them in a whisper of a voice that he was a boy. from then he'd felt more comfortable leaving home, wandering out in short trips to get a glimpse of the world. from his very first steps outside, the moment he laid eyes on the ocean, he was in love. slate gray paws carried him swiftly down to the water every time, splashed his way in as soon as he got to the waves lapping at the sand. every time he returned home he was dripping wet, and his fur dried ruffled and coarse from saltwater. it stuck out in every direction, curled and rugged.

when jacob died, he shut himself off. he didn't know his father well, not really, but he was still his father, and he loved him dearly. swimming had become his safe space after that. he could barely do anything other than that nowadays; he stopped speaking soon after jacob's passing, hardly interacting with even his siblings or pincher. coming out to them was the first time he'd spoken in a while, and his voice was raw when the words were uttered, wispy and weak. they didn't seem to mind. they were family, after all. they loved him.

toulouse found himself by the water for a second day in a row, wading in the low tide, heterochromic eyes focused on the minnows darting around his paws. the pup pursed his lips and lifted a paw out of the water, then brought it down hard on top of a group of the tiny fish, catching two underpaw. he held them there for a few moments before finally releasing the little creatures and huffed out slightly.