Muzaka ran, lungs and muscles burning. He poured all his energy into increasing his speed. He didn't so much as spare a moment to glance at the others. All his senses were focused on the top of a nearby hill, the tall oak tree at its summit acting as a guiding beacon. He didn't look where he placed his feet, allowing his instincts and experience to find the best footing.
As the land began to slope sharply upwards he flattened his ears as far as they could go. His panting increased with the incline. This hill was precarious. The angle was steep, the dirt was loose, and the small rocks shifted easily and unpredictable beneath his paws. His lips peeled back at the challenge.
He dug his hind legs into the ground, surging toward the hilltop, the finish line. He expertly avoided the rabbit holes and unstable ground by leaping from the boulders that littered the side of the old hill, a feat no ordinary wolf could achieve. He was almost there! He zeroed in on a large boulder positioned right below the crest of the hill. Using that he could make it to the top!
He leapt nimbly onto the boulder and could practically hear his victory howl already. He looked down to determine the most sensible landing position among the pebbles that covered the hilltop.
His silver eyes met startled blue.
-!
He twisted his body in midair so as not to collide with the stranger on the hilltop.