[ He felt a lot more centered suddenly as Peter praised him, the kiss letting him see a little bit through the animal instinct that had been clouding him, and for a few moments he was wholly aware of who and what and where he was--and then Peter threw the ball, and it all crumbled again.
He shot off, a streak of black across the park, using his new legs to propel him at breakneck speed, and missing the ball by almost five yards as he raced past it. His head went under his front paws, nosed turned back toward the ball, and he threw himself rolling sidewards over, feet splaying underneath him as he tried to keep his balance, but something snapped as he crashed over, and he let out a loud yelp of surprised pain.
By the time he pulled himself shakily upright the rib he'd broken was healed, but by then all sense of dignity was gone, and he was left to shake himself off as though it were nothing. The ball was forgotten, pain having severed the cloudiness of play until everything was sharp and clear again. It was hard to remember what he'd been doing before he got hurt. ]
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He shot off, a streak of black across the park, using his new legs to propel him at breakneck speed, and missing the ball by almost five yards as he raced past it. His head went under his front paws, nosed turned back toward the ball, and he threw himself rolling sidewards over, feet splaying underneath him as he tried to keep his balance, but something snapped as he crashed over, and he let out a loud yelp of surprised pain.
By the time he pulled himself shakily upright the rib he'd broken was healed, but by then all sense of dignity was gone, and he was left to shake himself off as though it were nothing. The ball was forgotten, pain having severed the cloudiness of play until everything was sharp and clear again. It was hard to remember what he'd been doing before he got hurt. ]