A Speckled Pebble

I stepped quietly past the open porch gate and lingered along the crunching path... feeling the cool morning air between my limbs. Near the hinge of the fence, a small speckled river stone had rolled out of line, resting slightly askew against the grass border. I paused, letting my gaze settle on its pale gray spots. Everything was quiet around me. Very patiently, I leaned forward and used the soft pad of my paw to ease the pebble along the soil until it rested snug and flush with the others, tucked neatly in its place.