Although there were houses, cars, and shops everywhere, most of the buildings had cramped alleyways that ran behind and between them. Lyle kept to them where he could, sinking into the shadows when the scent of humans got too strong, and slinking under the cover of bushes and tree-lined areas when the alleyways weren’t available. He investigated left-behind scents with the fervor of a puppy, relishing everything as though it were new to him. There was no strangeness to any of it, just the normal smells of people, trash, exhaust, and food, but there was so much of it that the combination was heady and awe-inspiring.
He found a creek, and spent some time teasing the small wildlife he found along its banks. They all stared at him in shock and wonder, and even in his less than perfect mindset
