Up until this point in my puppyhood, I’ve only braved the world of Diveen. But today that’s not enough for me. I poke my head out of the den, cautiously eyeing the immediate area, and then bounce proudly away, head high and tail waving in sync with my footfalls as I leave my familiar home. I’m a little escapee! Not that it’s particularly difficult to get away. The female adult responsible for my upbringing (some pups would call her ‘mother’, I’m learning), is rarely around. And when she does show up, she feeds us so quickly that I’m surprised she doesn’t pass out from the effort. Now she’s gone to war, or something, warning us that she might not come back.

Somehow, that seems like a scary thing to tell your young children, but I’m not scared of her dying. I’m not scared of being alone. I’ve been alone since birth, aside from my brother’s quiet presence, and now he’s wandered off, too. He’s been gone for days. I wonder how our parent will deal with the loss – I don’t think he’s coming back. I’ve actually decided to use him as my scapegoat, should she bother to reprimand me for disappearing. “Oh, mother, I was only looking for Dieloch! I’m so worried! Where is he?” Even to me it seems cold, but I remind myself that I need to be resourceful - if I have to make it alone, I’ll do what I have to do and say what I have to say.

As I pass through the strange landscapes, I’m drawn to the lazy sounds of a river making its way over rocks and pebbles and such. It reminds me of home just enough to make me comfortable, but it isn’t Diveen’s river. It’s foreign, and forbidden, and I should be home right now. I make my way toward it, lifting my paws a little higher as the cold mud sucks at my toes, and stand on the edge of bank and river, watching it pass by. I like to watch the fish and chase them around, but the sounds of someone else nearby distract me. I look up eagerly, and begin watching the multi-colored boy wandering around not far away. He might be more fun than fish. I clear my throat to get his attention, before calling out, “Hey! Where are you going?” My manners are not exactly refined.