Life, I'm still getting the hang of it. The wolves I've come to know as mom and dad are loving and affectionate, always eager to lick or nuzzle or just touch me as if to make sure I'm really alive. I wonder sometimes if pups go missing just because they don't get touched very often. I return the gestures, wanting to always remember the scents of my parents because I don't know where I would be without them.

Mom is gentle and soft, like a huge teddy bear. Her brown eyes are always full of unconditional love when she looks at me and my siblings, like she can't get enough of just looking at us. I am always eager to please her, never wanting to lose that look in her eyes cause I don't know what I'd do if she ever looked at me in any other way.

Dad is protective and fun, always willing lie down on the ground and roll around with the rest of us like he was 100 pounds less and a few years younger. He is practically beaming every time he comes around and he always makes sure to nuzzle Mom before playing with us each and every time. I know what love is when I look at them. I don't think about the fact that mom is so much older than dad. I don't think to notice it. I do know that mom looks more aged and wise and dad looks more strong and invincible but they always seem to glow when they're around each other. It's like they feed off of each other's light. It's something I'll keep in mind for the rest of my life.

My siblings are entertaining to watch though I do admit we get on each others' nerves sometimes. Zeltzin is my sister and she's sweet and delicate like a flower but she also packs a mean bite when she can catch me unaware. She likes instigating trouble and I never mind finishing it, even if that means I'm the one who gets caught. I know I'll just have to get better at not getting caught. My brother Amoxtli is more tolerable but that's probably because he's more quiet. Like all older brothers, I'm guessing, he thinks of himself as wise and strong, like he has to shield Zel and I from everything. He threw a fit one time because I stepped on a sharp stone in the den and cut my paw.

Deciding to strike out on my own, I sneak past my siblings while they sleep and step out into the pack lands. I know technically I'm not supposed to be out here for another few weeks but I just want to look around. The moon is high in the sky, lighting my way as I venture further away from the den, wondering what I'll find.