to whom it may concern,

MY BROTHERS RESPONDED QUICKLY TO MY BECKON, THOUGH THEY SEEMED LESS EAGER THAN I TO EXPLORE THE LARGE WORLD OUTSIDE OF OUR DEN. I GUESS I WAS NOT SO SURPRISED. I WAS BORN WITH THEM, AFTER ALL, AND DEEP DOWN I KNEW THE HEARTS OF THEM. ARANCIONE, THE WISE, AND SCIATHAN, THE PROTECTOR. A BRIGHT GRIN FORMED ON MY MAW WHEN I HEARD ARAN’S HIGH PITCHED SQUEAKS. I OBSERVED HIS SCOWL. IT TRULY WASN’T MUCH OF ONE, BUT SINCE HE WAS MY BROTHER I KNEW THE FACE HE WAS TRYING TO MAKE. LAUGHTER FORMED ON MY FACE, BUT NO SOUND RESONATED IN MY THROAT. HE LOOKED SO FUNNY, EVEN THOUGH HE WAS TRYING TO APPEAR DISPLEASED! THE WAY HIS MUZZLE WRINKLE BACKWARDS MADE IT APPEAR AS IF HE WERE GOING TO SNEEZE.

SCIATHAN WAS LESS AWAKE THAN ARAN AND ME. HE WAS A GOOD SLEEPER! SOMETIMES I WANTED TO TRY TICKLING HIS NOSE WHEN HE SLEPT TO SEE IF I COULD GET HIM TO WAKE UP WITH A BIG REACTION LIKE, “THERE’S A SPIDER ON MY NOSE!!!” BUT SO FAR, I HADN’T HAD THE COURAGE TO TRY IT. HE CAME TO SIT BEHIND US. I GAVE HIM AN AFFECTIONATE GLANCE THAT, IN MY IMAGINATION, WOULD HAVE BEEN ACCOMPANIED BY A LOVING PURR.

WITH A CHEERFUL GRIN, I RETURNED MY EYES BACK TO THE BRIGHT WORLD. WITH SURPRISING AGILITY, I JUMPED UP TO MY PAWS WITH WIDE, SURPISED EYES WHEN ARAN STUMBLED AND FELL ONTO HIS BEHIND CLOSE TO ME. WHEN I HAD REALISED WHAT HAD HAPPEN I BUMPED HIM PLAYFULLY WITH MY DELICATE NOSE AND EYED HIM HUMOROUSLY. HOW CLUMSY! BUT AS I LAUGHED SOUNDLESSLY AT HIM, MY HEAVING BREATHS TIPPED ME OVER UNINTENTIONALLY TO MY SIDE.

I ROLLED ONTO MY BELLY. MY EYES WERE WIDE WITH ASTONISHMENT BEFORE I GRINNED AND POUNDED MY PAW LIGHTLY ON THE FLOOR IN A CONTINUOUS MANNER, MAKING FUN OF MY OWN PUPPY FOOLISHNESS. I STOPPED WHEN HE VOICED MY EXACT THOUGHTS ON THE FEATHERED CREATURES SINGING OUTSIDE OF OUR DEN. HE KNEW HOW TO READ ME WELL. HE SEEMED TO HAVE A SIXTH SENSE FOR COMMUNICATION - MAYBE IT WAS BECAUSE HE RECOGNIZED ALL OF MY HABITS AND BODY LANGUAGE. I NODDED ONCE IN DEFINITE AGREEMENT. THE MOTION WAS DEFINED AND ENTHUSIASTIC.

AGAIN, ARAN CONFIRMED MY THOUGHTS, AND I RESTED MY HEAD BRIEFLY AGAINST HIS LEG TO ADMIRE THE YELLOW GLOW OF THE WORLD. THE WORLD OUTSIDE WAS BRIGHT… I WONDERED THEN, WHAT THAT BRIGHTNESS FELT LIKE? A NAUGHTY IDEA ENTERED MY HEAD THEN. MOTHER WAS GONE! AND SHE COULDN’T STOP ME THIS TIME! I FUMBLED TO MY PAWS. IN MY EXCITEMENT, MY TAIL WAVED FURIOUSLY BACK AND FORTH AND MADE MY WHOLE REAR END WRIGGLE TO AND FRO. I LOOKED AT ARAN AND THEN MET SCIATHAN’S EYES WITH A QUICK MISCHIEVOUS GRIN ON MY MAW. THEN I DARTED AS BEST AS PUPPIES COULD DO OUT INTO THE WORLD.

THE LIGHT GLINTED OFF MY GLOSSY FUR AND I IMMEDIATELY FELT THE WARMTH OF THE BRIGHTNESS. MY SKIN ROLLED IN DELIGHT AT THE NEW SOURCE OF HEAT. WHO KNEW THAT MOTHER’S FUR WASN’T THE ONLY SOURCE OF SUCH COMFORT?! I WHIPPED AROUND AND PLAY BOWED AT THE ENTRANCE OF OUR DEN, INVITING MY BROTHERS TO COME OUT TO ROUGHHOUSE WITH ME AND FEEL THE BRIGHT GREEN GRASS UNDER THEIR PAWS. IT FELT TICKLISH TO ME AND MADE ME DANCE BACK AND FORTH ON MY PAWS. THE PLEASANT SHOOSH OF IT MADE ME SQUEAMISH WITH DELIGHT.

sincerely,
apollinari "nari" snow-melt

. 0 yrs .. 31 in .. 112 lbs .. no imprint .. no mate .. no pups .