I almost lit up like the sun when I saw Shiloh grin after Nogitsune nipped at her paw. This was so much more fun than playing alone. If this was what it was like to have friends I never wanted to be alone again! I knew I was going to have to say goodbye to Nogitsune and Shiloh eventually. They'd go back to their packs and i'd be left alone again. It would be sad, but I knew i'd find a way to see them again. Even if they didn't consider me their friend, I considered them mine. We were certainly an odd trio: Nogitsune the innocent one, Shiloh the independent royal, and me.

I couldn't help but giggle as Shiloh puffed her chest out and smiled like i'd always imagined a princess would. She seemed so thrilled and it made me happy to know I had made her feel like that. "I've never met a loner before either," she murmured. My tail swung back and forth, far out of my control. "Now you can say you met a loner and I can say I met a princess," I yipped happily.

I flinched slightly when Shiloh suddenly barked. "Rip them apart!" Her ears flattened and she growled in a show of false anger. "No one will steal from me!" She said while snapping her jaws, her puppy canines flashing. I laughed at her display, how ignorant she was to the life of a loner. Her mind was in a good place, but it would get her killed. "Unfortunately, there are wolves much bigger and stronger than I. Ones willing to kill me just for fun. Of course i'm sure there are pack wolves like that too, but its much more dangerous when you have nobody to look out for you." I said, sounding almost wise. But it quickly faded and I went back to my goofy self.

The small Nogitsune took advantage of my invitation and started to climb over me. He stood on my back with a triumphant smile. I yipped playfully as he jumped back down to the ground and trotted over to Shiloh."I don't want to play in the trees right now," Shiloh responded to Nogitsune's request. The small pup drew his ear back in complaint. I knew then that Shiloh was only toying with the innocent boy's ignorance. She couldn't climb trees, mother was right.

"Lets go swimming! And see who can catch the first fish!" she chirped, trying to draw attention away from the trees. My ears perked forward in interest; I liked swimming. She took off and jumped in with a splash, sending the fish scattering. "Well come on!" she called when she surfaced. I barked, excited. I waited for Nogitsune to enter the water before I followed him in, leaping in just like Shiloh had.

I was underwater again trying to catch a fish, so I missed what Nogitsune said. When I surfaced, unsuccessful, my purple pools landed on the small pup. He was snapping and the water and splashing around. “Can we eat the fish?” he asked curiously making me laugh. "You can eat the fish," I confirmed before diving back in in an attempt to catch a fish. It was deeper where I was, making it not a safe area for Nogitsune, but I wasn't paying attention.

So I didn't notice when the little black pup slipped under the water, going into the deeper end. There was a flash of silver and I snapped my mouth closed, sinking my teeth into the fish. I jumped up with excitement, the fish flailing in my mouth. I barked, muffled by the fish. Suddenly I felt sharp, needle like things sink into my leg. I flinched and pulled my leg up to see what it was, realizing little Nogitsune was hanging on for dear life. I quickly and gently pulled him to the shallow area where he could stand, waiting for him to let go of my leg. I smiled and made sure the fish had stopped struggling before I laid it down in front of the pup, making sure it didn't float off in the river. "You can have it if you want," I offered. I could tell he was hungry. I felt bad for not giving one to Shiloh, but she was older and more capable of catching one that Nogitsune was.