Go figure. I was alone. Again. I batted at a rock with my paw, annoyed. Mana and Los were always off playing together. They liked rolling around in the dirt and biting each other and seeing who was the strongest. I could be strong. I could! I hit the rock with my paw again and it rolled a couple of inches. Jumping to my feet I slapped my paws against the ground and pushed my butt up in the air, challenging the stone to fight back. I gave a little puppy growl and bark, hopping around the rock and swatting at it with my paws. And then I stopped, because, that was really boring. Seriously, what was the big deal with fighting? Oh, it’s so much fun to get dirty and for Los to give me bruises! NOT! I huffed at the rock and then turned my back on it, jogging away.

The world was ever expanding. Each time Mom and Mum brought us out, we got to go a little farther away from the den. Of course whenever they weren’t around or weren’t looking, Mana and Los took off. Once or twice I had tried to follow them, but when they started playing at their games I usually got distracted and wandered off by myself. There were only so many Mana versus Los fights you could watch before it was as utterly boring as fighting with that rock had been. I preferred checking out the cool plants that grew around our den site, or better yet, the feeling of sand between my toes!

I headed for the dunes; the closest ones weren’t far from the den and I wasn’t really sure when Mom was going to be back so I figured I should probably stay close. When I reached the dunes I stopped and curled my toes into the sand. It was so warm! I loved it. The only downside was that it always got stuck in the fur of my paws and it tasted awful to try and lick out. But it was so worth it. Sighing happily, I decided to venture just a bit further today. I could hear the waves breaking on the shore not far away, a sound I had heard every day since the day my ears had opened to the world around me. It wasn’t really something I thought about much. I’d seen the water before, Mom and Mum had brought us near enough to it before. Maybe today I would get a little bit closer.

Walking along, I was just happy to feel the sand between my toes. But as I crested another dune, I looked out beyond and was entranced by the lapping of the water against the sand. Today was my day! Today I would be the adventurer! Feeling a little timid – this was more Mana’s thing, doing things Mom said not to – I walked down towards the beach. It felt different here, the sand; it no longer softly slid between my toes. Now I walked easily on top of it! My puppy legs were still a little wobbly, especially now that I was so nervous. But what was there to be nervous about! I spotted a small rock up ahead, one that the water didn’t quite reach each time it crept up the sands. Perfect! I tried to reassure myself that this was ok, that I was just as brave and strong as my siblings, and with that tiny bit of extra confidence I hopped up on the rock. Cool! I did it! Oh you could see everything from two inches higher off the ground! This would prove to Mum that I was just as strong as Mana, maybe even Los!