I had been working so hard lately, ever since that day Mum had found me suspended over the edge of the seaside cliff. Before whatever had happened that had made her so stressed, Mum had taken me hunting. Lately she hadn’t been around much, and when she was, I’d mostly steered clear of her, not wanting to bother her. So I’d been training alone – stalking small prey and bugs and even birds. Someday I was going to be the best hunter Moladion had ever seen, and surely I was now well on my way! I’d been sort of nervous when Mom told us we were going to go meet our father. His name was Sleekwing and he was Mom’s imprint. That was all I really knew about him, other than that he lived in the mountain pack of Spirane and I guess it was important for us to learn about that part of ourselves. The night before we were to go, I quietly wondered to myself what he would be like. I hoped he knew a thing or two about hunting, so I wouldn’t have to totally give up my training while we were there.

As my siblings roused that morning, I woke easily enough and followed them away from Glorall. The sandy soil turned hard beneath my paws, and I started to feel a bit nervous about this whole business. I glanced at my brother, brows furrowing slightly; Los could be such a bully sometimes, but I still loved him despite how much he could frustrate me. My bright emerald eyes, pupil’s ringed in turquoise, swung to my sister Mana. She and Los got along so well sometimes, chasing each other around and fighting and knocking each other down. I thought the whole idea of play fighting was quite boring. I’d much rather chase down prey than my siblings. Even so, Los still managed to knock me around from time to time.

My nerves kept me quiet enough on the journey north, and I jogged along easily in my mother’s wake. I tried my best to follow my mom’s instructions, making my stride as long as I could so that I stepped in the paw prints she left in the summer soil. When we started making our way uphill, I lost interest in trying to do that, instead focusing on the climb. I hadn’t really thought about how far we were from home, and when I glanced over my shoulder I realized the ocean was nowhere in sight. I couldn’t hear the waves or smell the salt. Instead I heard the song of mountain birds and smelled the sharp scent of pine trees. Charcoal shaded ears pricked forward with interest, and eyes lined in white did their best to take in all the sights as we came to a stop upon the edges of this new place.

Even though my paws were sore and my legs tired from the trip, I could hardly be asked to sit down right now! There was so much to see! Maybe there really was something about this place that could be considered hallowed, some reason for all the hype. Ears flitted to and fro, eyes venturing over every inch of land before us. My excitement had distracted me from Mom, and so when she moved to groom me I grimaced and looked up to her with a little attitude. I wrinkled my nose and she began grooming Mana, and then I went back to taking in all the awesome sights to be seen.