The original intention of my wandering into the caves was long forgotten. Sure, to explore the workings of the system of caverns would have had the potential of coming in handy some day. But the slight delay I had taken to enjoy swimming in the fresh, cool waters of this particular alcove had brought Aithne and me together. It was a strange phenomenon, how one conversation could mold a lasting impression of one’s character. Not to mention how we had so easily formed a relationship. Not only did I like Aithne, I knew that she could open so many more doors for me to learn about the world. And I could do the same for her. Her keen interest in my home and my own in hers prompted reciprocal invitations, and I looked forward to the day I might show her to boundless ocean and she might teach me how to kill an alligator. Always learning, at every opportunity; it was the only way to grow.

She asked that I elaborate upon my story of the King and the Whale, and I was more than happy to do so. “A whale is bigger than any prey you have ever seen. Many times larger than a moose, it has smooth skin of black and white – or grayish blue. They could consume an entire wolf in a single bite. They swim in their own sort of pack – the word for it is a pod, though. I saw them once, just off the southern point of Glorall, chasing a seal. It was incredible.” The similarities between how they hunted in the water and how our lupine packs hunted on land were astounding. They had flanked the seal and chased it to a point where he could no longer escape, then grabbed him and tossed him in the air before ripping him apart. It had been glorious and tragic. “As for the King, he was actually on the beach at the time. There is an area where just beyond the shore the water drops off so deep that the whales can get close to shore. It slid up onto the beach and snatched him, dragging him back into the depths with him.”

Practice and precision, she tells me. Well, practice was a way of learning, of honing one’s abilities to perfection. There were some wolves that held a disdain for repeating things over and over again for the simple task of learning. But I was not one of those wolves. Maybe I could practice on some smaller lizard at home so that when the time came that Aithne would teach me I might have a better chance of doing well.

Thinking about home, I glanced up at the fissure in the cave’s ceiling and realized the light was fast fading. Daylight was dwindling, and though I knew I could easily track my way back out of the caves by following our scents back to the entrance, it was probably time for me to be heading home anyways. Rising to my paws, I turned to my newfound friend. “Would you care to walk with me? It is past time I return home.” I was no youngwolf with a curfew to follow, but I did rather prefer to rest my head in the sandy dunes of my home rather than upon the cold stone of these caverns. Whether she intended to join me or not I said, “I look forward to learning how to catch an alligator, and to teaching you how to crack a crab. Maybe we’ll even get lucky and the whales will be around for you to see.” Their migrations usually brought them to our shores early in winter and late in spring. And then, with or without her, I would turn towards the cave’s entrance and beginning making my way back to ground level.