Ever since I had returned from the mountains of Spirane, I had begun to feel a bit restless. As it turned out, on all three sides of my family I came from strength and power and influence. Each of my parents held a notable rank within their respective packs, and they were from families renowned throughout Moladion. All my life I had felt as if I came up short in my siblings’ shadows, but over the past few seasons I thought maybe I had finally found my calling, my way to prove my worth. As it turned out, these long legs of mine that I was finally starting to grow into did more for me than add to my femininity. I was fast, and the muscle that was beginning to take hold over my hindquarters gave me a pretty impressive launching power. I’d always enjoyed the thrill of the hunt when Mom and Mum took us out as pups and let us watch, and later join in. But earlier in the season I had smelt worms on a fawn that had been separated from its mother, and I’d managed to take it down on my own. Having finally figured out what I was good at, I now harbored an untenable desire to live up to my many faceted family’s reputations, and actually matter.

I jogged through Glorall’s center, stretching my legs. It wasn’t that I was looking for anyone or anything in particular; in fact I was just trotting along because I loved feeling soil or sand moving beneath my paws. But when I caught Mum’s scent on the breeze, I realized just how much I had missed her, and turned towards the river. I broke into a gallop, sprinting towards the fast flowing water. A year ago I probably would have tripped over my own paws and landed face first in the water. But not today. My practice hunts had helped me to master the length of my legs, and just as I reached the banks of the river I launched into the air. Soaring through the air, I landed on the opposite bank, but a single hind foot slipped down the loose silt and splashed into the water. All grace lost, my forelegs scrambled to steady my body, and as I began to lose my balance backwards I lunged forward. Collapsing onto the ground in a heap, I rolled onto my side and gave a disgruntled snort, before leaping to my paws and setting off at a lope in the direction of Mum’s scent, which now mingled with Mana’s as well. I just hoped they weren’t close enough to have gotten a peek at my floundering.

I came dashing up to them on fleet, near silent paws just as Mana dropped to the ground, rubbing against the ground to soak up some scent. I caught her words about wanting to hear more of Mum's stories, and my brows lifted slightly in interest. Slowing my gait, I jogged around Mum and Mana excitably, tail waving happily behind me before I finally came to a stop next to Mana. That was when my nostrils flared and I caught the scent of prey, my ears pricking forward in interest as my eyes darted around, wondering what Mum had managed to take down on her own. It had been quite some time since she’d taken me out on a hunting lesson, but her prowess in the hunt was incomparable.

I greeted Mum first, extending my muzzle forward to lick her just under her jaw in a sign of respect, then playfully batted one of Mana’s dangling paws and gave her a smile, before relaxing into a sitting position beside Mana. I purposefully leaned to the right, doing my best to cover up my damp hind paw so that I wouldn’t have to recount why I had just one wet paw. Mum always could tell when I was lying, so it felt pretty pointless to try to come up with some story. Instead I just smiled and let my tail thump happily against the ground, content to simply be with them. I looked up at Mum expectantly, wondering if she would indulge Mana's desire for stories of her history.