To put it plainly, I had been grounded for what seemed like months. Of course, Mom hadn't put it that way. After all, it wasn't my fault that that big rotten mutt had crossed into Spirane unnoticed to attack me and Sam. But even though I was almost a year old I was still kept under the very watchful eye of my mother. I was more mad at that stupid boy for making it so difficult for me to have any real adventures than the bruises he'd given me that had taken weeks to go away. It was only when winter's first snowfall arrived that I noticed I wasn't sore anymore when Visenya, Sansa and I were rough housing. Every day Mom got a little more lenient about where we could go without one of our elder siblings tagging along. When spring came, there would be nothing she could do to contain me. I would be a yearling, after all, and that meant I could begin my training to become a warrioress. And once I was Warrior Princess Nymeria, there would be no more pupsitting me!

As usual, Mom was long gone by the time any of us woke up. For a while during autumn I would try to wake up early and follow her, but after the incident there wasn't even any debate about it. And what could I say, sleeping in did have its perks. I was wrapped up with my sisters, my back curled into Visenya's belly and my nose buried under the fluff of Sansa's tail, when my ears tilted back at the sound of Kalseru calling our names. I immediately dislodged myself from my littermates, standing up and all at once ready to face the day. Adventure awaited! Why else would our big sister come looking for us before we were up?

Climbing over Visenya, I was first out of the den and immediately tromped across the snow to where Kal lay in waiting. A big smile crossed my face as I was about to greet her, and then suddenly my maw parted in a huge yawn because, well, it wasn't like I'd given my body that chance to fully wake up before I'd made a beeline for the exit. "Mo-oooo-rning, Kal!" I said, the yawn unexpectedly lengthening the word. I trotted over to her then, moving to her side and promptly placing my forepaws on her withers so that I felt tall for the time being. Looking down at her from orange rimmed mahogany eyes with a glint of daring in them I asked, "What's on the agenda, sis?"