"THOR!" I exclaim, peeking around the edge of the den I share with my parents and brother, glowering when I do not see him. Again, he has taken off without me. AGAIN! Hadn't I begun to show him that I was brave? That I wasn't afraid of going places? Well, as long as they were within Glorall, but I had plans to visit Diveen soon. It was north I think, along the coast. I don't know, I would find it though and leave a trail of breadcrumbs to find my way back home. What would he say then, if I am the first to venture out to another pack? The idea sends elation through me along with the appropriate mix of terror. Mother had become overly protective lately, stating something about puppies disappearing, and her belly was growing BIG. I was afraid, at first, to ask if she was fat. I still loved her if she was. She ate a lot so I figured, hey, that has to be the reason, and then she sat me and Thor down and told us the truth. There were PUPPIES in there.

I was excited. I was sad. I understood, then, the reason my sister had stared at me with glittering eyes. She had felt lost because I had taken mommy away. Yet I was sure mommy was still there for her and she would be for me, so I smiled and yipped and told her that I wanted to name one. I don't know what though, I would have to work on that.

"Fine," I grouse to myself, secretly smiling when I step out of the den and trot away. It had been so hard at first to do this, to leave this clearing, but I did it anyways. I even ventured in the direction of the river that bled out into the sea, a scary place because Thor had almost drowned. I had saved him but I chose to keep it all from mommy and daddy. I was terrified they would be mad at him and me. I pause along my drifting, tail lifting and nose twitching as I spy movement. A rabbit, a dusky gray, lifts it's head and pauses before lifting up to make sure that it was really seeing a wolf.

I blink at it before bending down, butt in the air, and then I yip and race at it. Hunting skills are learned, you know, and I pick up speed as it dashes away from me until I am fairly gasping for breath. I roll to a stop in the snow, tumbling end over end with a gleeful laugh that cuts off abruptly when I see the figure of a boy sitting closer to the beach and peering out. I had never seen him before and it piques my curiosity. I leap up, tail pressing back into my legs because I felt a moment of embarrassment to be caught acting so silly, and I step out a bit closer. "H-hello?" My voice is soft and inquiring, trying to figure out if he minds seeing me or if he will snap on me and tell me to go away. Not all were nice - I had learned this from the butterfly hunt and from that girl, Keturah, sister of Abel.