It had started off like an itch. Subtle at first but slowly, it had begun to grow in intensity. So young, though, she hadn't a clue just what needed to be itched. It was something inside, like some vestigual organ without a name; it had purpose though, but to what extend had yet to make itself known. She recognized it, though. She had to find some way to dig inside herself and scratch it. Who else would do it, otherwise?

She had been watching her brothers when the thought had struck her. Her mother had forced the children to accept the harshness of discipline, intent (it seemed) to ensure they stayed close and quiet. At times, she had lashed out, be it awake or asleep; that had been a curiosity to Eto and so, she had spent much time watching these outbursts. She had tried to subdue them. She had tried to be sweet. Slowly but surely, though, she had come to a simple conclusion: she was not as loved as she could have been. A coldness had spread throughout her, desperate for something she had no control over; could she force somebody to love her? To linger over her like her mother lingered over her brothers? She swore on it, that even when her mother curled around her, she felt only an icy form beside her. In their den, it seemed that nobody was allowed to love anybody else. She hated it. She wanted all the love. She wanted to be fed it until she vomited it back up.

So, the idea had come to her. She had to make it so that she was the only one that could be loved. It made sense to her and so, she had wormed her way towards her brothers in the early morning haze. She had been nearest to Qallupilluk, her pale body beside him as she gnawed momentarily on his ear in order to wake him up; she only wanted one brother today, at least for now. They had to be careful. They had to be quiet. She toyed with him until his eyes spread open, her own meeting his wide and alight with a playful grin.

"Brother, I want to play!" She chortled quietly, having begun to nibble on him once more as she squirmed free from the tangle of her mother's legs. She had been sure to execute her idea only on the morning her mother had fallen into a sleep so very deep, her paws twitching occasionally as she lay over them. It didn't take much effort to be free of her and with a wave of her tail, she had sought to lead her brother to their den's mouth. There, the golden morning light had begun to spread throughout the crags. Long shadows engulfed the world around them and yet, she leapt from the den's mouth without hesitation or consideration. She merely landed with a quiet thud and spun to coax out her brother, her body in a constant fray of swaying and waving. She seemed to bounce even when stationary.

"follow me!" She called back to him when he had emerged, her front half fallen momentarily into a playful bow before she begun to bound off. She'd lead him a short distance away, never far enough for him to become afraid. She lured him into chase, and she'd lead them behind the stones and boulders of the crag.