Sometimes my thoughts would wander to the pups I had birthed, the ones that had lived anyways. Some had ended up in the bellies of predators looking for an easy picking, while the others had been ended by my own jaws. The ones that had lived looked like gods and goddesses in my eyes, whether it was because they were my own children or not. I had only birthed 3 litters but I was certain that some of them were thriving, wherever they were. I look down on Sila, the youth before me was the picture of health, and she might just have passed my inspection if she had been born mine. I had been born unto the tradition; my mother had told me numerous times of how she and my father fought over and devoured my sister like it was a bedtime story. Eating the weak pups of the litter was a norm in my life, but that didn’t mean that I each litter would result in a dead child.

I look at Sila now, wondering what her siblings looked like and if they would have passed my scrutiny as well. I was not as strict with my guidelines. Any pup that was deformed or sick was always killed, no use in investing in a pup that might not even live; but other than that I was kind. The stench of the swamp once more comes to my attention and I begin to worry that the rank odor would stick to my coat even after leaving. But Sila’s sweet child’s voice reaches my ears before it can bother me too much. I give her a small grin before speaking,

"Perhaps it is, I doubt any swamp will find me calling it ’beautiful’… However I am curious to a fault, maybe when you’re older you can take me to see it, if only for a short while.”

My grin grows a little wider and I give her a playful wink. How much older? It didn’t much matter to me. If she wanted to go who was I to tell her no; especially when I was the one to mention it. At the suggestion of doing some exploring, Sila whirls around to face the southern lands before giving me a giddy grin. I run after her when she takes off, easily keeping pace with my long slender legs.

"You have seen almost as little of this land as I have!” I laugh at my comic words before continuing, ”Ah, more lovely than Iromar I bet. So long as those fields are empty of any bogs that is.”

I let the girl lead, following her over obstacles of all sorts. If I had to admit it, it was actually quite fun having someone to run through the forests with. The foul smelling swamp began to dwindle behind us, and I enjoyed being able to fill my lungs with air without being repulsed by the smells that entered my nostrils. But it still lingers in the air like a bad aftertaste in my mouth; only now it is much easier to ignore. The trees that grew tight together now started to disperse, giving me more room to stretch my legs. My pace still matches that of Sila’s as we gallop to the edge of Enocra.

It is here we enter vast fields; the grassland stretches out before us and further south a massive lake is shadowed by mountains that kiss the heavens with their peaks. Sila whirls around to meet my gaze now, and briefly explains what we are seeing. Emerald eyes flick up at the mountains for a moment at the mention of them before I look back at Sila.

"My mountains were not quite as big as yours, though they were impressive as well. I miss them sometimes, but I am not welcome to them anymore.” I turn to look across the fields once more. Sila was right, there was a lot one could see from here.