Through her comments about my family, I began to suspect that she was a very ‘high and mighty’ sort of wolf. Of course, she would be with her supreme looks. She was probably treated like a princess in her pack. Despite being mildly insulted by her comment, I give her facetious question a kind huff of amusement. My life was ruled by my intrinsic need to find myself and I hadn’t been fulfilled living with my family. But she did hold a point; having that social network intact was a powerful thing. I had felt the effects of a poor one when I first arrived here! Those cannibals had sent me into hiding all spring and summer and it was fall before I dared to venture out again.

Eagerly, I nodded to her judgement of the island, trusting her input more than mine. I clearly needed my brains rearranged around fur care! When she began forwards, my paws followed and I smoothly glided out into the water. I loved swimming! In the tundra, we often had to swim between patches of ice in fall and spring. As such, I was very apt at it. I felt the warmth of a content smile mirroring the state of my mind as my legs kicked out under me.

The fish were curious and they weaved around my legs and their fins tickled my toes. I giggled, and then gasped in astonishment at my companion’s shout. My vivid pink eyes sparked with distress as I flailed my paws in surprise for half a moment and asked her, “What?! Feel what?” But then I regained my wits and saw the silver shapes fleeing her panicked kicks.

“Ooh!” I exclaimed in understanding and recuperated a steady rhythm of cycling limbs through the water as I continued, “Yes! Yes I feel that. Those are fish. They live in the water, but don’t worry! They don’t bite and in fact, they aren’t terribly bright. They are edible, you see, but they rashly wonder close. My acquaintance, Fritto taught me how to hunt them; he’s very obsessed with them.”

I hoped my cheerful tones and chatter would calm her. The island wasn’t far away now! It would only be a minute or so until we could get our paws on the sand and trot up to the shoreline.