At first, I hadn't noticed and I guess it really didn't matter, but the wolfess sitting before me was young. Maybe even the same age as me or younger. How strange I didn't notice. While the silence stretched between us, I pondered what had made her seem so grown up. Perhaps it was her size. Having been the runt of my litter, I have always been on the small side. Athena took all the food and grew to be larger beast, whereas I was left to grow into the small, but still beautiful, whelp that I am. No matter. You didn't need size to be intimidating and soon I would show the world that I am just as powerful as I am pretty.

A voice brought me back to the here and now and I realized the pup before me had spoken. Shaking my head slightly, I brought back my full attention and focused on the conversation at hand. Or lack there of. She was not much of a talker and I realized she didn't give me a name. Right... well how was I supposed to address her? At least she had answered my other questions. She was from the valley and came to the forest to hunt. Ugh, the heat of the summer wasn't letting my stomach have much of an appetite. The thought of wasting energy on trying to catch something made me feel exhausted.

"Yeah, today's not a good day at all. Personally, I prefer the winter time. It's cold, pretty, and I just blending so perfectly with the snow. All this green and brown makes me stand out like a sore paw." Feeling a bit more comfortable with the situation, I moved a bit closer and laid down next to her, sharing the same shade from the tall tree we rested under. For a moment, the only sound between us was the bubbling of the pathetic stream close by.

Returning my attention back to my newfound comrade, I looked at her eyes and once again found myself mystified by their beauty. I had to give a name to this pretty girl next to me and I think I finally found what to call her, at least, until she gave me her name. "Opal. I think I'll call you Opal. You know, because of your eyes. They are quite lovely. Have you taken a look at them?" It sounded like a strange question to ask, but you would be surprised how many wolves hardly look at themselves in the water. Eyes were always so pretty. And Opal's eyes were some of the prettiest I've seen yet.