‘Yes, today is about learning my darling’ That was all the explanation that was given him. And so they had started to travel, with Tiresias’ whines and cries of terror providing their musical entertainment along the way. Tiresias swung and struggled against Eerie’s jaws. The normal calm that came over pups when scruffed never hit him, never eased his horror at his lack of senses, and he did not quiet until at last his paws were once more upon the ground. Even then, the kalak pup shook and quivered, not sure of where he was, what direction was home… it was utterly disorienting and confusing, and it made Tiresias feel nauseous. His stomach twirled and turned and once, he retched, but nothing came up. Instead, his maw filled with acidic saliva which started to drool from between his kissers. A small pink tongue ran out to clean it off before he shook himself out and then moved to Eerie’s side.

‘It’s okay darling, you’re okay. I promise I’ll keep you safe and keep on the right path.’ Words were one thing, but actions were another. Tiresias did not even know where the path was… were there paths out in the world? Or did wolves as a whole pick their own way instead of following the herd paths laid out for them by herds of prey. He had so many questions, mainly because it was impossible for him to comprehend just how big the world was, but he was starting to understand. He had travelled so long and far in her grasp, apparently away from the pack, longer than he travelled across the pack by himself and Eerie moved quicker than he did. How big was the world? Or rather, how big was Blossom Forest?

Suddenly, once more the world shifted as the limb that he had leaned against moved and Tiresias ran forward to keep up, but only succeeded in running into the back of her limb. Not a word came from his mouth, only a whine as he kept moving until he fell into pace with her, staying just to the side of her enough that their hairs touched and he could feel her motions – the way she would move, how she moved, where she moved. When she picked up her limb higher than normal, Tiresias would jump to avoid whatever obstacle was in her way. But so focused was he on the motion of her that when she spoke, he jumped anyway. ‘You can probably scent everything out here, but I want you to focus on the very distinct scents that are unique to the path you are traveling. Cold Summers smells like Cincinnatus and is more grassy; it’s a flat land. Where we are right now is surrounded by trees, each of them smelling slightly different based on their type. The ground isn’t just grass, but has other textures from the pine needles, twigs, and leaves covering it.’

Tiresias nodded but then squeaked and jumped backward as prickly, scented things pushed their way at his nose. ‘Those were pine needles, it’s not as soft as grass.’ Before Tiresias could react, Eerie was moving again. ‘Just try to focus on the scents that are constant, versus those that change. You may smell other wolves who’ve traveled through here recently. It’s little things like that, that will help you to know where you are.’ Tiresias opened his mouth to reply but then shut it. Tiresias had so many questions, too many questions. What were trees? Did they have them in Cold Summers? What were twigs? At least he knew what leaves were – he had experienced all sorts of leaves in Cold Summers, a variety of them based on what type of plant it was – some were soft, some were prickly, some were large and some were small.

Hours passed and Tiresias spent it trying to figure out what she meant. Each time he breathed he inhaled sharply, tasting the air and everything on it. Part of him wanted to wander off and to follow each of the scents individually so that he could figure out where each came from. He wanted to discover the trees and the plants and the flowers, but his fear of getting lost from Eerie kept him from doing what he wanted to do. And instead, he followed her. Each perfume bombarding him on top of the previous one. But suddenly, she stopped him. Tiresias peered up with her. ‘I want you to tell what feels different about the ground and how the air tastes. Describe it as best you can.’ All of this had overwhelmed him and it took him a moment to realize just what she had asked. “I don’t know words to describe it.” He coughed and turned his nose frontward to inhale deeply again. His answer had been a copout and he knew it. “There’s… there is more of a breeze than before, it is steadier. It smells fresher… and there is no floral scents. The… the ground is softer. There is nothing hard and it moves apart when I walk onto it. It sounds soft… but rough. It rustles… like leaves but not. And… it is open. I don’t know what that means but it is open.”