The world was bright, beautiful, and strange. He'd been born into it, thrust into it from a warm place that remained only as a fleeting memory. Zion blinked in the brightness of the morning light that bathed his grey pelt in a warm glow. His nose sticking out of the den, he wondered how much trouble he'd be in if he placed his paws over the threshold. With a furtive glance over his shoulder, the pup threw caution to the wind and stepped out onto the sandy soil. The sea breeze ruffled his fur, and the scent of salt was pervasive on the air. His ears pricked, swiveling atop his head to catch every sound, as his flecked eyes moved to see every sight. There was so much to see, so much to do, and he could experience it all.
On unsteady paws, he walked forward, the grass brushing up against his stomach. He wanted to see the ocean! Resolutely, he began to clamber up a hill, following the scent of the sea breeze. It was hard work, leaving him huffing and panting, but eventually he reached the top-- though the sea was nowhere in sight. Zion looked back towards the den, wondering if his mother or any of his siblings would follow him. They were all very different, but he was the only one who was normal. Even Mother wasn't normal. Badar didn't speak like Mother did, and Eira was all itchy. Eva was slower and couldn't hear him when he spoke. He wasn't sure how to feel about it. Was he better than them because he didn't have anything wrong? Was that how the world worked?
Zion hummed thoughtfully as he looked over the vast expanse of the world before him, but he didn't make his way down the hill quite yet. Admittedly, he was a little nervous that he would get lost, but he was starting to grow bored of being inside the den when there was just so much else out there to experience. There was a chirp of birds in the distance and he craned his neck upwards, trying to see if he could spot them. In a way, he felt pity... for who didn't want to experience the world fully? All the sights and sounds, the conversations to be had. He could do it all.