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Hooves made excessive noise as the family began their journey. Hemming still didn’t know exactly where they were going, but the thought of something new was exciting and so he was happy to go. Their mother set a hard and quick pace for them, especially with their sister taking longer than most. Hemming wished that there was more he could do to help Valencia, but what could he do to help his blind sister? Brynjar had taken it upon himself to be her guide essentially. He was almost always by her side, making sure that she did not get lost or get herslf hurt with her lacking vision. Besides, Hemming had become so focused and caught up in pleasing Helheim, to do everything she wanted exactly as she said it, that he often forgot about all of his siblings, not just Valencia. Some days he felt worse than others, wishing he could just forget about his mother and stay with his sister and brothers. But there was something deep within him that yearned to please their mother. Maybe it was because they didn’t know their father and so he wanted to show that he could be the strong male figure that was lacking. Whatever it was, he had been trying his best to be noticed by Helheim, to show her that he was worthy.
But despite all the thoughts to prove himself, he was still a pup and would get distracted as any other pup would. Many times Brynjar was busy with Valencia, so Hjalmar and Hemming would race and fight and play. They would see who could get somewhere fastest, who could run ahead the furthest before Helheim snapped at them. They were still in competition to see who would catch their first piece of prey. So far neither of them had been successful there. But Hemming had been the first to make a friend outside of their family, so he considered himself winning their competition of life. He wondered if where they were going was somewhere near the pack that Giaza talked about. How cool would it be if the two ended up packmates? Then it would be much easier for them to hang out again. Even though he had only spent one day with the other cadejo, he had grown fond of her and hoped to see her again. He loved his brothers and sister, but having a friend outside of the family was fun and exciting. And since she looked just like him they could go climbing together. He remembered fondly how they had discovered together that their hooves allowed them to be excellent climbers. And he couldn’t wait for their next adventure together.
Focusing back on the present, Hemming nipped at his brother and urged him to run, chasing him with a laugh through the grass. His hooves stumbled a little on some of the slippery ground that didn’t give him much traction, but he managed not to fall. After traveling for what felt like forever, they finally made it to the pack border. Helheim had stopped them from crossing into the pack uninvited. They may not have been born into a pack, but their mother made sure that they knew the rules and how to behave. Hemming knew that if he wanted her to be proud of him and not embarrass her that he would need to be on his best behavior. Hooves clacking more quietly on the grass, he walked to be by her side. His striped body sat down beside Helheim, holding his horned cranium held high as his horizontal pupils looked around to see who would approach them.
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**Hemming**Male Cadejo**Pup**Son of Siku and Helheim**Brother to Hjalmar, Valencia, and Brynjar**Violet
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