Rain.

The coming not-quite-storm called to me, beckoning me from the protective shade I had been hiding from the hot summer sun within for the better part of the afternoon. But rain was coming with the evening clouds. I could feel it in my bones. And it called me out, that light buzzing in the air of what was to come. When the precipitation did arrive, it wasn't a calamitous event. There was no lightning or thunder. Just a gentle breeze and a light rain, but I loved every moment of it. I found myself standing atop a small knoll a ways away from our family den, and I stretched my nose towards the sky and breathed in the weather. The light rain slowly accumulated into a dampness on my face, and droplets began to form at the tips of the dark fur along my back. I soaked it in - literally and figuratively. I listened to the way the mountain sang at the relief of even such light moisture.

My dark ears were tilted back, keeping the water from running inside where the fur was lighter. So I heard Vhagar coming before she ever called out to me, and I could tell from the cadence of her stride that she was excited about something. Wasn't she always? A smile crept across my face as I opened my eyes to the darkening sky, my tail beginning to wag back and forth, my sister's excitement starting to infect me before I had even laid eyes on her. But when she barked out to me I whirled to face her atop the knoll. As she raced towards me, I dropped down into a play bow, thrusting my hindquarters skyward. My tail waved above me in the air, and I barked out a happy greeting to her.

Vhagar began to dance around me, circling and prancing and practically vibrating with excitement. This was new, this was different to be sure! I hopped back up to a standing position, my tail waving above my back happily. "Out with it then!" I laughed in reply to her repetitive exclamations. And then all at once her posture mimicked what mine had been only moments before, and her news came tumbling forth all at once. A squirrel, a game with Myrcella, a victory, and a plan! I smiled happily at my exuberant sister, her joy as infectious as it had been since our birth. She was my best friend, and I fed eagerly off of her energy.

"That's freaking awesome, sis!" I bounced momentarily back and forth upon my front paws, then suddenly reached forward with one set of red-dipped toes to bop my sister playfully on the snout. "Good work!" I praised her, truly proud that she'd won such a cool opportunity for us and the other fledges of the pack. Whereas Vhagar had been working on her hunting skills a fair bit on her own, I felt unsure about the whole thing. Could I kill? I knew that it was all part of the balance of our home, the circle of life, but I sometimes felt such a harmony with the mountain that it was hard to fully grasp the idea of taking from her, spilling blood upon her soil. I hadn't found my inner fierceness yet, discovered my place in the balance. For now, though, there wasn't time to worry about such things. The high that my sister felt in these moments bled across into me, and all I could feel was happiness and excitement.