Corsair was swift as a coursing stallion as he thundered across the open plains in pursuit of a squirrel. His paws hit the ground evenly as he closed on it. The wily rodent made a beeline for a river and launched itself into the air, and the Donata faltered. The river was wider than two of him from nose to tail. Short wings patterned like those of a woodpecker unfurled from the squirrel's shoulders, sending it sailing through the air in a slow glide over the leaping waters. Corsair had no such advantages. But it didn't matter. He charged ahead, lifted his torso and jumped, and he was flying, flying like the birds, and his teeth were closing on the squirrel's tail...

And he was suddenly awake. Dark blue eyes blinked away the blurriness of sleep as the young pup yawned and stretched his legs out ahead of him. Legs that were woefully short compared to those of his dream, with paws not yet certain enough of their placement to allow him to run like that. His blunt muzzle searched the ground momentarily for a thread for familiarity, and then he was up on his feet and heading for the den entrance. It was no longer new and exciting to go outside. It was now routine.

Once awash in the watery daylight that was muted by a heavy cover of clouds, Corsair forgot about the dream where he was a tall and lean hunter entirely and focused on the present. Ayla was lounging nearby and he began heading for her, intent on some form of interaction, but then he was distracted by a new sight and instead toddled right past her. He only went a few feet from the den's entrance, which was further than he had gone thus far, but his interest in a cluster of round, yellow-green weeds briefly overrode his fear of punishment.

He craned his neck and sniffed eagerly at the round weeds and smacked his lips thoughtfully at their sweet aroma. He needed only a moment's more investigation before he made like the infant he was and stuffed them in his mouth.