The world was a strange place. Until very recently, he hadn’t even known it existed; Well, he hadn’t known anything at all. Since then, the Lion-pup had made a point of learning everything. It was hard at first, when everything was dark, and all he knew was his mother’s warmth and the wiggling of the others around him; Others like me? He’d wonder now and then, but only briefly, before hunger or tiredness overcame his curiosity.

Things became more interesting when his eyes opened. Though at first, everything was blurry, there was still plenty of new impressions. He got to know colors, specifically those marking his mother and siblings, and, most notably, the existence of darkness and light. He was fascinated by that brilliant glow, always coming from the same corner of their home, and making shapes and colors clearer to his weak eyes. He wanted to explore it, but any attempt was always stopped before he could learn anything.

It was infuriating, but he was left to explore what he could, within the confines of his dark home. His nose helped, growing sharper every day. By now, he recognized the three distinct scents of his little family, as well as a few who stopped by a lot. As his eyes got better though, he continued to be drawn to the light.

And now, something new was adding to his awareness of the world: sound. He was starting to hear the stirring of his siblings, and so he heard when the smaller one moved away and turned his head to see her stagger towards the light. At first, he lay still, waiting for her to be stopped, as he had so many times before. But then, suddenly, she just disappeared into the glow, now large shadow appearing to bring her back. A bark escaped the lad in surprise, and outrage brought him to his own, oversized paws, shuffling after her as fast as he could. If she was gonna see the rest of the world, so would he!

The light was blindingly bright, stunning the boy in place as soon as he exited the den. He had to close his eyes, stumbling backwards and planting his rear in the dust with an audible thump. At the same time, the third sibling appeared by his side, similarly overcome with the light. His sneeze rang loudly in Leo’s sensitive ears, making them ache and he shook his head in discomfort hunching his shoulders for a moment until the pain cleared.

Now his eyes had adjusted to the light, and he could start to see the world unfolding around him. The youngest of their group was already out ahead, exploring, and Leo was eager to follow, but just then, a shadow appeared in his vision. Fear was not something the pups had known much of in their short life, but it was a natural response to the unknown, especially something so big and dark. Unsure how to react to this new feeling, Leo stayed where he was, ready to retract into the safety of the den, if need be. But for now his curiosity was stronger, and he watched cautiously as the stranger approached.

Recognizing a wolf, if not one of the ones who would come into the den, he relaxed a little, and even more so when the dark form lowered itself to the ground, speaking softly. It didn’t seem that dangerous after all. It seemed his sister agreed, as she approached the newcomer happily, wagging her tail and calling shrilly. Leo on the other hand remained tentative, studying the adult from where he sat, head tilting and brows furrowing. It was the first time he had seen another wolf properly, in daylight, and it was quite fascinating.