You couldn’t tell just by looking at him, but the little lion-pup was bursting with excitement! The world was a magnificent place, full of things for him to explore with his newly awakened senses. And now that their mother wasn’t so vigilant about keeping the pups in the den, Leo took every opportunity to go out.

 

Today, he’d headed in the direction the adults usually came from, the shrubbery full of their mingled scents. He enjoyed following scents, trying to differentiate them from one another, but it was hard when they were all mixed together like this, one on top of the other, on top of the other… The best he could do was just ’pack’ a mingling of a hundred separate notes, but all of them filling him with a warm sense of familiarity.

 

So enthralled was he with what his nose told him, that he forgot to pay attention to his other senses – a frequent problem for the curious pup. And so, he didn’t notice at first, when the ground started sloping and the shrubbery thinned. Only when he was suddenly out in the open, did the new rush of sensation bring his attention to the landscape before him.

 

Leo stood, stunned, sizable paws absently kneading at the pebbles which had replaced the soft forest floor. Although his vision was still a bit blurry when it came to distance, the little wolf could tell that what lay before him was a grand sight, the rippling surface stretching towards the horizon, shimmering brilliant blue under the sun. His nose told him it was water, but he had never imagined there could be so much of it in the world. All he could do was stare in awe.

”Speech" Thoughts

 

He was mesmerized! The brilliant blue shimmered endlessly, holding his attention so fully that he didn’t even notice the other pup’s arrival. Leo was entirely in his own world, until she brushed against him, and he jolted violently, all of his hairs standing on end with fright. Wide eyes turned on Kateri, just as she looked out at the lake, his little ears flattening back for a moment before they rose again, as he recognized his older sister.

 

“Kati,” He mumbled, quickly washing the startled expression from his features, as his own tail began to wag. At her question, Leo looked back out over the vast blueness, shaking his head in dismay as he had to admit: “Dunno.” He hated that, not knowing and having to acknowledge as much. So, with great determination, he rose on his stubby legs, wobbling only a little as he started to walk down the slope to investigate.

 

Having her there made him extra brave, eager to cover up his initial startle, and perhaps to show off a little bit too. He shuffled down to the water’s edge, carefully lowering his muzzle to sniff at the surface. It did smell just like water, and up close, it looked like the puddles he’d seen before. Very cautiously, the curious pup lowered his nose towards the surface, only, right as his nose touched, he lost his balance a little, resulting in his entire face plunging into the icy water.

 

He would have shrieked at the cold and wet, only when he opened his mouth, it filled with liquid, and all he could do was sputter, as he leaned back, managing to free himself from the freezing depths. Still spitting water, Leo scrambled backwards, not intending on stopping until he was well away from the shore.

”Speech" Thoughts