Before the day when she had been invited outside, not once had Belladonna contemplated going out into the world beyond the den. That was not to say that it had not fascinated her, as it fascinated her today; the child had spent hours upon hours listening to the sounds on the wind, to the rain, to the creatures which lived out there, somewhere, making their faint cries in the night. Her world had been a mystical one, and yet she had never wanted to set foot into that land of wonderful noises.

Everything had changed on that day. Suddenly, the world was not simply something to be heard, but experienced in a whole new way. Her sense of security when inside the den was effortlessly carried over to the mouth of the den, then the patch of dirt outside it, and... onwards, indefinitely. That first time she had stood in the open air, she had felt like a tiny creature in a place too huge to fathom, but not once had she felt afraid. She was meant to be here.

From that day, she had looked forward to her brief moments of freedom with an insatiable passion. The only thing which truly sated her was the sound of rain, which caressed her to sleep.

It was not raining this morning, but, just from watching the early morning sunlight which danced at the entrance of their den, she knew it was cloudy. The promise of rain hung heavily, a terrible tease, and she sorely wanted to be out there when it started. She had not yet stood in the rain, and she wanted nothing else so strongly. Restlessly she wriggled about, a tiny paw stretching forwards to press on her mother's nose. Datura was not here today - he was with Ava, she thought, not that Belladonna minded his absence. She liked it when it was just her and her mother.

Wide awake, she stared at the huge, sleeping white face for a few moments longer, in a childish awe, before her impatience got to her. It was going to rain! With a giggled growl, she began to chew on Athena's bottom lip, her hind legs coming about to kick at the large white cheek.

Despite her extreme youth, and the way in which that was supposed to render her greatly in tune with adults, Belladonna had never been able to read her mother nearly as well as she did the shadow of clouds. As such, it took her entirely by surprised when it turned out that the massive white lump she so loved had been awake the whole time, and her soft giggles erupted into a squeal of delight as her mother tugged her close.

She did not fight when she was rolled on top, too caught up with childish amusement, and squealed again as her ear was taken hostage - the indignity! Determined to get her own back (despite the fact that she started it) she tried to wrestle her ear free in order to launch a proper assault, aiming to gnaw uselessly but enthusiastically at her mother's throat - never let it be said her instincts ever failed her.

Had her hunting instincts been better developed, Bella may have realised that laughter was not quite what one aimed for when maiming a throat, but everything was in the spirit of play. Everything was play at her age. She giggled light-headedly through the fur in her mouth, jerking her head once to no avail before letting go and squealing her indigence at her ear being taken captive. She struggled for a few moments, but then her mother relaxed and let go.

Immediately curious by the change, Bella calmed and lifted her head to stare at the white face she loved so much, her forelegs flopping down either side of her mother's neck as she rested high on Athena's chest.

She was too young to really grasp the words, but she adored the voice anyway, and the sentiment of love was difficult to miss. "Mmmmrrmmm," she mumbled in return, reaching her head forward to touch her tiny nose to her mother's. She could never forget, and she would always love.