Through filtered sunlight, Zera toddles from the base of the great oak. She's grown adapt to the way the wind winds around the den at night and the way the sun blares yellow spheres through the leaves. Milky eyes peer through towering grasses, every movement catches her attention. As far as she knows, @Darrah, the near twin, slumbers in the dark of the den. But little Tainn, though readily bold and eager, still finds it hard to face the world alone. She shudders beneath inky fur, slinking back into a patch of thick grass as a murderous crow glides into the oak's branches.

The world is loud with life. Developing ears sense the chirping birds, cradling the cicada orchestra. Somehow yesterday was so bright, the sun shone fiercely through the Bend's great oak -- but today Zera noticed, was dusky blue and the big, open sky filled with tinfoil clouds. She noticed the thick scent of rain, and the muggy weight it carried when she breathed. She wondered where her brother was and glimpsed over her shoulder to the den's entrance. She only saw the empty shadow of oak roots and huffed through her tiny, upturned nose. If her brother wasn't going to enjoy the new scent of muggy air, then she would by herself.

Zera lept right out of her grass shelter into the foggy air. At this age, when she moved it was with all the grace of a bouncy puppy, on near-nimble paws and bounding legs. She crunched through the grass, pausing to discover the veins of a shed leaf or a rigid stick's bark. Zera couldn't help but grab it tight in her jaws, realizing it was just to heavy to carry! She pulled back with all her strength, an attempt to drag the imposing branch back to the den, where she could show it to her mother. But with one last tug, straining every muscle she had in that puppy body, the rotten bark slipped from the wood and she tumbled back, flailing back to her high-grass shelter. Zera whined at the decomposing wood on her tongue and shook her head violently, giving her best effort to get it out of her mouth.

The difference between Zera and Darrah is quite frankly, the amount of prudence . Darrah could easily, naturally find himself enveloped within the warm bounds of obedient good-doing - he fit there right from the start - quite a prudential individual. But Zera's audacious spirit will not stop seeing the world. She just couldn't let the questions and the uniqueness of everything out there keep her from finding it. The consequence of this was no matter, because nobody could stop the aching adventure in its tracks. Except maybe Darrah, who clearly had his way of dealing with it.

Zera continued fighting the horrible taste of rotten old-stick particles, while he made his honorable entrance. She could hear her name on his tongue, figuring mom wasn't too far behind. She grinned excitedly at her new find, hoping Darrah might just accept this one. It was ridiculously heavy and probably too big for the both of them to carry, but she hoped inside that he would try to help drag it back to the den. She was proud, even if he wasn't.

She believed it would be an honorable deed, perhaps she thought it may give back some sort of appreciation to their protecting mother. A suck-up for any adventures to come... But nonetheless, Zera still wanted to see her mother's smile at the fun adventure this was becoming.

Zera peered disappointingly at Darrah's scolding remark, slightly in fear of what he might say to mom back in the den. "Yuhs, yuhs, yuhs," she mocked back, too almost completely estranging the pronunciation.