do wrong but know right

vague about where this takes place in timeline, whatever makes the most sense!

It was incredible how he grew.

She could easier roam with him and he too could travel much further than he ever had before. No longer a little child she could carry by the scruff from place to place. Although he seemed keen to still follow her around all the same. Something she truly appreciated. It had become very hard these last few months to imagine a life without him.

Was this how her own parents had felt?

"Come look!" She prompted as the land opened to reveal the sight of a waterfall. Water was no new sight for either of them, she had constantly kept them close to a source at all times but this was far grander than anything she had kept them by.

And if the landmarks in this place were to be believed, she doubted they were the first creatures to discover this place.

And so I tell myself that I'll be strong

Seri Donata

and dreaming when they're gone

Seri diligently followed his mom. She was all he had known, the one consistency in his life. Even now, he was following her as she promised to show him something new. The call came and his eyes widened, eagerly scrambling after her in the paws he had managed to grow into. His jaw dropped when he saw the waterfall, scrambling to the edge of the pool where it gathered.

“Wow!” The wonder filled his voice as he just took a few moments to appreciate the site in front of him. Water was nothing new, but this was something amazing. He had never seen anything like it. “How does it fall like that?” He asked softly as he turned his gaze back to his mother. “It’s not frozen either.” He stated as he continued to observe his surroundings.

a look in your eyes

like black holes in the skies

"Some water is stronger than others," She started with as she joined him by the pool's edge. "Unable to be frozen fully and strong enough to cut through land. Like the rivers and creeks — although this is stronger than either one of those and it has decided to come down from the mountains into these woods." Her nose traced the lands before them. Pointed towards the mountain slopes before it traced down to their paws.

A smile faint on her features as she looked to Seri then, pride painted clear in her gaze. "What do you think of it?" She wondered what he liked most so far. The river? The forests? This mountain waterfall?

And so I tell myself that I'll be strong

Seri Donata

and dreaming when they're gone

Stronger? How did water be stronger than other water? He supposed it was similar to how some wolves were bigger or smaller than others, right? That had to be it. The water decided? That thought spooked him just a little bit. “Water can think like you and I?” He asked softly, that wonder still hanging carefully as he followed the line of her nose, watching the way it traced the land and following how water might flow through it. He had never thought of water being stronger than land before, because it always seemed contained by it, but clearly that was not the case. Water had the ability to move and travel through land and that had to make it strong.

What did he think of it? “I think it’s amazing.” He stated, his voice filled with awe. “Where does the water come from?” He asked as he looked up, trying to see over the peak of the fall without much success.

a look in your eyes

like black holes in the skies

"I don't know, but I do know that it seems to not care what others think. It always goes its own way." She had never once seen somebody or something change the way waters went. Even when the winter froze surfaces, the truth always seemed to be right below the surface.

She offered a thoughtful hum as her line of sight focused back on the waterfall. As if she too might be able to peer over the top of it and see where it fell from. Alas.

"I suppose we'll have to adventure some more and find out one day, hmm?" She offered with a playful scrunch of her features. It had never bothered her that they adventured to and fro. Admittedly it felt...natural. Perhaps not the safest though and she would need to take that into consideration sooner rather than later.

And so I tell myself that I'll be strong

Seri Donata

and dreaming when they're gone

Water was strong, to be able to not care what others think. “I wanna be like the water, Mama.” He stated matter-of-factly. He wanted to be strong enough to not care what others think… to some extent, he didn’t, but he did care to some extent. It was the nature of a wolf, being such a social creature. He was a naturally social creature. His mom seemed puzzled as well, watching as she looked closely over the top.

The question came and he grinned, nodding. Adventures seemed like fun, and this was one that he wanted to do! “Can we explore it today?” He asked. Curiosity killed the cat, and Seri was no exception. “Can we go on an adventure?” He wanted to see everything the world had to offer, like a curiosity that could not be sated. He had thoroughly explored the territories surrounding their home at this point, but he knew there was more. He knew that there was a lot more.

a look in your eyes

like black holes in the skies

How wonderful a thing to hear, that her son wanted to be like the water. Stronger than the rest with a mind of his own. Whatever complicated feelings she might have tumbled with at the start of her motherhood, washed away entirely when rewarded with moments like this. Her heart grew three sizes with love and pride.

"You will be." Confident certainty as she rewarded him with a brief kiss to his temple.

Ah, but now it seemed time to adventure. She gave a theatric sound of thought as she moved off a few steps away from him. "Tell you what, why don't we finish our adventure around here and see what you think of this place first? Then we can try to find out where the water comes from."

And so I tell myself that I'll be strong

Seri Donata

and dreaming when they're gone

He would be. His mother never lied to him, and in that moment he knew he had the capability to be. He’d be as fast as the water too. He had seen the way it could run, the speed and lack of care in whatever stood in it’s path. It went where it wanted, and it did what he wanted. His eyes closed for a moment as she kissed his temple and he smiled up at her.

He hummed and considered her plan of attack. He nodded. “I like it.” He stated in reference to her plan. “What else is around here besides the water, Mama?” He asked as he started to look around, eagerly sniffing around as he moved and started to sniff. Maybe there was prey and he could show off the technique that he had been practicing…

a look in your eyes

like black holes in the skies

Always eager he was.

"Well, that's what we have to figure out. Why don't you lead the expedition around here, hmm? I'll follow you this time." Perhaps she could help mold him into that water he so wished to be, encourage him to take charge from time to time and instill a deep sense of confidence.

It would also give her time to see what appealed most to him in lands. Maybe...just maybe, she could build a better future for the both of them if she knew what exactly appealed to him the most. She wanted him to have a place that he felt he belonged, that he felt he might own.

Although maybe there was some projection in there as well.

And so I tell myself that I'll be strong

Seri Donata

and dreaming when they're gone

They had to figure it out? That sounded like a mystery. He quite liked mysteries. His ears perked up and his tail wagged back and forth furiously as he led the expedition, starting around the pool as he looked at the local florae. He had learned a thing or two about different plants, more specifically, the prey that seemed to eat those different plants. “I bet we’d be able to find some food around here too, Ma, wouldn’t we?” He asked, eager not only for answers but to make his momma proud.

He started to make his way into the forest surrounding the waterfall, sniffing about as the roar of the water died down. It made it easier to hear the softer movements of nature around him. The water didn’t care, and so it was aggressively free-spirited, but the forest was calmer, simply letting things exist. A strange scent hit his nose. It wasn’t one he recognized. “Momma, I smell something weird.” He whispered softly, hints of hesitance reading on his features as the creature’s scent grew stronger. He could see the triangular face and hints of white against stark black and silvery fur. “What is it?” He whispered again softly.