Easy does it, little one

Walk | Talk | Think

The tiny blue pup grinned outright with an excited wag of her tail as her father leaned in close to nuzzle her head, her whole body wriggling with the effort. Being so keenly attuned to a naturalistic way of communicating, she sought every nuzzle and kiss that she could get, understanding innately that they meant she was loved. The words might have gone right over her head and passed her ears without comprehension, but there was no way to deny these physical acts of affection. She leaned into his touch and beamed as he pulled away, her tail still wagging as she watched him closely.

Unsurprisingly, his mouth moved. That always seemed to happen when the grown ups looked at her that way, and as usual the movement was accompanied by a muffled, incoherent noise. It must have been coming from him, and from the look on his face she had to assume it meant something, but whatever that meaning was remained lost to her. Still, she watched expectantly, wanting to know, feeling as if she was the only one in the world who could not share in on this singular act that everyone else appeared to grasp so easily. Her excited expression turned serious as her attention became more focused, but try as she might the words were incomprehensible to her.

At one point Glacier's attention shifted from her and over to the ocean water beside them, and following his gaze Aurora stared at the water too. What did he see that she could not? What was so interesting about this still water compared to the rolling, dancing waves that repeatedly splashed on the main section of their beach? As the single word he exclaimed - There! - registered for the first time in her mind, not perfect but clear enough, she spotted the fish as it bashfully swam away. Fish! He was pointing at the fish! She had seen them occasionally in the shallow rivers of the prairie, but those ones had been so tiny and so quick that they had always very easily evaded her and Ray. She scooted a little closer and wiggled in place, her golden eyes searching for where the underwater creature had disappeared to.

They both waited, and another returned. This time, however, before Rory could signal to her father that she had seen it this time, his paw shot out, plunging into the water and emerging with the fish in tow. She yipped in a combination of surprise and excitement, and springing to her feet she danced quickly away to ensure the now beached creature did not get close enough to touch her. But she was far too curious to stay gone long, and quickly she stepped in close again as her father pinned the squirming fish to the rock on which they stood. Her bright eyes were wide and her expression awestruck as she watched the fish struggle beneath her father's paw, and she jumped as the bite he made to the creature caused it to fall still.

Was it done moving now, or was it just pretending until she got close the way Ray would sometimes do? She could smell the exposed meat and licked at her lips as she caught her father's gesture. Emboldened by the fact he still held the fish, and clearly prepared to leap back should the fish move unexpectedly, Aurora crept in close to steal a quick bite. It was different, unlike the meats her mother and father had exposed her to before, but it was no less tasty. The novelty of it was enough to intrigue her, and after feeling certain the fish was indeed permanently still, Rory set about taking another few bites with eager, hungry growls.