Taste of Freedom

He was restless, filled with both anticipation and fear, Spirit had spent a good portion of his night curled up staring at the mouth of the den. Today was the day. Today he would go outside. The dark hole slowly filtered in light, telling him the sun was rising, but that only increased his anxiety. Young puppy muscles were tensed to the point of quivering as he lay there. His mind filled with all sort of monstrous things that could happen to him out there. What if a bird took him? What if he got lost? What if... It was never ending.

The dark toned pup glanced at his mother, still curled up sleeping and then to his slumbering siblings...least he thought they were all sleeping...shakily, he got to his feet. Large paws took him as quietly as he could towards the Dens mouth, each step his breath quickened. Until finally he was at the mouth of the den, breathing as if he had just ran a marathon. Body crouched and tail tucked he looked at the sunlight on the ground, he could do this...just one step...one paw came up, stretching forward as his eyes closed tightly. The paw came to the ground where the sun was gently warming the ground. Ears came forward as he let his eyes open just a little...nothing had happened.

Cautiously, Spirit looked around. Nothing that he could see wanted to eat his paw. A small smile pulled at his lips as he took another step, the front half of his body emerging from the den for the first time.