From Jellybean to Wolf

In the short days following her release from the den, Satira had taken to exploring her world with a ravenous hunger for knowledge and fascination. Everything was so much bigger than she had expected, and the stories their mother had told them hadn't done nearly enough justice to the world. The rolling plains with grasses that almost totally obscured her from sight, the obelisk that stood as a proud monument to her family's empire, the willow forest bordering their lands. Most of all, Satira loved the beach and the ocean. She loved the way the air tasted salty and the sounds of the water as it crashed on the golden shore. She loved the way the sand felt between her toes and the way the breeze would rustle her fur and flip her flopped over ears when it was extra strong.

That was where Satira was today, walking paces up and down the beach. Her mother had given her strict instructions to stay out of the water unless an adult was with her, and while she didn't really regard rules as applying to her, she didn't want to take the chance of upsetting Mom. Mom looked so sad all the time, no matter how much she and Arcturus snuggled and kissed her. She didn't want Mom to be sad and mad too. She did get a little lonely from time to time though, especially since she and Arc were the only pups in the pack. Everyone was so much older and had jobs and responsibilities, so that didn't leave her with anyone to play with or hang out with. Already at her young age, Satira thrived on company and the attention it came with.

Satira walked down the beach, leaving a trail of tiny paw prints in the sand as she went, staring out at the sea. She wondered how far it went and what was on the other side of it. Would there be other lands to see? Were there different types of wolves elsewhere? Was there even another side at all? What if it just went on forever? Mulling over these impossible questions, Tira sat down in the sand and began to paw a strand of seaweed that had washed up, studying the plant's leaves like her father did. Was seaweed a healing plant too? Curiously, she took a bite of one of the leaves—then immediately spat up the salty, bitter taste. Nope, definitely not something she wanted to be chewing on!

"Satira Fatalis"