water is wet

Ophie's ears flicked back a little at the thought of training. It was such a mixed bag for her, on one paw she really did want to fit in the rest of her family and at least be able to hold her own in a scrap. But on the other, the thought of having to put so much work in, the risk of failing really made her feel all sorts of anxious. How come everyone else made it seem so effortless? Like the instincts to protect and persevere were written into their DNA, a part of who they were regardless of whether the world bent and twisted them out of shape. And yet Ophie did not want to brush aside her sister's kindness, she knew that Briar was trying so hard and going out of her way to be nice. To leave all of that unacknowledged was something Ophie just didn't have the heart to do. In short, Ophie simply loved too much.

"I wouldn't want to get in the way but..." She shifted, hesitant but comforted by the steady beat of Briar's pulse. She really took after Zee in more ways than she knew, it seemed. "I'd like to meet him, if that's okay. I feel like I've missed out on so much, I uh...couldn't even really tell you what I've been doing." She paused and raised up a hind leg to kick off a bit of dried dirt behind her ear. It was a bit alarming actually, how much of her life was just blank space. She put on a smile, pretending it wasn't such a big deal. "I used to hang out with Hana a lot but I don't know where she went."

Maybe on some diplomat mission their Father hadn't spoken of? What if she'd gone to look for Zee and Azure and had gotten lost too? Ophie made a face and swallowed thickly.