the princess and the pink forest

Enki has no trouble sleeping during the day. In fact, when his mother settles in for bedtime, the marbled boy is one of the first to rush up and settle in with her. As the pups pile in, the marbled boy always finds his youngest sibling, wrapping his body and legs around her so he can hold her tight while drifting quickly off to dreamland. That is where he is right now, paws running over rocky hills and under huge trees. Suddenly, he senses a void next to him and confusion tugs the boy back to reality, his small arms flexing to wrap more tightly around Akhlut as his groggy brain slowly awakens. Only… his legs hit each other and, with a raising sense of dread, Enki finds that Akhlut is gone.

Rapidly, he blinks his blurry, sleep-filled eyes, lifting his head to cast his gaze about the den while working to suppress the panic that raises in his chest. Sunlight filters in through the den opening and, as Enki turns his light blue gaze to it, he sees the tip of a white tail disappear into the brightness. Brows furrow and he works to extract his body from the pile without disturbing the others. It takes some time but the boy is finally able to free himself and he quickly makes his way to the entrance. The need to make sure his sister is safe drives him outside and, as he crosses the threshold, Enki is forced to stop and blink his eyes against the harsh brightness that greets him.

Standing there, trying to adjust to this new, more powerful source of light, the marbled boy makes the realization that he prefers the soft sunlight that twilight offers. Since he and his siblings have been raised to be nocturnal, it takes him a long moment to adjust to the daylight. When he can finally look around without feeling like his eyes are going to be burned right out of his skull, Enki is upset to find that his sister is not close by. A frown tugs his lips down but, as he looks down toward the other area that his mom says is pack lands, the marbled boy spies a small, white and brown form wandering toward the blossoming trees.

Ah, so that is where she is going. Swiftly, the boy makes his way toward his sibling, the need to protect her overwhelming his mind. Yet, as his small paws hit the grass, Enki suddenly stops and stares down at the green stuff with a sense of stunned awe. So far, Enki has only felt the rough stones of his den and the surrounding area in front of it but this… this feels… amazing. A smile plays along his lips as Enki takes a moment to wiggle his toes in the soft green blades and the feeling makes the boy’s tail wag happily. Taking a step, he relishes the way the dirt feels under his pads, the way it gives slightly as he passes yet remains solid.

He is so enthralled with this new development that, when he looks back up to find his sister, he realizes that Akhlut is getting further away. Giving a short, excited yip, Enki quickly falls into a trot and moves to catch up to her. The magenta trees seem to capture his youngest sibling’s attention as he makes it to her side but he doesn’t spare them a glance as he rubs against Akhlut in relief. Looking to her, he ducks his head and flattens his ears against his head in worry as he whispers, “Akh, what are you doing out here? You know, we are supposed to sleeping.” Even as he speaks, the boy allows his light blue eyes to turn and look up at the beautiful trees that surround them and he suddenly knows why she is here. This is paradise.


"Enki Klein"