How Bright The World

Walk | Talk | Think

For some time the world around her had been calm, comfortable. The tiny being had only ever known warmth and safety, growing swiftly alongside her sibling within their shared home. But the growth had complicated things; no longer was there comfort. Each day they grew a little larger and their confined location shrunk around them. Things were crowded, the room allowed to them being used up so fully that both she and her brother were vying for space, pushing and shoving and giving their mother a hard time.

But with the birth things changed yet again. There was movement, shifting, and suddenly it was cold. The pup shuddered and shivered and was assaulted by her mother's tongue, each swipe taking with it some of the dampness that coated her body, replacing it with a warmth that did not take as readily as she would have liked. She complained, heartily crying out to the world against the discomforts and scary new scene she found herself in, but was only answered with more licks and a few nudges.

This, thankfully, led to a warm side and welcome nourishment. Anais settled in, snuggling close to soft fur there and drinking once the large body before her stilled and another small, crying figure joined her there in the warm curve of their mother's stomach. It did not dawn on her that she had been born, that she now shared her life with a mother, a father, a brother, and a pack. All that mattered in that instant was the warmth offered in the form of soothing touches, rich sustenance, and a welcoming side.