he makes progress only when he sticks his neck out

His mother had been acting weird lately, and he blamed the replacement wolfdog. Being sick wasn't enough to make her act all... moody. He didn't know a better word, and his mother had certainly been feeling some big emotions when he'd seen her. She always smelled like stress and anger, even if it was mostly a subtle undercurrent of her usual warmth whenever he saw her. He still wasn't entirely convinced Jael was only there to rest and recover from injury, like his dad had said. There was always a chance she had sinister motives, like usurping him as the fluffiest and splotchiest of the litter. Regardless, the boy still came when called for the time being, so he was ready to see what his mom wanted.

Still dripping with seawater from the swim between islands, the young boy trotted along until he spotted the dark forms of his brother and mom. Tongue lolling from his maw, the gangly child pulled up alongside the pair and promptly flopped onto his belly. "Hi ma! Hi Tar!" he crowed gleefully, soggy tail thumping against the warm soil. He crossed his paws over one another, all poised and proper. "Can we bring some of the water lizards home today? I want one." he questioned, squinting through the tree cover to where he knew those funky little reptiles were flitting from the rocks and into the sea throughout the day. Wouldn't they be a nice addition to his greenhouse?

"Nimbus"