the difference between us

Gradually the stacked sight of golden sands beneath a thin horizon of blue pulled in his view. As this slipped in, so did the most innocent of smiles across Nagendra’s lips. It was beautiful. Everything here was. Like with every new terrain he encountered, Nagendra could find something to appreciate about everything. The smell, the sounds, the feel of the fine grains beneath his feet as he walked towards the shore. He opened his mouth slightly, stopping where the dirt gave way to sand to drink in the salty air for a moment. It was much different from the crisp air of the open plains, but he enjoyed change.

As he inhaled again and established a decision to move, his attention was diverted to the figure of another. He turned his head, his lips parted with an expression of soft surprise as he cast his stare towards the stranger. They called out in greeting, and Nagendra would twist his body slightly to the right so as to get a better look. It was a giant wolf, with white fur and absolutely beautiful red markings the very color of their eyes. Nagendra was captivated, and lingered with a frozen sort of speechlessness for a split second before responding, ”H-hello.” He was suddenly aware of his own lack of… specialness. Throughout his journeys through this land, he had seen a totally red wolf, a blue wolf, and a gray wolf with random white splotches to one side. He felt out of place. Surely these canines were different from him in other, more important ways – better?