Wheeling Gull Isle I dreamt about flying the other night.

In the weeks since her first (failed) attempt at venturing from the whelping den with all those strangers waiting to see, Luli's confidence had not come on in leaps and bounds as her mother might've hoped. She enjoyed those long mornings of lazing beyond the threshold in the sun before the harsh midday heat forced her to seek shade, and loved Daiyu's lessons on the world around them. Her life was a beautiful one, in a beautiful place, yet still her fear of everything unfamiliar remained.

She would hide away if an unknown wolf passed by, or if a sibling looked at her in a funny way. That was what she did then and there: she disappeared into her family's hollow with her tail tucked, the moment she spotted the shadow of a seagull sweep over her. Trembling, Luli lifted her rosy ears and peeked out into the clearing to observe with wide, fearful eyes as the bird settled on the ground where she'd been resting just moments prior.