Wheeling Gull Isle saying she is lost, and choking on hello

while the others climbed all over mother for entertainment, vesper exulted in the freedom she associated with being outside of the den. there were so many smells, so many things to see— but maegi kept a short leash on them all, and the dark child respected the limits that mother had set. even so, she kept to the edges of the boundary, distancing herself from the chaos of her littermates.

she had lost track of @Blueberry, who might be trailing behind her, or perhaps kept quietly to mother's side. as protective as vesper felt of the pale child, there were times when preferred to keep her own company instead. besides, blueberry was catching up to them— perhaps now even nearing vesper in size— and the eldest no longer felt the overwhelming need to teach her. blueberry could take care of herself, now.

vesper stuck her head into a nearby bush, tracking a smell there, her whole body wagging with excitement.