Sun Mote Copse it’s not too far now, one day we’re gonna dance on the sun

There wasn’t much to him yet…

One day not too far from now, Skipjack would frolic with Otter through Orca’s Forest; sit atop Njord’s Craigh while his da told him stories about their family; catch a nap with his mother in Meerkat’s Bourie on a rainy afternoon.

Perhaps Stingray would take him to Ray’s Beach to teach him how to swim and one evening his ma would scold him for tracking dirt into The Taigh after “helping” Aunt Fennec dig in Mercy’s Garden.

She would have to drag him to Fish’s Loch to wash his filthy paws. When little Skipjack asked, “What fish?” she would tell him about his older brothers, gone but not forgotten.

When Grandma Towhee came to visit and they sat quietly at the respite by the river bend, his big blue eyes would watch her forelegs weaving words. Despite the solemn air of this place, he would go there whenever he missed the old matriarch and her big laugh.

But his favorite place would be Seal’s Nook, where the quiet little boy could spend time by himself, daydreaming as the birds sang songs in the branches overhead.

Today, the wee bairn couldn’t do much more than squirm and whimper, but it was only sunrise. And those first rays stretched on forever, shining with the potential and promise of a bonny life.