Moonspear Changing seasons

Nashua hadn't told anyone about the bear he'd seen at the lake, but the image of the beast, of his head, his claws, his teeth - the rattled inside him and filled him with more questions than anything else.

But who to ask? Mom and dad, he wasn't so sure; he'd gotten closer to the beast than he reckoned either would like. And his siblings... well, the thought of what he'd done might scare them, too.

The day dawned brilliant but cold, and it was on days like these he was happy his brother and sisters were still around to pile up and sleep with, though he knew by watching the older youth life wouldn't always be like this. He wondered who would set out to explore the world first. Wondered who would get married. His sisters for sure, but he hoped not for a long, long time. Like, until they were at least three years old, or maybe older - 

Movement from the densite interrupted his musing, and he met his company with a rare smile and wag of his tail. Mom! he become a man in time enough. Today, he remained her pup and he reached out to greet her with a gentle lick to her chin, how are you feeling?

He'd noticed a change in her, subtle, but there - a stiffness that wasn't apparent in the first months of his life. It was hard not to see it now.