Firefly Ravine and i brought your blanket, hand-woven, hand-dyed

okeanos is a good boy. never has he made any attempts to escape or wander without permission -- he doesn't even like to leave his den unsupervised. but after two moves and the rupture of his familial life, a little bit of his faith is shaken. maybe he can't rely on the adults in his life to provide for him and the other puppies, but he doesn't know if that means he can't trust them or that they're just.. not enough anymore. after all oke does not feel any resentment or upset towards either of his mamas! not at all -- but he sees how mali and the other puppies act, how their papa didn't stay during the big move even if he'd sorta come back. he's still not clear on all the details, but it's easy to understand their resentment. 

at any rate, it's not an act of defiance or rebellion that prompts okeanos to sneak out of the safety of the hushed willows -- it's more like... a curiousity. if he can't rely on the adults to supervise him anymore, he's gotta be in charge of himself, and he thinks maybe this is the best way to prove to himself that he can do that! 

every step away from the safety of his mamas makes him anxious, but he forces himself to press forward. he can do this! he is a big boy now. the sun is setting as he putters toward the ravine, entranced by the sight of fireflies lighting up down below. they look a little like stars, he thinks, only down below instead of up high -- and so he takes a seat, peering down to watch for a little.