Swiftcurrent Creek Polish mountain

Her legs were getting sturdier and more obedient with every passing day. Talos had snuck out again and was now marching confidently forward at a brisk pace, greatly enjoying the sunshine, the fresh green smells of the outdoors, the earth between her ever-bigger toes, and (most of all) the absence of interfering brothers and supervising parents. She stuck her tail self-importantly straight up in the air and pounced at a nearby sprouting leaf that dared to bobble in her direction. She muttered small puppy growls as she wrestled with it for a moment, and then let it spring back up again as another fluttering object a bit further away caught her attention. The first leaf wobbled drunkenly and waved its battered and bruised green banner in one last feeble hurrah on the upswing before it drooped down to nearly touch the earth in sorrowful defeat. Talos was already moving on to her next exciting conuest, however: a bit of downy fluff that the breeze was wafting across the tiny clearing nearby. With her on patrol, everyone could rest easy knowing the whole territory was going to be safe from anysuch invaders!

Except that partway there Talos halted, cocking her head and squinting as she perked up her ears at the coal-furred face that had just poked itself out of a large dirt-rimmed hole. Rauroo? she said aloud, and then made a happy scuttling beeline toward the adult's face, with tiny nose atwitch and poufball tail a-waggle. She recognized this one—this was the delicious-smelling lady from the big gathering the other day! Yes! She'd let Talos barge her way in for a visit today, wouldn't she? Of course she would. The bright-eyed and biggest black-furred puppy scarcely even bothered to question whether or not she had an invitation: she first shoved her nose rudely into Chusi's face and then tried to use it to charge her way past the adult to see where that tasty-smelling belly was hiding itself today. Talos stopped short again with a yip of surprise as first her nose and then her slower-adjusting eyes picked out several other small forms inside the cavernous space, however. More puppies—?! Were these ones a whole new set of brothers for Talos too? She couldn't keep her dismay at the thought from flashing across her face. But at least all of them had coated themselves mostly in a fine coat of black, too: excellent choice, young padawans.