Dragoncrest Cliffs Swept out of sight, rolling up on an ocean.

More pups had come to enter Hougeda, but Ephraim's childhood jealousy was already on its way out the door. Unlike Svalinn, whom he had seen as a competitor for ma's affection, the younger pups arriving at the rendezvous site only excited him now. It meant more playmates, more pups to teach about mushrooms and bats and flowers, and more interaction—all of which was welcome.

From his lounging position in a tangle of roots just beyond Hougeda's mouth, Ephraim watched the rain begin. When he first stepped foot outdoors, it was pleasant enough weather, but the sky had darkened a considerable measure without warning. The rain started gently, a hushed rat-a-tat of individual droplets, but just as quickly as the sky had darkened, the gentle rain turned to a deluge, and Ephraim was soaked through in minutes. He didn't mind, though he did rise from the roots to shake himself and start ambling back toward home.

That was when he ran across the snail, and not long after, Dacio. The pups' face was gloved in a darker shade of grey, similar but not the same as his own espresso mask. It was the strange white splotches breaking up the space between Dacio's eyes that got Ephraim's attention, and then he waved his tail in greeting and asked the smaller child, with a shy smile, "where are you going?"