Although he did not rush each morning from the den as his brothers did, nor did he exhibit the charismatic curiosity of his sister, Nen'tah was nonetheless very interested in what lay beyond the mouth of the cave. He was already growing more comfortable each day, venturing further and further out in their territory, neck craned as he peered through the woods with wide eyes. The boy was fascinated by everything that moved - birds flitting between the trees overhead, small rodents scurrying out of sight.

All of it a miracle, and all of it his to explore.

Well - within reason. Mother kept a watchful eye on all of her children, and he was no exception. The boundaries of his wandering paws were quickly established and he dutifully kept within them, albeit with a longing sort of expression; he could swear he saw something big leap away into the distance and his heart had caught in his throat.

At present, however, Nen'tah was crawling after a toad.

He'd never seen anything like it. Squat, fat, and covered in terrible bumps, and whenever he touched it, the thing would make the most awful noise.

He smiled and slapped it again.

The creature released another nasally, buzzing sort of waaaaaaaggghh sound, and Nen'tah couldn't have been more in awe. It hopped forward a short ways, trying to put a measure of distance between itself and the offending child.

Nen'tah crouched clumsily, wobbled forward - then made to leap on top of it, but ah! The toad was too fast, and his chubby paws fell on empty air.

Amazing!