The afternoon had settled into one of those lazy stretches where nothing important was expected of anyone. Yelp preferred those. Those types of hours made him feel less seen somehow.

He wove between packmates through the tall green grass, laughing a little too loudly at his own jokes as his parents walked alongside him. His father rolled his eyes for what had to be the hundredth time that day while his mother snorted into a smile, both of them indulging him with the same endless patience they always had. His parents always seemed entertained by him, though he was sure they didn't quite understand his sense of humor. But they did try to at least keep up, making teasing comments in return at their boy's silly antics.

They would all laugh, but sometimes, in the pause that followed, Yelp found his eyes lingering on his parents. Had those wrinkles always been there? Was his father favoring that right leg of his more? His mother looked so tired, softer around the eyes. Their fur had more silver than he remembered. The signs were impossible to ignore, no matter how he tried...His parents were old, and soon, they’d step back from pack life. The pack would care for them, of course, everyone knew that. But as for Yelp, he was barely an adult, and he hadn’t done much with his life to amount to anything really. He’d never hunted, never fought, never even left the boundaries of home. Most days, he felt forgotten, untested, while trailing behind everyone else. Whenever he voiced any of this, his parents would offer their gentle reassurances.

It's no rush.
You'll figure it out.
We love you no matter what.
Life isn't a race.

Maybe they were right. But everyone else seemed to be racing anyway, and the more he noticed it, the more exposed he felt. His peers were leagues ahead, while he was still at the starting line trying not to look lost. The guilt made him restless, but he did his best to ignore it.

"Alright, don't go missing me too much," Yelp called, already turning away.

His parents would wave acknowledgment and continue their conversation

Yelp padded into the trees, the hum of voices fading behind him until only birdsong and the gentle rustle of leaves remained. He found a quiet pool nestled in the roots and bent for a drink.
One lap.Two.Thre--

Huh?

The texture of hard earth changed underpaw, causing a sinking sensation. Grass became wet sand, and the cool forest air was replaced with something briney and warm. The quiet pool’s hush exploded into crashing waters.

My mouth--

"...BLEGHKK-KK!!!" Yelp spat a mouthful of seawater, coughing as he scrambled back, tongue flailing all around. "PTUH! GAHHH! WHAT the hell?!" He swiped at his tongue with a paw, only succeeding in working sand deeper into his mouth."What the HELL?!"

Green eyes darted everywhere. no trees, no fields, no familiar scents. Just endless blue water, strange birds overhead, and a place that looked all wrong. His ears pinned back as he tried to slow his breathing. "...What. the. hell..." The words came out smaller this time. He turned in place, heart pounding so loud, staring at the alien horizon like he could will the forest back somehow.

"...What..."

Panic finally burst free.

"WHAT THE HELL?!"

The sound of a new voice caused him to jolt hard, his front paws sending an arch of sand skyward.

...Random lady.

The knot in his chest loosened somewhat.

"Oh thank God."

The words escaped him before he could even think. The relief at seeing another of his own kind was rather small, but another wolf meant he wasn't completely alone in... whatever this was. And other wolves meant help. Or something like that... He didn't stop to wonder whether approaching a stranger was wise or not. Yelp wasn't exactly wired to view other wolves as potential threats or beings to be wary of. Wolves were wolves. And every wolf he had ever interacted with was nice and helpful. So he figured even some random stranger would make no difference.

Yelp hurried toward her with quick, uneven strides, only slowing once he got close enough to really look. "...Whoa." His ears flicked forward. Her face was split, pale on one side, dark on the other, tiny pale flecks scattered across the black like stars. He'd never seen markings like that before. For one distracted second, the panic in his brain stalled.

Hey, that's kinda cool!

However, the thought was shoved away almost as quickly as it'd come, his green eyes now darting past her shoulder to scan the shoreline once more as if there was some kind of answer to be found there.

"So, like," he blurted, almost talking over himself, "I am so confused." He gestured one of his large forepaws wildly behind him toward the ocean. "I was in a forest, right? Grass. Nice little pond. Trees, it wasn’t hot as shit. I bend down for a drink—" As he prattled on, he mimed the action of bending down to take a sip of water, his brows pinched tightly as he worked through his jumbled mess of a story. "—and then suddenly..." He sat up and fanned a paw at the air. Everywhere, so to speak. "And now I got sand all up in my mouth. Why does the water taste like that? And where am--" Seeming to catch himself, Yelp cut his chatter off with a slight vocal hitch as his gaze traveled back to the stranger.

He didn’t get the chance to apologize for his word vomit before another voice, a gentle accented one, carried over the sound of rolling waves. Yelp’s ears flicked up and he turned to find another random lady standing just far enough away to be fully seen and heard, concern clear in her amber eyes.

The question, “Are you both alright?”, was simple and seemed honest, but the sincerity made Yelp pause for a moment and straighten up a little, drawing in a steady breath. Of course he was alright, right?

Maybe I need to get a grip...

His tail gave a weak wag as he tried to answer her gaze with something that looked assured.

“Yeah,” he said, a genuine attempt at bravery surfacing as he looked at one wolf to the other. “I’m good. Just uh, I think there are some things to figure out here?”