Nour had been awake long before anyone realized it, not because she had been eager to leave the den but because she'd been listening. Tiny ears twitched beneath an oversized coat of russet and cream as she lay curled against the warmth of her family quietly collecting the morning. The steady rhythm of her mother's breathing, her brother's impatient little huffs. The soft scrape of paws outside where her father waited. It all fit together into a story before she'd even opened her eyes.

Mama sounded happy today, papa sounded excited. Malek... sounded like Malek and the little girl smiled to herself.

When her mother's voice finally drifted over them sweet as birdsong, Nour stretched with an exaggerated little yawn before rolling onto her paws. She accepted the affectionate nuzzle with a delighted giggle, pressing her own tiny nose beneath Jamila's chin for only a heartbeat before bounding after her. Or... attempting to.

Halfway out of the den she found herself stopping instead head tilting upward as her father appeared behind her. Golden eyes, still wide with the innocent wonder only a pup could possess searched his face as he gently nudged her forward. I am coming! she laughed her voice bright enough to chase away any lingering sleep. She leaned into his muzzle for just a second before scampering ahead only for her tiny paws to freeze the instant sunlight spilled across her face.

...Whoa. the den had always felt enormous, but this...this was everything.

Crimson leaves danced overhead like they had been painted across the sky itself. Warm air carried hundreds of unfamiliar scents at once making her little nose twitch so rapidly she sneezed. Somewhere nearby birds argued loudly over something terribly important insects hummed beneath the grass, and the breeze itself seemed alive.

Her mouth fell open, So... another slow turn ...big wonder overtook hesitation almost immediately, curiosity always won.