Her stare continued to bore holes into the other woman as if she held the fire that could brand another’s soul. Searching, prodding, digging—Bella was a glutton for information and knowledge. Although she knew little of the world around her, of how families operated in a picture-perfect world, the woman’s words left a chasm of confusion within her excavating mind.

Her father always got angry—but that was no excuse—that was merely the way of the world, was it not?

The woman said she had already apologized, but had she offered her mate platitudes of encouragement? Had she offered him whispered promises of the things he would enjoy?

The child’s mouth opened to ask such questions but abruptly fell shut at the mention of the party.

Rightttt, they were at a party—in her own excavation of knowledge, she had completely forgotten about the celebration that resumed around them.

Her ears perked in assumed excitement, and that tiny, growing body of hers all but leaped to her paws in a wiggle. Oh yes! she exclaimed as her green gaze searched to a place behind her—where the jostling of mingling bodies resumed. There are many fun smells here, Bella explained, her mind catapulting to everything she enjoyed, I smelled something delicious earlier but could not find it—OH— and the scrappy spars are fun, just like we have at home.

It felt like home but better, somehow.

Do you think we’ll stay here long? She asked the older woman, positive that she would at least have the answers she sought. I don’t want to leave. She cemented with a wag of her tail.