Chapter 1. When I opened my eyes

View the Table of Contents

It was suddenly cold. I felt torn away from the warmness that had surrounded me ever since I became at least barely aware of my environment. I was sitting on something hard and I was being pulled towards it, no longer floating. It was nauseating. I had a strange feeling of being too small in something too big all of a sudden. Too big and too alien.

Suddenly, something warm brushed against my muzzle. It felt almost familiar and I reached for it. Yes, it was a small part of the home I had just been expelled from. My instincts told me to take it in my mouth and suckle. It was wonderful... It was peace.

I can't remember when I had fallen asleep or when I woke up. I tried to push myself against the familiar warmth, but it was gone. No way, where was it? I pushed my body forward, trying to find it again, but nothing. I began whimpering. I was alone again.

The big warm body came back a bit later, reassuring, solid... I cuddled against it and went back to sleep.

The same kept happening for a while, I ate and slept and woke up and ate again. I started calling the warm thing Mother and she nuzzled her big muzzle against my back. I think she was happy that I called her that. And that was maybe why she kept coming back to care for me.

After a while that seemed forever, something new changed, something that left me even more confused than the first time. I could... see and smell. There were colours, there was light and I could see Mother now. And not only see, but smell too. I learned to associate a smell to an image and the feeling it gave me... And I wanted to know more!

I started taking my first steps. Mother was watching me patiently as I struggled to wobble to her on my own four paws, ending up falling on my nose when I finally reached her. She licked my back in appreciation. I realised something then... I loved Mother. It was a strange feeling, mixed with need and admiration. She was my universe and I depended on her completely.

Next Chapter