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Rio's tiny row of pawprints lead no further from where she now stood than to the steps of the cabin she and her family occupied. She was still getting used to the idea of wandering away from the cabin without the company of her parents, and it frightened her at times. Mustering up the courage to take a little venture on her own took several minutes, just as it had this morning. But the call of the bright world outside the cracked window was too loud for her to ignore. By the time the girl was twenty feet away from the safe Haven of the cabin, she hadn't a care in the world.
Before long (or perhaps it was indeed "long"), she was further away from her home than she had been to date. The trees stood tall around her, and the scent of the Valley differed slightly. She believed she had come close to what Mama and Papa called the "borders." This notion was thrilling... she was upon the very edge of where she didn't dare go! The girl paused, realizing that she heard something. Footsteps. Silvery eyes darted to and fro, searching for the source. What if a stranger was coming, someone who would hurt her? Mama and Papa talked about meeting strange wolves at the borders sometimes. Rio's shoulders slouched and she inched forward; just as she heard a voice that spoke words she recognized.
She pivoted and saw moving toward her a boy darker than she; and he was a boy. He was larger, but not nearly as big as her father. What was most puzzling was that he'd spoken in the language she had until now believed to be unique to her family. Rio called out to him, her eyes curiously belying the fear of her shrunken stance. "Hey, why yous know how'da talk like me, Signor?"