You’re off to great places, today is your day. Your mountain is waiting, so get on your way. – Dr. Seuss
Chapter One: Not A Runt, Just Different
His boat was small
and the journey unknowable
yet he felt he had the wind to his back,
sails full, prow plunging forward.
There was nothing left for him ashore.
As the last son of Gwamba,
titular and actual Alpha Male,
he would never have a bitch of his own.
Not if he stayed home.
How the pack worked.
Age old tradition,
probably created by the largest meanest males.
Just a guess.
He may not be a giant
but he was plenty capable enough.
He never forgot where he buried a treasure.
Another thing, his sense of smell
two hundred times stronger
than most other pirates he’d heard about.
Lifted his nose to the wind,
breathed in the future
which held no scents
he recognized and thought,
“I probably should have learned to swim.”