Earning My Parents' Approval

As I stepped inside, the scent of wood I remembered from long ago tickled my nose.

Sniff, sniff. Sniff, sniff.

I closed my eyes and slowly savored the scents wafting through the house.

My home… my dear, dear home.

I swished my tail, spreading my scent around.

My scent needed to become part of this place, too.

“I’m home….”

After taking in the scents for a long while, I opened my eyes and looked around the house.

Floorboards faded by the sunlight and worn smooth, sturdy earthen walls plastered with straw, baskets neatly arranged beneath the window. My old name was still carved into one side of the wall, and the drawing of a horse I’d stuck there as a joke was still there, half-faded.

The smell of dusty pillows, dried herbs, and familiar leather tickled my nose...