I was wrong.

It pains me to report this, however I feared that it must be brought to attention…Mother was not giving us our milk! I’ve no idea how many days it’d been, or even weeks for that matter, but our days of pure bliss and delicacies of rich milky goodness were over! I mean, it’s not as if she couldn’t produce any since we got little sips here and there when we woke up and just before bed but that’s not the point! What about our post-breakfast snack? Our mid-morning snack? Our pre-lunch snack? Our lunch? Our post-lunch snack? Our afternoon meal? Our early evening snack?!

Instead, we were led away from our humble den to a distance further than our usual play spot. The environment changed from lush grassy areas to dry, dusty ones. The moonlight shone on our surroundings which created an almost melancholically ethereal vision as it shimmered off several tall structures. My siblings and I were all a little unsure of where our parents were guiding us and, as such, walked close together – brushing against one another to remind each of us that we were not alone.

It seemed as if Mother had noticed our trepidation since she silently padded over to us before nuzzling each of our little faces. Well, I say little but we’re already about twice our original size now so we’re practically mini adults!...Just ignore the fact we’re only about a fifth the size of our parents. Anyway, once our nerves were calmed Father silently slinked close to one of the dusty structures and began digging at its side.

We all took in a breath as we were unsure of what to expect after Father did such a thing. I – being the more intelligent of my siblings had determined that he was digging a new den for us…at least, I thought that was why he was doing that. Mother soon moved to the other side of the structure and began sinking her sharp claws into it. After a few seconds, they both shoved their faces inside the holes they’d made before coming out again and staring at us.

Being the bravest of the bunch, I took it upon myself to pad over to them on my not-so-big paws. As I drew nearer, my eyes soon caught glimpses of things smaller than that butterfly from before crawling away from our parents. Then I saw Mother stick out her tongue and grab one of the mini creatures before biting its head off and dropping the corpse before my paws. “…Food?” I could sense the stares of my silly siblings boring into my back as I maintained a brave façade.

Mother nudged the corpse closer to me and stared – almost as if her eyes were commanding me to eat the thing. I pretended I didn’t see it. Mother picked up the corpse and pushed it against my face. I looked away. “Eeek! Get that thing away from me! Get it away! Get it away! I hate bugs! Especially termites!...Eh? Termites?” I then turned to observe my family, noticing the curious stares of my siblings before staring at the termite(?) in Mother’s mouth. Then, a memory of information glimmered in my mind as I recalled the primary food source of aardwolves…termites.

By this point, Father had come over with several termites in his own mouth, and he looked at my siblings before giving a bark to call them over. After coming to attention before him, he mirrored the previous actions of Mother: biting the heads off the termites before dropping them to the ground before my siblings’ paws. Sibling No.1 sniffed at his before producing a confused look at Father.

Not wishing to be outdone by sibling No.1, I also sniffed at mine and found the scent to be not as disgusting as I had led myself to believe. Thinking about how Mother was most likely teaching us about what to eat instead of her milk, I took the plunge and nose-dived towards the termite with vigour…I missed and stubbed my nose on the ground. Tears welled in my eyes as a cloud of dust rose in the air from my impact on the dry ground. Slowly turning to sneak a look at my siblings, I noticed all their eyes were glued to my sorry state. Mother licked my nose as a form of comfort for my broken pride before stepping away to allow me another chance.

Taking a deep breath, I lowered my head and gently teased at the flesh of the dead termite with my tiny teeth. As the flesh entered my mouth, a strange taste filled it; it wasn’t sweet like Mother’s milk but it also wasn’t that bad. Of course, Mother’s milk will always be the best but I suppose this can come in second place. Just don’t pay any mind to the fact I’ve only eaten two different things since being born.

With my stomach rumbling from not having the usual meals I’d grown accustomed to, I found the termite a suitable alternative and so gobbled up the rest before showing Mother how brave I was. Acknowledging my hard work, Mother nuzzled my cheek and licked my nose before heading back to the termite mound to gather more food for us. Seeing that I hadn’t died from my noble sacrifice of going first, sibling No.1 copied my movements – minus my most embarrassing moment – and nibbled at his own termite corpse.

Following the example of myself and sibling No.1, my other siblings all partook in their questionable cadavers. Upon us all finishing our meagre meals, Mother and Father dropped a few more termites in front of each of us before returning to the mounds to catch their own food. I must say, the flavour of these little creatures really grows on you. Of course, why wouldn’t I like it when my parents also like it? How can I be their pride and joy if I don’t live up to their expectations?

Once we’d all had our fill, Mother and Father guided us back to the den; Mother was in front, while Father was behind. Every now and then I would notice Mother’s ears twitch before she froze and turned to gaze in a certain direction. Of course, my siblings paid no heed as they just tumbled around play-fighting with one another. “Such silly siblings.” I, for one, was sensible and made sure to keep close to Mother but it was difficult to do when sibling No.2 kept nipping at my fluffy tail. “I will remember this, sibling No.2!”

Returning to the den, my siblings all collapsed in a heap in the bed area and started dozing. I stretched my body, due to feeling a little sore from all of the walking we did, before yawning and licking my dirty paws clean. I don’t know about my siblings but I actually care about my appearance! Father came over and nuzzled me before going to Mother and nibbling her ear. “Ah, such a loving couple.” Feeling a little tired after cleaning my paws, I padded over to where my siblings were snoozing and took my rightful place – the top of the pile! I then curled my body to a comfortable position before sleeping. “Argh! I didn’t get to drink Mother’s milk before bed!”