Private Blind Leading the Blind

One of the biggest things that was really different in this new place was the abundance of new smells. Maple's world consisted of smells, sounds and sensations but smells were especially important to him. The smell of the sea was everywhere here, it was a salty and humid smell that had seeped into every surface and it was so much fun! Maple liked just going around sniffing everything trying to see how the scent of the sea mixed with the scent of whatever he was sniffing.
This was exactly what Maple was doing, racing around the recess area in his wolf form, sniffing most everything. He made sure to try and not smell anything that was moving though, because sometimes people got angry or spooked if Maple suddenly sniffed them. It hurt his feelings a bit, Maple wasn't a dangerous wolf, but he tried to be understanding and not do it.

Maple was just in the middle of sniffing a water fountain(though he didn't know what it was) when he smelled something...strange. It was strange, new, and Maple had to know what it was. He froze in his tracks, nose up in the air, and he slowly started following the scent. It was kiiiiinda like a fishy fish smell, but not really? It smelled like something that lived in water but nothing that Maple had ever smelled.
Maple could tell the origin of the scent was getting closer and closer and his tail started wagging, This was so exciting, what would he find at the end of the trail? How would it feel like? What kind of sounds would it make? Could Maple bite it to try what it tasted like? Probably not, but he could dream!
Maple lowered himself to his stomach when he could tell that the target was just few meters away, and started crawling along the ground, ears perked up and tail wagging. He could hear sounds coming from the direction of the strange smell; the sound of one of those noisy birds that his caretakers had called gulls, someone making vague sounds and sounds of...water?
Maple stopped some ways away from the source of the scent and whined excitedly, he basically said in wolf "What are you?". And his tail never ceased wagging

The voice that had been speaking just now now spoke to Maple, and his tail wagged bit harder. It was another kid! Was this smell coming from them? Many people on this island smelled so funny, it was possible! Maple quickly shifted out of his wolf form, he couldn't speak in it. Maple was vaguely aware that he looked like one of the older kids, but he rarely remembered or cared because appearances mattered very little to him. He felt his age and he smiled widely and happily up towards where he remembered the voice coming from.

"I'm not a seal! I don't know what a seal is!"
Maple answered and giggled, sitting back and rocking back and forth, he wasn't wearing any shoes.
"I'm Maple! I caught a really funny smell, it's kinda like a fishy fish smell but not really. Do you smell like that? Or does Sebastian smell like that? What is a crab?"
With every question Maple tilted his head from one side to the other, very curious expression on his face.

Mimzu's explanation formed an image in Maple's head that left the young pup both awed and giggling like crazy.
"Soft rocks that go arf arf arf! That sounds so silly, I really like it! I wish I could touch one, and ride one."
Maple sighed wistfully, if seals lived in the sea that probably meant he wouldn't be able to go there, Maple had been told that the sea was huge and really deep, it'd be hard to find a seal in there.

"Your Sebastian isn't a stinky crab, he's a funny smelling stinky crab! Funny isn't bad, funny is interesting. I like it!"
Maple assured and giggled along with Mimzu. He heard some more of those water sounds and he wondered if they were near a big puddle or a stream.

"What's an octopus?"
Maple asked with another head tilt, but quickly forgot his question when given the permission to touch the crab.
"Yes, I do want to! Thank you, Mimzu!"
Maple thanked, and promptly stepped forward and touched Sebastian. Mimzu was right, he was really hard. Maple looked very impressed.
"I think my teeth would break if I bit him!"
Maple said with an awed tone, and then kept feeling Sebastian all-over carefully. He circled around the giant crab, feeling his shape and size.
"Wow, he's big! And these claws seem strong! Hey, are you riding Sebastian? That's so cool! Is he, like, your own personal steed? I also keep hearing water sounds somewhere, is there a big puddle nearby?"
Maple remembered to ask about the water sounds, he'd need to be careful so he wouldn't fall in. Usually Maple would've been able to smell the water before he fell in, but Sebastian smelled so interesting that his nose was preoccupied.

"A bag with arms? Wow, that sounds so weird!"
Maple giggled, and yet another slightly off but entertaining image formed in his head. But yet again Mimzu had used a word he didn't know...
"What's an eel then? You know so many things I don't, you're so smart!"

Mimzu couldn't see properly either? Maple looked amazed and then he smiled widely, extremely happy to find someone who was like him. He'd never met that kind of person before!
"I can't see anything either! I was born with bad eyes and I have never seen anything."
Maple explained and waved a hand before his eyes, naturally not being able to see it. He kept his hands against Sebastian, still a bit scared about the water sounds and because Sebastian just felt really cool.

"You're in a bowl of water? On top of a huge crab?"
Maple asked and yet again was in awe, and also confused. He tried to reach up and indeed touched a hard surface he recognized as glass, or something similar.
"You can't walk on your own?"
Maple asked curiously, now he had completely forgotten his worry about the water because it seemed Mimzu's bowl really was the source of the sound.

"I know what worms are! We used them for fishing, they were all stringy and wiggly and slimy, and tasted earthy."
Maple described happily as well, remembering the times when Root had taken him over to the stream and showed him how to fish. The memories almost made Maple sad again, but he made sure to shake it off. Maple didn't want to be sad in front of his new friend.
"So eels are like monster worms? That sounds kinda creepy, but cool too! I wish I could feel them~"

"Oh! I know some animals can see well only in the dark, like bats and owls. So you're like them! It means that you are nocturnal."
Maple said proudly and smiled widely to himself. Root had taught him this, Root knew a lot about different animals. Well, had known...
No, no sad thoughts in front of the new friend!

"A long tail? Is it like my wolf tail? My wolf tail isn't as fluffy yet because I'm small but it's soft and hairy."
Maple asked, the only kind of tail he could imagine was a fluffy tail, he hadn't felt any other kinds of tails aside from rat tails or fish tails. But it would be silly for someone to have a fish tail!
"Echo...location?"
Maple tilted his head curiously, he had no idea what that was