In tending to herself, she hadn’t realized she was being thoroughly inspected by the dark male, but there was certainly no denying her own inquisition as he turned towards her and met her gaze. Her fur bristled slightly as a strange warmth crept into her muzzle from being caught. Like a pup caught in the midst of something they shouldn’t be doing, she ceased her open admiration and jerked her muzzle toward the open land before them.
“Thankfully, no,” she piped perhaps a little too high for her gruff chords. “There are only-“ she paused, coughing lightly to clear her throat before restarting. “There are only the wolves I protect and the sanctuary itself.” Any more than that, and she truly believed she would not have been able to enjoy the peace she found there in the Vale. The family she knew of brought only thoughts of bitterness and pain to a repairing soul. Betrayal was synonymous with the word, and it was doubtful it would be changing soon.
“And you?” As she breathed, she inhaled the musk of her neighbor coupled with the natural crispness of the air, and the hinting fragrance of coming spring. She would not have thought that another’s scent might accentuate nature’s subtle aroma. And yet there she was in repose, enjoying it in her own subtle way by leisurely curl of her tail. “Is there family in the Creek for you?” |