Phantom Hollow Nutcase

There was so much serious attention on Judas's face that it was a little intimidating for Mitanni to give her lesson. She really didn't want to disappoint him or teach him wrong, and she tried to keep her uneasiness over it under wraps, shrugging it away. She tried to console herself with thoughts of, He's never had this taught to him so anything's better than nothing, but even so she wanted to help and not accidentally hinder him by mistake.

As she mentioned the smile, however, he tried to follow her direction and forced his expression into one, much less natural and relaxed than his initial smiles had been. It was a bit comical, and Mitanni had to bite the inside of her lip to stop herself from laughing, but she managed it and smiled encouragingly. "Yeah, something like that," she nodded, hoping that with practice it would end up coming along more naturally.

Her ears flickered as he spoke of affectionate touches, and she quickly considered how to continue. Personal space was something she rather liked, even around the pack that she now trusted with her life, but it was a strong part of pack life whether she enjoyed it or not. "It's...kind of like saying I'm happy to see you, I guess," Mitanni stated haltingly, "just without the words." She visibly struggled to find the right words, and she hoped she was describing it well enough that Judas would understand.

But even as she thought about it, she realized there was more to it. "It can mean different things, though," she added, frowning thoughtfully, "depending what you do and how you mean it. A nuzzle could mean I'm glad you're here, thank you, or even I like you." Her tail twitched and she tried not to shift her weight again. She was grateful, partly, that all of this was typically second nature to most wolves. It was pretty hard trying to put it all into words.