Great Bear Wilderness Ruby

The question was blunt, but he could not allow himself to be all that surprised; the wolves of the south were often blunt creatures and asked questions merely out of habit. It did put him in something of a spot, though. Carefully, the boy thought about how best to answer her inquiry, but could not come up with the appropriate words. His mouth hung open like a fish and after he realized that he must have appeared a gawking fool, he closed it and chuckled quietly.
 
“Well shoot, I’ve got m’self in a nice pack right now. Don’t know many of the folks in there, but that’ll take some time,” he finally said after another moment of pause. “That’s somethin’ ain’t it?” He could not be expected to conquer Rome in a single day, but it was something new and very different for the boy who had grown so close to home and family. Sawyer had to be proud of himself for that, at the very least.