i reached back to scratch my arse and found a banana peel in my pocket

It seemed like an eternity had went by. Raptor had paced himself a fine circle outside the pack borders. It was readily apparent in the scuff of the dirt and in the small plants that had been pressed and folded down under his paws. His skin itched as though he had rolled in an ant's nest and hundreds of the insects were combing through his briny fur. His heart felt like it might leap out of his face and splat across his toes.

That all stopped when he saw the silver female — he still didn't know her name! — coming and there behind her... one small black pup. True to Wylla's assumption, Raptor noticed nothing amiss with that child. If he did it was not as though he could say anything about it. His jaw was hanging and he was frozen in place. The his tail started to wag, and it continued to wag harder and faster until his hole rump was swaying. Then the rest of him followed until he was wriggling like a dog greeting his most favorite person ever at the front door.

Raptor dropped down to his stomach with his chin between his paws again. It was different this time — his eyes were on the pup alone and his entire manner was one of playful invitation. "Hi!" He said, his voice sort of a whisper, but sort of not because he was excited. Too excited to even think on the fact that there was only one. She was enough for him. His heart, no longer bouncing up his throat, was embraced by warmth.