Firefly Ravine When the cold wind is a'calling

MINE, ALL MINE

In continuing his journey, Jackalope made steady progress toward the South, though he meandered this way and that, not terribly concerned that it might be months before he found a family member when it could have simply been a matter of days or weeks. It wasn't exactly a priority anyway- he'd left family, and he hadn't done so strictly so that he could find older family. He was content to be aimless, for the most part- without having the final goal of joining a pack or settling down. He'd never been one to aim terribly high, though he certainly had the charisma to acheive high goals...If only he could care enough to set one. 

The wolves he met along the way were interesting, but not so much so as to persuade him to abandon his lonely travels and join them. He had been criticized for his lack of attachment before, but it didn't burden him. He disliked seeing how emotional others could get over the opinions that others had, or the comments they made. Jackalope preferred to let those things roll off his shoulders like water off a duck's back. 

And so, he was neither repelled nor brought to summon pity or empathy when he saw a cute young woman who looked- even from a distance- as though she was doing her best to hold back tears. She wasn't attractive in a traditional, womanly way- nor was she svelte, lean or sleek but it didn't mean he found her appearance displeasing. No- there was a squareness about her build and the frame of her face that told him this girl was probably plenty spunky, and capable of brightening up considerably once she let go of her inhibitions. She moved with a self-conscious sort of gait, her steps short as though she wasn't quite used to the build of her frame. Perhaps a bit graceless, he thought- but there was something charming about her. He found himself doubting that she saw herself as being attractive at all- and that was possibly the most alluring thing about her. 

Of course, Jackalope wasn't exactly one to judge others for their looks- with the hunching of his shoulders, his bob-tail, and his long, protruding upper canine teeth, he was aware that he resembled something more like a cross between a hyena, a sabre-toothed tiger and a wolf...But he didn't care, and bore himself with the sort of assuredness that might've been better suited to a wolf of traditional handsomeness. But his confidence didn't stem from vanity- it came from a lack of caring what others thought. So he called out, when he felt he could do so without having to bother to raise his voice. 

"I could hunt him down if you like. Rough him up a bit." He said, leaping to the assumption that this girl was upset about a boy. The offer was made in a mild, unassuming tone- not one that bore any trace of a threat whatsoever, so that he might stand less of a chance of spooking her.