Chimera Fields misery loves you

finín wasn't supposed to be out right now, but alas that's what made it all the more fun! he was like a ninja, managing to sneak out past his slumbering family without them so much as stirring. it was the perfect timing too, the arrival of slinking shadows providing the dusty boy with the perfect coverage to do the sneaky sneaking. he used to find it kind of scary, the dark's velveteen touch. but with time he'd come to like it; finding an odd enjoyment in the way they'd wrap obediently around his figure and hide him from view. they provided a secure alliance, one that made him feel safe. 

but as he traipsed about the drowsy woods, unnaturally quiet in the crepuscule gloom; an odd sound touched delicate ears. he felt his heart begin to speed up, pattering nervously against its bird boned cage in response to this foreign noise sounding only a few lengths away. was it snuffling? what if some beast was sniffing around looking for wolves to eat!! a swallow, maybe he should run back to...no! he was a ninja, he had to be brave plus, he had the shadows to hide him.

puffing out his chest, the boy creeped around thick shrubbery, transitioning eyes wide and searching until-- there! a huge lump on the ground. yet as he hesitated, groggy stare adjusted to the gloom and made out the familiar forms sprawled upon the earth. papa and the funny grumpy wolf he'd protected the den from. the boy lingered hesitantly in the shade, paws kneading the floor anxiously. something was wrong, he wasn't sure exactly what but there was something weird about the way the air pressed on him making him feel uneasy. and then the noise made more sense....was da...crying? actually that made no sense, adults didn't cry! and the other guy...why hadn't he moved at all? he was acting like food!

he was scared now, what if there was something in the woods that had made da cry and it got him! glancing behind him warily, he could swear he seen a shift in the darkness and with a little scream, tore away from it and over to the strange scene before him. utterly spooked, he burrowed quickly into mal's side with a shrill whimper- a rare enough sight since finín had never been overly affectionate with his father, always unsure as to what him being da really meant. wide eyes peered at the figure, feeling a little sick...why did he look like food?? or squishy bugs? "m-monster?" he whispered, staring between the two. "da....monster?!" he repeated, voice rising an octave as fear squeezed tighter. was there a papa monster that brought wolves back to the monster kids for food?? "don't wanna be...food" he gasped, pressing as close to his papa and as far from the food wolf as possible. 

brows furrowed, heart hammering with heated fear and confusion writhing together in one big mess as he looked up at mal and whispered "da..cry?" wordless tears kissed the child's own cheeks, seemingly unnoticed; more of a natural reflex than anything at being subject to such intensely intricate emotion. he never liked anyone to see him cry unless he was very sore.