Grouse Thicket no more innocence left to spill

The male changed swiftly when he noticed Lio's presence. No longer laughing and playing around, he turned toward them with a growl in his chest. But then he smiled again, and it only confused Lio further - why would he smile if he was angry with them? It made no sense, and they couldn't place the smile into a threatening category, so more than anything it just confused them.

And he was correct - Lio probably wouldn't stand a chance against him, either, if he were to chase them like he did that quail. "No, I most likely would not. You are much bigger than I am," they agreed with his first statement, a very slight sway to their tail. He was playing, they decided incorrectly, based on his smile and the fact that he hadn't hurt the quail. So why would he hurt Lio?

Pretty little thing was another strange concept for the yearling, much like the smiling after a growl. Carroch Valley wolves were not particularly hung up on appearances, though none of them had looked like this man either. Lio had thought their family was beautiful, long legged and swift, but they had never said it aloud. It was... unimportant, so those things were thought, not spoken.

Lio couldn't make the connection between the chasing of the quail and his question, so their ears pricked forward in interest. Curiosity was an unfortunate trait that they possessed. "Yes...?" they questioned, head tipped to the side, as they racked their brain trying to figure out what he was going to show them.