Larksong Grotto Dog Songs

The instant Masquerade detected another canine presence in the woods, they silently loped to their sister’s side and with unspoken commands, made her take cover in a nearby thicket. The Caru then pivoted on a heel and walked stiffly back toward the source of the sounds, meeting the stranger in the middle when he stepped into view.

The sunlight slanted through the trees, dappling his features and making them particularly striking. Masque stared for a beat, then caught themself. They shook their head a little and schooled their expression as well as their posture, standing their ground as neutrally as possible.

Normally, they would not have said a word, instead waiting for the other wolf to say something. But Masque’s eyes briefly connected with his bright blue gaze and they felt an unfamiliar compulsion: they must know this wolf’s name.

Who are you? they asked, angling for inquisition not interrogation but, in their ham-fisted attempt at cordial curiosity, coming across rather demanding.