the great unknown

It was strange, but in that moment Liyaní spared no thought to her pack or her siblings or her caretakers who were bound to notice her absence sooner or later. The only thing that the sooty pup could think about was surviving. At that point in time, the pale-furred loner was her only means of having a chance of living. She was scared, wet, and freezing. The girl's tiny body trembled with a combination of fright and cold. Her only concern was warming up and feeling safe again.

The male's gruff command was met with a curious twist of the youngster's ears. Liyaní did not hesitate before scrambling to her paws, but it was then that she reminded of the injury she'd inflicted onto her foot before tumbling into the river. Wincing, she maneuvered away from the water's edge and slunk closer to the stranger's side. She would not press against him without his explicit permission for fear of the repercussions that might follow.

Liyaní gingerly lifted her sprained paw from the ground and whimpered at the man. "Owwie," she told him softly, showing him her left foot that she'd gotten stuck in some bramble roots. Although there was no outward sign of injury, the dull ache radiating from somewhere inside her ankle was more than enough to cause the pup discomfort.