Swiftcurrent Creek Our song has not been sung

The taste of blood filled his mouth and a few drops dripped off his tongue and landed in the snowy mush in front of him. Relonikiv momentarily forgot the pain and leaned forward, his head cocked as he peered at the little red smear. He looked up at Julius, making an inquisitive noise in his throat. His brother growled in response, which made the runt's ears swoop backward and his head to dip. He quickly realized Julius wasn't growling at him and he straightened up again.

"Ju... ow," he belatedly answering. He wasn't the type to make a fuss or complain, yet tears began to prick in his eyes as his swollen tongue throbbed. "Ow, ow, owie..." His complaints transformed into a short-lived mournful howl.

Relonikiv then remembered the little splashes of red on the snow and he bent forward again. He sniffed. It smelled not unlike the chewed meat the adults sometimes provided for the pups. The youngster opened his muzzle and scooped up a mouthful of dirty snow. It initially hurt when he curled his tongue like that, yet the coldness of it quickly numbed him. Relonikiv swirled the melting mixture around in his mouth, swallowed and sighed.