Haunted Wood shiny, shiny, shiny boots of leather

his heart swelled nearly to bursting as the boy vouched for him. his eyes then strayed to the older wolf, where the wheels in his mind were clearly spinning. finally, the man spoke, and surya felt both relief and angst at the verdict. relief because, well, he would be allowed to stay, at least for a little while.

but it came at a cost. he would have to remain, to hunt, to provide for this pack. of course, it made sense. but it pushed back even further the soonest he could get back to his brother and aphrodite and all of whitebark stream. his home.

there was no refusing, though. refusal meant death.

thank—you— surya punched the words out, barely a whisper. he turned a face of gratitude toward the boy, not even noticing the woman's departure until she slapped the poultice onto his wounds. he let out a reedy cry, a broken sound that shivered high into the air. he shuddered all over, from pain and fear and exhaustion alike.

but they were helping. they did not have to, but they were helping. he ought to be grateful for that.