Giant Paw-Prints to Fill

It was with a loud yelp that the young Adravendi bounded back as his imagined opponent became all too real, roaring in his face out of the blue. He didn’t quite lose his feet but be backpedaled for several paces until his rump smacked into the ground and he crouched on the fore-end, bristled and snarling until the black wolf began laughing.

Utterly baffled, he stared at her as she greeted him, the defensive menace slowly falling from his features as he took in the fact that her scent was of the pack, like his mother’s. Finally, he pulled himself to all four paws and nodded carefully, still a little fluffed out along the spine. That defense had certainly come easily.

“Yes’m. I’m Cairo Adravendi.” Manners were highly important, of course, and he showed them with some modicum of dignity, even if his coat was still a little ruffled in spots—although he had managed to get some of his fur to flatten down.

Curiosity finally reared its inquisitive head and his own cocked as he looked up at the stocky female and the shadowy greys that hinted in the black of her coat. She had pretty eyes, too. “What’s your name? Are you a warrior?”