Anew [Mortis]

Dove studied the child, deciding that Mortis was, in fact, a puppy. From the gangly limbs to the paws too large, Mortis was clearly an adolescent. How young he was, though, Dove could not determine. The pup seemed to come to a decision with a sigh and paced forward, losing his balance and stumbling close. Children, though, were perhaps one of the only weaknesses not of Dove's, or his family's, making. He was, or had once been, a nurturing soul to the pups of the kingdom, gentle and patient where his father had been ruthless and irritable with he and his siblings. So it was without reserve that he lowered his body to provide assistance, should it be needed.

It seemed the pup could handle it himself, however, as his wings flared, like a bird diving through the sky, and he righted himself. Dove blinked as Mortis turned and dropped a . . . pelt on the ground before him. Dove listened to his words, even as he frowned in thought at the pelt. The neighborly thing to do, he'd said, and the dark man frowned deeper. Refusing a gift from a neighboring pack, in the kingdom at least, was an act of war. Or at the very least, made for strained dealings in the future. Dove recalled prying Sirius, his gleaming eyes, and his strange words. Not unkind, however dark the games he preferred were.

"Thank you," he muttered, a decision met. Dove picked up the pelt, frown still place, and folded it as best he could before turning and walking it into the den, setting it in the back corner, away from where it would be exposed to the elements. Regardless of where it came from, Dove had nothing to his name, besides the den, and he felt that refusing the gift of someone's who's territory he was so close to was unwise. He stepped back, stalling for time, because the answer to the question Mortis had asked was not something he could give.

Dove sighed, and the sound was heavy. Why had Sirius done anything he'd done? He'd given Dove the impression that the mangrove forest was claimed, had stalked the man when he'd admitted to wrongdoing, and then had offered Dove a place in his pack even though he barely knew him. Had it only been a few days since he'd found the mangrove forest? It felt like much longer. "I don't know," Dove responded, unhappily. "Perhaps because I did not run."