over the river and through the woods

Even among family, Spirit felt completely alien - though how could he not? He was different from his siblings, those that had grown up together in the comfort of their pack, and he didn't even know how they all felt about his return in the first place. There was so much he had to figure out and learn again, and he wasn't quite sure where to begin - it was hard to tell where he was wanted, or where he was needed, so he tended to keep to himself more often that not.

At least... until moments like this came up. Maybe running into family members was a good thing. At the very least, it was forcing him to talk to someone, even if he felt quite uncertain about himself the entire while. Luckily Rhythm didn't seem bothered by his nerves, greeting him warmly. He appreciated her gentleness; even her voice was soft and comforting and he felt some of the anxiety begin to drain away. Not completely, but some, and that was enough to keep him from freezing up entirely.

He was able to finally force a small but genuine smile back at her. Sitting definitely sounded more appealing than standing. Why did he suddenly feel like his legs might give out, anyway? "I-I'm.. t-trying," Spirit started weakly. He was distracted though as a bird landed on Rhythm's shoulder, and he realized that his face had suddenly lit up, like a switch had been flipped. "Is t-that.. your f-friend?" Though he wasn't smiling, his eyes were wide and interested as he slid down near her onto his belly, eyeing the sparrow. He was reminded of his own little bird friend, and he wondered briefly where she might be hiding today.