Red Hot Gardener

The boy was diligent in his care, so diligent that he almost missed the wolf walking past. However, the crunch of the dry dirt gave her away and his head rose, auds perking forward in alertness as his attention turned toward her. He had never seen the woman before he noted, but she bore the scent of Ashen so he knew she belonged in some form. She was quite petite, being around the same height as he was even though he was nearing 7 months of age. Her pelt was silver, overcast with grey and dappled in lighter grey and white hues that made her seem like she was walking through patchy trees even though they were out in the sun. Her eyes, though downturned, were colored a bright aquamarine. She was pretty in an ordinary way, which may have seemed like an insult to anyone else, but coming from a boy who came from a very unordinary family, it was indeed a compliment. It was different.

He noted her expression and manner of walking, which felt like she was trying to get down to business, and Take wasn’t going to stop her. His siblings, ever the chatterbugs, did all the talking for him most of the time (largely because he physically couldn’t) and he wasn’t much of a socialite anyhow. But, he noted one important detail: with her eyes focused so hard on the ground, she wasn’t seeing the sled he used to transport large items to and from the worksite. His gaze widened and he let out a sharp bark of warning.