in the graveyard sippin' pumpkin juice

TABLE & CODE © SKELLE 2021

"Speech!"
Drawn in by the eerie vertigo of the frozen lake and the countless fireflies lingering around him, he didn't notice the click of claws against the ice steadily growing louder. In fact, he didn't notice the figure of another canine until the small male was upon him. Tearing his mercurial gaze from the space between his forepaws, the boy looked to the stranger and found himself just as confused. Wrapped and bundled in furs like a pack animal being taken to market, with a cheery expression. He blinked a few times when the man spoke, willing his brain to stutter back to life and process the words before the silence stretched too long. The accent threw him for a loop, but the final greeting was easy enough to understand.

"Hello to you too," he said quietly, unable to keep the inquisitive sparkle from his eyes. As he finally digested the prior sentence, he found himself speaking up before he could stop himself. "What else have they said to you?" he asked with a tip of his heavy skull to one side, metallic eyes suddenly locking onto the gleaming jewelry that adorned the kohl dark ears of the stranger. "I don't think they've been quite so friendly with me, so far." he admitted with a tiny, sheepish smile. Realizing the poor manners he displayed by staring blankly at someone like this, he dropped his gaze back to his paws for a moment and then up to the bottle green eyes of the male.