Orphan to Orphan

Kichi lay on his favored rock, watching the fireflies do their odd little dance as his mind worked through all he had learned lately.  Lurid had stolen away from his childhood and left him this scarred wolf he had become.  His face had a few scars on it and spots of fur that were less dense hinted at scars hidden under the fur.  The physical scars weren’t the ones that hurt the most though, it was all the emotional damage that had taken place.  Who would Kichi be if he hadn’t been Lurid’s toy since he was a pup and then left abandoned after that?  After his first angry burst on it he now just felt drained and empty.  Hollow.

Kichi’s gaze flicked from the fireflies to below the rock where his water deer Torch was grazing.  Thankfully neither he nor the deer was sick.  After having seen that strange firefly-looking fellow Kichi had been sure to not harm the flying bugs.  The strange form had appeared and disappeared with all those strange potions and anyone who could do things like that were dangerous and to be cautious about.  So, while Kichi didn’t know for sure if the fellow had an affiliation with the fireflies it was possible and he wasn’t going to risk it.

He could smell some large cat to the west, probably behind another rock but it also carried the stink of the ooze.  If the animal was foolish enough to go near Torch it would die soon.  Kichi’s best guess was cougar but he had no need to fight so long as it didn’t go in the direction of Torch.  The wolf let out a lazy yawn, “Lurid, damn you,” Kichi muttered, “come back to life long enough for me to make you suffer.”

"Speech"