Never thought I'd find you here

Kichi was well aware of the unfairness of life, just hearing Al say it brought to mind all manner of memories.  Kichi got up, accepted Al’s aid with a bit of surprise.  He hadn’t needed help but getting it with no request was offsetting of what he’d grown used to.  If that had been strange enough the embrace was even more so.  It felt good and stung all at the same time.  Had anyone else tried this they would have found Kichi’s teeth embedded in them, refusing any sort of closeness.  For just a moment it felt like he was that naïve small pup again who had been so sure he could take on anything and with faith of protective guardians.

It was nice but, Kichi wasn’t a pup anymore.  Admittedly he could very well seem like one when compared to Alastor by size.  Kichi had known he never managed to grow as large as either of his guardians but it was made all the more clear at that moment just how much smaller he was.  He listened to Al’s words on what could be one after the cruelties of life and Kichi would label that what he had done.  Kichi had survived even with everyone else gone.  He stepped back afterward to regard Alastor, a part of his mind wondering what he saw Alastor as now.  There was a child inside of him momentarily that wanted to cling on to that but it was shaken away.  Kichi had worked too hard at growing up and taking care of himself to step back into wanting another to make everything alright.

What had he been doing with himself?  It was a reasonable question and the concerned look on the dire wolf had Kichi wanting to give him a reassuring answer.  What had Kichi been doing?  Roaming and taking Torch wherever.  There had been no particular reason for where they went other than climate or a place they hadn’t been before.  It was just going from one day to the next and since Kichi hadn’t cared much it had been often letting Torch have his way.  He had lived to spite the world and death, to prove nothing could kill him off, and to let Torch enjoy himself.

“I was traveling with Torch,” it was his one trusted companion.  A deer might have been a funny choice but a solid one in his mind.  “Lot of lands to explore.” It had seemed a perfectly fine way to live his life but telling it to Alastor felt insufficient.  No one could judge Kichi and he’d fight anyone who tried but it seemed there was one wolf’s opinion that still mattered to him.  For a while when he was alone he’d hoped to find Alastor and everything would be fine.  When he’d given up on it he had quit bothering with what anyone would think of why he did something.  A lip twitches for a ghost of a smile as he added on, “picked a few fights.” At least it added on something to traveling.  

"Speech"