There's No Place Like Home

Kione was fine with letting the grey girl keep to her own thoughts.  He’d walk silently beside her, offering himself as her brace.  Occasionally he’d check her shoulder, a sniff possibly and then licking away any bits of dirt, making sure most of her fur was flattened away from the injury so it remained clean.  He didn’t know anything about how to heal wounds but he knew to keep them clean.  

It was a more sedate pace than he’d generally do, especially with someone to keep him company but that someone was injured and clearly troubled so the time was hers.  That left Kione with his own memories and that was its own bitter brew to drink.  Visions of his pack, the higher-pitched sounds they spoke in when planning to go hunting contrasted with the deeper sounds of the wolves' voices.  The large numbers they hunted with and the fun of it all versus calling it work.
When Fern spoke up and the castle was there Kione swatted away the cobweb of memories in his own mind   “No problem luv,” the easy response to the thanks.  He wasn’t rushing off just yet though.  She made it sound like these were nice folks and Kione imagined that meant it would be a safe enough spot to sleep for the night if they’d let him in.  Fighting a bear then being her personal brace on the journey back it would be nice to take a nap behind those walls.  Kione grinned to himself in amusement at the idea of staying with a bunch of wolves for an evening.

Well, why not?  So far they’d proved not to be so bad.  They were strange in some ways but they probably thought he was also.  So the colorful dog waited patiently with Fern. “I’ll see you in once we’re allowed.  Might take a nap here myself if they don’t mind.”


"Speech"