trouble in my bloodstream

He felt the approaching pawsteps long before he could hear them approaching, at first they were no more than an imperceptible trembling of the ground beneath him. Then, a rhythmic series of slow thuds, until he could hear them coming closer through the lush grasses that surrounded the old barn. Sightless gaze remained fixed on something in the middle distance, though he did move his muzzle and tip his ears towards the approaching wolf. He'd begun to get very good at distinguishing certain characteristics by scent, but it wasn't entirely foolproof. Sometimes if they had spent time with the livestock right before he ran into them, he couldn't tell who it was- except for his dad, and his siblings. Their scents were branded into his brain by now. This wolf was not one he was familiar with, and his scent mingled with a floral perfume. He was big, he was definitely an adult, and he was... possibly carrying plants.

When the voice that accompanied the rest of the wolf met with the gawky child's ears, he was relieved to know he had been at least mostly correct. An adult male, whose voice was coming from way over his head. A lopsided grin split the boy's dark maw, and he let his head loll back a bit. "Listening to the birds," he crooned in his pitchy singsong voice, downy tail thumping against the ground a few more times to really drive his jovial mood home. "making bird sounds, too." there was an undeniable note of pride in his voice as he mentioned that second part. He thought his little harmony with the barn swallows had been excellent, personally. "How come you smell like plants?" he asked next, making a show of sniffing the air a few more times. Yep, definitely some kind of leafy aroma, but he wasn't fully certain what it was.

""