Meet my new friend

The cheetah is a welcome distraction, it diverts the conversation that needs to happen for a little longer. Anxiety forms knots in Ricin’s gut as he looks from his brother to Swift… the apprehension is not from the cat that Chade seems to have befriended but from the fact that he cannot put off the talk much longer. When the cat bobs its head and says hello, Ricin’s eyebrows shoot up and the pup smiles widely. Happily, he says, “Hello Swift! Nice to meet you.” His gaze is pulled back to Chade as his brother explains how they meet, nodding and smiling as his brother talks. His mouth makes an ‘o’ in surprise at the name cheetah. Not that the brothers have any knowledge of the creatures are what they are capable of but it seems like an appropriate reaction.

Then, Chade remembers Ricin’s words asking what the lighter boy wanted to tell him. Inwardly, the light pup groans, paws shuffling as Ricin darts his eyes around the grove. He clears his throat, saying, “Oh, uh, it’s not that important. We can… uh… talk about it later. I’m sure Swift here is hungry.” The courage the lighter brother had mustered is gone, leaving Ricin with the urge to flee and pretend like the talk with Manea never happened. He cannot meet Chade’s gaze, the tree just beside his brother has suddenly become very interesting as Ricin bites his lip and stares very intently at the trunk of the tree. Unconsciously, the pup shifts his weight from one side to the other, appearing as if, at any minute, he will bolt.


"Speech"