Meet my new friend

Ricin hides his face, tries to hide his tears but the knowledge that he made Chade angry… hurts. Truthfully, the lighter pup cannot remember a time he had seen his brother so angry at him. Sure, when he got into sticky situations, the darker pup would be mad but it was because he cares about Ricin. But this… this was raw, pure anger laced with fear. He can’t face his brother, not after seeing what he perceived as hate in his brother’s eyes. The bitter tone in Chade’s voice only serves to drive the stake of hate further into the sad boy’s heart. He stays curled up, trying to regain control of his emotions while also trying to come to terms with his brother’s new view of him.

Chade says its fine and talks of loving him but Ricin knows the truth. After today, things will be different and his brother will no longer trust him. The pup tries to shut down the thoughts, to make the parade of horrible self-talk stop but it won’t. The darker pup continues to talk as Ricin stays curled, face hidden under his leg and he feels something… shift. As Chade speaks of still loving him, Ricin sniffles and pulls his head out from his leg, using the paw to brush away the tears. When he looks to his brother, a wobbly smile is on his lips as he says, “Okay Ny. Love you too.” The words feel hallow, empty of any true emotion. Part of Ricin wonders why he can’t feel anything, why he is suddenly numb inside; but that he will save those questions for another day.

Ricin moves to stand and shake out his coat, looking to Swift and back to Chade. He tries to force emotions that use to flow so freely, a tight smile on his lips as he works to inject a lightness in his tones, “We should get Swift some food. We have delayed him long enough.” The smile he wears is strained, his words seem flat to his own ears and the sparkle seems to have dulled in his eyes. Ricin feels that something is off but he cannot figure out exactly what that is. The lighter boy looks to his brother, waiting for Chade to take the lead and take them on a hunt.

"Speech"