Little House, Little Kids

Ricin bows he head, as he gives Duchess the biggest hug, and uses his nose to ruffle the fur on top of her head. She hugs him back and, when he pulls away, he thinks he sees sadness on her face. However, as she gives a small chuckle to his eager greeting, the boy offers her a goofy, lopsided grin and the sadness is quickly forgotten. Ricin listens intently as she speaks, giving her a bright smile when she smiles at him. Better now? Had she been unwell? Before he gets the chance to ask his question, Duchess taps his shoulder and starts to walk. Ricin quickly falls into step next the purple woman as she asks how the pack life has been treating him. The statement that follows has the boy feeling bashful as he halting says, “Me… oh uh, I wouldn’t say a ‘great’ member. More ‘average’. Now, Chade is a great member. He hunts and fights stuff. Which, uh, well... pretty much everyone here seems to know how to fight.”

Crimson eyes glance over to Duchess as Ricin ducks his head in embarrassment. When he lifts his head back up, after taking a moment to compose himself, the blue boy finally answers her question, “I really like it here Duchess. It is nice to have a safe place to sleep every night. A place to return to when the day ends and being able to eat as much as my stomach wants! Did you know, I ate a whole deer yesterday? All by myself!” He laughs lightly, giving his skull a shake as he adds, “You should have seen Chade’s face when he found out. He didn’t think I could eat that much.” A happy smile makes a reappearance, resting comfortably on the boy’s dark lips. A thought crosses Ricin’s mind and he asks, “Have you ever been part of a pack Duchess? It is fun. Hey, maybe you could stay here! Then we could go exploring every day!”

Eyes dance with excitement at the prospect of having his friend in the same pack. Clearing his throat, Ricin finally blurts out, “Duchess, what was wrong? You said you’re better now… did something bad happen?” Eyebrows furrow in worry as he looks over the smaller wolf’s form, trying to see if anything is amiss.

"Ricin Dauner"