Reality Check

Crux grimaced as he followed the bigger wolf. Sand. He hated sand. It was coarse and rough and irritating and it got everywhere... And more importantly it gave Crux practically nothing to actually walk on. Solid ground was his friend and sand was not. Still he set his jaw and didn't complain even as he felt the way struggling to keep up was wrenching his leg. Even as he struggled to stay on his paws just from the simple act of walking. The last thing he was going to do was let a stranger think he was incapable, even if all he wanted was to not have to walk on the sand at all. He really did hate beaches.

All that said there is no masking the relief he finally felt when they stopped near the ring of rocks and Crux practically fell onto his ass, only his own pride keeping him from sprawling across the ground. Wincing at the movement needed to keep his leg properly folded at his side so he could sit like a "regular" non-disabled wolf. Still it wasn't standing, swimming or gods forbid walking on sand and after a moment the pain faded to a dull ache where it would stay as background noise for the time being. He didn't know how to respond to the refutation of his apology, so he offered his own slight smirk in return, glad at least he was sensing some levity from the other young man.

A brow rose as he mentioned needing to get away from the family and Crux idly wondered if the young man was related to the woman Dread had gotten to orchestrate his kidnapping... He still hadn't really understood why his brother had thought that would be a good idea. Finally though things finally circled back to Ajax and why Crux was here. He sighed, a paw rising on instinct to his chest, where he remembered he'd left both the feather pendant he'd had made after Ajax's visit and Triss' bracelet back in his den. He'd known there was likely a swim in his future and he hadn't wanted to risk losing either precious item. So his paw dropped to his other wrist, only the leather cuff had stayed on and he gently rubbed it as he centered and focused himself. "It's childish really..." He began, chuckling nervously. "And kind of a long story."

Crux stared into the flames for a moment, collecting his thoughts. "I'm uh, Crux. Dread's my brother." He started by way of introducing himself. "We have- had an older brother who was, well he was cruel. To me and two of my sisters in particular. Guess being born kinda set him off, especially being born in what he thought of as a broken state." He cast a glance at his leg. "Most of my very earliest memories are a blurr of fear and anger and hiding from that asshole.  I got off lucky when compared to my sisters..." There was a hardness to Crux as he spoke, he didn't hide the guilt he felt for how easy he'd gotten off when compared to Kite and Vanta but he mostly only held anger and contempt, for the brute who'd masqueraded as his brother. But he also didn't want to dwell, and he wasn't interested in dumping all of his trauma on a total stranger. "I've really only got one clear memory from that time." He continued, face and tone lightening as he remembered that day in the market, mouth even twitching into a small smile. "It's dumb but the memory is of Ajax. He'd come to the Armada market by himself and we... We just played, I showed him who we could bribe into giving us some honey comb and he gave me a feather from his duck and- He was the first wolf I'd ever met who wasn't my litter mates or parents that showed me basic kindness, who didn't see me as a walking mistake." Crux's gaze had slid from the fire to his paws, where he focused on them intently as if doing so could hide the blush that had crept onto his face or the very clear affection that had found its way into his tone. "I'd only ever seen him the once, so he probably doesn't even remember it but I- I guess I just wanted to let him know how important that had been for me." That was the closest he'd ever gotten to confessing the very embarrassing fact he'd been harbouring a crush on a wolf he'd met exactly once as a kid.

"Speech"