Alexa pulled herself closer, he didn't scold, he didn't rebuke, he didn't even make a move toward her. She breathed the scent of the calming herb deeply as he crushed the petals. The aroma instantly melted into her muscles and the tenseness in her back began to relax.
He talked about how he wouldn't hurt her... her mismatched eyes looked up at him wondering if he was going to keep that promise. She nodded, agreeing with him that some wolves could be nasty. She could just tell him when something was scary? Even if it was him that was scaring her? Really? She never would have tried that with her mom.
She listened intently as he described how to preserve the lavender when he laid down his head and compared the flower to her. She swept her little white tail back and forth as she lay next to the plant, a cautious smile played over her lips as she dared to close her eyes and pull in the smell. She opened them again just to be sure he hadn't moved or things hadn't changed, then closed them again, pulling in the soothing strong aroma and letting it wash over her little two-toned body.
She opened her eyes again to look at him carefully, a new softness finally reflected back to him, "You too...Pretty and Purple like you too."
![[Image: 20Rva1y.png]](https://i.imgur.com/20Rva1y.png)