Hephaestus continued to shoulder his way stoically through the foliage, unaware he was about to be ambushed. His mind was not on his surroundings, but rather on his own internal thoughts. Since the plague he'd been withdrawn, quieter than usual and more reserved from his siblings. He was deeply afraid of hurting them, as he had hurt people while he was ill, and even lost in the middle of nowhere it wasn't far from his mind. In fact, even after the other pup appeared in front of him it took a moment for him to fully register her presence. He had to jerk to an abrupt stop mere inches from crashing into her. Nose to nose, the big male blinked at her. Was she... bright red? She was... wow. He stared silently at her for a moment, fiery eyes wide, before finally managing simply, "Hi."
