Steel watched him nearly unblinkingly, his face a picture of wariness so uncharacteristic of a boy so young. His father had taught him early on that strangers often meant danger, even those that tried to show otherwise, and the last thing he wanted was to have to call for his father to help him because he was being stupid. Tail would flick behind him as he gingerly tore flesh from the small flesh, enjoying the taste despite its strangeness. It still felt as though Hascal might want something from Steel but for now the boy would try to relax, though he was glad to maintain a safe distance between them as he ate.
"Thank you," he said simply in response to Hascal's compliment about his name. "My parents and I are just passing through. We live up north." Though he didn't know much about how big the world was, he did know they had traveled south. The land seemed a bit warmer here and less unforgiving. He knew his father was from an even more harsh world, and he wondered if he truly liked these more moderate lands. "We don't really have a home right now," he admitted after a moment of careful thought. It was strange to admit aloud. He'd never pictured a life outside of Sawtooth, a life without his siblings and all of the Destructions he had grown familiar with from a distance, but everything had been turned upside down without warning.
