His words worry her. Why had his family lived like that? Why couldn’t they keep everyone? Why wouldn’t his parents protect the small? The supposedly weak? How could they not have had enough resources? Her ears continue to fall as she realizes that she would have been culled too. To a lot of wolves, she was a runt. Tiny, weak, and useless.

Delphi waits for a few moments after his last statement. Her lips are pulling up in a sneer as her heart continues to hurt. Why would he want to do that to her? “It doesn’t work like that here,” she whispers, opening her eyes to look at his paws. They were much larger than hers. “You won’t be killed for being weak. Everyone has a place. You have a place, I’ll make sure of it,” Delphi grits her teeth together as she finally turns her chin to glance at him over her shoulder. “I mean… if you want to stay,” she whispers, still continuing to look at him as she waits for an answer and her eyes begin to glisten with possible tears.

Delphi felt emotions so easily, he could see as she glanced back at him. The glint of tears in her eyes. A part of him wanted to last out at the sight of them. To tell her to toughen up, and stop being such a baby. He shoved the desire down, and met her eyes. He'd shown a lot of weakness to her in turn. It made it harder to punish her own shortcomings. "I've never met anyone I've wanted to care about before." He admitted, a hint of gruffness returning to his voice. He hoped Delphi never shared the things he told her. This pack was vastly different from his home. He was worried about how they would view him if they knew the whole of it.


"Anyone can be killed for being weak. Maybe not by the wolves of this pack, but by predators or its enemies." He pointed out. Surely she knew the danger of that, her tail was a constant reminder.  "But I want to stay. I want… whatever this is." He said, and tapped his chin to her shoulder. Then, in a bout of insanity, he leaned over and pressed his muzzle to her cheek for a count of 2 seconds, before returning his head to her shoulder.

She may be reckless, a loose cannon, and slightly hot headed, but she wasn’t stupid. Even blind with rage, she knew she could still be killed. One kick or bite to her head, she’d be a goner. Unlike him, Delphi was the runt. Her life was always in danger the moment she walked outside.

As much as she wanted to snip back at him for that comment, she is silenced by his last comment. Still meeting his gaze, a small smile breaks over lips. Taken by surprise with his comment, he surprises her once more when he presses his muzzle against her cheek. Her mouth opens slightly as her breath is taken away and her heart rate elevates. When he pulls away and places his head back on her back, her once maybe tears are forgotten and her smile is growing.

“Strai,” her voice is a whisper as her tail wags a few times. “Whatever this is isn’t going anywhere,” Delphi whispers as she twists herself enough so that she can reach up to place her own muzzle against his cheek for a quick peck. Feel her cheeks light with fire, she quickly turns back around and places her chin back on his paws. Silently, she worries what Vidarr will think. He is the only one who really knows Strai. Closing her eyes, Delphi relishes the moment for now. She can deal with the consequences later.

He let out a soft, content sigh. Letting himself embrace this weakness he had tried so hard to rid himself of. It felt good to indulge, even if he felt guilty as well. He didn't know if he loved or hated his parents. They had been a constant in his life. He had thought the lessons they taught him to be vital and sacred. Now he was figuring out the world didn't have to be the way they had painted. Except they were dead, and he was confused if he should be honouring their memory or living his life for himself.


When she returned his affection, he flushed a little himself. She closed her eyes, and he let his own slide closed. Of course, a grin that spelled trouble darted across his muzzle a moment longer. "Can I move into your hidey hole? I had my outcropping" he said, pushing his luck and amused at how Delphi might respond.

His question sets her hair on end. With her ears flattening, she doesn't answer right away. What was he thinking? Move into her hidey hole? Why? Couldn't he finds his own hidey hole? Delphi clears her throat, keeping her eyes closed. "The outcropping definitely isn't suitable to live in," her words are slow and careful. She was nearing on a year old soon and soon he would be too. Maybe Vidarr would give them their own den somewhere else. Just not her hidey hole. Aji would kill her. Well, she hadn't seen Aji in here in awhile, but still. "I can talk to Vidarr. We can find a bigger den for you that will suit your size when you're fully grown," she smiles as she peeks one eye open and glances at him to see what his reaction would be. Would he be okay with that proposition? Or would he react poorly? Delphi had a feeling that he might be opposed to it. "Delphi" & "Strai"

He snorted at that, realising as he did so that he was getting more accustomed to Delphi being in his personal space. It didn't seem to bother him as much to know their coats were touching. He didn't think he'd let anyone else get this close, but Delphi was special. "I was teasing, Tox." He said, though he hadn't been entirely. He had wanted to know if she would let him have a piece of something important to her. Her rejection stung, but he brushed it off. 


"I can find my own den" he added, shifting his head against her shoulder as he got comfortable. She was so small that he was a little worried about resting the full weight of his head on her. "So… I guess we're friends now. Is that how this works?"

Her offer to help was rejected. Delphi can tell in his voice and how he calls her Tox that he was insulted? Offended? Sad? She furrows her brow as she tries to understand why he wants to move in here. If it was possible, she would move into a different den with him. This place was too small... They couldn't fit here together once he was fully grown. While they were pups, sure, it was fine, but in a year, they'd have to find somewhere else anyway. Her lips turn down before she turns her chin to get an even better look at him as he also shifts to get comfortable. "Thrall," she wasn't sure if she still enjoyed calling him by his nickname, "It can be our den. Look at this place, it ain't gonna be big enough when we're grown," Delphi picks up a paw to gesture at the place. Already, Binti was scrunched in a corner and if they added more companions, it would be way too crowded. "Why couldn't we make a new place for ourselves?" She asks, turning her big eyes up to his to see if he'll meet her stare. His next question was almost forgotten or rather ignored. Friends? Just friends? Had he not... Did she get the wrong impression? Or? No, it was better to leave it for now. Smiling, Delphi nods and laughs anyway to fend off the feelings that wrench at her heart. "Yeah, dummy, that's how it works. Friends. We hang out and get into trouble," her smile turns into a smirk as she looks forward to a future of shenanigans and adventures. "Delphi" & "Strai"

He scowled. Not because of what she said, but because it was clear she was starting to get to know him better. Well enough to hear things he hadn't said out loud. Then what she said sunk in, and he brushed his nose through the fur across her shoulder. Stirring it with his breath. This surprise was different, pleasant. Unexpected. "Do you want that?" He asked softly. Did she really want to den with him? Trust him enough for that? He was surprised she wasn't denning with her family, and that she'd be allowed to take her own, and with him no less. "I'd like that." He added, and added a lick to his next brush across her fur. 


A shiver went through him at her next words. Friends. It seemed such an intimate, scary thing. A rule he was breaking, but he did so anyway. For her. Friends who denned together, and got into trouble together. "You parents don't mind you having your own den?" He asked, realising she hadn't really spoken of her own parents much.

His nose across her shoulder sends an electrifying feeling through her. Every hair feels as if it is alive and on fire. Her breath catches in her throat for a moment as she almost blanks on what they're talking about. What would she like? What was he asking? Delphi blinks before her brain reboots itself. She lets out a "tch" noise and wrinkles her nose playfully at him. "I wouldn't say it if I didn't mean it," she retorts before rolling her eyes again. Gosh, why did he have to go asking dumb questions? If Delphi was anything, she was honest. Maybe a little too honest sometimes. The next brush of his nose with the added lick has her feeling all sorts of jumbled. At a loss for words, she's unsure what to do. How to act. How to respond. Would her parents care? Had she really given that a thought? Not really. They were busy. Sure, they loved her more than anything, but they had other things to care about. She was the last thing she wanted to bother them about. Another "tch" noise comes out of her as she looks away and wrinkles her nose again. "Of course, they wouldn't mind. They'd probably be happy to have their own den back again," Delphi feels bad saying this. She knows it's wrong. Her parents would do anything for her or her siblings. She frowns and looks back at Strai. "No, I'm sorry. They definitely would mind. I just..." Delphi sighs and looks at him with those big eyes once more. "I'm just so small and insignificant that I don't like bothering them. Mama and Mumma Cy are kind of not okay and Da is struggling to take care of them and the other pups. They even sent one of my brothers off to live with our gramma for a while," admitting this personal information is difficult for her. "I's why Vidarr has been kinda keepin' on me lately. Alleviate some stress off their shoulders while they get better," her voice gets quiet as she looks away and puts her chin back on top of his paws. Sniffling, she holds back the emotions that overwhelm her. She'd rather drop it and just enjoy his company, but if she couldn't be vulnerable with him... Then what were friends for? "Delphi" & "Strai"

She seemed to shiver as his nose ruffled her coat. He wasn't sure why she did so, but he liked that he affected her. He smoothed her coat down with another brush across it, listening with half an ear to what she was saying, and half an ear to how she was reacting.


When she tilted her head up to look at him with her big two-toned eyes he paused. Meeting her gaze, and realising the vulnerability he could see there took his breath away. This was a two way street, wasn't it? He showed her vulnerability, and she did the same. 


"I'm… sorry, Delphi" he said, a little confused at the two mums thing, and how big her family seemed to be. But it clearly upset her that her folk were struggling. "Vidarr seems to care about you a lot, and… there's nothing small and insignificant about you. Not when someone gets to know you. You're actually a pretty impressive wolf. But I'm not repeating that to anyone else!" He said quickly, voice slightly teasing as he sought to distract her. He licked the spot behind her ear, and wondered what he could do to help her. His friend. The only wolf in the world he cared about.

The words that leave him mean a lot to her. And how he allows her to cuddle with him and starts to groom her coat. A happy hum vibrates in her throat as she shrugs her shoulders. "Don't apologize," she murmurs as she opens her eyes, looking at the fire and then at his paws. Lifting her head a bit, she gives his paw a gentle lick before glancing at him over her shoulder. Her lips spread into a wide smile and a teasing laugh leaves her. "You sure you can trust me to keep your secrets?" Delphi taunts as she raises a brow, testing him only slightly, but not really meaning it. Of course, she would keep his secrets. They were her's to keep. Deep down, his appraising words warmed her heart which had been slowly growing bitter since the incident. After meeting Strai, though he had his moments, he was slowly curing the pain that she harbored. "Delphi" & "Strai"

He listens to the sound of her hum, and it’s all the contact and closeness he never realised he had been missing. It hadn’t been easy to allow her close enough to cuddle like this. Yet, despite it being only a few times they had done so, it was already starting to feel natural. He was adjusting, he realised. Would it start to feel strange and uncomfortable curling up without her? He hoped not, he wasn't a fan of dependance. He felt the lick on his paw, and glanced at her, meeting her eyes. He heaved a put-upon sigh, though there was amusement in his eyes. “I guess I’m going to find out.” He said, since he had already made the decision to trust her. To let this grow. "Delphi" & "Strai"

She rolls her eyes with a small shake of her head. Of course, he was going to trust her. She would show him that he could trust her over anyone else. Turning her head back to lay it on his paws, she licks them one more time before letting out a content sigh. "Just think. When we're old enough, we can have a den bigger than this one. With a nice comfy big bed and a real hearth and storage for snacks. We can decorate it and fill it with all the treasures we find," there is a small smile on her face as she lets her eyes close. Daydreaming about the future was nice. It helped her to forget the past. Maybe if she could trust Strai herself, she would begin to see that not everyone was so terrible. "Delphi" & "Strai"

She gave a dramatic showing over his words, shaking her head and rolling her eyes. But he knew her well enough to understand she was teasing him. He might have been teasing her, as well but there was trust building between them. Something new and somewhat terrifying. “Storage for snacks is essential” He agreed, “And trophies of the things we defeat. Maybe it’ll be a competition on the walls…” He grinned at her, already enjoying the idea. Enjoying the… commitment that seemed to be in her words. She really wanted them to live together? They would be friends, flatmates. "Delphi" & "Strai"

Delphi lets out a thoughtful hum. Ah yes, a competition to see who could fill the walls. Was he always like that? Wanting to be the best? wasn't that exhausting? She supposed if it made him happy, she wouldn't bring it up. "I guess I'll have to beat you then, huh?" Delphi teased as she turned to return his glance. A smirk is on her lips as she lets out a little laugh and then looks away. "Let's take a nap. Today was exhausting," she lets out a yawn before putting her chin back on his paws and snuggling closer to him. Having a friend she could trust who wasn't her sibling was nice... "Delphi" & "Strai"

He laughed softly at that, relaxing with her. She was unlike anyone else he’d ever known in his entire life. He’d never felt safe, and comfortable around another wolf before. ”You probably would” He agreed, she was small but had proven herself to be a fierce hunter. Reckless, and unconcerned about her own safety. He curled a paw around her, letting her rest her head on his other paw, before resting his own head next to hers. Hugging was still somewhat scary, but Delphi was allowed to hug him. Only Delphi. “Sleep.” He agreed softly, wondering how easily he would get to sleep with her resting against him now. It wasn’t like the first time, where he was kept awake by sheer confusion and awkwardness at her touch. -exit via sleep?- "Delphi" & "Strai"