Nico was getting to be a better hunter every day!  Well, maybe every week?  Regardless!  Today he had caught a rabbit!  Being a pretty opportunistic fellow he was just as happy to eat eggs, bugs, fruits, and all manner of things but meat was on the menu today.  Of course, a few times on his menu had been whatever Jack had scrounged for them.  It still amazed Nico that Jack wasn’t overly concerned about being a great hunter.  Guess there were benefits to a big pack but still, Nico was proud of his ability to care for himself!  His bird companions that warned him if danger was close didn’t figure into the context, he’d be just as fine alone.  The fact he’d had to run to Oscar for help a time or two didn’t count either.  Nor the fact he was pretty safe when he hung out with Jack on the beach.  No, it was just how great the pup was at caring for himself.

Nico pranced along to a song in his head, unfortunately, he could only hum it since he had the rabbit in his mouth.  The sun had risen, but not too long ago.  Nico wanted to get back to the pirate pack land before it got overly late in the day as that would mean more time to play after the meal.  The idea of taking Jack out exploring was the first idea in his plan.  There were cool statues out there and lands magically changing seasons and they really needed to go play over there some more.

"Niko"

Ahh the South, now typically this was the type of place Sparrow liked to be in. It was just to take a little break, stretch her legs, then to go and do whatever it was alphas did. After the raid there was... the tourney... and the pup raid... and finding Theory a sperm donor. Man, sometimes being responsible was a drag, when did SHE get to just lay back and attend an orgy or something without having to worry about crepe paper or shame bats or whatever.

Weirdly, a small pup- a coyote pup- stumbled in front of her, fresh catch in maw. Sparrow took a second to look at it. Was it a coyote or like a coyote?

"You, uh, speak?"

“Wolf!” A magpie called out.
“Wolf!” A blue jay echoed the magpie.

Nico looked up to his bird companions, glancing around and scening the air at the companion's warning.  Once the idea of hearing such a thing was to run but now it was simply to pay attention.  Nico had been around enough wolfs that were fun he wasn’t as worried as the birds were.  He’d heard more than once it would cost him someday.  Hey! Nico wasn’t a tiny pup anymore!  He was much older now, it was way back in winter that he’d been born after all.

Nico scented the familiar smell of a pirate and sure enough, there came a wolf.  Hadn’t he seen that one before?  Oh, right the hat.  She had been giving Jack fighting tips that one time.  Back then Nico had been much younger, like an entire month or so, and had been sure to leave fast as adult wolves were more intimidating.  

Did he talk?  Well, what a silly question.  Nico was about to answer when he remembered the rabbit in his mouth was making it a bit hard.  Nico put the rabbit down, boldly setting a foot on it, guarding his meal.  “Of course, I talk.  I sing too, but not when I got rabbit in my mouth.” A pause, a grin growing on the black coyote's face as a notion came to him.  “Hey, you goin back to your home?  I bet this rabbit ain't nearly as heavy for you.  I’m taking it to share with Jack, how about you carry it?”  Nico was all about opportunities.  Even if Sparrow just stole the rabbit, Nico could just ask Jack to get him some food and it’d all be even.

"Niko"

The pup reasoned that he could talk and sing and all that when he didn't have a rabbit in his mouth. Sparrow rolled her eyes, a wry smile on her maw. "Not all coyotes talk, yanno," she said as plain as day. It was common knowledge and you'd think a coyote would know that. He asked if she was planning on heading home, saying the rabbit probably wasn't heavy for her and that he was taking it to share with Jack. A friend of her pups then? "Well, did you bring enough for all of Jack's siblings? They're an awfully jealous bunch." She looked the pup up and down to see how he'd react to that. "I'll keep ya company, but I'm not carrying your rabbit- you look like you could use the workout anyway."

Not every coyote could talk?  Yeah, sure.  Mom was right, wolves aren’t all that bright.  “Sure we all can.  The thing is if the other coyotes want to talk or not.  You know, coyotes don’t tend to care much for wolves.  They’d rather talk about you than with you.”  Of course, that was talking in their own tongue, Nico hadn’t really asked other coyotes if they ever talked with wolves.  Aside from his family, the pup hadn’t known a lot of other coyotes.  

“Nope,” the answer came easily at the question of bringing enough for all of Sparrow’s kids.  “Jack and I are friends and we play a lot so that’s who I brought it for.  I guess I’d share it with Ajax also, he’s fun.  If the rest want it then they have to come play with me also.  I guesssss if they asked real nice I could show them how to catch one too.” Nico quite liked the idea of envisioning himself teaching a bunch of wolves to hunt.  

Well, Nico had tried getting the wolf to carry the rabbit for him but it seemed Sparrow wasn’t one to fall for the poor puppy act.  “I thought most everyone fell for the ‘poor puppy’ act so either I did it wrong or your just not a sucker.” Nico picked the rabbit back up and started walking again.  He’d played with Ajax and with Jack but he hadn’t really spent time around one of the adults before.  Nico boldly believed he could put up a good fight against the pups but this wolf towered above the coyote pup.  

"Nico"

The pup said all Coyotes could talk and Sparrow rolled her eyes, "Not the one's I've-" the thought died on her tongue momentarily, "Fought. None of them talked other than peeing their pants and running away." Sparrow was not about to explain coyote ball or sport killings or any of that right now.

He moved on to talk about not bringing enough for all the siblings and his reasoning was that they didn't play with him. Sparrow stifled a laugh, "Careful, they're just as apt to take you as their next meal as they are to have you as a playmate." It wasn't entirely an empty warning. She didn't think many of her pups had it in them to kill something that spoke to them, nor would she want them to flippantly, but she couldn't put it past them- she'd killed coyotes before and even talking to this one now she couldn't find it in her heart to feel guilty.

Nico finally dropped the sad puppy act and had his reasonings on why she didn't fall for it. "I'm not a sucker, I'm a King. Besides, I don't think a ton of wolves would pour too much pity on a coyote if I'm honest. Something something 'sticking to our own kind' or like 'earning your place' or they'll help you but they'll be all 'we're such good people for helping you' and get all bloated in the head. Not really worth the trouble of it."