MUSCLE TO MUSCLE, TOE TO TOE

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He was most definitely not lost, nope. Not at all.

Okay maybe a little bit...

His parents had told him to close his eyes and count to ten, and he wanted to show them just how smart he was already! So he had listened, but when he opened his eyes they were gone. He tried to follow their paw prints in the deep snow, but the winds had picked up and swept them all away. Letting out a whine he fell to his rump with a plop, silver eyes misting as he looked up at the barren willow trees. But... where had his parents gone? They wouldn't have just left him here like his, he was such a good boy!

Or was he?

Had he been so bad that they just couldn't take him anymore, and left him to freeze in the deep snow? Itri's face pulled upwards as his nose wrinkled, his head shaking back and forth with vigor to erase the sad look on his face. No. He would not sit here and mope. He was a big boy, he was a whole season old! With a huff he stood up and walked over to the closest willow tree, leaning his black and gold frame against its trunk as he shivered. He was going to survive on his own, and show everyone that he was a strong wolf. His form shook, the spiked bangle around his left leg falling off and landing deep in the snow. Silver eyes grew wide as he stuck his nose into the cold substance, grasping the cold metal with his teeth and pulling it back over his leg. His parents had given it to him, but it was too big for his growing form. But he would grow into it. He would be a big boy.

"SPEECH"

Itri Dunstan

Gethin wasn't sure which stung more, the emotions that were churning in his stomach or his slowly healing wounds from his fight with that pale woman. He was limping slightly from his hurt paw and the bites on his neck and scruff had just started to really scab over. Of course there were the bruises to tend to as well. But that wasn't going to keep him from hunting. Why? Because he wasn't going to let Isolde starve. He wasn't going to leave her. All because he didn't want to be his father. A sigh passed his lips, making a cloud in front of his nose as he limped along through the snow. A sound somewhere to his right caught his attention and his head turned till he saw a small black and gold form leaning against a willow tree a short distance away. His ruby gaze studied the boy, watching as he seemed to retrieve something out of the snow and put it back onto his leg. Gethin's head turned this way and that to scan the area, looking for any other adult wolf that might claim this child as theirs. Not seeing anyone, his gaze was pulled back to the boy. Seeing the boy shaking from the cold made him frown and, with another disgruntled sigh, he made his way toward the pup. "What are you doing out here, kid?" he asked as he stopped a few feet away from the pup, still eyeing him and trying to figure out why a little kid like this would be out here on his own in the middle of winter. "Talk" "You" Think

MUSCLE TO MUSCLE, TOE TO TOE

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Just as the bangle settled up pretty much around his ankle, he heard the sound of someone coming towards him. Silver eyes grew wide as he jumped to his legs, his necklace nearly smacking him square in the nose. His eyes scanned the area for his parents, they instead fell on a large silver and gray man with red eyes. His excitement melted away fast as he turned his gaze to the stranger, spine growing ridged as he spoke. He asked what he was doing there and his shoulders shrugged, eyes narrowing in defiance as he glowered at the older man. Not a single word left his lips as he just stared at the much bigger man. He was so small in comparison that the old fart could sit on him and squish him flat, but he didn't care. Itri didn't need to give a reason why he was here, he was just here and that was that. Huffing in the brutes direction he turned his back on him, sitting in the snow with his face pointed the other way. His nose turned upright slightly as his tail beat on the snow behind him, hackles raised along his spine. Ears pulled back against his skull as a violent shiver passed through his form, but still he refused to move from his stubborn position. Stupid stranger didn't know anything about him, and Itri owed nothing to him. He had to admit that he was cold, very cold, but that didn't mean that he was about to crawl to the belly of the first stranger that passed him by.

"SPEECH"

Itri Dunstan

Gethin watched as the rapid change of expressions that flew over the boy's face, ending with a defiant glare and him sitting with his back to him. One brow raised quizzically as he watched the pup, seeing a lot of himself in his actions. Of course he had been defying his father for a much different reason, a much more pressing reason, but that same defiant gleam had been in his eyes. Before it all went to hell anyway. Gethin was about to shrug it off and leave the pup be, but then he saw another shiver go through his gold speckled body. He couldn't help the flashbacks that flicked through his brain of himself and his brother huddled up together against the cold. His ears flicked and his brows pulled together. Damn it... What a time for him to grow a conscience. He'd sigh and ask, "Do you want something to eat? You'll have to help me catch it, but I'll let you eat first when we do." He'd watch the boy's back for some kind of reaction. He wondered if maybe he should go back and get Isolde... maybe a woman could connect with him better? He had no idea what to do when it came to pups. "Talk" "You" Think

MUSCLE TO MUSCLE, TOE TO TOE

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His ears stayed flat against his skull, and he was going to sit that way until he froze to death. Stupid adult wolves. Why should he trust him? He had been left by the very wolves that were supposed to love him no matter what, to be by his side through thick and thin. But they didn't, they just up and left him to die. He heard nothing but a sigh from the butt head behind him, and hopefully that meant that he was going to leave him alone. But then the being spoke again, and he couldn't help but let his ears perk. Stupid ears! They were betraying his feelings! Slowly he turned and looked around his shoulder, the cold metal of his necklace brushing against his cheek. Hunting... his belly rumbled, again giving away his true feelings. He glowered down at his stomach for betraying him as well, giving it a quick little growl before he slowly rose to his paws and took a few small steps towards the adult. Food, he needed food. He was so little though, that he needed help. But no! He was big and strong! He would catch it himself. Looking all the way up to meet the adults eyes he nodded his head, hackles still raised along his back. He was so cold, that he had to clamp down to keep his teeth from chattering. Nope, no cold for him, no hungry! His stomach threatened to rumble again and his head quickly shot down to glare at it again, daring it to make another loud sound. He would bite it! Bite it hard!

"SPEECH"

Itri Dunstan