Noel stared, frozen in his half slumped position by his own fear as he looked over the female with wide eyes. He was afraid to blink, though maybe it would be best; maybe he did not want to see what happened next. But he did not look away, he could not. A pair of charcoal dusted ears flicked forward at the fem’s apology, quivering as the ocean water collected inside trickled further down his ear canals. The pup’s head gave a brisk shake automatically, eyes squinting reluctantly against the horrible feeling of moisture in his ears. It was a like hitting a reset button, though, the feeling and actions restarting his system and taking a second to slow his heart.
He opened his eyes, the odd, mismatched set looking over the female for the first time without initial bias, taking in her low, harmless posture. Noel found himself slowly settling, his breathing starting to come in more even takes despite the burn of the salt water her had taken. She spoke again, her tone soft and even, pulling at a part of him that was perhaps a little less guarded. He told himself to be cautious, be wary of the stranger, and yet he had no understanding of why. Why shouldn’t he feel safe? She had apologized, said she had no intention to frighten him, but a very primal part of him understood that this female was not his mother and that kept him a little on edge. The pup slowly began to right himself in the sand, his eyes still pinned to the mottled gray female as he lifted himself to a stiff sitting position.
The boy’s head hung low, ears perking forward toward the female despite the clear distrust in his amber and blue gaze. He opened his mouth to speak, but coughed as a second wave of liquid gushed out. Noel shuddered as he took in a long, slow breath, absolutely hating the feeling this second time around. It did not feel right, made his stomach clench in tension and his skin crawl beneath his damp, mussy fur. He cleared his throat and attempted to try again, but froze up once more as a larger black fem made her approach. Noel noticed the relaxation of the gray female, the one who had come before, and the way she ducked her head before this new arrival. Instinct told him this was a sign of respect, a show of station, though he would not recognize it in those terms just yet. Particularities were still lost on the numb edges of the boy’s consciousness, his mind a whirlwind of confusion and incoherent facts.
Noel flinched as the black female leaned over and sniffed him, rooted to the spot this time by resignation. One adult was enough for him to recognize as a threat, two… well, there was little chance of escape for him even if they did mean him harm. It didn’t seem that way, though, their words holding a hint of good intention, and he was becoming more inclined to believe it by now. Rhoedias… he registered the name to the large of the two females as she turned her attention to smaller and introduced herself. And Alana… He found no recognition in their names and only confusion at the exchange between the two females. A meeting? Was he in a pack land of some sort? It hurt, trying to recall if this was new information or not, and he gave up trying though he understood enough by the females’ conversation that he did not belong here. Alana had found him washed up on the beach and neither of these wolves recognized him, that was about all that he understood of this situation.
The pup’s mismatched eyes flicked between the two females in their low hung position and he tugged at a single thread of courage that dangled before him. ”I- wha- where …” he paused as he stumbled over his thoughts, brows knitting in a mixture of concentration and indecision. ”I… I don’t understand what’s going on,” he managed finally, his words ringing with a clarity that was, perhaps, mature for one who knew just a single season in their life. His tone was passive, expression apologetic for his interjection, but nothing was making sense to him right now. Where was he? Who were these wolves? How had gotten into the ocean to begin with? And, most of all, why didn’t’ he know these things in the first place? Nothing made even a bit of sense…