I stand there quietly. My left red trimmed ear twitches when I hear his voice taste the flavor of my name. The way he slowly says the beginning of my name, slow and smooth, makes my duo-colored tail sway back and forth once. I like it. Although my form is small, I stand in an intimidating stance, as much as a puppy could, my ebony fur stands on end, a natural thing to occur when a male stalks and circles a female. I do not like how he gets near me, behind me that is something I will not allow him to do that any longer. I do not understand why I do not approve such a thing, but I don’t. I am not one that knows or comprehends fear. I have noticed, there are times, times when I feel at odd with myself. I don’t quite understand it. Mother says I am developing nerves of steel, but I beg to differ. Father did mention that he had an obsessive nature when he felt a certain way. When I am experiencing the fight or flight response, I feel an eerie sense of calm- like I am okay. I feel other things, but I am not quite sure what to name them, but I know overall I feel okay. It is nice to know that I am not the only one that is small within these swampy lands. Perhaps, we will be more than pack members. Father said I could make friends…I asked Mother about it, but she told me not to bother with such things. Yet I cannot help but wonder, could he and I be friends? My dark amethyst eyes narrow slightly when he asks his question. I grow silent for a minute, just staring at him. My jaw drops, my soft voice holds a harden chill to it, as I respond to his inquiry.

“How to kill.”

Well, he asked. She speaks the true. She may have Demon blood, she may be able to lie so easily, but she was a creature that believed in the cold hard truth. For the truth is the hardest to swallow than a lie. I am not sure if he would approve such a thing. I look much more rugged than he. My claws, they are coming in and already there are specks of blood on them. Mother had taught me how to tear into my prey. She had given me half-alive creatures, pinning them down and allowing me to feel what it is like to take the life of another. It feels…good. Yet I feel like maybe my cold and indifferent response is slightly….unacceptable. Moving my shoulders back and forth I attempt to explain a little bit more.

“I know how to stalk, watch, track, chase, but she has yet to let me kill something on my own…but I am learning how.”

There. Perhaps that didn’t sound too….bad? I am quite a cold creature, rarely do I show any emotion. Yet I notice he is acting more free? Perhaps I am being a bit too stiff. I tilt my ebony crown to the side as he suggests we leave the packlands and go to the outer lands. Mother says I am only allowed to go out there with her or Father, for now, but I do not wish to anger her. I am already leaving the den, this I have already decided upon, but to know that I would be on the outskirts alone…well, that just couldn’t happen. I find it odd that he admits that perhaps I shouldn’t get hurt if we runaway. Part of me is thankful, but the other side of me feels angry. I am not weak. I can stand the outer lands alone, by myself, how dare he assume that I would get myself hurt. I scoff and shake my head and begin to walk past him. I turn my dial around, looking at him once more with my violet cold gaze, speaking gently.

“My Mother is harsh. She will feed me when she wants to.”

Indeed Mother is hard. Yet I understand. She is teaching me to be self-reliant and so I must be. If Mother is here to feed me, and I am not here, she decides if I deserve to eat or not. This is a risk I am willing to take. Yet am I willing to do such a thing for a boy I do not know. Maybe, if I explain to Mother, she would approve and reward me with food. Hopefully she will and if not, then I will have learned my lesson and bare the consequences. As I stand in the entrance of my den, I twirl my ears back and forth. I can hear ducks quacking nearby and I cannot help, but think about the time when I chased the ducks, leading them to my Mother hiding in the thick brush. It was neat to see Mother’s paws smack a duck, and catch another in her teeth while it flew. I wonder how she was able to do that all at once. Maybe I could try, when I got older. I was willing to follow him, to learn what it was like to be a normal pup. I mean, he didn’t seem all that bad. Puzzled I give him a confused look. Shaking my head, I speak gently once more, pointing my paw in the direction of the ducks.

“Games? I…I don’t know games. But…I know how to chase…I hear ducks…we could chase those?”