My face fell as I realized that my brother wasn't going to buy my innocent facade this time. Damnit, that usually worked-- at least it had back when I had been a puppy. But then biggest trouble I had gotten into was staying out after dark or chasing birds. I was deeply unsettled by the fact that my usually friendly, energetic brother was serious and stoic. His face didn't even hold a smile. I swallowed thickly, my tail giving a weak wave, gaze flicking briefly to Hollowpoint before settling back on Taliesin.

I had never given my brother reason to show his fangs, but I should have known that I had it coming, gallivanting around with a boy. After all, not only was he my brother, he was my father-figure as well, and he filled both roles with a fiery protectiveness akin to the shifting flames of his reddish-gold coat. Perhaps I should have warned Hollowpoint a little better. If I had been a little less flustered, I might have been able to say this before it had gotten so bad, but Taliesin was correct. "Exploring" was probably not the right word to use after my brother had just seen me clamber out of my den with a boy.

I opened my mouth to reply to my brother, but Hollow beat me to it. I sighed and closed my eyes in slight frustration (things would go much better if he'd just let me talk) but if I knew my imprint then I knew he couldn't keep his big mouth shut for even a second. His laughter almost brought me to giggles myself, and I had to really concentrate to stop myself from erupting into laughter with him. The whole situation was really a bit absurd. However the last thing that Hollowpoint said, for some reason, caused any sense of happiness to stop in it's tracks. My heart seemed to just... fall through my chest, and I couldn't tell why. I shied away from his touch, something that I had never done before, and I was seriously concerned at what had come over me.

I narrowed my dark gaze, glancing down at the grass near my feet. "Right, we're just..." I trailed off, and I seemed to be unable to meet anyone's gaze, which had never been a problem for me either. "Friends." The word fell from my lips as cold as ice, and it almost made my stomach roll to say.

"Yeah, that's all." I said, trying to sound cold or assertive or anything but upset, but my voice cracked slightly on the last word, and any semblance of the authority that I thought I had over this situation dissipated quite quickly. I was still a child at heart, anyway. Who said I knew how to deal with my emotions?