He watched the two brothers with a guarded expression on his split colored face. His eyes shining with uncertainty but not without hope. No bites, no snarls, no severity was inflicted on him in the moment. Confused, he did the only thing he could do that was different from what he had done. He decided to trust these strangers and truly step forward into what could become his new life.

What a new life it was!

Over time he grew stronger, more confident, with himself and with his pack. The brothers became fathers to him and showed him the way the world worked. Over the seasons he found his voice even in the soundless life he lived. Piece by piece he began to put the world back together again. His true siblings and his family started to slip away from him to memories long lost, or willfully forgotten. His father’s crimes were a mystery to him and his kidnapping a whisper of the past. This was who he was and who he was becoming. He made the choice in his life and created his own fate with a moment of trust in different strangers.

Day in and day out he ran with his tutors. Every day he grew stronger and bolder until at last he ran beside them with his head held high. He too watched as a brother left to hunt. One had been all but wrapped around a female. It confused the deaf child and he thought about asking the others what was going on. Though he did not fear what would happen to him if he asked questions there were still times he did not know the words, or the explanations were still beyond his ability to understand. So instead he merely watched and observed so he could learn what he could in his silence.

Herschel sat beside him. His grey eye focused on the wolf’s lips while the green, though unmoving, seemed to shine and study the rest of the elder’s body language. At first he merely shook his head, then scowled at himself. Some habits were hard to break and occasionally voicelessness still lingered. I have seen her, but never met her. His gaze took the swiftest of glances around, his nose furiously working. Conversation was necessary for life and learning but it unnerved him when some of his senses were focused only on one thing instead of the surroundings. Will I be able to? He was unsure of his true standing in the pack. On some level he knew he had been stolen into the forests for reasons beyond him and had been captive. In his captivity he seemed to have been adopted. Now he wanted nothing more than to be a part of something, preferably this something.