Dirk barely suppressed a wince as the gel shied away from his voice. Too harsh...nothing I can do ‘bout that. In truth there really wasn’t much he could do. He’d always been a bit gruff, perhaps too gruff. He hadn’t been known for being gentle back home and more’s the pity. Perhaps if he had been better at the gentle comforting nonsense...but he couldn’t change the past for all the wishes in the world. He’d accepted that he wasn’t charming or able to comfort a lass like other wolves. More than once he’d been accused of being unfeeling and clumsy in his attempts to cheering a lass. Certainly all of his most recent attempts had failed miserably.

Again, the strange lass pulled him from his past rather effectively when she spun about and promptly plopped herself down, hip to hip, beside him. Dirk tensed as she leaned into his unmoving form. She was a wisp of a thing and certainly not a bother, however, he found her behavior tugged at his heart in ways that he wasn’t sure he liked. He watched as she pawed at blades of grass. That single act was so innately innocent that he wondered once again what daft fool had left the gel unattended. Sighing heavily, he closed his eyes and allowed the continued contact. He might not be good with gentle words or comfort but he could certainly withstand a bit of leaning on if it was called for.

After a moment the lass spoke and Dirk’s ears pivoted outward even as his brow furrowed. A frown tugged at the corners of his mouth as he opened his left eye and angled his head to get a better look at her. Was she mocking his way of speaking? No, it didn’t seem so as she continued to play with the grass like a bored pup. The tension eased from his face as she continued to repeat the words until she’d come very close to replicating his accent. A faint snort escaped him and he blinked as she turned her head and he nearly found herself nose to nose with the lass.

”Aye, yer the wee shadow.” Dirk replied, trying to gentle his voice though it still sounded as gravely as ever to his own ear. Maybe it would be best if he just kept quiet. Certainly the wee shadow was capable of filling the silence on her own, though did she have to keep repeating that word over and over? Alone. No pack, no mate, no pups. All of it was gone, perhaps beyond his reach for good. Though it was the words that the lass snuck between the one that stabbed him repeatedly in the vicinity of his heart that had him growling softly and looking at her with a bit more scrutiny.

Someone had killed him? A mate, a pup? Both likely reasons for a gel to lose her wee mind. Poor thing. Would this have been what was left of Muirean if I’d gotten to her in time? A faint shudder went through him at the thought. It was bad enough that his memories of her were eclipsed by the inconsolable banshee she’d become after the loss of their last pup. In truth he might have grown fond of her given the time, but fate had not been kind to him; or anyone around him for that matter. Very carefully and mindful of his size compared to hers, Dirk leaned down and nudged the gel’s cheek lightly with his nose.

Soul? The one that was killed? He almost answered aye but Muirean had never been his soul. She was sweet and gentle but had never touched his heart; had never had the chance to. Peering down at her with his vibrant eyes, Dirk opened his mouth to respond then closed it and simply shook his head, not wanting to offend her ears with his gruff voice any further. Heaving a sigh, he slowly slid his front feet forward until he’d laid himself out on the ground, peering back up over his shoulder at the lass and giving a faint jerk of his head. If she was going to talk, and it seemed there was little that would stop her, he might as well make himself comfortable.