The smile was such a shock that for a moment Iopah could do nothing. She'd been trying and hoping to draw him out of his shell. A pup that did not trust his family would not learn the details of his home or run in the meadows after prey with them. Already she'd been worrying over the kind of life he would have. All her previous concerns and worries were forgotten looking down at his bright face. He would be fine, Iopah would make sure of it.

Even before he asked her tail had started into a haphazard tempo. The closer he came the quicker the pace. At his invitation she sunk back to her elbows, using her body language to answer his question. There was more than one way to communicate. Her play bow and thrashing tail said 'yes' all on their own. She reached out for the rabbit again.

It lay just beyond her feet, but she moved slowly, daring Silentium to grab it with her snail speed. Her nose touched it and she inhaled deep. She could smell the sweetness of blood and the wild thyme it had eaten before being caught. It reminded her of something else and her tail hesitated. Koda. Still crouched over the rabbit her eyes lifted to him. Caught up with Silentium she'd nearly forgotten him. She gazed up at him apologetically for a moment then her eyes flashed playfully at him and she was dragging the rabbit along for the pup. It bounced and skipped along slower this time, Iopah was trying to entice Silentium to latch on. Eventually he would chase live rabbits, eventually he would catch live rabbits, this was just the first step. After awhile she dropped it and beamed down at the young child. It was a much fun for her as it was for Silentium. She took a deep breath and looked back at Koda, quirking her black lined muzzle. The playful flash to her eyes was back.

"Maybe we should let Koda play? He did bring the rabbit, we might need another." She glanced down to Silentium, though she imaged Koda's gaze warming the back of her neck. It wasn't a direct question, more of a contemplative thought. It was true, eventually this rabbit would need to be replaced. Hopefully Silentium would understand the reason behind her query. Because she wasn't sure if he understood and because something was daring her to, she sashayed over to Koda. Without know what was egging her on she stepped right up to him and nudged under his chin, then drew back to throw him an ingratiating smile. "If we let you play would you bring us another rabbit?"

The bridge of her nose was tingling from the playful nudge. She wanted to wipe it with the underside of an ivory paw and see if it would go away. It wasn't unpleasant, just unexpected and curious. She pulled back and started to look up at Koda to catch his answer. Even if she'd asked it in a somewhat unconventional manner it was still an honest question and she wanted to hear the answer. He was smiling down at her and the pins-and-needles sensation faded into the background.

She returned the smile shyly, not sure what had instigated it in him. She wasn't expecting him to refuse, it was only a rabbit, one of the dozens the Woodland wolves would catch. She also wasn't expecting the extent that he would agree to. Her tail wagged, but slowly and confusedly, what else had she asked for? His tone, indulgent and encouraging, won her over and soothed the nervousness. Something prodded her to get ready to answer. His words trailed off and she straightened, wetting her lips to speak. Then his eyes drifted to Silentium and her gaze followed.

The boy was running over to them and Iopah swallowed whatever nonsensical thing she'd been about to croon to Koda. Feeling slightly disappointed she listened to Silentium, easily making sense of his heavy speech. It seemed Koda had little choice in the matter. When the pup raced away away Iopah watched after him for just a second before turning back to Koda with an amused expression, "I hope you didn't have anything else planned."

The pup was still trotting away, the huntress could hear his clumsy footfalls. He shouldn't be wandering around alone, Iopah gave a small "carry on" gesture with her muzzle and watched the two boys leave. After they'd passed out of sight she looked down at the forgotten rabbit, wondering what do with it. She didn't expect Silentium's attention to return to it. Perhaps Nina would like it? She picked up the now mangled animal to search out her alpha. Perhaps she could speak to @Nina about Silentium to see if there was anything she could do to help him.