The older male appeared to be friendly, even if his tone had been grumpy in the beginning. He had not chased Sachiel away from the forest, which was good—right? The corners of his mouth curved upward as he noticed the wagging tail, his own shoulders relaxing as he listened to the loner speak up once more. This time he asked about his friend—Diego. Truthfully Sachiel was not sure if the two were friends. The boy had sort of tricked him into thinking that the Vale was in the north, but Diego did not seem concerned that it had taken the pair weeks to find Sachiel’s pack. Maybe the peppered male had realized that Sachiel wasn’t ready to go home—not now, or anytime soon. Even if he missed his friends. Close, he answered with a soft shrug, his mismatched gaze still fixated on the older male.
I don’t wanna head back south, he admitted, his ears falling to the side. All orange. Too loud. He frowned. The stranger wouldn’t understand. Nobody ever did. I don’t think anyone’s noticed I’ve left, anyway, he added with an unamused shrug. Castel maybe, but the rest? Sachiel had slipped away from prying eyes daily.
Nobody ever scolded him or herded him back to the striped trees.
Nobody said anything about the strange scents clinging to his pelt.
Why return?
Sachiel. He offered the loner—Kana—a bright smile, his tail finally giving a friendly wag at the exchange of names. These woods weren’t completely awful, even with all the strange sounds. It wasn’t a bad place to settle down, but he felt an obligation to Diego. To ask him if he wanted to stay, or if he wanted to continue north. Sachiel was partial to the former, for his paws had begun to ache as his small body grew weary with travel. But he also did not know if he was ready to settle. There was so much that he hadn’t seen. So many colours he needed to experience.