ooc: Your avatar is so pretty, btw!
Jacquez's hackles bristled upright as the orphan bumped into his footpaw, automatically sinking her puppy fangs into his toes. He growled, trying to resist kicking the devilspawn into the rock wall to teach her a lesson. The caretaker wolf moved quickly to pull her from harm's way, and Jac let his prickling fur smooth down, ears pressing flat against his head with annoyance. Perhaps it was Svara's kid after all.
"I'll leave the collar in your care, then. You have the most claim to it." He didn't directly answer her question, since she would see the letter soon enough anyway. Perhaps Svara had left the collar behind deliberately, knowing her sister-in-law would would eventually seek her out. If he had been capable of empathy, he might have felt sorry for the poor aunt, arriving just one day too late. Instead, he just mused at the sick irony - that collar was bad luck, killing its owners. He wanted nothing more to do with it.
The grey-furred wolf broke down before him, unable to remain strong any longer. Jacquez jutted his jaw, trying to compose what to say in order to make the tears stop. He didn't know what it was that made women cry so frequently, only that it made him testy and uncomfortable. He was still raw from losing Svara for good, but rather than grieve like a healthy person, he would rather lash out irrationally and drown in alcohol. "Svara said she loved this pack. Since her position is vacant, you may take her place here as a pack member, if you wish. There's another young mother here you could share child duties with."
The word "child" left a bitter taste in his mouth, and he stared incredulously at the mewling black pup. Why did anyone want to create such nuisances? He would have to remember to steer clear of this cave in the future, the same way he avoided Leroy's cabin now. Unfortunately, this cavern was much closer to his own grotto. He raised an eyebrow, glaring back at the little girl as though to warn her against trespassing. She would be growing up here, then. He would be seeing more of her whether he wanted to or not.