Word count 385 :: I’m gonna close this thread out now, it’s been a long time coming. Sorry it’s somewhat abrupt, I tried to make it as smooth a transition as possible. Thanks for the awesome thread ^_^
His ears were twisted towards the sound of her voice as she spoke. He could feel his muscles relax as her claws combed through his hair. He always responded this way to physical touch and it was a sensation that he did not often get to enjoy. In fact the last time he had been groomed in anyway was when his adopted brothers had still been alive, and that seemed so long ago it was almost like a dream in his memory.
The lilt in Panda’s voice as she spoke about her pack caused him to flick his ear, it was strange to hear bitterness there especially in someone who seemed so confident. Reading between the lines Zalen could tell that Anathema was not perfect, there was conflict between its members even if this conflict was only passive-aggressive. This was to be expected, the pack he had run with in the winter had been the same way. It was like a family, members cared for each other but sometimes could not stand each other. A small smile came to his face and remained there until she started speaking about how he had been lucky to meet her rather then someone else. He took heed to these words, he must remain vigilant. Zalen couldn’t expect every wolf he met to be as kind to him as she or Theodore.
As she finished grooming he turned to her with a smile, “Thanks,” He said as he reached back and started to mechanically braid his hair. He could do this action now without much thought, it had become a habit to do this after a bath. His mane was long and braiding it was the only way to keep it from dreading, something that he knew he wouldn’t be able to maintain. But Panda had done an incredible job on her dreadlocks and he admired them. “Your hospitality has been legendary Panda, I appreciate it. I must be going now, I hope we can meet again soon. I would like to be able to call you my friend now.” He clasped her gently on the shoulder before turning and existing the lake, body dripping immensely. He shook, sending water in every direction, and gave her a silly smile before trotting off into the woods towards the southern border.
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