The black dog did not seem very enthusiastic about describing his tattoos, but the moment passed so quickly that Vesper wasn’t sure if she had imagined the hesitation. She was only good at reading others if it meant her survival; had he shifted his weight in a way that would allow him to attack, she might have picked up on it. She simply hadn’t spent enough time around other wolves to be able to read them well, at least unless she was intimate with them. Her mind flashed to Juniper before Toby spoke.
Tattoo artist, Vesper repeated mentally, deciding that she would get a more detailed answer from one of them. Odd body modifications interested her, but she wasn’t sure how any of them got done—though she could probably bet that none got done without hands.
She almost opened her mouth and told Toby that she didn’t want to hear his life story—but her eyes fell to the chain around his paw, widening when he mentioned the word “torture.” That would explain the scars, and suddenly she was a lot more sympathetic. She’d seen the affects of emotional torture on wolves before, but physical torture was practically the same; it broke all but the strongest wolves—or dogs.
Vesper looked at him, wearing an expression of respect. She did not miss the way he looked at the skull tattoo, and so she decided that abandoning the topic altogether would be healthiest.
“I’m glad you got away,” was all she said to wrap up the matter, and then she came a little closer. She didn’t like to have strangers—especially males—in her personal space, but sitting a few feet away from him would lend him a little comfort that she wasn’t able to give verbally. There were few ways she knew how to comfort another canine, and so she would have to make do with the small gestures.
“Have you been in ’Souls long?” Vesper asked, her voice casual. “I’m only asking because I’m from a bit north of the peninsula, myself. And it’s good to hear about what’s going on from another loner. You’re so far nicer than many of the pack wolves I’ve met.” She was generalizing, she knew, since most had treated her civilly other than the russet-splashed bitch that had preached about luperci superiority. But Toby had earned her respect, and she knew whatever insights he gave her could be useful.
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