The whimpering stopped abruptly, before the crab was even removed from him face. Just the sight of the grizzled man was enough of a distraction for him to forget the pinching pain of the crab’s claw. Easily his father dislodged the hateful sea creature and skipped it into the ocean, and at this Pripyat’s feelings were conflicted. On one hand he was glad to be rid of it, glad to see the stupid thing flung into the ocean to its hopeful demise. Yet also he was upset that he had not been able to do this himself, and more upset that it was his father who was witness to his helplessness. Two extraordinarily blue eyes stared up at the one green one set into the scarred face and the little boy puffed out his chest in an attempted to make himself appear bigger, more menacing.
"I’as gunna kill it." His voice was boastful explaining that he had intended to kill the creature, for although he knew his father only by sight, he wanted the man to think him brave and strong. Wherever Jefferson Soul had been, it had not been with his mother, and Pripyat felt he had something to prove. His mother had been his world: his food source, his shelter, and his only companionship, and though the small boy loved her dearly, the days when he was utterly reliant on her were drawing to an end. There were others in the pack, Pripyat was aware of this now, and he had a father too, and to all these new faces Pripyat Soul was going to prove he was tough. They would all see that he was courageous and powerful and that he could take care of his mother if he had to, or at least until something really scary came along.
Now that the crab was gone and Jefferson knew that the boy’s intentions had been valiant, Pripyat was free to stare wide eyed up at the leader of Phoenix Valley. Their short meeting before had been monitored by his mother, and although he hadn’t exactly understood everything he had understood enough. There was tension between the three of them, although just why and how Pripyat played into the boy was at a loss. He remembered clearly the man turning away from mother and son at first, but Jefferson had relented and spoke kindly to his mother after that, and now… now here was daddy and Pripyat didn’t know what to say, so he stared up at the man, watching with calculating eyes, waiting to see what the man would do.
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