were all just scars in the making
Word Count → 327
The laughter erupting from the young wolf’s jaws surprised Vesper, who lowered her ears and blinked as the other leaped toward her. A small, delighted laugh of her own fled from her lips as Kiara planted friendly greeting kisses to her face, and she briefly ran her fingers through the other’s white fur, smirking now. She brushed away one of the feathers but decided that the rest weren’t worth the effort. Some of the shadows were chased away by her enthusiasm, though she still couldn’t fathom why the Ichikan wasn’t running away screaming by now.
The smirk faded then returned as a grin as she echoed ironically, “Yeah. Taller.” She shook her head and continued to stay crouched on the ground, trying to keep to the other’s level without taking precious minutes to change her shape. “I’ve been…” She rolled her shoulders in a shrug. “I’ve been okay. Got into another nasty fight after I headed back north, and—” She gestured at herself, masking the grief in her face with a more acidic expression. “The luperci virus transmits through mixed blood. A coyote clan found me and brought me in—Inferni—and I decided to stay with them.”
She frowned, venturing to ask the question that had been bothering her when Kiara hadn’t freaked out. “You’re not…mad…that I…?” She looked at herself again, bitterly, and absently picked at an old scab on her arm with a claw. What else had she expected to come of their quick friendship? Maybe she’d wanted to help another non-luperci out in this two-legged world—but she was useless now.
“How have you been? And Ichika-no-Hoen?” Vesper decided that changing the subject to a more pleasant one would help her mood. “I met your leader, I think—the funny-talking one. And I met X’yrin a few times. Do you think you’ll be okay with the cold when the winter comes?” She paused, cracked a grin. “Well, you’re an arctic wolf, but…”
Vesper Optime by Nat; table code from the Mentors!
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