“Melee, no!” But he was too late. The excited girl did the exact opposite of what he wanted her to do. He wanted her to take his warning and go, to run back off to Dahlia de Mai so she would be safe. But more importantly, he wanted her to run off so he would be safe, so she would not see the hideous scars, scabbed up and half-healed on his face. Instead of listening to his words the fellow pup was so excited to have found her friend that she entered the strange cave and ran right up to him for a nuzzle.
As Melee entered the cavern, Scorpius backpedaled, reeling in horror. He was already within the protective blanket of shadow, but as the auburn girl came closer he tried to slink back even farther, as though in hope that the shadows could just swallow him hole and he could disappear from this place. His ears flattened – a gesture that made him wince, for his left ear had been half burned off and was healing wounds as grave as his face – and when she nuzzled him, he yipped a warning and snapped at her; though careful to not actually bit her.
“Melee, listen to me,” he said in a desperate hiss. He turned, angling his head so the small bit of light that bounced off of his coal fur only shone on his right side, his undamaged side. “Look, it's nice that you came here but you can't just do that.” His crimson eyes turned away, glancing down into the depths of the cavern before turning back to Melee. “You're not welcome in Anathema, Melee. You don't have friends here. I'm not the pup you met by the river that day.”
Indeed, there was something different about the boy now. His demeanor had done a complete one-eighty. Where there once was a brave, boisterous, happy pup now stood a dark, serious, grave child who wanted Melee to go away. He did not want to admit to himself that he was so happy to see her... he just needed her to leave before she saw... How could he convince her?