IC:
Maeryn had never been granted an opportunity for childhood. Hers was unknown -- the earliest memories she possessed were of hunger, of cold -- she and Kerberos just barely survived, subsisting on what little their mother provided for them. It was this neglect, however, that had honed the young girl's senses and whetted her intelligence to a razor's edge. This sharpening, however, had left Maeryn an oddly cold and distant sort of child, rarely willing to engage in the puppyish play and demeanor that ought to have characterized her interactions.
This crow was the exception -- fascinated by birds, the young girl wanted only to catch him and steal his wings so that she herself might fly away, catapulted to impossible heights by the winds themselves. Glittering golden-yellow eyes watched the bird's awkward land-bound shuffle, watched as he hopped from one foot to the other, suddenly nervous with the quiet that had fallen over the forest. A sound, and he lit into the air, cawing his amusement down at Maeryn, who stared up in dismay, her small face curled into a wicked snarl, anger welling in her at the failure. So distracted was she, the hybrid did not register the sound that had frightened the crow up and away to be the noise of an approach.
The smaller child burst through the underbrush and barreled toward Maeryn, who screeched her fear in a fierce, yet still puppyish and high-pitched growl, whirling and leaping to avoid the charge of the other puppy. In an instant, she was nearly pressed flat on the ground, ears folded back and hackles, tail, and everything else raised to show herself as large as she possibly could. The pale puppy was a wolf! It was attacking her! She did not recognize his advance as play, and so instead backed herself up against a tree, fear welling up in her aside the anger. What if its parents followed behind? She did not want to face an entire pack of wolves. Maeryn never should have left the safety of her clan.
“What do you want?” she said, trying to make her voice as demanding and cold as she could. She had been frightened; she did not like being frightened. What creature did? As the hybrid listened, she did not hear the sounds of any other wolves. Maybe this one was alone. Relaxing half a hair, the hybrid picked her head up and looked at him suspiciously. “You're alone, too?” she asked quickly, wishing to determine then and there whether she needed to run away.