Word Count » 810
Kids had never been something that he had particularly given too much thought too given how he didn’t ever entertain the thought that he would have a chance to have a pup of his own. Of course, the fact that he was gay definitely put a damper on things in that aspect but he couldn’t be happier. He had his cherub and if possible, and if they ever did decide to have a family then it would be with his cherub and only with his cherub. Only he could make raising a pup worth it but would the other male really want it when it would mean that he wouldn’t be the center of all of his attention? He wasn’t sure and honestly it was something that he was going to have to later bring up with him. There was no point in him thinking about it now. Now was a time for him to focus on what he had to do in order to firmly place himself in the pack and keep him in a firm position where he felt that he would rather like to be. But today was another one of those days where he was exploring, feeling like he needed to get out and do what needed to be done. He wanted and needed to get out and get a better feel for the layout of the land but he never thought that he would end up with much more than he bargained for today.
Like any other day, he woke up and pulled his jacket on, letting it slide around him, hiding the majority of his scars behind the brown fabric, making sure that the scarf that he had was wound securely around his neck yet not tight enough that he would hurt himself. Throwing a look around, he sniffed at the air, letting the scent of his cherub drift in his nose before he started to leave the place that he shared, looking around Salsola in his daily rituals. He stopped at the usual points, sniffing at the trees where the other arbiters would have already passed by but finding that the perimeters were not breached and there was no need for the boogeyman he decided that it was safe enough for him to leave and he meandered his way out of the area and to the other places that he hadn’t yet gone to go see. One place had been left until late in his explorations just because of the memories that it held for him. The ocean yawned before him, still just a glimmering horizon but still the memories associated with it sent pain down each of his scars and wounds, lighting his body with what felt like fire. But he ignored it and pressed on, trying his hardest not to remember the pain of the lash or the rolling hell that he had felt on the open seas. No, that was all over with now and he had to be okay with that.
He walked towards the object that took up all of his thoughts when there were sounds from the underbrush that he was walking by and two young ones seemed to be playing. His one good eye softened a bit at seeing them but guessing that mom or dad wouldn’t be far away, he stepped back into the shadows, letting himself be consumed by them and hiding his presence from all involved for the moment. The figure that showed up was indeed a father figure it seemed since he berated them and their scents were so alike but there was something about him that made Janos’s nose itch for some reason that he couldn’t really explain. He just felt like he knew the other. But that was ridiculous. Once the pups and their father were gone, he was tempted to keep walking but his senses told him that something was off, something was different and it inevitably brought him forward towards the clearing where the father was there with his pups and seemed to be keeping a grudging look over them but even he could tell that the father loved his pups. It was in the way that he so carefully looked over them and made sure that they didn’t run away. He made a sound in the bushes given that he was normally quieter than most other creatures out of pure habit. He didn’t want to be captured when he was trying to stay free after all. But this figure attracted his attention and Janos emerged from the underbrush with looks that weren’t all that handsome anymore. With one ear in tatters, scars covering his body, and one eye permanently damaged. ”Children wearing on your last nerve?” He asked, his voice soft, quiet, not quite submissive since he wasn’t around his cherub but also not completely in control.
