Cerberus found himself grooming that morning, and nothing more complex than that. Thoughts were not to be had at a time like this - after so blatantly crushing Soran, the last thing he wanted to do was dwell on the memories of the past, whether recent or far gone. Besides, it seemed as though no matter how hard he tried not to, the coywolf continued to hurt others and to hurt himself. Why was it so difficult for him to fit in? Why was it so difficult for him to put a smile on someone's face? It seemed as though he'd lost his charm, lost his ability to make people happy. This fact alone tore him apart inside; he wasn't himself anymore.
So, as mundane as it seemed, his mind remained on the rhythmic strokes of his tongue over his mottled fur: "...twelve...thirteen...fourteen..." One thing he COULD do was make himself look good, that he knew. He'd fussed over his appearance countless times throughout his life, and he wasn't about to stop and make himself look as miserable on the outside as he felt on the inside. In fact, the hybrid realized now that it had been so long since he'd shifted into his optime form, that he wasn't even sure what his mane looked like anymore. Surely it had to have grown out a bit, and it was probably more unruly than it had ever been. And then, an inkling of an urge to go exploring for trinkets and treasures (perhaps beads or strips of leather to tie in his mane, maybe even a mirror) nudged him to his feet, and he soon found himself wandering toward the back of New Dawn territory. With his snout lifted to the wind, he limped along in search of something...interesting.
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