One advantage of waking up from a nightmare only to land face first into a creek of cold water was that said nightmare is quickly forgotten. Of course, there is the minor inconvenience of becoming soaking wet, being yanked from an otherwise restful sleep, and all-round not pleasant-ness. But as Itheral looked over towards the source of his current position, instead of seeing some mischievous fox (as he'd had a few run-ins with the sneaky little bastards in the past), he saw a little pup, who immediately started to cower when his eyes met his. Having no real experience with pups, Itheral really didn't know what to think when he saw the kid. The moment he started to whimper, however, something...new popped into his head. He felt a need to go over and make sure he stopped whimpering, that there wasn't anything wrong, that he wasn't mad at him, even though the usual part of his brain was. It was an almost motherly feeling.
Heaving himself out of the stream, Itheral stepped out slowly to the ground, dripping wet. "Easy little guy...I'm not gonna get angry at you or somethin'." he said to the pup, trying his best not to sound as gruff as he usually did. He pondered a moment, trying to think for something he could do or say that might put the pup at ease. An idea popped into his head, and the large wolf lowered himself down onto his rounded belly, placing his head upon crossed forepaws before speaking up again.
"The names Itheral...whats yours?
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