Skin to Bone [bhu]

[Bhu ♥ Irwin]

Ray jumped to his paws beside me as Geoff finished his little introductory spiel. I could feel my teeth grinding at the decision to let another dog into the group, and I half expected Ray to notice. When he didn't, I couldn't help but feel a little bit of disappointment. The smaller dog had bounded over to Joel, rambling something about showing him our territory. I perked my ears, eyes focusing on the small folami. We didn't have a territory, persay, but we did tend to stay in this general area. "So, yeah, there are some sink-holish spots in the plains you need to watch out for. Come on, I will show you!" Ray's voice tightened my gut into knots. It was whimsical, childish, naive. We did not know this man. Yes, he was noble for running over and trying to rescue strangers, but that was not enough to make me trust him alone with Ray. Or anyone here.

But if I jumped in and invited myself along, Ray would get suspicious and claim I was over protective, then start avoiding me. He had when we first joined up with this group. I had tried to keep him to myself and he had pushed me away, sometimes with verbal aggression. I watched helplessly before approaching, sitting myself beside Joel as Ray was distracted by Gavin tackling him, laughing about how 'top that prank was' and bragging about how little trouble they had gotten in. Ray put in, as he firmed his legs to try and throw off the larger, slimmer brute, that it was all thanks to Joel. Gavin disagreed, thinking it was his genious move of licking Geoff clear across the face that did it. This ended with the boys falling into an all out battle, teeth bared as they snapped playfully at each other's ears, rolling away in a childish tussle.

Still watching the scene, allowing a small smirk to cross my maw, I flicked my gaze to let Joel fall into my peripherals. "Keep that rose in your fur for about a week and Ray will never forget it." I laughed it quietly, trying my best to hide the frustrated unease that had my stomach upset. For once I was grateful for Gavin's childishness--it had drawn Ray away, and perhaps the whole 'him and Joel adventure' could be forgotten until I could get a better feel for this man. I lifted a paw and swiped it over my ear, letting the rose fall to the ground. "I already did my time with the annoying flower. Ray doesn't expect me to keep it anymore." I chuckled, this time a bit more honest.

I looked to my paws nervously for a moment before turning my large head to actually face the stranger. "Look, man, sorry for earlier. Old habits die hard. Friends?" I lifted a paw towards him, expecting him to bump with his own in a manner of accepting my peaceful apology. I would give this man a chance; he couldn't be all bad. There had to be something about him that made Ray immediately flock to him. Or maybe Ray just liked knights riding in on white horses. Perhaps he enjoyed a good happy ending.

Sooner or later he'd have to learn that there are no happy endings in real life.

[I L Y I C H]

I jumped slightly at Ray's appearance, offering a quick smile as apology before focusing in on his exuberant words. Warning me about some sink holes. I guess a great deal of this area had been flooded on and off over the last few weeks. Most places had, but sink holes sounded rather nasty. My mouth opened to give him a quick quip in return but then he all up and offered to show me around and I coughed slightly. Maybe I was just a paranoid mess but I knew I wouldn't much like it if some random stranger followed my kid out into the wilds. "Uh, might be better to take a couple people out?" I didn't mean it to sound as high pitched and anxious as it did but it totally did and I frowned at the very idea that my voice may have broken just a little bit. "Me being 'new' and all" I added after a moment, fixing the stupidity of me with a general dosage of logic.

My head swung up slightly as Gavin came forward to argue with the younger folami. Jeez they had a lot of energy. After all this I was ready to sit down but I guess I was a bit older then them. Though maybe it was just me being twitchy too. I wasn't really sure how to act around this lot just yet. My old pack had had serious social laws and I wasn't sure at all about what the laws here were. Or if there even were any. So I looked to Ryan as he sat down and offered an open smile in return to his joke. "Guess I'll just have to leave it there then. Brownie points." I went on, turning myself to face the larger man as was polite. I wasn't really sure what he wanted out of me, so I just kept up my smile and listened. Ryan had been particularly against my joining after all, I needed to gain his trust. It was important to me as an individual to be trusted.

So when he lifted his paw and apologized I returned the sentiment, bumping my smaller tawny paw against his larger black one. "Naw it's all good. I'd have wanted me gone too. I didn't exactly say 'hi'." I chuckled before setting my paw back on the ground. I blinked curiously at the playing pair, eyeing Michael as he crept up alongside all but leaping at the back of Gavin's head the second the pale folami had sat up. "You guys seem really close. I didn't mean to butt my fat face into it. Seems nice though." I shrugged lightly, smile far more genuine then the previous 'don't upset the big scary dude' grin had been. I missed my family after all. I wanted it back. That feeling of closeness. Maybe I could just slip into this little family and make myself a home here. Maybe I wanted it more then I had ever really wanted anything. So I tried to keep the sentimental softness out of my eyes as I watched them all. Because geez it made me think of my little girl and as much as I didn't want to think about it I very much would not have a problem becoming someone else's knight.

[/justify][/size]

[Bhu ♥ Irwin]

I offered the man a shrug before setting my paw back down and turning my eyes back to the tussle. Gavin had Ray pinned, but then Michael had leapt at his back and taken him to the ground. Gavin all but shrieked at the surprise attack, but quickly barked some nonsense about 'X-Ray and Vav'. I had heard him and Ray use the terms before, and it always ended badly, them getting into trouble. Ray cackled in amusement and denied the man the aid he was seeking, saying he couldn't attack a fellow 'Lad'. That was a new one, and I wondered if Ray and Michael now had their own thing, too. I had not seen that coming.

My lip curved into a mild smile, though I was fighting a full-out grin, watching the fight. Ray now stood aside, smile large, but not daring to enter the tussle again for some reason. I found it strange that Gavin did not just throw off the smaller folami, but I had seen how the brute acted around Michael--as if taking advantage of him being smaller due to his husky breed seemed out of the question. I disapproved, Michael would have to learn how to fight without our typical bulk, but it was a nice sentiment and I would not snuff out the kindness presented there. The white beast wiggle out from under Michael without tossing him aside, then took off running. Ray shrieked and started after him, but then looked to Michael, and then over his shoulder towards Joel and me. Turning back to Michael, he nodded the half-breed on, and then trotted back towards the two of us. "S-sorry 'bout that!" he puffed, out of breath, "Vav is such a little child." I rolled my eyes and the smaller folami noticed. "Don't say it!" He hated when I called him a child, especially relating it to Gavin's level. Ray liked to pretend he was an adult, even though we all knew he was far from it.

"You're a--" he cut me off by lunging at me. The surprise of the impact was enough to throw me onto my back. I let out a deep laugh as the man bounced off, eyes closed and nose in the ear, obviously quite proud of having pinned me down. I rolled back to my paws and side-eyed Joel sheepishly as Ray circled back around and sat himself facing me and the newcomer. "Okay, okay, fine. You're an adult. A big strong adult." I rolled my eyes as I scoffed out the words in playful frustration. I directed my attention back towards Joel, recalling the last thing the man had said. "Ah, yes, before we were so rudely interrupted," I shot a look to Ray, whom ignored it with a prideful huff. "What Geoff said was true--we are a family here." I looked around, playful eyes turning sad as I looked over the group of dogs around us. "The only one some of us have ever known." Ray looked down at his paws then, shuffling them as the playfullness left. Gavin's white pelt could be seen through some brush as he circled behind Michael in a hope to get him off guard in an attack. Geoff and Jack were nearby doing their own thing.

I laugh. Everyone around us was happy. "Just call me the kill joy. Come on, Ray, lead the way. Let's show Joel those sink holes." He got up, but I could see the bounce in his step was gone as I turned around to head towards the plains. His smile was real, but it was heavier.

All I could do was get to my paws and throw an apology with my eyes towards Joel. And I really was sorry. Sometimes I didn't feel worthy of these dogs I had found myself with. And sometimes, too often, I proved it.

[I L Y I C H]

Watching the three youngest play around like idiots was some sort of therapy, I think. It wasn't often you saw folami act like idiots after all, and even rarer to see them do it in groups. Having been raised in a family home I had simply never been privy to other folami's play time, I guess. The original pack wasn't really the place either. It was refreshing. Michael apparently knew what his friend was doing in not throwing him off though, and was using it to his advantage. The man simply kept springing after the wiggling Gavin until he grew bored with the game and let the poor bloke worm himself free before taking off with a yell that probably deafened some local wildlife. Though Ray didn't do much better. My smile curved sharply upward, quite prepared to leap up and run after them, but alas. I was an adult.

A dreadful idea really. Who had ever come up with such silliness?

Ray came back over, though, so I guess I wasn't the only one playing stupid adult games like 'figure out this social cue' and 'what the fuck did I say wrong here'. Michael however shot like a bullet straight after Gavin, letting out a sharp brash howl before lunging forward. Ears cocked and almost wishing I wasn't stuck here meeting people I watched with building amusement as Ray defended his rights to be called an 'adult' by who I assumed to be his father. Or adoptive father. Though Michael had yelled the word 'dad' upon nipping at his friend, as if demanding help in corralling the man, and while both Jack and Geoff looked up from where they had devolved into chatting like house wives it was Geoff who jumped to his feet and ran straight at his kid taking Michael by surprise. Apparently the poor husky mix had expected the alpha to jump Gavin and not him.

So I guess the term family was a term they all really meant instead of some corny shit that was just made up terms. My smirk curled across black lips as Ray stuck his nose in the air, not so graciously accepting Ryan's appeasement. I wanted to trip him, but before I could do much more then lift a paw Ryan was talking again and I had to turn and look at him like I wasn't plotting to send the kid's face into the mud. Large ears curved forwards, listening with intent before they curved back once more. Empathy was what took over my face, though I fought it back with a careful frown. How horrible that must be, to not have a family. Though they had found one now. An oddly built sausage fest sure, but a family none the less. My own stomach turned at the thought. So I had known family before now, it did not cancel out the fact that it had abandoned me. I supposed this was my family now, and I would just have to get to know it better.

Ryan stood, and I pushed myself to my paws automatically. Ray had lost his bounce, though, and I frowned thickly behind their backs before throwing up another grin. "Yeah let's show Joel so he doesn't get his ass stuck in one" I puffed the words, trying to sound dramatic. Trying to alleviate the sudden sadness in the air.

[/justify][/size]