Ethan & Others

Many miles later, Cynical would find herself in a place she'd only briefly been to as a pup.

The young wolfdog had been left in the backseat of the truck while Ethan unloaded his ATV from the trailer and and the hounds from the bed of the vehicle. He then came around and scooped her out, carrying the great grand-daughter of Aleu to a nearby pen. A collar was fastened around her neck, and the ropes removed from her legs and snout, allowing her to finally stretch and stand up. He then closed and locked the pen behind him, letting her settle into her new home.

In the pen was a bowl of water and a straw-filled crate.

Cynical

The yearling pup growled at the man as he did these things. Her ears back. She licked her hurt paw when he left her. She didn't realize her father knew where she was an so she sat down and threw her head back and howled.. She knew he'd come for her. She went in the crate which she felt safe cause of it only having the one opening. She laid down and cleaned her injured paw.

Blue & Others

The soft thump of paws announced the approach of another canine a few minutes after Ethan had left to gather supplies to treat the wolf's injured paw. Blue stood before the kennel with her nose quivering and her bright, sky-toned eyes peering curiously into the kennel where Cynical hid. "You're Silver's kid, aren't you?" Her deep voice queried.

Cynical

She growls at the approached** yes but she abandoned us to be a slave** she growls. She didn't know how she'd deal with seeing her mother again. ** My father will come. I will get home to my family** she said

Blue & Others

"Ahh, I see." Blue murmured as she listened to the young one's rant. Unperturbed by the growls, she kept her large ears directed at Cynical and trained her eyes on the mangled toes, "I think you have it wrong on how things work here, though. Ethan is merely our leader, an alpha who we listen to just as you listen to yours. Only our alpha has the ability to mend broken paws and keep us clean from the disease and filth that burden you wild ones." A tall ear twitched, swiveling towards the house where she could hear Ethan move about. The heavy step of his feet suggested he was heading back towards the door, and would soon be back outside.

Cynical

She snorted. ** I don't care my alpha is my father and always will be unless I find a mate and become an alpha myself which if anything Ill take over from my father. Your human is no alpha you couldn't make it in the wild where only the strong and fittest survive**SHe said with a snort.

Ethan & Others

"You have a defiant spirit, I'll give you that wild one." Blue acknowledged, "Your father had that too." She turned then, long muzzle pointed towards the house where Ethan was now exiting. The big hound obediently stood and backed a few paces away as he approached, giving the man space to access the kennel.

Ethan unlocked the kennel and stepped inside, leaving little gap between him and the door before he closed it behind him. He held a satchel slung across one shoulder, and nothing obvious in either hands. For a moment he stood there, deep brooding eyes staring down at the wolfdog, waiting and watching to see how she would react to his presence.

Outside of the kennel, an observant Blue watched the proceedings. Unlike Carbon and the others, she had no advice to offer Cynical, preferring to let the canine learn the hard lessons on her own.

Cynical

Cynical bared her teeth at Ethan in warning her ears back. Unlike her father who would of come running at him she chose to stay in the crate so he had to come at her from her front

Ethan & Others

The flashing teeth earned no new reaction out of the calculating man. No frown, no harsh word, no harsh strike from a weapon; just the cold stare as he observed her reaction.

After a moment or two had passed and it was clear Cynical wasn't going to come rushing out to greet him with her fangs, Ethan knelt on the ground, coming down a little closer to her level. He set the satchel aside and opened the flap, digging through the contents within. When he withdrew his hand, a strip of deer jerky was clutched within, and he held this out towards Cynical - not close enough for her to reach it from the kennel though. She'd have to step outside of it to reach the prize.

As Blue continued to watch the session, Carbon came sauntering over and stood beside his companion. "Oh look, he's not going straight for the stick, eh?"

Blue grunted, "Not yet, but she is a young thing yet. He doesn't need the stick with her."

Cynical

Cynical was more calculating then her father. Her mind thinking of ways to get free. She watched the man carefully keeping her eyes straight on his. The one thing she'd never due is submit to a human. Her tail was up and smelled whatever it was in his hand. To her the smell was a mix of tasty and disgusting. However she currently didn't move.

Ethan & Others

Ethan remained crouched several feet in front of the kennel, observing her reaction. When she didn't immediately rush out to greet him, he stayed planted where he was, wiggling the jerky between his fingers and giving a short whistle to call her forward. During this time he also took the opportunity to observe her paw, trying to discern how badly damaged it was.

Cynical

HEr ears go back at the whistle and she growls at it. Even if she did things he might want she needed to make sure he knew it was not her following his orders he would never be her alpha. So she waited another ten minutes after that dreadful sound before finally limping toward the thing in his hand.

Ethan & Others

Ethan was a man of patience, and ten minutes was of little consequence to him as he played the waiting game with the wolf. When she came forward, she did so under the unshakable gaze of the man, whose calm demeanor exuded a kind of silent authority that needed no harsh words or angry shouts to convey.

When she was close enough, he held the jerky out a little further. If she were bold enough, she could take it from his hand, but he would not drop it on the ground for her. And as she stepped nearer, he took a closer look at the wounded paw, trying to see if the skin had been torn, or weather it was just the toes that had been broken.

Cynical

If cynical didn't want to do something this man wanted she wouldn't but she was going to lul him into a false sense of security and then she would escape. Her ears remain back as he doesn't drop the thing her toes were broken and bloody from struggling. She attempted to graph the thing out of his hand

Ethan & Others

"Good." The single word was murmured when she reached for the meat, which he allowed her to take freely. With a clearer view of her paw, Ethan discreetly grabbed the antibiotic spray he'd pulled from his satchel, and gave the paw a quick spritz. If she weren't a wild thing, he'd have taken her in and had the toes professionally examined. But he still wasn't sure if this was a canine he was going to keep, and if so, what kind of role she'd play. For now, he continued to monitor her behavior, ready to offer a single word of praise if she didn't attack him, or a painful surprise if she tried to bite.

Cynical

She took the meat chewed it for a second then spat it out disgusted she yelped at the spray and bared her teeth as she made to lick her paw

Ethan & Others

The bared teethe he could handle, but his arm did tense in preparation for action. Thankfully, Cynical hadn't taken the next step of trying to deliver a bite, so the man held back and offered no retaliatory strike. He didn't bother trying to stop her from licking the spray either; it was bitter enough to make one's nose curl, and there was enough on the paw now to settle into the wound.

"You know," Blue piped up, speaking in mild amusement, "If you'd stop growling and showing those teeth of yours, he could help your paw."

Carbon huffed, "She's just like her parents. Too wild and unrefined to understand the benefits of humans."

Cynical

Cynical kept her teeth bared ** maybe if he learns I'm my own boss not him I might but till he understands he isn't above me.** She snorted at the male ** maybe you think you have it made but the wild is so much better and whatever he tried to feed me was disgusting only good food is from a kill my pack makes not this rubbish**

Ethan & Others

He put the spray back into the bag, along with the bandages he'd brought on the chance he'd been able to touch her paw. Some of the digits looked like that could be broken to him, but he was going to let them heal naturally, and keep an eye on the open wound for any signs of infection. With his mind made up, Ethan stood and backed out of the kennel.

Blue's attention was split between Ethan and Cynical, though she did offer advice to the young wolfdog, "Defiance and stubborness can be good things, but there is a time and place for them."

Carbon was far less diplomatic, and merely scoffed at Cynical, "That's deer, and consider it a kill from your pack, because my team and I were the ones to help Ethan bring it down last week."

Cynical

She stopped growling when he left she snorted at both. ** That tasted nothing like a fresh kill. ** She said** my pack know they are above humans. Humans follow our lead if they want to be part of a pack**

Ethan & Others

Ethan strolled out of sight, heading into the barn while Carbon and Blue remained behind to engage with Cynical. The male was first to respond, starting with a snort of derision, "Humans, submitting to you? Ethan would never stoop to such lows."

It was Blue who was of a more thoughtful tongue, "This is a lot to take in on your first day here, wolf." She stood, rising briskly on her long, dark limbs. "Rest and clean your paw, and consider what I've told you. In the long run, you'll be happier if you forget about your old pack and accept Ethan as your new alpha."

Cynical

She snorted at both ** I will not accept a human as my alpha especially cause he don't speak our language he don't know how to be a wolf**