[Pareidolia]

The hulking dire mix lay sprawled across the rocks, enjoying the warmth of the midday sun on his shaggy dirt-colored pelt. He lazed about freely nowadays - after all, who would chastise him? Those who would dare to had much better things to do typically. No doubt they were simply content he wasn’t causing trouble. Theron dozed idly, his heavy head resting on his forepaws, drifting between napping and simply lazing about.

~

They had both been born within this old and powerful kingdom, but otherwise, they were worlds apart, as a domestic poodle is to the feral dog. Theron’s story was unknown to her and so Pareidolia looked upon him with fresh eyes; he was just another Big Wolf here. The girl padded up to the huge sleeping wolf, head tilted, and with a stunning lack of manners, mushed her front two paws into his side.

“Hey miii~iiister? I left my lucky rock here and now I can’t find it, did you sit on it maybe?”

~

Theron's head lifted slowly as he blinked eerie white eyes at the young girl. His gaze so intense and cold it seemed more like that of a reptile's than a wolf's. A larger adversary pushing him like she did would have been snapped at - but the tiny pup was certainly no threat to him. There were no manners to be found here either, although in a far different sense. At the girl’s prodding he gave a low growl to accompany his monosyllabic answer; “No.”

~

“How do you know, you didn’t even look!” Doli huffed impatiently and frowned, pawing the ground as though she was actually thinking about trying to tunnel under Theron. Either she was incredibly confident or amazingly clueless about the danger wolves she didn’t know could bring upon her if they chose. Maybe a little of both. “Get up, mister, that rock is super important!! Your princess commands you!!!”

~

The dire mix scowled as the small pup continued to pester him. One perked ear twitched at the word 'princess'. He dipped his head low to peer at her more closely, she was Haven's get then... Though Theron made that connection, the idea of princesses having any special authority was not one that really occurred to him, nor one that he'd respect even if he thought about it.  He was nose to nose with the pup now, and he delivered his reply with a blast of fetid breath. "...who cares?"

~

Doli stared at him, her mouth hanging open a bit as she absorbed this reaction. His breath rushed into her face like a blast of secondhand smoke and she winced, backing up none too subtly. “Well —“ started the girl. “Um —“ Weren’t people just supposed to flop down with Ultimate Reverence when she pulled the princess card? “You should!” She scowled and fidgeted, at a loss. “Inaria’s got a lotta rules about rock-stealing. You might get in trouble.”

~

The massive wolf gave a snort, shaking his head slightly. Clearly unfazed by the girl's reaction. He did not care in the slightest about her discomfort at his foul breath, her lucky rock, or the shrilly yipped reprimands. He also, sincerely, doubted Inaria had any rules about rock-stealing. Instead of answering her words he gave a long huffing sigh and dropped his head back to rest on his paws. He closed his eyes and feigned immediately falling back asleep. Theron was unfamiliar enough with the stubbornness of small children that he reason if he ignored the pup she would get bored and go away.

~

What a weird Big Wolf. Usually they had more to say to her, cooing over the pup, trying to admonish her, show her this, teach her that... this one was a bit of a puzzle to the two month-old. He did a convincing impression of a sleeping wolf and for a second Doli just stared, little ears flicking. “You have cool eyes,” said the princess, apropos of nothing, and it was true. She’d never seen such opaque white eyes. Everyone in her family it seemed had either gold or green. “Who’d you come from, anyway?” Because all wolves had to come from somewhere, probably, and her running knowledge for that hypothesis told her that they all shared something in common at birth: a mom and a dad.

~

Theron did not move at the girl’s words, he was content content to ignore her - though confused all the same by the comment. Most the time it was 'stop staring at me, creep' or some more polite variation thereof. Yet when she continued with the question it took him even more off guard. He lifted his head - considering for a moment. “Dead.” He said simply, his voice a gruff grating rasp.

~

"Dead?" echoed Doli, frowning and aggressively continuing to not get the hint. For whatever capricious reason, it seemed the impassive brute had snared the child's attention, and she'd keep poking him as if he were a pillbug that might uncurl to reveal a softer underside. "Your mom and dad died?" That was an unpleasant concept. Did that happen... a lot? Surely her folks were far too badass to ever succumb. Probably they'd just bite death in its face. Insensitive in the way oblivious young ones are, she asked, "How come?"

~

Theron gave a gruff dismissive snort at her obliviousness. The girl continued to blunder forward, blind to any red flags the brutish dire mix wore. There was a flicker of despair and in his expression before it was replaced with pinned back ears and a muzzle wrinkling into a snarl. A low rumble in his throat was the only answer as the dire mix lifted one large paw to swat at the young girl. It was not gentle or playful, though any familiar with Theron knew he was capable of far worse.

~

He growled at her and it sounded like distant thunder from troubled skies. Doli tilted her head to the side, not quite getting it, and was caught totally off guard when Theron up and smacked her in the face, almost hard enough to bruise. Ears ringing, the pup let out a YIPE and stumbled back, gaping at the stranger with wide, wounded eyes. He’d just... hit her! Nobody had ever hit her! And it hurt!

“Y-You...” Said eyes welled up with tears and she wiped at them angrily. “Stupid! You’re MEAN! I’ll tell my mama if you don’t say you’re sorry RIGHT NOW!”

~

The princess' yapping "threat", if it could even be called such, was met with a gruff chuckle. The snarl widening into a sneer as he laughed. Theron did not laugh often. The sound seemed out of place - raspy and ill-used. He suspected Haven had far more important things to do than pick fights for her troublesome daughter. Even if not, the idea that the queen might enact some punishment for his terrible terrible deed did not bother him. He was filled with the bluster and aggression of youth - he did not fear her.

His white eyes peered at the girl for a long quiet awkward moment, as if to ascertain if she were serious. He blinked. Then muttered, “Go away.”

~

It was presumably hard for Theron to be afraid of what Haven might do to him, even for smacking her fearless little daughter. When you’re brought up by two brutal terrorists since before you were weaned, civil punishments tend to lose their bite. Doli stared down the massive wolf, drilling fire into him with her eyes, prickling her little hackles as far up as they’d go... though naturally her childish tears sort of ruined the effect.

”Fine,” she hissed, punctuating the word with a stomp of her foot. “You’re stupid and ugly anyway, if I stay here I might catch what you got.”

She would not forget this slight! What that meant, well, that would be for time to tell.

~

Theron stretched languidly, content to continue his dozing now that the young pup had agreed to leave him be. He let his head rest on his forepaws again, watching in impassive irritation as the girl presumably stormed off. He had nothing else to say if she indeed left as she said she would. He would return to his nap and the princess could go bug someone else.