[open] dirty paws & glistening scales; any

[Firen]

It is a dance he never had to learn the steps to, it is in his blood, and Firen finds comfort in the ritual. A weight is lifted as the Alpha proves that he is just that, and the young wolf is absolved of any responsibility beyond looking for direction - a task his particular type of magic has equipped him well for. 

As quickly as their dynamic is established, he is allowed to fall into the shadow of the larger, bolder wolf and observe. The brindle yearling ends his groveling to return to a hunched sit and his ears remain low. Although he is alert and curious, his posture does not show it.  

With the ocean now to his back, Firen steals a look around while Jesper addresses them. The cold which has begun to nip at the skin of his hairless belly and the hunger rumbling there are firm reminders that he does not want to be left on his own in this unforgiving land, and the way he came was not the same way he would go home. 

A shiver ripples across his skin as he listens to the speakers thoughts as carefully as his words, cataloging the names and places even knowing most will be forgotten. But one stands out - the one he has heard twice today.

Merida.

Neither male has let on that they felt the gentle brush of his mind against their own and the mind reader is emboldened. He wonders who this creature is that two strangers both share thoughts of, and he reaches to see if he can discover more about her from Jesper. But his investigation is cut short as suddenly the attention is back on him. 

With red eyes, he looks up to the stallion as he is mentioned by the other wolf.

"Firen, of Tephra,"  he says as his stomach rumbles, and he wraps his tail more tightly across his paws.