The Morning Light

He couldn't remember anything before the sun glared in his face.

Well, he couldn't remember anything at all.

All Aulis clung to was the feeling of the grass underneath his frame. That and the smell of his mother.

Bleary eyes blinking into the soft morning light, the pup gave a grunt as he struggled to stand. Where was he? Or, more importantly, where was his mother? His siblings? He had had siblings...right? Collecting his paws underneath his stout frame, the pup squinted as he peered around at the landscape. The land was flat and unforgiving in the amount of grass it contained. The breeze pushed into his side, causing him to stumble. But none of it mattered to Aulis, not what the soft hills looked like or that the winds were too strong. All that mattered to him was finding his way to safety.

Letting out a loud whimper into the morning air, the pup searched around for them, lumbering a few paces through the grass. He wasn't supposed to be alone, was he?

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Sunlight shimmered off the large brute's eyes as he recollected about past experiences that brought him to these lands. They were peaceful to say the least, not experiencing any form of rude individual or prey that he couldn't take down himself. He had a full stomach, clean water to drink, various sounds that would keep him on his paws. Seemed like a heavenly place to reside all things considered. 

Paws crunched against the grass as the blades tickled the pads of his feet. There was no telling what could transpire this morning, for life always seemed to throw a curveball whenever he was around-

On cue, the sound of a whimper reverberated in the male's ears, flicking them to the direction the sound originated from. What stuck out to him, the whimper did not sound older, in pain. No, they seemed young, like a child. His eyes widened at the sudden thought. Was life teaching him a lesson for his past deeds? Well, only one way to find out...

Jericho cautiously approached where the whine was, raising an eyebrow as he tried to pinpoint where exactly the owner of the whimper was. If it was a child, the last thing he needed to do was step on them. With some more looking around, he had noticed some brown colorations off in the distance, approaching them with what he thought was a look of concern. But, with the scars plastered on his face and his large frame...he probably looked more intimidating than anything approachable to a child...

"Vhere is you're family?" Jericho spoke, deep baritones radiated off his voice like strong bark from a tree. This...was going to be an interesting interaction if he had to say so himself. At least he brought his frame down a bit lower to show he wasn't trying to be any form of threat to the youngster.
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Frowning at the lack of a response, Aulis pressed further. Pushing past the grass the young wolf would sniff at the small stones that were scattered between the tall grasses. He wasn't exactly sure what he was supposed to be looking for, but perhaps an interesting scent would float to his nose. He hadn't made it more than a few feet before the sound of unexpected footsteps had him cowering away. Whatever it was, hopefully it wouldn't notice him.

Vhere is your family? Came the question. So he had been noticed. Opening his previously closed eyes, Aulis craned his head back at the new face before him. A wolf with a rich brown pelt had crouched near him. Scars crossed along their face and Aulis couldn't decide whether he should be afraid or not. Past the fact that they were a stranger, they hadn't tried to hurt him. Not yet.

Wrinkling his forehead, Aulis shook his head. "I don't know..." He confessed, looking around himself once more as if his family would appear from the grass. "I don't know where they went." Aulis added, regarding the stranger with a concerned expression plastered on his face.

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Yep, life seemed to be throwing him a curveball once again. He had lost his own family too, at least that was something the dark brute could relate to, even though the way they lost them could be totally different. All he knew was this youngster wouldn't last long without any form of protection to aid him. He sighed heavily, lying down upon the ground as lime eyes scanned the child for any form of injuries, anything to help him figure out what might have transpired to make him lose the very wolves who were to look after them. Alas, nothing seemed out of the ordinary.

"I'm sure they vill turn up eventually...But, can't leave you stranded..." His voice, though gruff, tried to be gentle towards the young male. It wasn't everyday he came across abandoned children, so...was this some form of fate or lesson? Whatever the case may be, he did need to find their mother. "I'll help you find your family," Jericho was unsure whether or not he had heard correctly what he had just uttered. But, at least the child wouldn't be alone and he could somewhat make up for past deeds.
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Falling back to sit on his haunches, Aulis deflated as the duo rested in the grass. Eventually. He might not have been all that familiar with the word, but he knew that eventually wasn't now. What was he going to do? The pup's answer came swiftly and Aulis perked up as the scarred hound spoke once more. "Really?!" Aulis got out past the fading lump in his throat. Did they really want to take him in? Did they have a family he could be a part of until they found his own?

Jumping to his small feet, Aulis let his short tail wave in the air behind him, displacing blades of grass as it moved. "My name is Aulis," he announced, pulling a smile at the stranger, "What's your name?"

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Such playful innocence was new to the scarred brute. Whenever children were around his family they were used as fighting machines. Treated like nothing but tools for endless war and suffering that would achieve nothing. How this youngster new how lucky he had it. Being able to find someone who would keep him from harms way until he found his actual family. Life has a way of changing things; that was a statement Jericho lived by for quite some time. The little tail wag and the excitement that Aulis gave off, was a change of pace and had made the war-hardened brute rather happy for once in his life. Sure, it would be difficult to provide for a young child such as Aulis; but he wanted to save a life instead of take for once in his dull existence. Was that considered good? Was that a way of redemption he could get behind? 

Jericho shook his crown, knocking him out of his sudden thoughts and back into reality. 

"Jericho." The older male stated matter-of-factly as he stood up from the grasses; watching the world and scanning the skyline for any form of danger that could create some form of threat for the child. Luckily, things seemed rather calm today. "Come, Aulis, Ve'll see about finding your family. For now, best to follow me until ve do." Sure, he assumed Aulis knew that, but this was something totally new to him. For now, he tried to act for sincere and calm than how the brute usually was, watching Aulis as they ventured away from the plains, making sure every eye was focused on the pup, and wherever their legs took them.
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