"Cowards...." the more masculine of two figures mumbled under his breath, a hooded cloak, and the inky darkness of a clouded night's sky hiding fine details. The second did not speak, only a cruel grin spread across her face while the first drew back on a nocked bow, aimed at a lone youthful figure stilled with fear. A pause hung in the air, none of those present moving, darkness pushed away by an opening in the clouds above the meadow, light revealing yet more still figures sprawled out along the ground around the youth in harm's way. In the blink of an eye, the would be victim had turned and started to run, and the arrow was loosed shortly after.

Janik awoke with a panicked gasp, Hazel eyes forced open, the just shy of year and a half old male sitting up, fear stoked heart racing within his chest, phantom pain drawing a hand where a jagged scar still lay on his lower back. When he brought the hand back to his face, there was no blood dripping from his fingers, the wound long since healed. The nightmares still came from time to time, his adoptive pack accustomed to his occasional bad nights, even if he sometimes got dirty glances for the outbursts the next morning. Mira wasn't nearby, he had at least that much to be thankful for, the nightmares were bad, but being such a coward in front of Mira was far worse in the shepherd's eyes.

After his beating heart had calmed, and the nightmare had begun to fade from his mind, Janik set about doing what had become an almost boring routine. The leaves had started to turn, and his new home needed reserves of meat for the scarcer winter months, hunters to find it, and usually the women took care of readying it for storage. No matter how hard he tried, he could not recall when or where he'd learned to use the bow that he secured to a primitive backpack that he hoisted over one shoulder. Or how he knew better than most in his pack the knack for finding tracks, for divining which turns to take to find the quarry they all needed. But then again, he didn't know where he had been born either, who is parents were, everything before the day he'd awoken to what eventually became familiar faces, all crowded around him. He'd been viewed as a trespasser, Mira assured him occasionally that he had probably just gotten lost in his injured state, that he was family now, and to not worry about the past.

As though summoned by his efforts to remember, Mira seemed to appear just before the would be hunter made it away from the collection of primitive wood and mud huts that served as the village proper. The smell of venison smoking had masked her approach, only the accusing voice revealing he wasn't alone with his thoughts "Going to leave without letting me wish you luck? That isn't very kind of you...". Jolted back to reality, Janik focused on the wolf dog, her confident demeanor contrasting strangely with her diminutive stature. She was older than he was, he thought at least, and she treated him at times like he was an idiot, but over the handful of months they'd known each other, he'd grown fond of her golden eyes. That fondness mixed readily with her mock hurt, the shepherd's hands gesturing in an attempt to refute the accusation, even while words failed him "I... Uh, I figured you might already be busy?".

Janik had known Mira enough to guess his awkward words would have the opposite of the desired effect, and that was quickly confirmed by Mira's mischevious grin "Oh? I don't think I believe you... worried my brother might rough you up for nosing around his little sister?". Janik cheeks burned at the forward suggestion, but also at the implication that she might have known about Yuril's 'talk' that he'd had with Janik. The older male hadn't quite told Janik to stay the hell away from Mira, but he'd certainly made a few vague suggestions about what he might do to the shepherd if Mira came crying to her brother. It was part of why he had tried to sneak out of the village for the day, but not all of it, every time he thought about getting closer to Mira, whenever they'd brush into one another while doing their respective chores, something disuaded him. A literal voice that sometimes whispered to him, a cruelness in it, but also a selfish desire to 'protect' Janik.

"I.. I guess he told you?" Janik weakly offered, only to see Mira's grin widen all the more, showing off her glistening teeth. "No... I guessed he might have tried to discourage you. But thanks for letting me know for sure!" the white furred female shot back with a giggle, and drove home how easily she could outmaneuever Janik in a conversation. It was annoying, embarassing, but also faintly endearing, but what happened next drove embarassment right to the front. Without warning, or any indication that Janik could recognize, Mira was leaning forward, standing up on the tips of her toes, while her hands pressed into Janik's chest in an effort to lick across the tip of his muzzle. "Don't worry about my brother, I'll talk to him. But if you try and avoid me again... I'll talk to him".

Heat flushed the male's face, and where Mira's hands had touched, the brief kiss over before he realized it had happened. Speechless, and stunned by the unexpected show of affection, it was Mira that ended their conversation with an almost giggling "Safe hunting!". Before she turned to walk back toward where the other women were preserving the previous day's catch, her tail swaying rapidly behind her in a show of happiness. "You shouldn't trust a woman like that, do you want a knife in your belly? Better if you do the cutting first..." the voice came unexpected, contempt dripping from it at the mention of women, and becoming all the more sinister when it suggested a course of action. Bliss from Mira's kiss was washed away by a mix of fear and feeling sick at even considering harming the female.

After shaking his head in an attempt to banish the voice, Janik continued his trek away from the village, hoping to bury himself in the hunt. Knowing from experience that the voice was fleeting, usually, but still dreaded the possibility that it might still be whispering at his ear by the time he returned to the village. Even more concerning, was how persuasive it always was, how the violent, hate filled words always seemed to carry a strange sort of truth to them. It was a secret

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