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If things hadn’t been bad enough, someone had seen them. A stranger, at that, although anyone seeing them in the shape they were in was bad enough. Hikari doesn’t even notice- not entirely, and not at first. Not until the stranger speaks, sounding like he’s half-expecting them to lash out.

Pride, and their desire to try to keep what’s left of theirs, is what finally drives Hikari to push themself up into a sitting position, despite the way the motion sends another spark of pain through their head. They’ll have to deal with that in the near future. For now, though, they need to deal with this.

I’m fine. Sorry to concern you. Their words are brisk- not unfriendly, exactly, but more than enough that Hikari hopes he’ll take it at face value- and for a second, they think about sending him on his way so they can sulk some more without being interrupted this time. Curiosity, though, gets the better of them.

What is this place? The idea that the other canine would be just as unused to it as Hikari escapes their mind- surely this stranger, who appeared to be a tad bit more used to the land, knew more than they did.

Nightingale