ORIGIN

Adi calling him "Azzy" brought a sudden, violent pang to his chest. Nobody had called him that for a long time. Not since he'd raised a young white fox, that had clung to him and called him "Dad" and "Azzy" and giggled at his theatrics. For a moment he considered snarling at the child, putting them in their place. Only Forgraves was allowed to use that name, how dare they call him anything but what he said he could be called. But he didn't. This was a child. They didn't know that there was a faint hurt there. But he didn't correct them either.

"I am big," he answered after a brief hesitation, "because that is what I am. I have always been bigger then many. Some are hatched big. Some are hatched small. It does not matter." He thought, again, of Forgraves - small, even smaller then this one - but filled with life and joy and cleverness and curiosity. "Maybe you will be big! But if you are not, do not let it discourage! All life can be big within."

He crossed his arms and huffed, something like amusement in his voice. "Yes, exploring is fun. Learning is good. Me? I wait and I wander. I track my enemies and destroy them. I fight when I need to and when I want to."