"Speech" @Booker
Todd beamed with wide eyes and lolling tongue, his fur fluffing out as if to illustrate that smile further.
"You're welcome, Pillar, and Seer, and G-Guardian, and... Flowers!" Pride emanated from him in waves, happiness at having 'met' all the guardians plain to see. To him, they were akin to fairytale knights, and the cub seemed eager to hear more stories.
"O-oh... That sounds really nice. Can I have one?" If the cub had had any prior knowledge of death, which he did, he didn't show it. Instead, he just considered quietly, almost as though eerily empty of emotion.
"...Oh."
Again, Todd listened, patiently and curiously, and any illusion of emptiness was soon shattered as a smile broke his face once more.
"I want brothers, too!" he declared, happily closing his eyes for a moment.
"Oh, why is that? That sounds like a weird story." The confusion on his face was clearly evident, his eyes sparkling with curiosity.
"Ooooohh... I know what they are now. I have four of them!" Todd shot onto all four paws.
"See them?"
Listening closely, Todd wanted to declare that he would be like that someday. He'd be great, and good, perhaps he'd be a Guard someday as well. His eyes glazed over slightly with the daydreams hanging on his bated breath. And then he listened to Flowers' advice, and thought back to everything he'd ever done. Oh no! Todd pawed at his face with his hard paw, trying to chase away the memories.
Pat, pat, pat... on the fourth pat, one sharp labradorite claw caught his soft wet nose, and Todd reeled back, eyes wide and shocked as an unfamiliar feeling spread over his nose. He stared at Flowers, frozen on the spot, the fur along his spine raised up, as a little drop of red fell to the mossy ground.
Looking up again, Todd was shocked and trembling for a few seconds more, before relaxing as the name was accepted, and with pride. That made Todd happy, and just as proud.
"Yes! Flowers!" he chirped, and suddenly the small wound on his nose was out of his mind and forgotten. The All Mother now, was there instead. And suddenly Todd felt even more in awe of her. He thought he knew himself inside out, so how could anyone possibly know him better? He thought everyone felt the same.
"The All-Mother is so amazing."
That was all he could think to say.
