sixteen
Milton wakes slowly, eyes bleary as he sleepily chews on his tongue and reluctantly lifts his head from where it rests on Callum's chest. He looks up at the man who is already watching him with smiling eyes, a hand gently patting him as his mind takes a moment to catch up.
They're still seated in the armchair in the rehabilitation centre, the three men having left over half an hour ago to start getting the pump into place.
"Have a nice nap?" Cal asks good-naturedly, relaxed back in the seat.
Milton nods, voice catching in his throat with a strangled hum as he looks around the room.
To the left they had two large windows side by side that reached from the top of the wall down to the very bottom.
Sheer beige blinds are pulled half-way down to block out some of the sunlight, but not enough to cast the entire room in darkness.
"You hungry?"
Milton thinks for a moment before shaking his head, sniffling a little as snot tries to run down his face.
Cal only nods in response; a tissue appearing out of nowhere to gently pinch his nose and wipe his face clean.
His face flushes pink at the action, but he's thankful for it.
No one wanted snot running down their face.
'Well," Callum begins with a sing song voice, "since you're not hungry, why don't we go see if there are any wolves about?"
Milton perks up at this, eyes turning wide as he peers up at the man. Would they really see more wolves?
Callum laughs, picking Milton up in his arms before moving to the snack bag to take out a blanket.
He expertly wraps it around the little human without having to put him down, making sure Milton is as snug as can be as they move from the room into a hallway.
Callum pauses for a second, looking between the two doors with slight confusion.
"Which way do you think, Milton? Left or right?"
Milton lifts his head from where it rests on Callum's shoulder, carefully poking a hand out the top of the blanket.
He looks at the doors as well, their dark wood colour identical to each other along with the small look-through glass windows.
The door to their left does have a piece of paper stuck just below the glass with bright red writing, but Milton can't read it.
Picking up on his curiosity, Callum gestures to the sign. "It says 'close the door behind you'. Al says they put the signs up when there are pups around. They tend to try and follow the staff around."
Milton smiles, wriggling his fingers against the blanket as he looks up at Callum. If the sign is up, surely that means there are baby wolves on the other side!
Chuckling, Cal gently pushes the door open and the two are taken to a semi-outdoor area.
Where the doorway finishes, a wood deck begins, stretching out for only a couple of metres before it drops down a step to meet soft grass.
The grass extends until it blends out into the more natural looking brush, but a chain-link fence that reaches to the top of the roof's overhang cuts the grass section in two.
Milton hums in his throat, eyes peeled wide open as he tries to spot any kind of movement in the distance... but sees nothing.
Making sure the door they enter through is properly shut, Callum takes Milton over to a pair of outdoor green metal garden chairs and sets him down.
The boy is still focused on the yard beyond the fence, sniffing back more snot as he sits in his blanket cocoon, casted foot poking out from his fluffy confines, one of Al's fluffy socks still perched on the end.
Callum smiles at his excitement, the light in the human's eyes making his heart squeeze.
He steps away from him, quickly turning to the chain-link fence where a gate sits in the middle. It's held shut with a thick chain and lockable carabiner that Callum easily takes off, allowing the gate to swing open with a tired squeak.
Milton's eyes get even bigger, his body sinking into the backrest of the chair despite his efforts to try and sit up.
"You ready?" Cal whisper, a cheeky grin on his face as he turns to face Milton.
Milton nods eagerly, heart thumping hard in his chest. His carer raises his fingers to his lips, releasing an ear-piercing whistle that has Milton jumping on the spot.
Silence follows for a moment... until the sounds of something moving through the longer grass catches their attention. Cal takes his spot back near Milton as he chooses to sit partially in front of him on the ground rather than on the other metal chair, one hand resting on the boy's leg.
Out of the bushes, a wolf appears, large head low and relaxed as it's large paws plod through the brush in an unhurried manner. A very slow wagging tail follows the wolf as it gets closer, body language friendly yet cautious as it stops just outside of the gate's opening.
It's a different wolf than last time, the coat a mix of creams and browns rather than greys. It's also a lot bigger with more stocky looking legs and a broad chest. Watching the two men, the wolf's ears flick backwards towards another sound, head turning as another smaller wolf appears.
Milton lets out a little huff of air in excitement, he didn't think they'd get to see two!
"The bigger one is Ashwa, and the smaller one is Diego. He's Ashwa's mate."
Callum watches the two wolves for a moment as Diego leans over to sniff at the older one's mouth, sneezing softly before trotting closer to sniff at the fence. Really, he's trying to get a good whiff of the two 'humans' on the other side while appearing aloof – not that he's fooling Callum.
Milton doesn't notice, his focus darting between both animals as he tries to take in every little detail.
Rubbing Milton's leg gently, Cal continues. "They were rescued up North when they were caught by trappers. Soon after they came here we realised Ashwa was pregnant."
Milton perks up at that, opening his mouth as he tries to ask if the puppies are nearby, only for a squeaky garble of sound to escape instead. He blushes at his own voice, the sound catching both wolves' attention as their sharp gazes snap to him.
Both animals are not of the shifter variety, but they are a lot tamer than some due to their exposure to humans over the years.
They were well known to locals back in their hometown before they were taken to the centre, having become quite used to people 'visiting' the small forest they called home for a decent amount of the year.
Their circumstances were quite unfortunate, especially considering Ashwa had already lost a mate in her younger years. When she had almost lost Diego, the panic and emotional stress turned her aggressive – which had led to Callum's pack stepping in when the locals couldn't get close enough to help.
"She's had her pups a while ago, sweetie. They're probably off running around in the enclosure. Ashwa and Diego most likely snuck away for a breather." Callum laughs, drumming his fingers on the deck to divert the animals' attention to himself.
The curiosity obviously gets too much for Diego to bear as he steps inside the chain-linked area, tail wagging as he lowers his head, sniffing at Callum's shoes.
Ashwa steps closer too, carefully making her way into the area as if a thin invisible rope tethers herself to her mate; unable to step too far away.
Diego takes his time sniffing, making his way up Callum's jeans, wet nose prodding at his hand before snuffling at his face. Callum allows it, parting his lips slightly as the wolf naturally tries to show its respect and affection to the human through a very wet and very intimate 'kiss'.
Milton lets out a strangled sort of laugh, puffing air out his nose as he watches the wolf interact with his carer.
Callum laughs too, smiling as Diego licks at him again, tail wagging before he steps away and moves back to his mate to rub against her quickly, his focus splintered as he darts back around to investigate the rest of the semi-enclosed area.
Ashwa keeps her distance for a while longer, content to watch her boisterous partner wander around the area, her ears swivelling to his whereabouts as he sniffs at the fence line and lifts a leg on the edge of the deck's step.
Callum leans his head on a hand, elbow resting on his knee as he turns to look at his boy seated on the chair with the happiest smile he's ever seen.
"You really like wolves. Would they be your favourite animal?"
Milton thinks for a moment; did he have a favourite animal?
He liked fluffy things, and wolves did look quite fluffy.
They weren't super soft to touch, but he didn't think they were the kind of animal to want to cuddle.
, so maybe that didn't matter. He could briefly remember meeting a cat at some point.
.. an orange and white striped tail brushing past his thoughts as a hazy memory.
Milton nods slowly at the question. They were big, strong and powerful creatures. Yet it was clear that they had a softness to them, if Diego's friendly greeting and curious behaviour was anything to go by. They demanded some kind of... respect too, and Milton was happy to oblige.
"They are pretty cool." Callum continues the conversation, senses heightened as he splits his attention between Milton and the two wolves, careful to take in any change of mood in the pair. "We can meet some of the other animals at the centre when you're feeling a bit better too."
Milton blinks at him, wanting to ask what else there is to see, but unable to get the words out.
"There are a couple of deer we could take you out to see and a few foxes too. I'm not sure what else is here at the moment, but we can always ask Aldric later."
Milton nods again, eager to hear more, only to startle when something gently bumps his sock covered toes.
He turns to look at his feet, eyes widening as Ashwa stands at the end of his chair, large frame towering over him as she bends a head to sniff at his feet.
She ignores the way his attention is now completely focused on her, the flick in her ears dismissing him as she continues to investigate his injured foot.
Perhaps she could smell the injury? No, Milton didn't think wolves' noses were that good. Maybe she could smell Aldric, a familiar scent no doubt.
Callum smiles, having seen the larger wolf silently make her way up to the boy with curious eyes.
It's clear she can tell something isn't quite right with him, his scent muddied with the smells of shifter, human, and the sourness that comes with sickness.
Shifters always made wolves curious, that primal connection confusing them as their physical two-legged shape contradicts their natural smell.
Noting that the small human is harmless, Ashwa moves closer with a quick glance to her mate, nose wiggling as she pokes it beneath Milton's blanket cocoon to take in a few more deep breaths closer to his skin.
Milton sniffs as he watches, trying not to let his runny nose drip down his face.
Callum is quick to reach over with a tissue, wiping his face gently as Ashwa watches the interaction with careful eyes.
She could see their connection, the soft touch and spike in pheromones similar to her own motherly scent.
"You might not get to pat her, she's a bit more reserved—"
Callum's cut short as the big wolf takes them both by surprise, leaning over them to place her large blocky head right on Milton's legs with a content sort of grumble.
The sound vibrates through Milton's bones, sending a thrill up his spine as he reaches a hand out to the tip of her nose, little fingers wriggling.
She sniffs them lazily, eyes half closing as she releases a big breath of air.
She knew he wasn't going to try anything malicious, the kid being way smaller than most humans she'd ever met and the sweet milky scent coming off of Callum telling her that this was his pup, and pups were to be treasured.
Without really thinking, Milton reaches out and lets his fingers dig into the thick fur around her ears.
Callum's heart flips in panic at the action, worried the wolf may snap at the sudden touch, but much to his surprise Ashwa simply stands still with her tail wagging ever so softly behind her.
Diego, not wanting to miss out, blunders over to the group with a jealous whine, body bumping heavily into Callum as he sidles up to his mate, leaning over Milton's lap to lick at her soft beige muzzle.
Milton huffs a silent laugh, digging his fingers in for a little longer before his hand grows tired with the motion and he withdraws from the wolf. Ashwa doesn't seem to mind the short-lived head scratch, her mate drawing a grumble from her lips as she moves away from them both.
She doesn't give the two a second glance as she slowly makes her way back out the gate, Diego following suit with his still wagging tail, bumping into the older wolf with a playful nip at her fur.
Callum blinks after them, turning to look over at the little human to see his smiling face and half-lidded eyes, his head is beginning to bob with sleep. Perhaps the wolf knew Milton's energy was waning, she was awfully perceptive for a wolf.
Sighing, Callum stands from his spot and leans down to pick the boy up, snuggling him against his chest securely. He had been excited to show the boy a little more of their life here in the pack, but maybe it was a bit too much for him when he's still fighting off a cold.
Kissing the top of Milton's head, Callum relocks the gate and makes his way back inside the centre, humming softly in his throat.