Work Text:
"Owen!"
"Owen!"
"Owen?"
"There you are!"
"You were gone for so long. You smell like blood."
"Again?"
"Huuuuh? Again?"
"Hello, everyone. You're all so noisy. It's grating my ears."
"Hehe! Sorry!"
"We can't help it!"
"Sooorrrryyy!"
Red eyes stare blankly as the animals flock closer, tittering and chirping as they dote on the wizard. The deers and birds press themselves closer, invading his personal space. "You've got something on your hat. Let's get that off of you!" Little birds chirp, though Owen rolls his eyes as his hands rub against the heads of the deers. "We must go," one of the older does looks at him after he lets her go, "but it was nice seeing you again."
"It'd be a shame if you got caught."
The herd nips him affectionately, knowing what he meant despite the barbs in his words. His face softens as a fawn looks at him curiously. Its mother gently presses herself to guide the young one away. "A shame indeed. Goodbye, dear one." "Goodbye, stranger!" The rest of the herd follows along, voicing their goodbyes and leading their children away.
"And what about the rest of you?"
"Us?"
"Who else? Surely I'm not trying to talk to the wolves."
The birds chirp, their voices melting into discordance as a pup hops over. Owen raises an eyebrow, and the birds take notice to flutter away to the nearest branches to watch. It's a delightful sight, even in the northern woods. The rest of the pack waits. Owen knows this. They've done this song and dance before.
"Hello there."
"Hiya!" The pup hops, its face landing in the snow. "This snow is deeper than it looks!" A fond look slips onto Owen's face as he crouches, willing to meet the pup halfway. "It does, doesn't it?" It's easy to ignore the drying blood on his coat. "Yep!" The young one chirps before finally sitting in front of the wizard. "You're bigger than I imagined!"
"Am I now?"
There's a happy wag from the pup's tail, "Yep!" He shows his hand, letting the wolf pup sniff it, before going in for a scratch behind the ears.