Aldo flashed an embarrassed and very toothy grin that he immediately wiped off of his muzzle, his ears twitching as he tried to keep them upright in a confident position. Her concern for him only seemed to be fueling his awkward and clumsy body language, but the next thought he sent betrayed none of his pitiful demeanor.
Don't you worry about me. It was just a shock, that's all. I'm very sorry you had to see that, I assume right after waking up.
He shuddered when his mind wandered back to the scene of the murdered werewolves. Now it was less shocking, though, and more like a terrible weight that dragged down his heart. Aldo hadn't known them well at all, but they'd been kind to each other, they'd hiked and patrolled together, and most of all, they'd been part of the Odessa Pack together.
Shaking the unwanted and dark thoughts from his immediate range of concerns, he started in a direction that none of the other wolves on the patrol team seemed to be heading. He turned his head to make sure that Vashti was following and gave a small, slow wag of his bushy tail.
Maybe when we're finished patrolling, we can chase hares. To lighten things up.
This was followed by a thought which Aldo kept private: What the hell are you thinking? This is no time to ask a girl out.