Douko’s gaze followed the kid as he came towards him, the bags in tow. It was a sight that brought a wicked smile to his lips. He watched as the other stepped in front of him, trying to bar his path should he want to move. Cute.  Did he really think he could force him to do anything? He looked down at the small one before him as he spoke. He stood with his hands in his pockets and his hips thrust forward slightly, an eyebrow raising at the words Red spoke. He glanced around at the forest that sprawled before them as he spoke, imagining some bird creature flying about. It was the right environment but he wasn’t sure how long he would survive. His people were hunters after all and a rare bird would be a treat.<br/><br/>His broad shoulders shrugged. “Go ahead.” He stepped around the kid, not bothering to mention the fact he may want to keep the bird near. Douko went to the last car that waited for him. Normally, he would have just shifted and had a run back to his home, but he figured the other would get lost and killed if he left him behind. That would end friendly negotiations with the humans. Their prince dying the first day of the new arrangement. Douko opened the door and waited for the kid to hurry up. His wrist rested lazily on the top of the opened door with his hips cantering to the side in obvious irritation. “Come on.” He growled out.<br/><br/>Once the boy got in he closed the door behind him and went around to the other side and got in. The driver was a man with blonde hair and sunglasses obscuring his eyes. The car ride was silent, Douko staring out the window as they drove. The forest seemed to go on forever, the dirt road never giving way to concrete. Finally the forest seemed to ebb into civilization. The buildings were not skyscrapers or metal pillars with shining glass windows. They were white washed single or double story buildings with terracotta roofs, like one would see in Spain. Windows and doors held no barriers between the interior and the rest of the world. The first houses they passed were nothing more than shacks, with cracks in the paint and dead gardens out front. As the car drove further into the city the house slowly grew better and larger. The streets were close together, often the side streets didn’t look big enough to fit a car. People dotted the streets, going about their lives. Wolves were scattered throughout the city, some lounging about in the sun on their front steps, others walking the streets or running to some unknown location. The roads were uneven, as if they were an afterthought once the houses were placed.<br/><br/>The car drove through the city, a single long road penetrating the depths of the chaotic world Red had now found himself in. At the center of the city was a large estate that, instead of high, went wide. It was only three story’s high but the length of the house extended beyond anything else seen in the city. The building was an almost pink washed color with a brown terracotta roof. The windows and the front entrance door were nothing more than manmade holes in the sides of buildings. Vines crawled up the walls and some even crept through a window, extending on the roof of the interior room. Large purple flowers littered the vines. Several balcony’s were visible from the road. Instead of a manicured lawn surrounding the estate, it looked like a forest had been grown around it. Trees were scattered along the property, the grass had grown wild with fallen trees every so often. Nothing about this place screamed pristine or maintained, except for the natural beauty of the place, like nature had started to reclaim the structure. The car stopped just before entering the small forest that seemed to extend further back than the house. The other houses surrounding the estate were on the edge of the forest, as if the houses had been placed to maintain the forest. Douko got out of the car and looked at his home. A howl went off in the distance and Douko looked into the forest briefly before looking to Red. Once both were out of the car it drove back down the single road that seemed to be able to support the girth of it. Douko glanced at Red with a grin before he walked down a small dirt path that seemed to only exist because that route was used often.<br/><br/>A man stood in the large doorway the path led up to. He was taller than even Douko by an inch or two. His girth was slightly bigger than the prince, his muscles a bit more defined. They both held the slightly darker tan than Red did, they both had black hair and the same large brown eyes. Douko embraced his father in a large hug. The two hugged roughly with the man whispering something into Douko’s ear before they parted. The older man, looking mid fifties, turned to little Red. “Welcome home.” The man’s voice was gruff, a deeper volume that one had to pay attention to catch what he was saying. He extended his hand to the small human. The size of his hand could engulf Red’s entire face if it wanted to.  Douko watched Red with interest, seeing how he would respond to the gesture.  “I am the alpha, Merrick.” His voice was not unkind, nor did it hold any warmth or invitation for friendship. It was almost formal.