Shaking out his coat after a good stretch, Ravi looked up up at the two people on the couch. He could tell that they were both out cold, wrapped in each others arms as they slept peacefully. He honestly wanted to hop up and join them, but there really wasn't any room. 

After glancing around the dimly lit room for a few moments, he twitched an ear, then headed for the door. A little walk would do him some good. He easily hopped up and turned the lock with a paw, then pulled the little hanging rope that Wyatt had set up for him. Once outside, he turned and watched the door slowly swing shut, then turned and nudged his head through the cold metal bars of the railing to look down at the surrounding area. 

The frigid wind nipped at his ears and rustled his fur, but he didn't mind it much. He was, after all, more wild dog than human. He truly hadn't minded being treated like an animal, but he had pushed it to the point of abuse. Just the thought of his ex dominant made his stomach squeeze uncomfortably in his chest, making him consider going back inside. Except, he didn't want to disturb Blake or master Wyatt, and he knew that he definitely would if he didn't walk off some energy. 

He was that kind of sub. Overly-excitable, overly-energetic, and overly needy. It was a wonder that master Wyatt had even offered to look after him. It took all of his effort not to squirm into the man's arms every second of every minute of every hour of every day. Just thinking about cuddling up with the sweet man in his bed made Ravi wiggle with excitement. Of course, he'd never been allowed in such a place, but that was understandable. Most dominants he knew rarely shared their bed with anyone who wasn't their own submissive.  

I miss master. 

Chewing on an imaginary dog treat to try and calm his nerves, Ravi slowly began his way toward the steps. He allowed his mind to wander as he descended into a decent layer of snow. It chilled his paws, but again, he was used to it. He'd spent quite a few days outside in his dog house while his former master had been away for work. 

Tilting his nose toward the sky, he gave a few quick sniffs, then turned north. The snow had slowed to a gentle dust on the wind as he meandered his way along the sidewalk. More people were out and about now, visiting local restaurants and catching up with neighbors. He didn't really understand why people tried to be so social with complete strangers. He just wanted his one and only... and wanted them to only ever care about him. 

There were actually dominants that were like that, but they weren't easy to find, and by the time they were found, they were already taken. 

Your dominant only ever looked at you. 

He sneezed in frustration at the thought that had snuck into his mind. 

Only ever looked at you, hurt you, and starved you. 

Slowing to a stop, Ravi looked up again, but this time he was in front of a familiar medium-sized home at the beginning of a residential area. 

His house...

It was a very well-kept plot of land with everything in order right down the smallest blade of grass.  Curiosity... and need, had him wondering if his former master was home at that moment. He often parked in the garage, so there was no way of knowing unless he either looked through the window there, or walked up to the door.

He was just lifting a paw to step onto the driveway when his ears perked up at the sound of the front door being opened. Without thinking, he bolted for the bushes a few feet ahead of him on the sidewalk. As soon as he was settled and hidden, he noticed footsteps heading his way. His animal instincts told him to give out a warning growl, but his more-suppressed human ones told him that he hadn't been spotted yet and that he should remain quiet. Thankfully, he decided to listen to his human side for once and hunkered down as the man came closer, his proximity making Ravi's entire body begin to shiver as he chanced looking up through the foliage. 

That's... not my master.

As the man calmly walked past him and turned to head north on the sidewalk, Ravi hesitantly crawled out from beneath the bushes and peeked around the corner. 

He kind of looks like him, but that's definitely not him. 

Curious but cautious, Ravi padded after the man. He was wearing long light brown pants and a black coat that extended all the way down to the backs of his knees. Each time it rustled in the breeze Ravi considered running forward and snapping at it, but that would obviously give him away. 

"Trying to sneak up on another predator in broad daylight doesn't usually work all that well, little guy." 

Ravi hit his brakes immediately... at the same time a particularly harsh gust of wind whipped the man's coat toward him as he turned around to face him. Becoming defensive in an instant, Ravi snapped at the approaching cloth with a ferocious snarl. To his surprise, he caught it between his teeth, but then just kind-of stood there staring up at the tall man looking down at him with an inquisitive, yet-entertained, expression on his face.

They looked at each other for several seconds before realization dawned on the man's face. 

"You're my little brother's shifter pup," he said quietly. 

He'd spoken the words so softly, in fact, that Ravi just barely-heard them before they were carried away by the crisp winter wind blowing past them. He quickly tucked his tail and hunched a little closer to the ground in response, though, chewing on the edge of the coat as if it were another doggy cookie. 

"He's been looking for you, but it doesn't seem like you want to go back to him, huh?" he said as he squatted down a bit too quickly for Ravi's liking, making him quickly backed up a few steps, tugging the coat with him since he refused to release it. 

Unfortunately for the man in front of him, it forced him forward a bit too abruptly and made him fall onto his hands and knees with a surprised, quiet gasp. 

"That wasn't very nice," the man chastised as he slowly pushed himself back up into his squatting position, then dusted off the snow from his knees.

When his eyes finally returned to Ravi, he didn't look too pleased... but he also didn't look too mad, either. 

"Would you mind releasing my coat, bud?" 

Oh, right. 

Even though he knew that it wasn't his, he slowly gave a tiny nod. He would mind releasing it. He liked having something to hold in his mouth when he was extremely nervous. And considering that he was right out in front of his ex dominant's house, face to face with his brother? He was shocked that he hadn't simply frozen into a Ravi icicle of terror yet. 

"Hmm... will you shift and at least put it on if I let you have it?" the man asked, quickly earning a shake of Ravi's head in response. He would absolutely not shift. 

The guy seemed to think for a few more moments before reaching up and undoing a super soft-looking scarf from around his neck. 

"What about this? It's extremely warm, super soft, and would fit your pup much better than that big coat." 

It did look like it would work with his canine form much better than the coat he was still nibbling a hole in... He could also chew at the edges while still having plenty of fabric to wrap around himself without having to drag anything. 

Suddenly overwhelmingly-excited, Ravi straightened up and nodded several times. 

"There we go. I knew we could figure out a reasonable trade," the man said as he gently set the long scarf in the thin layer of snow on the sidewalk, then looked back up to Ravi with a small, warm smile. 

Ravi dropped the coat at that moment and inched closer to the scarf. He kept his eyes mostly on the man as he scooted back a bit, then straightened back to his full height. 

Seeing his chance, Ravi grabbed one end of the scarf and abruptly began to roll in the snow over and over again. By the time he stopped and straightened back up, the scarf was awkwardly wrapped around a good portion of his upper body and neck. He kept hold of the little end piece he'd originally grabbed onto, though, then looked up at the man staring down at him. 

"Well, I can't argue. It definitely looks better on you than it did on me," he said with a quiet chuckle. 

Ravi gave a little wiggle at the compliment, but the man was no longer looking at him. Suddenly nervous, Ravi immediately looked over his shoulder... then peed a little as he scrambled behind the man's legs and began to unknowingly nibble at one of his pantlegs. 

"You found him, Trever!" 

That voice. 

Ravi grabbed more of the pantleg and gave a quiet whine as his former dominant headed his way. He forced himself to keep his eyes on the ground as the man approached, knowing that he wouldn't be able to keep himself from running into his arms and begging for forgiveness if he got even the slightest glance of him. 

He listened as his footsteps got closer, but then, abruptly stopped. 

"Travis, I don't know a lot about your lifestyle, but it doesn't seem like you've treated this pup very well." 

"He could have left whenever he wanted to, and the lifestyle is what he wanted. That dog is obsessive. Its always insanely hyper and wanting attention, but refuses to shift for more than a few minutes at a time. I got tired of trying to have a relationship and just ended up treating him how he wanted to be treated. As a dog." 

He wasn't wrong. His dominant had wanted a physical relationship, but he had definitely not. All he'd wanted was attention and someone who was willing to put up with his excessive energy. 

When the man he was hiding behind sighed and turned, then knelt down in front of him, Ravi was forced to release his pantleg and hunch to the ground. The cold snow chilled his belly, but he paid it no mind as the man, Trever, stared down at him. 

"Little one, did you come over here with the intention of returning to my little brother's care?" 

Ravi flicked an ear as he quickly shook his head, his chin brushing against the snow at the same time. 

The man's brown eyes softened a little. 

"Do you have somewhere else to go right now?" he asked, making Ravi grab hold of the end of his scarf and tilt his head for a moment, then quickly nod several times.  

Trever nodded in return at that point, then stood back up. 

"Best to head back home, then," he said as he stepped aside to clear the way. 

Ravi quickly lowered his gaze again as he began moving, but each step he took made his paws feel heavier and heavier. By the time he got to the other end of the property, he had to fight just to lift up one single foot. His heart was also racing and his head was beginning to ache from stress. 

"You know that you came back here for me, Ravi. If you leave again, I might not be so welcoming when you wander back here next time... because I know that you will," his former dominant called out to him. His voice sounded so smug, as if he knew how hard it already was to try and walk away a second time. 

He hadn't been the best person, but he'd been his first master. He'd paid attention to him and called him his. 

 "Ravi." 

Hearing another voice speak his name right behind him had Ravi whirling around and raising his hackles, but his growl was swallowed by surprise as Trever squatted in front of him again and held out a small stick of something. 

He wasn't too interested in it right away, but as its scent caught his cold nose after a few moments, he inched a little closer. 

"It's kind of like those Slim Jim things you can find at gas stations, but I prefer the higher quality kinds. This one is a mixture of beef and pork," he said, making Ravi chew on the edge of the scarf a bit more until it slipped from his mouth. 

"I'm not going to get between you and my brother at any other time, but just this once, can I trade you this treat in return for you walking away today? I love my baby brother to the moon and back, but he's not perfect. It seems like he's made some mistakes, and I'd like to talk with him about this situation." 

Ravi wasn't the best at listening, and while most of the man's words went in one large ear and immediately out the other, he didn't miss the point. 

"You mentioned that you have somewhere you can go before? Is someone waiting for you at home?" the man asked, making Ravi immediately look up at the graying sky. 

Master Wyatt would definitely worry if I didn't return before it gets dark. 

"I'll take that as a yes," Trever said with a small smile as a chilly gust of wind rustled his honey-blond hair. 

It was a yes. 

This time when Ravi attempted to walk away, his paws moved... forward first, so that he could snatch up that delicious-looking jerky stick, then they abruptly turned and carried him down the sidewalk at a comfortable lope, away from his former stressful life, for the second time. He hadn't been sure that he could ever walk away from his ex dominant if he saw him again, but with his brother's help, it had felt almost... easy. 

It helped that the jerky stick was absolutely delicious and super chewy, giving him something to focus on as he wiggled his way home, eager to show master Wyatt and Blake his newly acquired scarf.