After days of searching, Joshua finally found some food, a half-eaten apple covered in mold. Still, his tail wagged with excitement. He hadn't eaten in days.
As he prepared to dig in, a girl with purple hair approached him.
"Hey, little guy," she said gently, reaching out a hand to touch him.
But Joshua thought she was a threat.
"Arrrgh, my apple!" he growled, and without warning, he bit her hand.
"Ouch, you little shit!" the girl screamed as blood dripped from her fingers.
"I'm sorry! Don't hit me," Joshua cried, scurrying into the corner of the alley. He crouched down in a fetal position, ears flattened and tail clutched tightly in his arms.
The girl softened. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you, little guy. My name is Merlin. What's yours?"
(What happened to him...? He's full of open wounds. It's probably because he's a noble. We don't usually see nobles around here.)
"My name is Joshua, miss. I'm sorry about your hand," he said quietly.
"Oh, this? It's nothing." Merlin placed her uninjured hand over the bleeding one. A bright purple light glowed between them, and when she pulled her hand away, the wound was gone.
Joshua's eyes lit up. "Wow, miss, you're a witch! Cool!" He jumped up and hopped around her joyfully.
Merlin giggled. "I can heal you too. Stand still."
"Yes, miss," Joshua said, obediently holding still as Merlin channeled the same purple light over his wounds.
"Lucky for you, these aren't life-threatening," she murmured. "A low-class witch can only heal small wounds."
But Joshua wasn't listening. He struck exaggerated bodybuilder poses.
"I'm healed! You're awesome, miss!"
Merlin chuckled. "Joshua, do you have a place to live?"
"No," he said sarcastically. "I'm just searching through trash cans for fun. I enjoy looking like a sewer rat."
She slapped him lightly on the head.
"Ouch!" he exclaimed, rubbing the spot.
"Don't get smart with me, little shit. Okay then, let's go."
"Go where, miss?" he asked, confused.
"Home, of course. And call me Big Sis from now on. We're a family now." She turned and began walking.
Joshua hesitated, then ran to catch up, grabbing her hand. He walked with a bounce in his step. Merlin glanced at their joined hands in surprise, then smiled.
"Okay, Big Sis! Let's go home," Joshua beamed.
As they walked, he pulled the rotten apple from his pocket and tried to take a bite, but Merlin slapped it out of his hands.
"Hey, my apple!"
"We've got fresh food at home. Rotten food will make you sick."
"Okay, Big Sis."
They arrived at their home. It was, quite literally, a shack.
"Cool! A dog house!" Joshua exclaimed.
Merlin slapped him on the head again.
"Ouch! What did I do?" he asked, frowning.
Inside, the house was even worse. An older woman with light purple-grey hair stood cooking food at a small stove.
"Hi, Grandma," Merlin said. "I brought you the grandson you always wanted."
Joshua grabbed her skirt and hid behind her, peeking out with his fluffy black ears twitching.
Grandma didn't even glance up. "Merlin, this isn't an orphanage. You can't just bring random kids in here. We're barely getting by with just the two of us."
She finally looked up and froze. Big, fluffy noble werewolf ears peeked from behind Merlin.
Without hesitation, she rushed forward and scooped Joshua into the air.
"He's a noble werewolf!" she exclaimed. (Our problems are gone! If we raise him right, he'll get rid of the slum gangsters taxing my pap and wors store for protection. Maybe he'll even rule the slums and we'll be rich!)
Joshua laughed in delight. Being lifted was fun.
Merlin crossed her arms. "Grandma, I know what you're thinking. But he hasn't awakened, and he's already nine. He probably won't awaken. That's probably why he got kicked out."
"Oh. How sad." (No! My dreams are destroyed. What does Merlin think this is, a pet shop?) Her smile faded and she set Joshua down.
"Let's do it again, Grandma! I want to fly!" Joshua said with a giant grin.
Her face brightened instantly. "Okay, grandson!" (I always wanted a cute grandson. He's so much better than that brat Merlin.)
She picked him up again and twirled around with him in the air.
Merlin watched, annoyed. (This old hag did a complete 180.)
After the excitement, the newly-formed family sat down at the table, eating pap and wors with big smiles. Joshua was gobbling his food like a starved puppy.
Later that night, Joshua lay asleep in bed with Merlin. She cuddled his tail like a soft toy, and he stretched out beside her, half-covered by the blanket, breathing peacefully.