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Kipo was giddy… Surprisingly giddy. Each step was taken with determination and Wolf couldn't help crossing her arms for comfort. She almost loathed the girl for forcing her to leave her pelt behind. She felt exposed without it, nevermind the comments that Dave had made about her poofy hair, which had earned him a kick to the face, much to Benson's chagrin. Despite the turmoil going on from within, her expression remained as stoic as ever as she bit the insides of her cheeks.
“We shouldn't call you ‘Wolf’ in front of them,” Kipo spoke suddenly without looking back. “So maybe you could tell us your real name?”
The hell I'm not, Wolf thought through gritted teeth. She brushed some of her hair out of her face, lips forming a thin line before she spoke.
“Um, yeah,” she responded, tone dripping with what could only be sarcasm. “It's Bone Ripper.”
Kipo turned around to give her a look while Dave scoffed. “Nah, that's a bunch of—” he trailed off as his lips twisted into a grin. “That's actually the coolest name ever.”
Kipo was not as impressed. “Come on! If we're gonna be a real pack, you gotta tell us the truth!”
Wolf's eyes almost twitched. She ran a hand down her face as she rolled her eyes before sighing — a habit she'd gotten used to since meeting the purple human girl.
“Why don't you just pick one for me?” she suggested in hopes of taking Kipo's mind off of figuring out her real name.
“Fine,” Kipo accepted, pressing a finger to her chin in thought before she broke into a smile “We'll call you…”
Wolf prepared herself for a name that only Kipo could come up with. Something ridiculous and stupid like—
“Jolene!” Kipo decided.
She glanced at Wolf with a proud smile before she approached the steep hill they’d have to climb to reach the observatory. Wolf couldn't find it in herself to care about that whatsoever. Kipo's voice echoed inside of her head as she did her best not to let emotion show on her face. Her shoulders slumped forward and she stared ahead at the girl with wide eyes. How the hell—
She straightened her posture before Kipo could notice, a scowl taking over her features. “Nevermind,” she muttered. She refused to hear her birth name from anyone's lips ever again, whether she was to ruin their cover or not. Unfortunately, she wasn't in charge this time.
Dave laughed out loud, the volume causing Wolf to wince. “Too late, Jolene,” he teased. Wolf growled, barring her teeth. “Ha! Great name.”
Wolf closed her eyes and inhaled deeply while counting to four, before exhaling while counting to eight. You can do this, she tried to convince herself. They don't know, and it's just for a day. Dave whistling brought her out of her train of thought.
“Come on, Jolene. Quit stalling,” he shouted from where he sat on Benson's shoulders.
Wolf repeated her mantra in her head before she approached the bug, willing herself to avoid strangling him to death. A very long day.