The sun was slinking gradually back down beneath the horizon, and with it the temperature crawled down too. Half of the bloated, burning orb remained, and it bathed the world below in shadow and a variety of warm, glowing hues. Fats clouds in the sky were dipped in dark orange and purple, and below the earth radiated faint orange. Where Caesar stood in the debris dump, thousands of pieces of glass glistened and shimmered in a marvelously colorful show of reflection. It was beautiful here, and there were so many interesting objects to find! The imp had cut his paws several times on the glass, and he was leaving small splotches of blood where he walked, but it seemed as though he didn?t notice. He padded forward to lean over and tug at a shred of weathered plastic, perhaps from a bag, though he wouldn?t know. It was a piece of crinkly, special something to him.

Arella was lost. She thought she knew the lands well, but as she wandered, familiarity slowly changed into slight confusion, until she found herself totally lost and alone. Nearly a year old now, the ebony-furred girl knew she was able to explore and be on her own, but as the sun began to set below the horizon and cast eerie shadows all along the earth, she began to wonder if she was as ready as she felt. Fear crept in, gripping her heart and refusing to let go of its hold on her.

Darkness slowly fell. She was grateful her fur was so dark, and her paws so small, she was able to walk along rather quietly and hope nobody tried to surprise her. However, she found that her anxiety was largely quelled when the scent of another reached the youngster's twitching nostrils. Maybe she could make a friend! Then she wouldn't be quite so afraid to be alone out here. The landscape was unfamiliar, and she found herself walking rather slowly, unwilling to cut the pads of her paws on all the sharp and shiny objects she spotted. They were pretty, that was for sure, but looked alarmingly dangerous.

Hesitantly she bounded forward, her vibrant blue eyes searching desperately for the source of the scent. Something was off about it -- it was riddled with blood and dirt, but was clearly male. In the distance, she spotted him then, the silhouette of a male who looked about the same size as her. Maybe even smaller. He must be a pup then, right? A playful bark escaped her throat, tail wagging behind her with an alarming ferocity.

The imp padded a few more steps towards a larger mound of debris, still clutching the plastic. It looked like a nice perch, rising up from the ground maybe four feet like some forged hill. The elevation was enticing; Caesar liked to stand atop those overlooking sorts things and feel powerful. As paws pressed down upon the coarse and litter coated ground, another piece of glass thrust at his toe. He let out a small, indignant grunt, and lifted the foot to glance at it. Releasing his strip of plastic, he plucked the little shard free with his front teeth and spat it to the side. Then he proceeded to snatch the plastic up again and head towards to trash pile.

A noise caught his attention before he could ascend to his throne, and he turned. Ragged ears perked and the hellion?s dark face was hauntingly empty as he stared. A younger wolf was there, not far from him. Caesar did not have much love for younger wolves, especially babies. This one didn?t seem like a baby, but rather a yearling. Either way, he was not immediately welcoming. He blinked his foggy blue eyes and stretched and pulled his jaws together a few times, rumpling the plastic that he held to force that nice crackling sound into the air. His dirty fur ruffled slightly, and he backed up to plop himself at the bottom of the pile of garbage he?d sought. He flicked his tongue out a few times to spit the plastic between his forepaws before stating plainly, ?Mine.? His plastic. He was sure everyone would want it and its crinkly splendor, but it was his.

Arella's eyes slowly adjusted to the rapidly changing light. She really ought to be getting home soon -- not that she really knew how to find her way back. Her gentle, albeit somewhat excited gaze followed the view she had of the stranger as he attempted to clamber up higher, onto a pile of something. How dangerous! What if he went falling and cut himself on something sharp? Well, it seemed he already had, judging by the awful stench of blood that seemed seeped into his fur. She noted how strongly it emanated from him as she took a few hesitant steps closer to him, intrigued by the male.

She was glad when he paused, turning to gaze at her. A small smile played at the corners of her lips. He was small, though he seemed a bit older than her. But he was so dirty! She was reminded of how carefully her mother had groomed her when she was just a few months younger, and wanted so terribly to rush forward and clean him up. But she withheld her urges, knowing that she would be annoyed if someone tried to do that, since she could certainly take care of it herself.

He loudly proclaimed that the thing he'd been carrying was his, and she shrugged, grinning wider. "I know! I don't want it. I just wanted to say hi." It was painfully honest -- and she was painfully naive, standing there with a grin on her face, her tail never stopping its movement behind the young girl.

He twisted his head to the side a bit like a curious bird while his sly eyes looked her over suspiciously. She claimed to not want it, but it eased his doubt only mildly. She donned a pleasant smile, her tail wagging and everything. So innocent! How dumb! Or maybe she wasn?t dumb. Maybe she was trying to be sneaky, and be friendly until she got close enough to steal the crinkly. The imp pushed his tongue from behind his lips, scraping the tip against his bottom teeth before licking his lips. A forepaw, streaked with faint lines of red, lifted to pull the plastic against his chest. He would keep the crinkly safe.

?Yes, she says hi,? his narrow voice cooed. Haunting blue eyes traced her form again, searching for something. Her body was perfect ? unmarred and healthy. It just begged to be ruined. And Caesar liked ruining things. He licked his lips again ? they always seemed so dry ? and pushed himself up into a sit, enduring the throbbing and stinging protest from his cuts. ?She comes here ? Caesar will give her the crinkly,? he urged her to approach, pinning on the bribery of the crinkly. The land around him was a minefield of glass shards. Maybe she wouldn?t see some of them in her lust for the crinkly. She would dance! He nearly giggled at the thought, but instead allow a muted and frail smirk to wind along his lips ? something that could?ve been mistaken for a kinder smile.

Arella's ears perked, standing erect atop her small cranium. Interest shone in her vibrant blue gaze, watching the skinny black wolf with keen interest. He still reeked of blood -- she could only wonder if he had hurt himself, or maybe if he had killed something recently? It certainly didn't seem like he'd eaten anything lately, given how skinny he was. She sighed a bit, wishing she had brought him a small rodent or something. But no, it was too dark to hunt anyway...

"It's okay," she said quickly, her voice carefree and light. Though this boy seemed strange, she was far too naive to be wary of him. "I don't want it. But I'll play with you!" Tail wagged again behind her as she gazed at him, eyes full of delight. She really didn't even want it -- she didn't even know what said 'crinkly' was, but it didn't really look that tempting to her. It would be dangerous walking on such unpredictable land, but the prospecting of making a new friend was tempting. Light paws began to tread on the dirt, which was riddled with glass and other shiny dangerous things. Eyes strained through the darkness to avoid the obstacles as she struggled to keep closer to him.