Her snowy paws trudged through the mud, thick and sticky as the hot midday sun began to evaporate the water. The muddy slopes, still treacherous from the rainfall the night before, steamed under the sun, slowly turning from dirt to sand the further west she traveled. Her tongue lolled in a heavy pant, sides heaving with labored breath. She had stalked a deer for nearly have the day, hoping that it would lead her to a herd, or a companion, or anything. But the deer seemed as lonely as she was, traveling persistently, never stopping, never slowing.

Muses, with her heavy coat, and built adapted to survive extreme cold temperatures, found that she could not keep up now that the sun was bearing down upon her in full force. Trudging up a particularly steep slope, the thought of not being able to continue briefly crossed her mind. It was best to turn back, to save what strength she had, now that the rogue deer had slipped out of site.

Coming to the peak, she looked around, seeing nothing but barren lands, muddy patches a dark stain against the pale dust, the various palette of browns swimming before her eyes. Her body seemed to sway, and then lilac eyes rolled back into her head, and she collapsed, overcome by the summer's heat.

Deity was never one for self-deprecation. She didn’t view her “imperfections” as such— she was godly, after all. Divine. But as Deity took in her surroundings, she silently admitted to herself that she’d made a terrible mistake. She had simply been wandering— that was her life, after all— and come across an expanse that lay dead and unmoving before her. Dunes obscured her vision, and like some mortal fool, she had thought simply that she’d cross it. A measurement of her abilities, perhaps, or simply foolishness. Now, a great empty land surrounded her. She swiveled her head, not daring to move her body, and saw nothing but sand in all directions. Her tail pointed toward the way she came. Deity realized she must not continue on in any direction but straight ahead or straight back, for fear that she may get lost. So, she continued ahead. After hours of hard labor with the sun beating down upon her, setting her fur alight, motion drew her gaze. A deer. The creature, long-limbed and tall, caught sight of her before Deity could move. It ran, bounding away through the dunes with shocking ease. It had been traveling toward her but turned and disappeared over a dune peak to her right. How odd. Deer, in the desert? A tall peak arose just in front of Deity, and she groaned. It was nothing special, she’d been crossing them all day, but she could feel exhaustion creeping up her limbs and was beginning to doubt that she could physically cross one more dune. Her tongue lolled bone dry from her mouth— very undignified, for a creature of her Grace. Deity’s gaze traveled up the peak, judging its height, when she saw— a silhouette? Perhaps it was a mirage. The goddess squinted, trying to determine whether or not it was real. The shape wavered in the heat, but it remained steady. A wolf. Suddenly, it disappeared, and Deity was overcome with disappointment. She was about to turn and go around the peak, when she paused— it hadn’t disappeared, it was still there, just... smaller. Oh. The wolf had collapsed. Deity could just move on and travel around the peak. It would save time, and energy. But alas, her inner benevolence cried out against the prospect. Deity chuffed, telling herself she just wanted information on this stranger, and to ask how long it would take for her to escape this barren land. They had come from the direction she was going, after all. The sun had visibly moved a ways across the sky by the time Deity, huffing, reached the creature. With surprise, the goddess realized that it was just a pup. Female. Her coat was far too thick and heavy to be from this realm. Who was she, and why was she here? The weather had cooled a bit, the midday heat dissolving into an almost-pleasant evening warmth, but it was still far too hot for the pup in front of her to regain consciousness. Deity cursed, unsure what to do. There was no water, no shade as far as she could see. And certainly she could not drag this wolf (however small) for miles across the endless expanse. Her only hope was to watch the sun descend behind the horizon and await the female’s awakening. Gingerly, she nudged the stranger’s shoulder with a paw. ”Speech”