She was home here. She thrived among the sand and dunes, hunting lizards and snakes, basking in the warm rays of the sun in the mornings and hiding in sandy dens at night. Micha had found a place where she could set down roots and start over, start fresh. She was reborn. She rolled in the sand, washing her skin of the parasites that thrived on her body while scratching every possible itch they had left her with. The moon slowly faded into her vision as the sun set beyond the cover of the dunes. Her tail wagged briskly behind her as she rolled onto her side to watch, a high pitched howl escaping her as she greeted the stars. Valhalla could keep its lush grass and hooved prey, she was provided with everything she needed here, and would never be spoiled by gushing streams of water again. Of course eventually she would need to find water, but that could wait. Unlike most wolves she could last days without the transparent liquid. A product of good breeding she assumed.

Speech!

It had been days. DAYS. Since his last decent meal. Fugue hated the desert with a passion. This was obviously not a place that he could make his home, nor was it a place that he wanted to stay in much longer. He hadn't seen any wolves or any sign of wildlife for miles, and even then it was only a scrawny looking lizard with half a tail and the indecency to stay out of his hungry jowls. It was safe to say that Fugue was not in a happy state of mind.

The bi colored male shook his pelt for an he third time that hour, squinting his golden eyes at the cloud of dust that lifted into the air at his doing so. His lip raised into a snarl s the dirt caused him to sneeze.

Your head may as well be buried in the stuff at this point, don't you think?

He rolled his eyes and carried on, ignoring the uncomfortable feeling of sand between his toes and longing for a nice moist swamp full of catfish and swamprats.At the vision of such a meal before him, his mouth watering, Fugue began to wonder if his eyes were decieving him at the sight of a racoon tail rolling in the dust a few hundred feet ahead.

He shook himself once more, taking in a deep breath of air for scent and realizing what a bad idea that had been, for he began sneezing once more. In a frustrated huff, the ginger man decided to just close the distance and see for himself, so he took off at a gallop towards the figure In the sand. Before long, he recognized the scent of a femal and skidded to a halt nearly ten feet from her.

A grin spread wide across his face as he evaluated her, ecstatic at her presence.

" Well hello there." He began happily, his tail wagging softly behind him.

She turned, visibly startled by the sudden presance of another wolf. The peace and tranquility she once held shattered instantly. She jumped to her feet and dropped into a defensive pose, tail raised, lips curled back and ears folded against her neck. "Who are you?" She asked lowly. This stranger could easily kill her if he wanted to. She knew that. She circled pensively, teal eyes glued on the umber wolf. A low growl ripped from her throat as she crept closer to him. Eyes never leaving his as she waited for hom to make the first move.

Speech!

Fugue wathched her jump to her paws, clearly unhappy with his presense. She was bristling and growling at him as af he had stolen her prey!

She's obviously just a bitch with her tail in a knot. Just leave her and get out of this hellhole.

But....but she is female...

No one I would want to trifle with. She looks flea-ridden!

He grinned at the argument within his head and sat squarely in front of her. He disnt know why she was so upset, there were no pack markings in this region and he definitely was not stealing her food. Mind you, he was slightly intimidating with his good looks and charm and finely tuned muscles, but she was slightly smaller than him by the looks of her, and he could dominate her if he truly wanted to.

With this in mind, he took another step forward and got a rather mischievous look in his golden eyes. "Well dearie I see no reason for you to be so hostile with me! I mean you no harm...my name is Fugue. What may I call you?"

She huffed quietly and sat in front of him slowly calming down from her tyrade. "Micha" she said warily. "Micha Quareshi " she kept her eyes on him, taking note of the rich browns and golds of his fur. She could feel blood rising to her cheeks, thankfully hidden by her silky fur. He was handsome yes, but looks meant so little to her now. To her all she saw was a pretty face with too many teeth. He didn't look like a fighter or a hunter. He couldn't support her. She lost interest almost instantly

Speech!

His eyes glowed with amusement as the fae looked him over knowing that he was indeed a pleasure to her gaze. Fugue could not help himself at the lady's expense. She seemed so nervous around him, and he had a feeling that the fact that he was a stranger had nothing to do with it.

" My poor mate, she recently passed and I've been trying desperately to find shelter for myself, and it seems that decent pretty is scarce in this area. .. would you have any idea where i may be able to find a meal? "

He asked her in slow smooth tones. His tail drooped as he spoke, cocking his head to one side in a charming manner.

She scoffed and shook her head. She might have known he was used to plush living in forests and plaines. Eating hooved animals instead of the harsh life in the desert she was so used to. "I'll show you where to find food. " she said almost smugly, turning her back to him " you shouldn't be in the desert if you can't fend for yourself. The desert is unforgiving and cruel She said hautily. If nothing el se the male was fanning her pride, reminding her that she could survive where so many wolves could not. Truly a reason to be proud, but no excuse for her abrasive behavior

Speech!

He stiffened at her hauty tones, not appreciating her off handed insults. The desert brat had no right turning her nose up to him; she had no idea who he was! He stood up as she turned her back, seeing an opportune moment to take full advantage of her. His muscles tensed, preparing himself for his next move just before his mind began buzzing with activity.

just do it already. .. the bitch has it coming to her!

She is offering to help you you crazy ass leave her alone. ..

You don't even need her help you are perfectly competent on your own

But she is practically giving herself to you in letting her guard down. . How long has it been? ?

As the blood rushed from his head to his groins, Fugue knew that he had only one choice. He shrugged off all of his impure thoughts and stepped behind her, following at enough of a distance that he could still speak yet far enough away to keep his head in the right place.

"Micha dear, I was only passing through the desert lands on my way to my home in the swamps. I'm perfectly capable of fending for myself anywhere that i travel, I merely needed some company in my hunt, and seeing as this seems to be your home, you seemed the most eligible partner for such a quest. Am i right my dear?"

His tail wanted gently behind him as he walked, easily keeping her pace. He would show her. A quick hunt and perhaps she would allOw him to warm her bed that night. She was a tough nut to crack.

She gave a quiet huff, her eyes focused in front of her. Maybe he wasn't totally worthless, but he was careless to wander straight into the desert. She stoppped suddenly hy a pile of rocks, her nose peeking inquisitively into a small hole in the pile. A soft bark left her throat and she began to dig under the rocks. She dug unil her head could fit in the hole. There was a pause. In one swift motion her head flew from the hole she had made, holding a writhing serpent. The snake lunged for her face but before it could reach her Micha smashed it's head against the rocks, a loud crack echoing through the night sky as the beast's skull shattered. She held the snake for a moment before dropping it at his feet "Eat." she commanded

Speech!

Fugue grinned, impressed at the woman's skills In hunting the writhing creature that so many animals feared. His sister's never would have been able to pull a stunt like that, he was sure. She was one ballsy female.

Do you think she could whip you around like that?

I could whip her around a bit...

Shed chew your face off.

The ginger clad male bent his head and picked up the snake, blinking in gratitude and taking a seat. He stared at it for a moment, wondering where to begin. He looked up at her, seeing swimming blue green eyes and a face full of annoyance. She had been rather kind to him for his lack of manners, trumping into her home like this. He lifted a paw and pushed the snake towards her in spite of his rumbling belly.

" Share with me, please Miss Micha Quareshi? You've been such a gracious host." He requested, all sarcasm gone from his face, a look of pure gratitude printed across his handsome features.

She couldn't help but smile as he offered to share his meal with her. She laid in front of him and chewed away at the tail end of the snake, growling softly as she battled with the sharp ribs of the snake's spine she ate silently otherwise, refusing to speak a word to the larger beautiful creature in front of her, refusing to even glance at his wonderful physique. She must have looked so ugly compared to him, her fur an insigtly mess, her exotic long ears and her unusual markings. If it wasn't a juxtiposition of beauty and beast it was at least an odd sight to behold. An iranian wolf in Alacritis, sharing meal with a puffy gray wolf

Speech!

Her little growls as she ate told him she was enjoying her small meal with him, add as he bent down to take a bite from the chewy peice of meat, he noticed that the fae was actually letting her guard down a little with him. She was entirely vulnerable to him in her relaxed state, as he was to her.

He passed the meat back to her in a satisfied manner, his belly no longer eating away at his insides. He rose and shook his bi colored pelt, sneezing again as dust rose into the air around him. He took a short step towards the woman and gave her a quick lick between the ears to where she had no time to protest.

Fugue grinned and winked fondly at the femme.

"I really like you Micha. Youre a good wolf. Good hunter. But do you know what we should do now my lady? We should go find a cool pond to wash the dirt out of our pelts. Then I can show you the sweet taste of water prey."

His golden eyes swam with hope as He awaited an answer, expecting a blunt no but knowing that he would love a companion on his trek across the land, even if she were only to turn back once he passed over the dunes.

The trek would take at least a couple of hours to the nearest water source, and he would enjoy every bit of it. The sound of wolf companions was much better than the constant battle of thoughts within his mind. And, for once, they had absolutely nothing to say.

She ate the rest of the snake contently somewhat oblivious to the actual taste of the food but rather on eating as much as she vould as quickly as possible as was the way of all desert dwellers. It wasn't until she felt something wet and warm caress the top of her head. A shiver trailed down her spine to the tip of her tail and she turned her head away from the meal to see the smuggest expression she had ever seen on a wolf. "Why you little-" before she could finish that thought he said something that made her heart stop for a minute
"I really like you Micha..." she stared at him wide eyed blood rushing to her head. It wasn't until water was mentioned that she snapped out of her stupor."Yes. That would be... that would be good" she muttered, looking away shyly as she spoke. Her usually racing thoughts were quiet, she couldn't even remember Thane or why she left Valhalla to begin with. All there was, all that ever would be was Fugue. For a moment she was happy.
Speech!

Fugue's tail swung gently behind him at the dame's response to his question. Did he see a smile forming on her hardened face? Perhaps it was just his imagination but it almost looked like she was happy to go with him...

He blinked happily and walked a short semi circle around her, allowing his bushy red tail to trail along her muzzle as he gestured that he would lead the way. His paws turned him in the direction of the south where he had originally began his journey.

"Were you born in Alacritis? " He asked, cocking hid head curiously. She seemed somewhat. .. exotic. Her voice had a slightly different scent, and though the dame fur in well I'm the sand dunes of the west, there was something that our her out of place in the land that she had decided to make her home.

He had never met a woman like her before and he couldn't figure her out, but there was something in her blue green eyes that told him to keep her around.

As his tail brushed aginst her nose she melted. She was putty in his paws ans Gods be damned if she didn't love it. She followed him her gaint a happy trot as she walked beside him. At first they walked in silence and she was comfortable but was slowly begining to worry. What If he was growing bored of her? Before she could attempt to start a conversation he started one for her. "Were you born in Alacritis?" he sang. She swooned at the sound of his voice, it had taken her a while but now she realized just how handsome he was. Wait. He asked her a question. She shook from her stupor and groped hopelessly for words. " N-no." she said simply. "I was born far from here. I traveled for months before I reached Alacritis." she contined, her eyes on the ground. He was interested in her! Interested in homely humble Micha. She felt her heart soar with every beat it took. She felt her soul burst to life within her chest. No one had ever made her feel this way, not even Thane. Made her feel special. She was so ordinary. She was half the size of her companion and the color of dirt. The only extraordinary about her was her ears, almost three times the size of a normal wolf's and broader than any other animal's" And yourself?" she asked shyly.

Speech!

Fugue nodded as she spoke, her words confirming his previous thoughts. So she was from far away...she must have had some reason to leave her homeland but she wasn't giving that much away yet.

We'll get there eventually. He thought to himself. Perhaps until that day they could just keep things simple, so as not to make the lady uncomfortable with prying questions. She was obviously very guarded.

He heard her redirect his question and wondered how much he should give away himself. He had absolutely nothing to hide from the dame, but she obviously wasn't in the mood for a full in depth story time either. He decided to just keep to the basics to answer the simple question.

"I was born in a small mountain pack just outside Alacritis. It took me months to get to my new homeland as well. Or at least, to find a place I could call home." His tail dropped slightly as he remembered his long and painful trek across the foreign terra. He had had no one to call his family, no one to call his friend, only his thoughts to keep him company, and they were hostile. But things could be different know. Micha could see his home...

"Have you ever hunted anywhere but the desert? I had never tried swamplands until this past year and I've really found that I love it. I feel that you would love it too if you gave it a try. Maybe even for a day or two, if you want." He invited her, knowing that it was a lot to ask.

She could see the pain in his eyes as he recanted his story, her esrs drooped slightly, afraid that she had somehow been the cause of his distress slowly she pressed the side of her hip against his reassuringly and spoke softly "where is home?" she asked quietly, eyes swimming with innocence. Micha was new to flirting, any contact no matter how small was taken as an act of affection in the eyes of the considerably smaller wolf. He askes if she had ever hunted anywhere but the desert and she smiled shyly at the thought. She had been born and bred for the desert, it was her home as well as her prison. Maybe... if she just tried she would find other areas to her liking as well. "I would love to.
Speech!

His eyes shone with joy as the lady agreed to give his swampland a try. Perhaps her presence would fend off the nightmares that haunted him day by day. She had proven to be good company thus far.

She reminded him so much of his sister, Sonata. Micha was headstrong yet she had a caring heart. Fugue had forgotten what it was like to have a wolf like her around him.

He walked slowly, his hip pressed comfortably against Micha as they strolled towards the swampland. She seemed so interested in him that he had to hold himself back from revealing his whole self to her. They had just met and were already acting like life long friends.

"I have a small den at the edge of the swamp. Its quite cozy in there, but I'm sure there's room for one more." He smiled and winked at her as their paws began getting moist. The land was changing. ... they couldn't be far now. They had left the desert nearly an hour ago.

His tail wagged in anticipation as familiar smells wafted in through his senses. One definite different in the land was the climate change. .. it was much cooler here in his home. So much more comfortable.

The smells of the swamp were pungent and unappealing. But how could she complain when she had finally found a companion. She smile, tail drumming against his as as she looked at him. "Show me to your den. She said, her voice neither demanding nor hostile as it was before. Rather it was intrigued. She walked away from him, their hips parting and took a cautious step toward the swamp lands. "Are you coming?" She asked.

-Exit Micha-

Speech!