((course language advisory))

It was unbearably hot here, the heat was sweltering and the once gushing river had dried up to nothing more than a thin trickle. The spring flood waters had raged for almost a week but then nothing, not a single drop of rain to quench the thirst of this now dying land. When she had found this place she had thought that they would never have drought; that the run off from the mountains would always support them but it seemed she had been wrong. And now what? Did they wait it out and hope everything would go well? Or did they move with the prey and try and find a better place elsewhere? She remembered a time of being alone, being a rouge and wandering the lands aimlessly in search of game to hunt. Then she had followed the herds without a second thought, it had been something she had never questioned but now... This was their home and could they leave it? Could they pack up and go into rouge lands for a time so they could be closer to water? Zara had started walking back and forth from the nearest water source but as her vision faded more and more she found that task so difficult now. Maybe she would ask Newt for her assistance? Yes that sounded like a brilliant idea. Now where was the old girl? Probably off banging her new boyfriend? Lip curled at that thought and head dropped back to the earth was a grunt. Fucking bitch and her stupid ass boy toy?

The day found Zara in the river bed, damming up what little water trickled through the rocky surface and headed for where ever it was going. They needed a heavy rainfall soon or they would be forced to leave. She wondered vaguely for a moment if Newt realized that or if she was too busy with her newfound love life? Again she groaned, forcing her eyes closed as she tried to shake the visions of it out of her mind. Kaios? God she hated him. She heaved herself to the left a bit and then flopped down onto the thin trickle once more, trying to get as much of her dark coat wet as possible. She was probably doing more harm than good to herself out here. Though the cool water eventually soaked her thick pelt the hot summer sun beat down on her still dry side and just made her hotter. There really was no winning here but she was too far gone to realize just what she was doing to herself. Already blurry vision swam, shapes and figures moving around her as she squinted to try and see who it was. No scents drifted towards her so logically she knew that no one was around but still she watched them.

They were not wolves, that much she could tell from the shape. Tall lanky creatures that walked hunched over on their hind legs with arms dragging on the ground. Faces were oblong but shifting in shape and finally she rolled herself up, not realizing that she had been chuckling to herself the whole time she was watching these hallucinations. She was in desperate need of water but she couldn?t lower her head to drink what little there was; though that would do little to help with her thirst. These things? What were they? The massive woman dragged herself to her paws, staggering her way out of the riverine as she moved for them. They scattered awkwardly and Zara darted after one but as she moved to snap her jaws around it it vanished. Confusion rocked her back onto her haunches as head lolled about, weariness and dehydration giving her little to no control over her muscles. Shade? It sounded nice but she wanted to stay and dance with these creatures. Maybe she would be able to get close enough to know what it was. And how had she never seen them before? Curious, just? curious indeed? Laughter bubbled up her throat once more as she sat, head lolling side to side as she began to hum.

Frayer, the ever restless black wolf, got a mind to walk beyond the place he only just considered home. The place had been stuck in a drought for what feels like an age, and the heat he couldn't take any longer, so he wanted to find a forest with some shade and a creek to stay in until the temperature broke. But as he went along he found not more bearable environments, but only drier and hotter lands, for in fact he was heading into the arid westlands of Alacritis. He continued wandering, hoping in vain he would somehow be taken to a cool and shady place, and he was nearly distraught at being trapped in this hellish hot world that he couldn't escape. Thick black fur caught all of the sunlight and roasted poor Frayer, evaporating away each drop of his endurance, but still he walked on. The intrigue of exploring this new place, an entirely alien kind of ecology to him, lent him some energy to endure, though. If the natural mirages rising from the bone-dry earth weren't enough, the wolf's dehydration-hampered vision had been drawing flashing, oddly colored shapes to add to the illusions. This wasn't the first time the beast-built-for-cold had gotten so bad as to see this way - indeed he had expected it - but never had it gotten so debilitating as now. There were so many objects blinking into and out of sight, all of them so bright, that it became impossible to tell which were real, and what direction was up. He pushed his stumbling legs onward, refusing to lay down and die in the desert to be scavenged upon by the scaly things. One bunch of objects appeared before the baking wolf blocking his path that he first dismissed as more hallucinations, but blinking did nothing to make this one disappear. This thing was real, however peculiar it may look. Three thick stalks poked from the ground from a central point, curving slightly out and then straight up. They were green like plantlife, but bore no leaves or bark, and obviously no plants should be able to thrive in this place. From all over the skin of these things protruded sharp pricks, and each stalk was topped with a wilting flower. But it had to be a plant; it wasn't moving like an animal, and wasn't hard, smooth, and dull like a stone, but it's entire existence now was a mystery. Frayer examined the curious thing, imagining how he could use the bizarre and awful barbed plant in some nasty trap some day, and then he broke it at the base and found a full drink of water pouring from the cut! It seemed these ugly things were hoarders of the sandy westlands' scarce waters, and he supposed their greed may even be the entire reason that the desert existed! He sipped the slightly bitter liquid from that green husk hastily, then pounced the next prickly plant nearby for a second helping, taking joy in stealing away the moisture from the selfish plants. What amazing irony this was, finding his savior from dehydration in the arid lands south of home. And when his belly was full of precious water, he looked at the last of the outlandish spined stalks left standing in the bundle, and decided to take it back north for a treat later, so he smashed it down, pulled needles away from a section he would hold onto, and quickly strode homeward bound, gleeful for the lucky break he was bestowed. Shortly upon reaching his pack's territory he spotted one of his sisters acting erratic, hopping about, chasing invisible creatures. It was none other than Zara, the once alpha of his Lentajin. Obviously she didn't take the hallucinations brought by dehydration as well as he, and now she was stuck in a stupor. It filled him with joy to see the so mighty woman made prey to the heat, especially when he carried with him just what could save her from it. He decided to lay down here, setting down his prize from the desert, and just watched the show, laughing heartily the while.

It was so quiet here without the sound of their once grand river rushing along the edge of their boarders. Originally these lands had been chosen because of that river and its ability to protect anyone from flanking them. But the once magnificent river that had carried great trees down it had all but dried up into a trickle that could no longer even sustain life here. They needed rain more than anything else, even if the mountains got some snow or rain and then it melted and was fed down to their river it would help. But here they were, lapping up the trickle of dirty muddy water that ran between the rocks. Zara had made a small pool further upstream, digging out all the larger rocks to make a small hole for the water to flow into them leave. It wasn?t enough but it helped, it was half the reason he female so suited for arctic climates was not yet dead. Some section of her brain that remained logical demanded that she retreat to the shade or do to sunset falls or the rio grande. Any place with more water than this wretched wasteland but the illogical side told her to stay, that this was her home and she couldn?t leave it no matter what. Even if that meant dying here, which it seemed like she was well on her way to. It was almost as though she could hear her brain sizzling in her skull but still she sat, morbid tune flowing from lips as her head lolled about. Eyes couldn't find any reason to focus on any one thing so vision remained fixed on nothing. What was left of her vision that is... Ever since she had returned it had been getting slowly worse. By winter she had no doubt that she would be blind as a bat and relying on all her other senses to carry her around.

She would do her best to make sure that no one ever found out, weakness seemed to mean death here and she wasn't yet ready to let go. Fuck, she planned to kill Kaios before she was completely blind, not that she need her eyes to kill that worthless sack of shit. All he had to do was touch her and she would latch onto him like a leach anywhere she could and rip flesh from bone. Even if she wasn't able to kill him she planned to inflict as much damage as physically possible to with worthless little body, make him useless to any woman ever again and make it so he would never be desired again. It almost frustrated her that Newt would pick such a worthless male, especially one from Tortuga... They were trying to make an alliance with them but instead she took one of their members and made him their alpha... Head lolled once more but this time tune ceased and instead lips curled back into a vicious snarl. But despite the track her mind was on the words that slipped from her lips next were far from what she had expected. Though it would make complete sense to anyone who happened to be watching this pathetic show. "Waaaaatteeeerrr" she seemed to plead though the words came out barely louder then a whisper though her parched lips.

It was laughter that eventually snapped her back to a more lucid state, nose turning promptly to face the direction of the sound. Now who was this little mouse who dared to laugh at her? She couldn't see the form with her deteriorating vision but she could smell a vaguely masculine scent. Kaios? Would he dare come here and taunt her in a time when her seemed to be pulling apart at the edges? She stood slowly, allowing her muscles the proper amount of time needed to bare her weight without wavering or looking weak. Her pace was slow and steady as she moved towards the scent. The laughter was infuriating, though she would later realize that it was the thought of Kaios mocking her that infuriated her the most. Bastard... But soon she came to recognize the scent, Frayer was it? Head lifted slowly and ears pricked curiously as she faced him. Now what was he doing here, watching her like a perv in the bushes... Was she really so much of a sight that he would laugh at her? Not that Frayer's opinion had ever mattered much to the massive female but it made her think for a moment if she truly deserved to be laughed at and what kind of spectacle she made. "Daaarrrrling Fraaay!" She finally purred, lowering her head once more as cheshire grin split across her lips. He had left but he had returned so she had no reason to hunt him down and kill him. Plus he fit in better with Newt's new pack idea then he ever had with their old pack.

There was little grace to the way she moved, everything hinted that it took all her strength just to say on her paws. But still she stalked towards the black brute with that lovely smile splitting across her features. Even when she did try to show a nice smile it was twisted and warped from the missing flesh on the side of her face and always came across rather creepy. The closer she got the more her curiosity rose, she could see that he held something at his side. A cactus? She had lived off them many times in the Outs as a pup but hadn't realized that they grew here. The had their ups and downs those vindictive plants... Though they could save ones life in a pinch they left you more dehydrated then before if you didn't drink enough water afterwards. Right now, though, she didn't even have the strength to go find water and what Fray was bringing would be a life saved. She chuckled as she staggered her way towards him and flopped to her belly before him. She reached out with her nose to poke his, not thinking about or caring that he might snap at her. "Boop" She would say with a chuckle if she touched nooses with him. "Has my knight in shining armor brought me presents?" She purred, belly crawling a bit closer to the life saving plant he had dragged with him. Once again the logical part of her mind told her that it wasn't for her and that he had no reason to share with her. But still she sniffed at it and looked up at him with almost pleading eyes as tail brushed the ground behind her.

It seemed that the big female finally realized the presence of another wolf there, and just when the show was getting good! What was she doing hopping around and singing like a crow about water, some kind of rain dance? Is Zara the druid going to summon a weather spirit to save them all? But Frayer would never found out, because she was interrupted and now shuffling her way over to her intruder. The delirium had a strong grip on her obviously, as even in the short walk over to him her expression and mannerisms bounced between confusion, rage, irritation, and strangely enough, joy, all while carrying the glazey half-out-of-it look. She was happy to see him? Yes, she was certainly far gone! It entertained him how the woman he had known to be always serious - and angry - to be talking so absurdly, especially to Frayer! And for the brutally powerful creature to be flopping around like on newborns' legs and childishly poke noses with him - he just didn't know how to respond! All he could do was pull back his head with a chuckle, and watch her, stunned, as she kept speaking her nonsense. Another surprise drew him back, as she wanted his odd water vessel! Why should he be so generous, and how could she of all wolves expect such? Oh right, the delirium of dehydration... But she was of a high rank in this eccentric little family that he was trying to advance in, so some opportunity for him lay in this peculiar situation! He needed allies like her... he needed her good word of him told to Newt. She may only be the ex-alpha, but she was still regarded highly by the new ruler from what Frayer had seen, so gain her favor he shall. Being her 'knight in shining armor' would be beneficial, indeed! But he couldn't just give it to her; it would be so unlike him that she would notice for sure, so he used a response that fit better: "Perhaps I have, perhaps I have not... What's in it for me, sister?" he said teasingly at the face looking up at him, drawing a small bit closer to her as he did. That face of hers was looking like a begging pup's despite it's huge size and scars. One with less willpower or an appreciation for the cute and helpless would have been compelled to just say 'Aww! Yes, certainly, it's all yours!' to the big eyes staring at him, but not Frayer. He had to act like he was making the present hard-to-get and tease her, even while he had already decided that it would be hers. "I didn't walk down into the desert for the exercise, after all." Would she be conscious enough to even remember the gesture, though, when he gave her his trophy from the drylands? She could just wake up later in her normal state and not recall that Frayer had potentially saved her - or she may even deny it and call it a trick of the hallucinations! How furious he would be if his efforts and this kind gesture that was so rare of him were all in vain! His throat began to scratch again so slightly from the thirst that would slowly return, and he was tempted to just drink all from his precious prize right in front of Zara, but he held off, for now.