Nico was tired of all the snow, mounds upon mounds of it.  Some of his closest friends all loved this weather but the coyote was ready for someplace a bit dryer.  He had found himself roaming the soulless forest and it really was a treasure trove for the little coyote.  There was no shortage of food here and plenty of exploring to do.  Snow still made it on the ground but far less here than in many places.  The thick leafage above him did a fine job of keeping the snow to be much thinner below.  Bits of leaves and twigs could be seen poking through the thin forest floor of snow.  He had done most of his exploring during the day and as night was starting to creep in the dark coyote had planned to find a warm spot to rest.
 
A sound of something large came to his ears and Nico quit pondering on where to sleep.  Nico made his way to the lowest recesses of the forest floor and under some roots.  A low-lying fog, the roots and shadows dancing about the forest made him a hard sight to spot.  Squatting down he waited, watching and beamed as he spotted who he’d found on his little temporary home.

"Nico"

Calico Jack lazily winds his way through the misty forest, mind far from the land that stretches openly out before. Thoughts swirl and flutter across his mind like the fresh leaves that sprout from the slowly waking trees, all of them focused on thing; Rivin. The fire-marked woman often consumes his mind these days and the young man is beginning to understand what love feels like. Seasons, no, years have passed since he was a scrawny pup, racing along the black sandy beaches of his home, the future bright and uncertain ahead of him. Now, that girl who had chased him, teased him, and laughed with him has become his whole world… and Jack couldn’t be happier.

The wind shifts, lazily bringing a scent to nose that rolls up his nostrils to tickle at his memories. Calico pulls to a halt, icy gaze blinking and focusing back on the world around him. That scent, familiar and yet distant tugs at him, teasing the young man as it drifts on by. Brows tug inward and down as a frown creases his features when the momentary flash of a face in his mind’s eyes brings a long lost name to his lips, “Nico?” His expression shifts as the whispered name is tossed out to the breeze, his once inseparable best friend who had been lost to time but now he is… here? Excitement buzzes to life in his chest as the tall man turns, features bright and happy as he calls out, “Nico?!”

At that very same moment, something small and compact slams into his legs and Calico Jack is knocked sideways. His balance now gone, the taller wolf is spent sprawling across the ground as a peel of laughter falls from his lips.


"Calico Jack"