Mist or Smoke?

[Akree]

The air felt stiff and heavy, almost no sound could be heard except the light step of her own footsteps. Akree walked silently around the cemetery, her ears alert for any sound. A thick mist clung in the air giving the cemetery an eerie atmosphere, making it hard to catch any scent and she could barely see, so she relayed on her hearing to warn her of any possible danger. She walked toward a tree, its trunk was twisted and it seemed very old, beneath it were thousands on leafs, crunching under her paws. She sat down and searched her surroundings, she could only see tomb stones, a fence in the farthest corner, mist, a few trees here and there and the shape of a fire, fire? She looked closely at the figure, but it went away as she blinked. The light must be playing tricks at her, she shook her head, stupid mist.

She lay down beneath the tree and looked down at her paws. She was tired, walking around this place with little to eat was no help either. She clicked her tongue in frustration and yawned loudly. She stood up and flicked her tail, not wanting to fall asleep, searching the cemetery for something to do, walking lazily between the tombstones and mist which was now was beginning to clear though slowly. Morning seemed to come soon.

[abhorzion]

Elaine slipped cautiously through the gravestones, her russet fur cutting through the misty gloom of the cemetary like a flickering flame. Her ears perked forwards, scanning the area for signs of other creatures and her small, bright eyes alert, straining to see through the heavy mist. As she glided about the cemetary, she realised she'd been going round in a circle for the past ten minutes and so, she stopped beside a small bush, right next to a gravestone. She surveyed the area as best she could but could only vaguely make out the shapes of other graves, shrubs, a few old, gnarled tree's and a fence in the distance. The silence within the cemetary was almost deafening, it played bizarre tricks on Elaine's mind. Every whisper of the wind or rustle of the leaves made her jump and she started to become anxious.
"Why am I here again?" she pondered, shuddering slightly in the breeze. She lay down, neatly folding her hind legs under her slim, furry body and stretching her long, slender fore legs out in front of her. She let out a quiet yawn. The atmosphere here was eerie and listless. Elaine closed here eyes and thought about why she was here. Was she looking for something?
Then she remembered.
The snare, the gunshots, the sound of heavy footsteps crunching through the winter leaves and the terrible sound of men shouting. She remembered fleeing to her beloved den, only to find it had been overturned, ransacked and just plain ruined. Those awful men must have been to blame! Elaine opened her eyes and sighed heavily, shaking her head mournfully. Perhaps she'd have to set up home here, in this bleak, misty, creepy cemetary.

Suddenly, there was a crunching sound from somewhere behind where the leggy wolf was lay and she bolted upright, up on to her feet. Her ears pricked up, her eyes wide open and her tail straight and erect.
"What was that!?" she gasped, not realising how silly she must have looked. "Who's there!?" she barked, trying to hide her nervousness.

[Akree]

Akree shook her head lightly and was about to take another step when she heard a voice "What was that!?" She quickly turned her head in the direction of the sound. "Who's there!?" she heard someone bark. A small growl escaped her lips. She pointed her nose in the direction of a maned wolf, fangs bared. She took a step toward the wolf. "Who are you?"demanded Akree in a menacing growl. She walked toward the wolf, head raised high in an opposing manner. Her tail flicked with impatience. She switched her gaze to the tombstone under her paw and growled silently to herself.
"Well"she said a little more calm. She looked at the wolf and moved her head toward the horizon, where the sun was about to shine and hopefully make the cemetery more visible. She switched her gaze to the orange wolf and moved her head to face the wolf.

[abhorzion]

Elaine glared around the area, eyes narrowed and her body still and tensed, as if she were ready to pounce, however underneath it all, her heart was pounding, her mind was racing and she was terribly anxious. The long, thick fur on her tail bristled out, as did her mane, she wanted to make herself look bigger and discourage an attack. Her ears turned, scanning the cemetary for sound.
"Who are you?" came a growl, making Elaine jump. It came from behind her, where she'd heard the rustle of the leaves that frightened her before. Oh no, I must've disturbed someone! What do I do now!? she thought, panicking slightly. She strained her eyes in the direction of the sound and eventually she made out the figure of a large, dark timber wolf. Elaine sniffed the air, the wolf was female, and judging by the expression on her face, she wasn't happy that Elaine had disturbed her. I should talk to her, apologise, thought the maned wolf.

Elaine unbristled her tail and mane and faced the timber wolf.
"My name is Elaine." she said calmly, hiding her nervousness well. "I mean you no unpleasantness." she added. The morning sun was beginning to rise and the cemetary was slowly becoming illuminated. Now able to see the other canine, Elaine became slightly more confident.
"I'm sorry if I disturbed you." she said, politely, the bold front she put on was washing away but she still stood tall, ears pricked up and eyes set on the timber wolf.

[Akree]

Akree looked carefully at the maned wolf, and smiled to herself as she jumped. The maned wolf turned around her fur bristled, Akree quickly changed to a defensive position and calmed down as the wolf unbristled her fur. She raised her head to show her large height and turned her ears forward.

"My name is Elaine." the wolf said "I mean you no unpleasantness."

Akree rolled her eyes, she didn't seem nervous, but her words showed her otherwise. The horizon became clearer and the cemetery could be seen much better than before.

"I'm sorry if I disturbed you."

Akree clicked her tongue more in tiredness than anything else, but she didn't show it. She lowered her head to the wolf's size and smiled politely, a lot more relaxed than she was before.

"All right" she said rolling her eyes and switching her gaze to the horizon "It's my first time here" she said more to herself than anyone else "My name is Akree" she said matter-of-factly.

[abhorzion]

As the mist slowly began to lift, she realised how large the timber wolf was and the small leggy wolf began feeling anxious again.
"A... Akree." she repeated, smiling nervously, stammering slightly. "Lovely" she complimented. Elaine glanced round the graveyard, seeing further and further around as the sun rose and the cool mist cleared. The atmosphere seemed to lift a little and everything became less eerie as the crows ceased their crying and the songbirds started to sing their morning song. She looked at Akree.
"I think I may be lost, here." she said, taking a cautious step closer. "I'm looking for somewhere to build a den, this place just doesn't seem right somehow." she sighed sadly, more to herself than to the timber wolf.

At that moment, a lark landed in a nearby tree and started to sing. Elaine loved the sound of birdsong but it made her feel terribly homesick, she used to love her little den by the beach.
"Isn't birdsong lovely?" she smiled at the large wolf, who seemed far more relaxed than before.
"Anyway, I'm rambling... Akree, what brings you here?"
The maned wolf sat down and curled her fluffy tail around her long slim, black legs.

Ooc : Short postage, sorry!

[Akree]

A... Akree. Lovely"

Akree looked at the mane wolf quizzically, great, she thought, why does everyone seem to judge me first by my size? She looked around the cemetery as the birds started to sing.

"I think I may be lost, here. I'm looking for somewhere to build a den, this place just doesn't seem right somehow."

"Hmmph, A den?" asked Akree more to herself than anyone else "I doubt this is the place you're looking for"

Akree glared at a lark that had just landed on a tree nearby, she personally preferred the cawing of the crows. She turned to look at the maned wolf as she listened to the bird's songs. Akree sat down on the ground.

"Isn't birdsong lovely? Anyway, I'm rambling... Akree, what brings you here?" said Elaine

Akree simply nodded at the wolf's question, it didn't bother her, but it wasn't something she would sit down and enjoy, she was very used to crows.

"Me?" she asked "Not, sure myself, tiredness, I guess"

[abhorzion]

The morning light was becoming brighter and more comforting, the eerie shapes that lurked in he mist showed themselves to be mere plants and gravestones and the cemetary began to look slightly less intimidating.
"Hmmph, A den? I doubt this is the place you're looking for" muttered Akree, more to herself than to Elaine, although the maned wolf heard and agreed. The birds in the tree's continued to welcome the rise of the sun. As her large, black, bat like ears twirled, drinking in the sound of birdsong, Elaine suddenly noticed an unimpressed expression on the face of the dark timber wolf. Perhaps she doesn't like birds... thought the small leggy wolf to herself, awaiting an answer to the question of why she was there. Akree sat down and nodded to Elaine.
"Not, sure myself, tiredness, I guess" she said, her voice calm, firm and non-threatening.
The sun was now peering over the horizon, completely lifting the gloom of the cemetary and also lifting the maned wolf's nervousness. Now that she could see everything, she felt much more at ease.
"Tired? Don't you have a den to go to?" quizzed the maned wolf, sadly remembering her old seaside home. She wanted so badly to return to that magical place but knew it was far too dangerous, the men knew that was her nest and would surely go back to look for her again. Elaine sighed and sat down, facing Akree. She wondered as she looked at her deep eyes, what stories did this wolf have to tell?

[Akree]

"Tired? Don't you have a den to go to?"

Akree turned her head to face Elaine and scoffed. She flicked her tail as a leaf fell on top of it and she watched the maned wolf sit down in front of her. Akree looked at her quizzically, but did nothing to displease Elaine, company for even a short time felt pleasing after such lonfg travels.

"I never stay somewhere for to long" the timber wolf said gloomily "I've never have, I just rest and continue my way" she said like it was a natural thing.

She turned to look at the gravestones and weeds, already suspecting from earlier that most shadow from the cemantery where stuff like that. she sighted and turned to the maned wolf again.

"And you? What do you hope for to find in theese lands?" she said sounding older than she actually was.

[abhorzion]

The initial tension between the two wolves had now passed and a strange sense of contentment washed over it in it's place. Elaine was now sat just a couple of feet away from Akree, which, had she thought about it, would have been surprising to the normally timid maned wolf. There was something strangely intriguing about Akree, the russet wolf couldn't explain what, but she searched those deep, burning eyes for the answer. Upon being questioned about whether she had a den, Akree scoffed and flicked her tail.
"I never stay somewhere for to long. I've never have, I just rest and continue my way" she replied, nonchalantly.

How exciting, thought Elaine, wondering what adventures she may have had. Her mind was full of strange, mixed feelings and her thoughts all darted about at once. Adventures? she thought, Not everyone has adventures, some wolves just get on with it, ya know! Elaine shook her head, quietening the muddled thoughts and snapping back into reality.
The dark wolf before her looked around vaguely and then looked back down on her and spoke again.
"And you? What do you hope for to find in these lands?" she asked, sounding somewhat distinguished. Elaine perked up her ears as Akree spoke and thought of her beloved home by the sea, smashed and ransacked.

"well, as I said, I was hoping to set up a den but..." she glanced round at all the gravestones and memorial statues, the wilted flowers and shuddered.
"This place just reminds me of death." she added, her voice low and sad. "I do so miss my old home. I can't return, I'd rather be homeless than dead. I just want to find somewhere I can lay my head at night and when it comes to it, somewhere safe for my babies."
Elaine stopped. Babies!? she thought. She'd surprised herself, it was the first time she'd ever admitted to anyone, including herself that was what she wanted. She instantly felt embarassed and she looked at Akree.
"Sorry, I'm rambling again..." she said sheepishly.

[Akree]

Akree listened carefully to Elaine's words, she felt content at having company even if it was for a short time. Elaine spoke again of setting up a den and how this place seemed bleak and Akree nodded. The gravestones now seemed bleaker with the light and the weeds and dead flowers drew the timber wolf's attention. She tuned her head to look at the wolf and shook herself lightly feeling a little tired.

"I do so miss my old home. I can't return, I'd rather be homeless than dead. I just want to find somewhere I can lay my head at night and when it comes to it, somewhere safe for my babies."

"Pups?" inquired Akree curiously "Hmmm"she thought silently to herself.

Puppies, she had been alone as one, never meeting actually her parents or knowing if she had siblings. It was so long ago when humans had hunted her family down, one by one. She flicked her tail, deep in thought. She perked her hearing as some different birds appeared in the horizon, chirping contently to the rising sun.

"Sorry, I'm rambling again..." Elaine said, sounding a little embarrassed.

Akree chuckled "Naw, it's okay" she said looking at the wolf "What kind of place are you looking for exactly? I mean to wander so far away?"

[abhorzion]

Elaine's embarrassment was obvious, as she cleared her throat sheepishly and her tail drooped.
"Pups?" Akree remarked, looking at Elaine quizzically, but Elaine didn't want to talk about it now.
"What kind of place are you looking for exactly? I mean to wander so far away?"
Elaine sighed and wandered towards Akree and sat down, now sitting beside the enormous wolf. She shook the thoughts of her old home away, there was no chance she could ever return and thinking about it just made her sad.
"I had a lovely little den in the woods by the beach. It took me days to dig out and find enough branches to cover it." she said, quietly. "I'd wake up warm and safe to the sound of the waves, birdsong and the cry of the gulls. Then it happened."
Elaine took a deep breath. She needed to get this off her chest so she could move on.
"It was all so fast, I barely remember how it happened but there was a snare. Another wolf helped me get free but after she left there were gunshots. I could hear human men shouting and they were coming towards me. I hid for a while but when I got back to my den, it was smashed in and there was another trap near to it."
A tear formed in her eye as she told the Timber wolf everything and she shuddered at the thought of that day. She felt uneasy now, she'd just unloaded all these heavy feelings on someone she didn't even know. She felt embarrassed again and she got to her feet.
"Anyway, Akree. I apologise, you don't want to know about that. Thank you for listening though, I needed to get that off my chest."
Elaine smiled at the timber wolf and then looked around the graveyard.
"Tell, me, where are you heading?"

Ooc : Grr, got writers block!

[Akree]

As the sun rised slowly in the sky and the birds sang, Akree listened carefully to the maned wolf to Elaine and felt sorry for the small wolf, well small compared to herself. She looked at the orange wolf as a tear fell of her eye. Quickly trying to cheer up Elaine she changed theme.

"Well, Elaine if you want pups you must want a mate" she chuckled "What kind of wolf you are looking for?" she said winking, trying to cheer up the atmosphere, it probably didn't help that they were sitting next to gravestones.

She smiled warmly at Elaine and stood up as she stood up. She jumped in front of her and smiled again "So?"

[abhorzion]

Elaine still felt a little embarrassed about having gushed all her bad feelings onto Akree and she shook her head, sniffing back any more tears. The large dark timber wolf smiled and decided to change the subject to something else.
"Well, Elaine if you want pups you must want a mate. What kind of wolf you are looking for?" she said with a chuckle, winking at the maned wolf. Elaine cleared her throat and watched as Akree jumped in front of her with a grin. Although Elaine was reasonably tall for a female of her species, this Timber wolf dwarfed her. Oh well, at least she's friendly she thought silently.
"What kinda wolf do I like?" repeated Elaine to herself, pondering the question. She got to her feet and flicked her tail in thought. "Well, I guess I like a bigger wolf, someone who will take care of me and the pups." she said, still wondering. "Someone with big dark eyes and a deep voice." she concluded, a dreamy look washing over her face. She looked at Akree and smiled. Not so long ago she'd felt so down in the dumps but now she felt at ease and cheerful. She'd forgotten it felt so good to just talk and have company.
"Akree, do you have a special someone?" Elaine enquired, cocking her head to the side.

[Akree]

Akree smiled and chuckled as Elaine spoke, she had certanly cheered the maned wolf. She grinned and flicked her tail, listening to Elaine's words.

"Akree, do you have a special someone?" asked Elaine

Akree sat down and tilted her head to the side in thought. Do I have someone? she repeated in her thoughts and shook her head at the wolf, none that she knew off. She turned her muzzle to the sky, as a few birds flew above the two wolves.

"Naw, I don't have someone" Akree said.

She smiled at Elaine, she has glad she had made the wolf smile. She took a few paces towards the wolf, Elaine and sat down a little away from her so she didn't have to lower her head to look at Elaine.

"So Elaine, where are you headed next?" asked Akree.