Mist or Smoke?

[abhorzion]

Akree paused and a thoughtful look flashed over her as she cocked her head.
"Naw, I don't have someone" she concluded, with a smile. She certainly seemed comfortable and didn't seem bothered by being a lone wolf at all. Elaine admired her self confidence and wished so much that she herself could feel the same strength. The dark timber wolf sat a small distance from Elaine, which came as a relief to her, as she would no longer need to twist her head and look up at her every time she spoke.
"So Elaine, where are you headed next?" asked Akree, still smiling politely.
The atmosphere was now most comfortable and relaxed, much different from their initial encounter and the maned wolf's anxiety and nervousness had passed. Elaine pondered the question, where was she going? She didn't have a clue, she'd only ended up here because she'd been too tired to run any farther. I should probably stay nearby, she thought to herself. But not here, it's far too gloomy. As she continued to wonder about where she'd go, a pang of longing for her old home flashed back once more, but Elaine shook it off, snapping herself back into reality.
Upon realising she'd been thinking in silence for the past few moments, keeping Akree waiting, she sighed.
"I dunno." she said, glancing at her small neat paws. "I'll probably just wander a while till I find a nice shrub I can dig under."

Her legs were too tired to walk too far for now, but she knew she couldn't stay here much longer, she remembered the men with guns also had dogs, which might be sniffing her out right now. Oh, no! They might find Akree too! Elaine jumped to her feet, her anxiety and panic returning rapidly. She looked at the large wolf, who appeared to be puzzled by the sudden onset of panic.
"Akree, we should leave here. Those men with the guns, they had dogs who were trying to sniff me out! They might find us, we might be in danger." she said, trying to sound calm but her voice was wavering as her heart fluttered in her chest. All sorts of strange, frightening emotions ran through her head. Fear of the men, desperation to be safe, guilt for bringing possible danger to Akree and panic all bubbled around in her head. As she became increasingly agitated, her feet got inpatient and she started to paw at the ground softly, once this wolf was panicked, all she could think to do was run.

"P.. Please, let's go." she stammered, catching a whiff of another canine.

[Akree]

Akree looked at Elaine puzzled, danger?, dogs? She stood up in thought. If dogs followed Elaine, and men followed the dogs, she tilted her head to the side. They were hunters then, that was a bit logical, she shook the thoughts away as Elaine stood up and began to switch her footing, she was nervous and afraid. Akree perked her hearing and caught the scent of a canine.

"Elaine calm down, you won't be able to go on much farther like that" she said comfortably.

"P.. Please, let's go." she heard the maned wolf said.

Akree looked behind her, it was to bright to hide from anything now. She pawed the ground and turned to look at the horizon, without moving from her position she said to Elaine:

"All right, let's go, but keep close to me" said Akree unmoved.

She sprinted to a mid run and jumped a few tombstones, stopping to look back at Elaine. She ran silently toward the other end of the fence away from what she thought she had seen a fire earlier that same morning. She tuned to look back at Elaine.

"You sure you want to run in that condition?" taking notice of how tired Elaine was.

She waited patiently for Elaine to answer, after all, she was only trying to help the now panicked wolf.

[abhorzion]

The hint of canine musk was creeping slowly towards them. Elaine had met dogs before and found them to be indifferent to her, but dogs with hunters were another thing, she knew what they were trained to do. They were trained to catch and destroy their masters game, just like they had with her mother and this maned wolf wasn't about to hang around and end up the same way. Akree urged Elaine to calm down, her voice calm and firm. Had she not been so scared, Akree's tone would have been reassuring and would have calmed Elaine down however, the tension was becoming too much.
"All right, let's go, but keep close to me" encouraged the timber wolf, coming to her large paws and taking off towards the other side of the cemetary.
As she ran, she looked back at Elaine who was trying to keep up with the enormous wolf.
"You sure you want to run in that condition?" she asked, again her voice was calm and sure. Those long black, skinny legs of Elaine's were indeed tired but adrenaline had taken over now. She nodded and bounded over an urn, a small whimpering sound escaping her as she did so. She stumbled slightly as she landed and almost fell but regained her footing and sped over to Akree, who was now stood at the fence. Panting, Elaine looked at her.
"I'll be ok." she said. I have to be, she thought silently. She felt she owed it to her tragically departed mother to get away from the danger and stay safe and well.

[Akree]

The cemetery seemed exactly like before, but Akree trusted Elaine, she had to trust her in this, after all better safe than sorry. She searched the horizon as Elaine sped toward her. She waited patiently as the wolf stopped next to her, still nervous and switching her footing, not being able to stand still for long.

"I'll be ok." said Elaine.

"If you say so, I came here through a hole near underneath the fence, near this place." she said remembering how small it was. "I doubt the men could fit through there and if they do they will surely give us enough time to get away"

She began to search the ground and she quickly found the hole into the ground, that in turn led outside. She nodded at Elaine and backed away from it.

"You first" she said to the maned wolf.

She sat nest to the hole and began to search the horizon for anything at all, ears alert and keeping her sense of smell as clear as she could.

[abhorzion]

Elaine took a moment to catch her breath whilst Akree searched the ground for something. The maned wolfs sharp nose was being alerted by the oncoming scent of dog, close enough now to know it was a male. The timber wolf told her of a hole in the fence that she'd previously used to gain entry to the cemetary and before long, they'd found it.
"I doubt the men could fit through there and if they do they will surely give us enough time to get away"
Akree was right, men with guns were normally large men, that shouted a lot. They would surely get stuck if they tried to get through the gap but there was plenty of room for the two wolves to make their escape. Beyond the fence there were tree's and bushes, shelter and if Elaine could get below ground, she could mask her scent.
"You first." offered Akree, standing back to allow the smaller to get through and to check the surroundings.
Elaine crouched and pushed her head through the hole, she struggled at first with her long legs but eventually her lithe body followed and she crawled out of the hole. She stood up and nodded to Akree, mud smeared on her underbelly from crawling through the hole.
"Thanks." she gasped, her heart beating like a drum. She shook her fur and pricked up her ears, eyes darting from place to place and nose twitching in the air, trying to place the scent. The breeze kept knocking the scent off course and Elaine was too tired to keep up with it but she knew it was approaching them.

[Akree]

Akree quickly get on her belly, as soon as Elaine crawled out, the small wolf had gotten through with almost no difficulty. She peeked her nose to the other side and pushed back the dirt, coming through the other side of the fence slowly, but surely. Her muddied nose caught the scent of canines and she scurried on the ground until she got to the other side of the fence. She looked back and turned her head to look at Elaine.

"We can mask our scent with mud, there's bound to be some mud around here" she said looking at the trees.

The idea of getting her fur soaked with mud did not appeal her, but the dogs would surely loose their scent. She walked toward the first tree, remembering the way she had come.

"Let's go" she said calmly.

She ran through the thicket of trees, twisting and turning around the trees. She ran as slowly as she could so the maned wolf wouldn't loose sight of her. She stopped near a place where the ground began to get muddy and she turned to look at Elaine.

[abhorzion]

As Elaine stood, quivering with fright and exhaustion, Akree crawled through the hole, also muddying herself. She turned towards Elaine, her facial expression now serious, she must have caught the smell too. She quickly surveyed the area beyond before looking back at the small orange wolf. They both knew they had to hide, not visually, but they also had to hide their scent. Akree ran towards the tree's, bobbing between them, her dark pelt providing good cover but just visible enough for Elaine to follow.
"We can mask our scent with mud, there's bound to be some mud around here" she said.
Mud. Elaine didn't like mud, her fur was often unkempt but she hated to get it clogged up with mud but this was no time to be fickle about one's appearance. It would dry out and come off when the time came and it would serve to conceal her bright colourings as well as her musty unfamiliar scent.

After a few moments, they came to a part of the woods where the ground became damp and muddy. Akree turned to face Elaine whose legs were now fit to collapse. She shuddered at the thought of the cold, thick mud oozing through her fur and tangling up her black mane but managed to shake it off. She took a deep breath and stepped into the mud, surveying its depth as she did so. She felt the awful squelch between her toes and the long fur on her tail being pulled into the gluey mass of the puddle. As she wandered slowly, cringing with every step, she came across a part in he middle that was deep enough for her to roll in and cover herself completely. Taking another deep breath, she turned and looked at Akree, who was still checking the air for that dangerous scent. With that, Elaine lay down in the cold mud and squeezed her eyes shut, rolling from side to side, onto her back and rubbing her head in the mud.
When she emerged, she was no longer a bright orange fluffy wolf, but a dark brown wet through wolf who smelled damp. The perfect camouflage.

[Akree]

The atmosphere had changed, now every moment seemed to threatened the two wolves lives. Akree searched the horizon, every single one of her senses high and alert. She walked toward the center of the mud and rolled herself in it. Her fur began to feel stiff and heavy, but she did what has necessary. She lifted her head to look at the muddied Elaine, she looked like a weird creature that just rose from the undead, Akree chuckled to herself, the fact that they were very near the cemetery did not help. She stood up, muddied as well, weighted down by the weight of the mud, but still able to run and move she walked toward Elaine.

"What now?"she asked the maned wolf "We look like mud monsters, but we still need to hide from sight" she paused to look at her surroundings searching for anything that might help them hide from the dogs sight "Where do you think we can hide?" she asked Elaine opened to options.

She began to walk around, not wanting to stay in the same place for to long. The mud clung to her fur, not falling to the ground, but making it seem like she had even less movement. She walked away from the muddy clearing and urged Elaine to get away from the place and think while they got away.

"We better move" said Akree, still calm, she knew better than to loose one's head in this kind of situations.

[abhorzion]

Elaine stood, the weight of the mud bearing down on her already tired legs, her heart still pounding and her anxiety still at peak. She watched as Akree rolled in the mud and if she hadn't been so flustered and petrified for their safety, she would have giggled at the enormous, sloppy monster that emerged from the clearing. They both looked bizarre and smelled awful, but now was definately not the time to be concerned about one's personal hygiene. Elaine's black, bat like ears turned and flicked about, listening hard for signs of men and their baying dogs and her sharp, deep brown eyes darted about between the tree's looking for a suitable hiding place.

"Where do you think we can hide?" asked Akree, still sounding cool and collected.
Elaine looked to her left and just a few metres away she spotted a dense cluster of large ferns and bushy shrubs. She could dig under them, but would she have time to make a pit big enough for them both? Akree could help her dig, her paws were larger than Elaine's if she combined her small, lithe body and ferrett like burrowing skills with Akree's size and stamina, they might just manage it in time.
"Akree, you see those ferns?" she said, her voice a high pitched gasp, the mud weighing down the fur on her chest didn't help. "I bet we could dig under them. You could dig into the roots of them and I could squeeze in and make a quick den." Elaine cautiously wandered towards the ferns, scanning the ground for traps, she was wary of these well covered areas, it was all too easy for hunters to hide a snare. She shuddered as she remembered he snare and glanced at her hind left foot, the large scar that ran across her ankle. Humans... she growled under her breath. Once convinced it was safe, she nodded Akree over and pointed her nose towards a large growth of bracken. It was damp from previous rains and smelt strong and dewy, even better to hide the two wolves scent.
"There, we can dig under it and pull it back over the entrance to the hole. What do you think?" she suggested, a strange new sense of confidence rushing into her.

[Akree]

Akree turned her head to where Elaine pointed, she had never tried to dig a den before, if she needed to sleep undercover she found a rock formation that hid her from the rain, sleet or snow, or even strong sunlight or cold moonlights. She nodded, surely her large paws and strong legs would help her and Elaine didn't cover much space. She shook the mud of her paws and walked to where Elaine was sniffing about.

"Searching for traps, I doubt there's any" said Akree matter-of-factly

When Elaine convinced herself that there was none, she took a step back and turned to her.

"There, we can dig under it and pull it back over the entrance to the hole. What do you think?" said Elaine sounding much calmer.

"Good Idea" said Akree agreeing with the wolf.

She stepped toward the soon to be quick den and pressed her paws against the earth. She took a deep breath and dug her claws deep into the dirt and hardened mud. She quickly began capturing the idea and began to work faster and with more confidence. She smiled as she saw Elaine small paws join in to dig as well.

"We better hurry" said Akree chuckling.

[abhorzion]

Akree surveyed the area and assessed the plan and nodded at Elaine, indicating she was satisfied with the decision. She started to dig, cautiously at first, her huge paws dragging the hard dirt from just under the large bracken. As she dug, her confidence grew and she started to shovel out large scoops of dirt quicker and stronger, a large hole now emerging. Just as soon as the hole was large enough, Elaine darted over to Akree's side and joined her in the digging, her small paws quicker and more acute than her friends.
The large, dark timber wolf smiled.
"We better hurry" she said, with a slight chuckle.
Although they were digging for their lives, it somehow seemed fun as they both worked together, troweling away at the hard ground.

The small, mud covered wolf placed herself now in between those enormous paws, just in front of them and disappearing down the hole. She began carving out a tunnel as Akree helped by keeping the entrance deep and removing excess mud. Almost ferrett like, Elaine tunnelled into the earth and the den started to take shape. The gap was big enough for Elaine to squeeze through but perhaps not big enough for Akree.
"Keep digging! Follow me in or else the hole won't be big enough!" called Elaine, never shifting her focus from her task. As the smell of canis became stronger and closer, Elaine realised there were more than one but there was such a mixture of different musks, there was no way to tell how many. Also, there was a familiar sound in the distance, excited baying dogs. The scent and the sound spurred Elaine into a panic once again and she dug furiously into the ground, the den was nearing being fully dug as sunlight became dim. Just a little further and they'd be hidden. Safe? Elaine hoped so.

[Akree]

Akree took all her concentration into digging, her paws acting like furry shovels. She took a step back as Elaine squeezed through the wolf, she made it seem easy, thought Akree, no way she would fit in there yet. She continued to dig, to make the entrance just a little wider for her large shape could fit. She began to squeeze down the hole, after Elaine, half her body fit, but it needed to be just a little bigger. She withdrew from the hole and looked toward Elaine.

"We need to make it just a little bit bigger" she said still calm and chuckling "I'm way to big" she said smiling.

Wolves always admired her by her large size and endurance, but in situations like this it could be a great disadvantage, humans feared her for her large size. She turned away from her thoughts and continued digging. In all the dirt she could make out the shape of her skinny companion. She tried once more to get in, victorious this time, a little cramped, but she could fit, she turned to look at the opening.

"I'll cover it" she said dragging the bushes over the make shift den, the scent of domestic canines vivid in the air.

[abhorzion]

As the two heaved away, pawing frantically at the ground and flinging dirt all around themselves, the scent and sound of hunting dogs grew nearer. The maned wolf decided there must be at least four of them, as she tried to distinguish how many different barks there were and how many different musks. At least there was no human scent... yet.
Though her anxiety burned away in her head, she continued to dig.
"We need to make it just a little bit bigger, I'm way to big" chuckled Akree as she tried to squeeze into the hole. Elaine nodded and scraped away at the sides of the hole, earth and roots of plants flying around, disguising their scent further.

After much shovelling, scraping, digging and ferretting, the walls of the den were finally wide enough for the two wolves. Crammed in, their muddied, damp fur brushed up together but they were inside the makeshift den, safe enough for now.
"I'll cover it." said Akree, a distinct tone of determination in her voice. Elaine watched as the large wolf pulled some bushes and ferns they'd felled whilst digging over the entrance to the den, leaving just enough sunlight for the two to keep an eye (and a nose) out for any passing threats. As Akree did this, Elaine turned away from her and scraped the rear wall of the den some more, to make more room for them to lie down. Who knows how long they'd have to wait down there for it to be safe, they should at least be reasonably comfortable.
Akree turned back around towards Elaine once she'd provided sufficient cover for their little hideout, a wisp of air following her in. There was a new smell in the air, a smell Elaine knew all too well.
"Humans!" whispered Elaine, shrinking back into the den. Anger washed over her, burying her anxiety briefly. " I knew it. Why can't they just leave us alone!?" she growled quietly but not even trying to keep hush could hide the fury and disgust she felt for human-kind.

[Akree]

The quick den they had made was a little cramped, but no time for comfort, they were in a hurry. She smiled at the job both wolves had done in so little time. She turned to look at Elaine and she quickly caught the scent of humans and about four to five dogs. Elaine's expression changed to a troubled one and she kind of knew what she was thinking.

"Humans!" she heard Elaine spat in whisper " I knew it. Why can't they just leave us alone!?" growled the maned wolf.

Akree nudged Elaine, she had to keep silent. She closed her eyes, thinking, if they got caught in such a small place it would be the end of them. She switched the position of her paws and lay her head down between her legs. The mud made her fill stiff and the smallness of the den didn't help.

"It's okay, Elaine, we have to keep silent" said Akree remembering the wolf's reaction.

She turned top look to the little light that could actually reach the bottom of the den, she shuddered at the thought of staying so long in such a cramped place and her fur all muddy. After this she was going for a long swim, she thought focusing of something else. If she kept her mind in the situation at hand she would feel worse. She began to wander in her own thoughts, but she shook her head, looking at Elaine, the maned wolf was tense and very tired, Akree worried, Elaine was now her friend and she wouldn't let the small wolf fall victim to her past. She sighted and turned her gaze to the small holes in the fern and bushes, keeping watch of what was going around them.

[abhorzion]

A curious mixture of anger, panic and exhaustion coursed through Elaine's small skinny body as she lay beside the timber wolf. The scent of humans and dogs wafted in through the small gaps in between the leaves that covered this little den, causing the maned wolf's stomach to churn with worry. Having heard her previous angry outburst, Akree nudged Elaine gently, calming her down slightly.
"It's okay, Elaine, we have to keep silent" she said, her voice quiet and reassuring yet firm. She was right, they had to stay as still and as quiet as possible if they were to stay safe, those hunting dogs were trained to pick out the slightest twitch and the faintest sound and to destroy the source of them. Elaine shuddered and lay with her head rested on her long slim front legs, ears folded back and her thick black mane relaxed.

As the two lay there, in the small, cramped hideout, the Argentinian wolf's mind swam with thoughts. Her past flickered before her eyes like a slowly dying flame. She remembered that day all those years ago, when she was still just a pup.
That smell, the musks of at least five male dogs and the stench of humans. The sound of the men shouting and their dogs baying and howling with excitement as they caught the smell of the two maned wolves. If only your father was here... she'd said. Elaine's mother, Kya had worked very hard to keep them both alive and strong, just for everything to be snatched away so cruelly and for what? All just so that man could take her pelt for his prize. It was sick. Elaine closed her eyes, fighting back tears as she remembered the moment the dogs spotted them and gave chase...

A mouthful of rabbit, the little pup grinned at her mother but she didn't return the smile. Kya stood still, her ears erect and her mane bristled. The small fluffy cub didn't understand what was wrong with her mommy, then all of a sudden she nudged her hard.
"Elaine, run. come with me." she said firmly, shoving her baby along, causing her to drop her rabbit. Her mother took off and Elaine bounded along beside her, her long legs struggling to keep up at first. She didn't like this, it was scary. What was going on!?
"Where are we going, mommy?" she'd whimpered, terrified.
"Just keep running, don't stop, don't look back!" came Kya's reply as she bounded after her baby, running in long, fast leaps. Those were the last words she'd heard her mother say, right before the sickening snarls of those dogs, the explosion of gunfire and that yelp. Elaine, upon hearing the bang, bolted and ran as fast as her little legs would carry her, she'd never run so fast in her life. She dived behind a felled tree and peered over it, soon wishing she hadn't.
One enormous black dog, held Kya between it's jaws, and swung the limp, body of her mother around it's head furiously, ragging every last ounce of life out of her. Then he threw her to the ground like a rag doll and sauntered off over to his master, tail wagging and a pleased smile on his bloodied maw. Elaine felt her heart crumble into a thousand pieces.
"No..." she whimpered, her tiny body collapsing to the ground, shuddering with terror and pricked with sadness. "No..."

Elaine awoke with a start. How long had she been asleep for!? She looked at Akree sheepishly, feeling guilty for leaving her to keep watch on her own while she snoozed. She didn't get much time to feel guilty though as she heard a low rumbling sound above them. The dogs were running right over their den, followed by the heavy footsteps of their men. The two wolves froze and lay completely flat and silent. Elaine squeezed her eyes tight shut and hoped this was just another bad dream.