[only .TIME. will ]. t e l l . . (Mature)

[[D] ame]

<sup>These ruins were such a horrible place to be wandering around, especially for such a 'lady-like' being as Dame. This place was riddled with jagged blocks of concrete, broken pipes, pits and drop-offs, when this was her original home it was much nicer and cozy. But then again she could care less of returning back there because now she was free, and everyone loved freedom. Loners and rogues were seen every so often, like herself they seemed to be quite curious as to what all this silly rubble was. She knew, perhaps they did too. Dame however had yet to find her way towards the claimed territories belonging to the humans, she had however stumbled into the timberwolves' territory and had a nasty encounter with them which resulted in a sore paw and a nasty cut on her poor little nose.

The abnormally dainty female stretched her stiff limbs before rising from her original laying position upon a small mountain of concrete and continued to pick her way forwards. Large, feathery tail swayed side to side then flickered over her spine to its original and proudly displayed position, rump bounced up and down as she continued along with long and jolly strides. Soft burnt orange pelt contrasted with the darker brown muzzle, chest, undertones and leggings- The female obviously stood out within these areas being that she had was built for a domestic area, however she seemed right at home here in these lonely parts. Female shook her cranium, allowing thick but smooth peltage to ruffle and a soft sigh to emit forth from between slender jaw as lids slowly slide closed. Tail lowered as she ceased her strides and then decided to find something to tear apart of occupy herself with.

Slowly padding along the female managed her way to the Abacus River and leaping down the grass hillside, tendering her sore paw as Dame came to rest before a small stream. Slowly she pulled her rump up and seated herself upon it as gaze and attention was then drawn to her reflection within the water and ears flattened upon her skull. Upset for becoming too obsessed with her reflection the female reached her neck across the stream to allow tongue to drink from the cooled waters. It had been a while since she had actually had a conversation between another intelligent being. Perhaps it had been too long now; she had forgotten what comfort another's voice brought.</sup>

[River]

((Even though I think Neffy and Dame would make for an interesting situation, I've been neglecting poor River way too much. ^^))

How long has it been now? Three days? Three long dramatic days of non-stop motion, of constant running and hour after hour of sheer racking pain. Three days of food-less, endless, torturous walking, of beating sunlight and nonexistent shade, of rolling hills that went for miles and sand that seared his paws to the bone. And there was no end to in sight. Though the hound had been dragging his smelly, sour carcass all across the desert sands, even though his flat feet now plopped down into the cool textured grass and they neither burned nor blistered at the contact, there was no end to it all. It seemed to go on forever, for miles and miles into the sunset, disappearing over the horizon... and he didn't even know what it was exactly. What he was running from, what kept his adrift this long, he had no idea about any of it. But he knew, somewhere deep down, that he simply could not stop.

Stumbling over the crest of a small hill, the tall hound paused at the top, looking down the steep hill-face reluctantly. His painfully obvious chest heaved beneath the weight of the bloody, rusted chains that clung to his sides like one-ton leeches, crinkling and clanking as the movement rubbed them together. Bright, almost deathly haunting green gaze scanned the grasses laid out in front of him, mindlessly passing over the form of a dog somewhere down wind. That beast of man was of no concern of his. Right now, he had to find a way down the steep hillside without causing too much strain on his damaged bones and exhausted muscles... and without standing still too long. He had to keep moving...

Despite his hesitation, the spotted science experiment began to make his way down the hillside, carefully, cautiously choosing each and every step he took as if crossing a mine field. And still he stumbled a few times, unable to support the massive weight of the chains and metal bits that littered his body on less than two legs at a time. However, patience and perseverance prevailed and the hound soon had all four paws resting on solid, level ground, after almost falling down the last foot or so of hillside. Once his balance seemed to be back in order, he carefully and quietly strolled over to the riverside, being sure to choose a spot a few lengths away from the strange female dog to avoid any confrontation.

[[D] ame]

<sup>Ears flickered to the sound of jingling chains before the female drew her muzzle from the water, droplets dripping slowly to create small ripples upon the suddenly smooth surface. Brows lifted before the female stepped back a step to turn enough and look behind herself as she watched the pitiful creature make stumble its way down the hillside. Gaze slowly moved over his oddly formed figure as she examined him from tail to head- the bloodied bandages were quite disgusting, and his figure was underweight and lanky, however he must have some form of strength left in him to carry around all that metal. However by the limp he looked ready to collapse any moment. A pause in her thoughts as ears twitched and tail swished for a moment as she watched him collect himself a little down stream from her.

Hmph! Did he think her ugly? Or maybe he did not wish to sit near her because he didn’t think himself good enough.. Expression changed from irritation to a look of flattery as she sighed softly to herself and reclined with a tilted head- thought pattern still surging through her mind as she complimented herself a few more times and made up excuses for his behaviour. A light giggle erupted forth from larynx as the female gracefully moved herself along the grass and seated her rump right up against his pleasantly with a devious grin. "Ooo Monsieur, I won’t bite too hard.. If jou were worried abaout me hurting jou or jou n’ah being good enough to sit next to me. Far-get it." A soft laugh was heard before the female rose and rubbed the top of her skull against whatever fur he had around his neck with a purr-like sound. "I mean, is quite rude of jou not to sit next to me or talk to me because I’m quite friendly." Liar. Friendly was the last word to describe this female.

Another chuckle was heard before she rose and padded around him, grimacing slightly at the unchanged bandages around his tail as she moved to his left side now and in an almost teasing manner lapped at his swollen, and metal pierced temples. "Now, jou gunna tell me yer name? Or are ya just gunna continue bein rude to Miss Dame, heh?" A brow quirked as she seated herself to face him, head tilted slightly in a sultry manner as a small grin of deviant grew upon features slowly while she waited for an answer- quite impatiently mind you.</sup>

[River]

The hound had been tentatively lapping at the water's edge when the female had approached, his neck craned out over the gentle water to avoid having his body go anywhere near it. Even in the thick mud of the bank, his light colored paws seemed to be sinking beneath the massive weight, if only just. The hound himself hardly even noticed, too busy wearily studying his surroundings with a glowing green eye, taking notice of the trees across the rushing waters and the shadows that they sheltered, of the fish that danced and played in the crystal water's flow, and of course, the warm body that was suddenly pressed against his own.

Immediately, the canine-like creature flinched, his skin spotted crawling at the sudden contact. He would've leapt away, as his cautious nature told him to, but he was simply too exhausted (and too heavy) to make such a motion. Instead, he tired to lean away from her touch, staring at her luxurious fur with unmatched suspicion. It wasn't very often that another creature just ran up and started nuzzling him and the hound was immediately on alert by such strange behavior, though it probably did him no good. Even if she was up to something, he was in no condition to stop her.

"River..."

Grunting, the hound spoke quietly, as always, deciding to avoid eye contact and drawing his attention to the ground to his right, away from her.