In Dire Straits

Dreams of fire and failure had rocked Auklet lately. 

He longed for his own kind. He longed for the security and the companionship of other sled dogs, of humans. He did not belong in Nardir, but it was a home he had adopted out of sufferance. Nothing more, nothing less. The husky knew he could encounter a lot worse out there, for he had seen it. Wolves who roamed the land with no direction or purpose. Only existing to kill and eat. It had surprised him to find a pack that had a sense of... democracy about it. Or did it? After all, wolves were known to be cunning and dishonest creatures. Perhaps they were trying to lure him into a false sense of security. Maybe that was why they had dogs within their ranks? They intended to eat them eventually? Nothing would surprise Auklet about these beasts.

He had yet to converse with Puffin, but it would not hurt to warn other dogs about his 'findings'. And they were findings in his head. Not theories or even paranoia. They were facts. Wolves ate dogs, therefore dogs had to kill wolves. There was no way around it.

Auklet now knew what he had to do: convince any dog that would listen that Nardir was a lie. Complete and utter bullshit. They were simply walking meals for the monarchy and anybody who refused to see it were either brainwashed or stupid. This did not mean they were beyond hope, however. Despite his failures, Auklet was a leader and a speaker by trade and he had ways of making others see the light, even if they did not want to.

True, Nardir was prosperous and peaceful now. But how did the wolves cope in times of war and famine? Did they simply turn vegan and deny the constant, taunting presence of dog meat in their midsts? He had heard somewhere that, when hungry enough, wolves would happily each other. If they were truly that disgusting and uncivilised, then a dog in their ranks stood no chance.

The husky had the beginning to a revolution on his paws. All he needed to kickstart things was an audience, and if said audience refused to listen, he would find ways of making them listening. He had learned a few tricks when hopping between various jobs, and motivational speaking was one of them. Sitting down, he mulled over what steps to take first. Speaking to Puffin would be a good start, but he did not want to outright scare his brother by announcing that his own 'pack' wished to kill and eat him. He would have to figure out a way of going about it, and he did not know how long he had to think it over.

These wolves were good at bidding their time. They could never fool him with their politeness and so-called 'semi-consent' crap.

Mercury continued to war with herself over her place in the world.  She was in a home that was not a home, with family who no longer felt like family.  It had seemed Fate enjoyed tormenting her, and it was trial after trial.  She had lost count of how many fights she had been in.  It was true that wolves could be vicious, and Loath was certainly one she would have considered to be as such.  Her first loss was permanently branded on her chest, and while she no longer thought of that male as the "White Demon", she did certainly still harbor a sour note about him.  But her other challenges, the victories, had taught her that it was possible to overcome and triumph over such depravity.  There were simply those who had dark hearts, and those who had light ones. Having been a fighting "dog" while she lived with man, she had learned that it was something taught, not simply a fate roulette of DNA. Nardir had always spoken of peace, and just as her father and uncle had when she was a child, she and Alana had done what they could to provide for their people while still maintaining that philosophy.  Yet it was Mercury who fought.  Who broke the ideology of pacifism to become a paladin of her people. 

Except now they weren't her people... They were strangers who called themselves Nardiri.  Not Nardirians.  Not the title she remembered from her youth.  So much had changed that Mercury was having trouble aligning herself with them.  Aylie provided a bridge, a piece of her old world that was here in the new.  But her apprentice was on shaky ground herself.  Not much of a cornerstone for building a new life.  Not that she blamed the girl.  Aylie had a true warrior's heart, and followed it as Mercury had done.  She hoped Fate would be kinder to Ay than it had been to her.  Mercury sighed and did what she always did; she went on patrol. As she came down a trail, she picked up the scent of dog, and her ears pricked forward.  Nardir had a few wolfdogs, from her understanding, and even a few actual dogs.  Despite her own breeding, Merc had come to enjoy the personality and companion-istic nature of Canis familiaris, and she turned towards the scent.  When the clearly black and white form of a husky came into her view, Mercury did a very un-wolflike thing.  She barked.  A simple "hey, I'm here" sound that the dogs in her village had used.

While Mercury was clearly big for a dog, but she wore a human collar, and her tail had a habitual curl to it.  Her body language reflected that of the domestics, and it came easily to her.  While she was too dignified of a creature to have her tongue loll out of her mouth, she did support a slightly open grin like a happy retriever.  All of her mannerisms came from her time among man.  She stopped some distance, allowing the dog a chance to approach her, but everything about her posture said "friendly dog".  She was more dog than queen these days, anyway.  The real question was, would Auklet see it that way?

Auklet was just beginning to become accustomed to the sound of wolves and dogs masquerading as wolves that it had been a while since he had heard another dog bark. Thus, when Mercury made the sound, his ears pricked up and he jumped slightly. Instinctively, he barked back, tail wagging with companionship and a tinge of curiosity. As the other dog drew closer, Auklet's head went on its side in a quizzical manner. This was one huge dog. Although from a distance, Mercury certainly looked the part of a husky, her height gave away something else entirely. 

Nevertheless, Auklet forced his shoulders to roll into a shrug. Perhaps she was simply part wolf? There had been several dogs in his former village that had wolf blood in them. One of them, Cardinal, had actually been a decent fellow and had several as his lead dog for several years. Wolf hybrids were naturally deemed faster and stronger on the trail than their full-blooded subordinates and if they could get the job done, Auklet was not complaining. After all, it was a royal pain in the ass to have somebody as slow as hell leading you. 

"Hey there," the husky greeted the other as she approached, blue eyes immediately settling on her collar. "I'm Auklet. I like your collar. It's sometimes nice to be reminded of home in these parts."

Like himself, Mercury was mostly black with lighter markings on her tail, face and ears. Auklet found that his tail was still wagging, as if overwhelmed by the familiarity of the other's bark and collar. "May I ask who made it? It looks quite similar to the collars my own village used to make. Not exactly, but I guess villages in the same area have a distinctive style, don't you think?

It was almost comical. Here he was, surrounded by what could be dangerous or ravenous wolves and he was discussing collar styles. Maybe he was more homesick than he would like to admit.  

(ooc: my bad for taking so long with this. Muse was super low for a while there.)