Bugs in his pelt.

Bugs in his pelt!

It was all he could feel in this wretched place, whipping his slender head around to gnaw on his shoulder yet again with a sharp hiss. If his wolf friend did come this way it wasn't likely they stayed long in this bug-infested hell hole- although the black wolf's pelt was memorably longer than his own, which was sleek and apparently easy access for pests! Bah! No no no, he needed to keep moving, focus. Scratching was only making it worse and drive him mad. He cursed the little devils for not dying off yet with the cold. It couldn't come fast enough.

The skinny wolf-dog was much further north than he'd ever been nor cared to be, but he was on a personal mission of sorts. He felt he owed a certain wolf a life debt for saving his life a few months prior, inspired and compelled to find him again to learn more of him and his strange profession. Maybe they'd make him their apprentice! Maybe... Maybe maybe maybe. If he wasn't so damn fast!

The call had him stopping short, flinging his head around. Icy blues landed on- of all things- a puma?! He'd only ever seen them from afar and never so casually just hanging around, much less greeting him...

...Neat! His needle-nosed head cocked to the side with immediate interest, perma-wide eyes unblinking and sizing him up. I didn't know cats could talk. I mean what sign had they given him prior to make him believe they ever possessed language abilities? He thought they were just stupid and only knew how to hiss and spit. Maybe they just communicated that way.

Shifty paws made a tentative step towards the anomaly, now questioning the water he mentioned. Oh? Is it better than normal water? Sure looked pretty average to him.

The wolf-dog squinted for but a moment, trying to remember if he'd ingested anything recently that could be affecting his perception. No? Okay good... Well, talking pumas were a part of his reality now. Did other things talk too? Of all the times he'd nipped at deer's or cow's heels he'd hardly thought to stop and ask them about the weather. Actually, that thought made him giggle a bit to himself.

Now, back to the water, and the mountain lion telling him to drink it. Snowmelt... That did sound good, didn't it? Cooler and crisper than normal water. Ah! Yes, he nodded understandably, craning his neck to take a hesitant lap though not breaking his odd eye-contact with the big cat.

Huh... This is good! He exclaimed licking his narrow snoot, the husky in him delighted by the coolness of it. Be better if it still had some slush in it though.

Nice little crunchy bits. He did like nice little crunchy bits... So far this cougar didn't seem threatening and after all, he did just learn that other animals may have language capabilities, so of course, he had questions.

If cats can talk do they also have names? What's yours?

The needle-nosed sight-wolf licked his lips. Benry! He blurted out, and then muttered quietly under his breath. Benry Benry Benry. It had a ring to it! A nice name if he could say so himself.

I'm Grendel! There was much excitement and speed in the canine's voice, now over the initial shock of learning that other animals had feelings n' such. Now he was just happy to see a friendly face. Even if it was big and... round. Clearly not as attractive as a nice pointy snout.

Just don't call me Grundle by mistake. He snickered. He didn't know what that word meant but someone somewhere along the lines told him it was something dirty. Say, have you seen a black wolf with no ears around here anywhere?

He giggled with glee at the way the cat said his name, nodding his head. A very spicy version of his name, he liked it! But at his next question, the answer didn't come out as he'd hoped. Was he surprised that a mountain lion hadn't come across the black-furred exorcist? Well not really, but still.

Damn! He snorted, giving his body a quick shake to reset himself. Eh, doesn't matter. Say though, you're quite the friendly fellow. Care to share some stories? If you've got some time. What's it like being a cat?