Cricket Creek Bog Clicky Crickets

The bogs smell made Tokala's nose wrinkle in disgust. She could handle some smells, a few unsatisfactory. This smell, she did not like. It was worse than a rotting body. And the crickets, all the clicking in the dark night. Plus, her paws were wet from the wet ground, and a couple of times she had slipped. She grumbled to herself, wondering why she had even chosen to cross through this bog.

He had needed to think-- he hadn't needed to end up ass-deep in bog and hopelessly lost.

Nathaniel was cursing, picking his way through the irritatingly noisy, slimy, awful place. The rugged wolf wasn't often bothered by things such as the weather or the environment, but he got moody when he was tired. And he was very tired. He didn't even touch the topic of the cold in his own mind, lest he make himself too miserable to move.
Damn bog. He kicked a rock. Damn winter. Another rock went flying. Damn Burke. Nat growled the words under his breath, punctuating each pause by kicking another rock as he walked.

Tokala almost slipped again, with one of her rear paws going into the water. She pulled it up, shaking it off while cursing under her breath. That's when she caught the voice of another in her ears. And something splashed nearby. "Mother of-" 

She caught sight of a silhouette not too far, the smell of the bog too powerful for her to have scented them. Tokala ducked down with a somewhat predatory instinct, crawling along as she attempted to make her way towards them.

Nathaniel heard the voice before anything else, and he went perfectly still when he heard it.
Suddenly all of his senses were on high alert, but he did not turn-- yet. Instead he moved forward slowly, not trying to evade the unknown other but to coax them into believing he was oblivious to their advance.
He listened intently, focused on the area behind him as he walked. At first his intent was only to observe as best as he could before slipping away, but the cranky side of him thought that he ought to give them a scare if he could. He tensed as he sensed the other wolf getting closer, catching the scent briefly as he spun around suddenly with a deep growl, hackles raised. In the back of his mind he identified the other as a she, and instinctively his stance became a bit less aggressive.
You know, most people with good intentions don't try to sneak up on others. Nat's tone wasn't hostile, but it wasn't nice either; for the moment, he didn't want to instigate further confrontation, but he was ready to change his mind if needed.

Tokala creeped up behind, slowly through reeds. Until they turned and spoke directly to her. She flinched at first...Then she stood up slowly, lifting her head up with a sultry smile. "You're good..." She moved slowly toward them, not thinking of personal space. Tokala took in their scent as she came close, but the bog made it a bit difficult. 

"What might your name be, big guy?" she asked, looking him up and down, her eyes searching their figure for what she had been taught to look for. Hints that they were strong, and a fighter.

The fact that she didn't deny his indirect accusation didn't make Nathaniel feel any better about the interaction. He tried not to frown as the she-wolf came closer-- uncomfortably close. The almost-compliment did nothing for Nat's unease, but the lack of aggression in the girl's stance calmed his worries about a fight for the moment.
Nathaniel. He answered, tense, then countered: And yours?

She started walking down past him, flicking her tail back and forth. "You can call me Tokie, Nathaniel." She had to admit, he was most handsome. Looked tough. Didn't seem interested in her, however but she was not one to give up. "Where you from, handsome? Someplace exotic? A place where 'only the tough survive'?"

Handsome. He almost scoffed at that, but her next words put a grim look on his face. Though it had been pleasant at the time, his memories of his former home weren't something he liked to revisit. Hindsight had put a cruel (if more realistic) twist on the experience and left him with a bitter taste in his mouth.
There are only two kinds of wolves who survive where I'm from, Tokie. Nathaniel mimicked her emphasis of his name, tone no longer so standoffish. And they're not the tough ones.

She gave him an inquisitive look over, unsure of what exactly Nathaniel meant. "Who did, then? The smart ones? Or cowards? Though...you don't seem like much of a coward, so I doubt that." She circled around, and she was done observing him. He was certainly a looker, someone to keep in mind.

You want me to tell you? And spoil it? Nathaniel rumbled, watching with amusement for a reaction. He couldn't resist messing with her for a moment, at least.
After a moment's pause, he grinned wryly. It faded quickly as he began to speak again. The smart ones-- ha, they tried to leave, and that was how they died. And the tough ones? They died killing the smart ones.

When the flames came for the rest of us, they culled all but the powerful-- and the heartless.

Tokie waited with a smile, as she nodded. She was indeed most curious. What he said, she was quite impressed to hear. She was rather surprised to hear that. "The heartless, you say? So, what does that make you? Heartless?" she asked to the male. That disheartened her, for in her mind if he was heartless, he wouldn't care much for things she did care for.

I think I am. Nathaniel admitted, eyes softening suddenly. The pained look in his eyes showed he obviously wasn't, but he would never acknowledge it himself. But no one is born heartless, sweetheart. It's gotta be ripped from you.
He wasn't certain what compelled him to admit this about himself-- the certainty that he would never meet her again, that her opinion would not matter anyway, perhaps. She did not know who he was, nor his family. It lifted his burden just a little to be able to say it without fear of consequences; to admit that he had been shattered. Beyond repair, perhaps.

And so what if this stranger walked away from him, judged him, or whatever she might do? Nathaniel was long beyond caring.

She was most intrigued by this male. He seemed to have a sad story to tell, but she couldn't really care. "You poor man...I do hope that life goes better for you. One day, you might just get lucky" she said with a light smile. But for now, she was beginning to think that perhaps she should leave, but would remember him. "Well, I've got places to be...we may meet again one day, Nathaniel" she said with a sultry voice, and began to turn. But not before giving a wave of her tail towards him.