Cedar Sweep celef

luscious fur tamed into braids. long, narrow, исклесано лице.

civilised.

between forelimbs a gored catch. her face and arms bloodied.

of the wild.

longtoed paws pressed the raccoon down. the snout smeared itself in hunter's paint. a slim, insufficient meal, and cost her the morning. puncture wounds where teeth defended.

she measured her bites, mind empty.

Gracie was prowling around. She never really lived anywhere, or settled anywhere, always just prowling around. Then she spotted another dog. Not a common sighting. Usually she saw wolves, but she wasn't complaining.

Gracie barked at the female. She held a dominant pose, holding a little distance between herself and the hound.

she heard another come, and first stilled, then more hastily devoured the meat. her far-seeing eyes focused on the part of the wood the medium-sized animal was to come from.

a dog.

a strip of raccoon slipped out her teeth.

there was a bark, sound so loud in the wilderness it rung in her ears like bells. its message was as clear as colours in sunlight.

the hound's head slowly rose, but her meal was still between bloodied forelimbs.

"hai." she spoke, speech accented thickly. "no bahrk. voolvz kloz." chin pointed west and south, from where she'd heard, seen and smelt the presence of their elder kind.

Gracie nodded. The hound seemed friendly enough so she approached. "Hgi." Gracie said to the other dog, her speech also accented, but a little differently. She made sure to keep her voice down to not alert the wolf of their presence. "Mhy nhame ihs Ghrasie" She told the hound, still keeping a neutral stance.

the lips couldn't resist a slight curl as fellow dog spoke. so they too were strangers to the common speech. 

the afghan nodded. "medalina." her own name feeling foreign amidst the mimicry of english.

her eyes went to the raccoon still pinned to the ground. she stepped off it and made two more steps back, to present it as no longer solely hers.

"eet." chin gestured at what was left of the prey. "vee noh voolvz. hant, noh..." slender brows drew together. "noh noht prohblemm fohr as."

Gracie dipped her head “thgang yhou.” The boxer said to Medalina as she offered her prey. “Whe are bhetter tghan wholves.” Gracie agreed.

“Yhour nhame ihs ihnterhesting. Ih lhike iht.” Gracie told the hound. “Hgow dhid yhou cghome to bhe ae whild dhog?” Gracie asked

medalina sat. the other's speech was an added hurdle to the hound's already slim grasp on english, but she kept silent. listened. and after a silence, answered.

"laif noh gud. ovnehr gud hyumahn, baht laif..." head elegantly shook, braids swaying. "noh mai laif."

"vayld - gud. strang blad in mi. ken rahn, ken hant." now a nod. "ken meyk laif. gud laif."

Gracie nodded. “Mhai pharents whgere bhred tghen sgold.” Gracie said. “Ih tfhink tfhey whgere khilled. May sihblings wgere sgold tooh.” Gracie added. “I fink thagt ihf ih dhidnt lheave ih whouldve bheen bhred thgen khilled.” Gracie explained to the hound.

“Life ihs mhuch bhetter knohw.” She agreed

a bloodline project. chattel. medalina understood. how humans controlled every breath in a dog, made of their life a game without choice. discarded them once bored.

she felt empathy for the mastiff.

"ken yu hant fud?" gracie was more a war dog than hound. "ai ken..." annoying lack of words. "ai ken hant, yu ken..." brows drawn together once again. "yu ken si hant. gud hant. hant noh prohblem yu."

"Yweah, I cwan hwunt wit nwo isswues nwo." Gracie told her. "Itw twook mwe swome twime in de beginwing, but knowh i ghot iht." She told Medalina.

"Cwan, yuh fite whell?" Gracie asked. She knew she could, she just wasn't sure about Medalina

sorry for the short reply, I've got a test in like 2 mins lmao

it calmed her, that one like her wouldn't starve. encouraged her, even. if a mastiff could live, so could a hound.

a light move of head to answer "no". 

"fite... noht mai talenth." with graceful motion, she displayed the whole of her body. silken fur tamed into braids. concealed muscle - an olympian's build. not a boxer's.

"ken hant. noh ken fite." another half-shake. "if trahbl, roon."

"Mayhbe whe cgan trahel togeher? Sihnce Ih cgan fhight whell. I cgould help youh." Gracie asked Medalina.

She hoped the hound would say yes, since it would be nice to not be alone.

medalina gently smiled.

"ai laik dat." 

although a part of her worried. she wished to protect the fellow dog, but gracie could slow her. be a complication. 

survival was paramount.

she gestured with her chin at the raccoon.

"eet. noh fait if hengri."

Gracie's ears perked with happiness at the hounds response. She looked forward to having a companion.

Gracie dipped her head and took a few bites of the raccoon. "tank youh." She told Madalina