Firestone Hot Springs baby, you're like lightning in a bottle

He gave her a distinctly unimpressed look that seemed to run in his family. Obviously, the cold was a danger to her. Murdock simply couldn't believe anything else. Even with his thick, fur coat, he somtimes felt winter's chill rather keenly. For Poppy, living through the winter would surely be a test against life and nature itself.

"Wolves stick together," he replied, for that was the key to surviving into spring. "Our fur is thick. We sleep in the snow, and it covers us like a blanket. Heat is locked in against our skin, so that it doesn't melt the snow that gathers on our fur." But if Poppy tried the same thing, she'd likely die. Shelter would be tantamount to survival for the young dog.

"A pack is just a family," Murdock said with a shrug. "Tell you what, sheepdog. I'll take you back home to my leader - she's a saint and a real sweetheart - and try to get you in. She might allow it, if I promise to pull your weight as well as my own. But in exchange for that, I'd like you to keep me company. I'm too old to be chasing after women, but it'd be nice to have someone to curl up with at night," he explained, his expression growing wistful. "I'll even dig ya a den, since we can't have you gettin' wet in the snow."