Sugar

The yapping, barking, noisy confines of the local pound were familiar to the little pineranian that circled the edge of the long runs. She'd been here many times, mostly on the outside looking in, but once as a prisoner herself. Dangerous and foreboding as it was, Sugar couldn't help but returning here every few days in the hopes of seeing her sister again.

Today didn't seem to be one of those days.

Sugar sighed and retreated to the edge of the woods, where she felt a small amount of security against the two-leggers that often patrolled the dog pound. The irony was that they were also her safety net against the bigger strays and their wild cousins that roamed the forests behind her. The little fawn dog was caught between both words, and yet somehow made it work for herself.

The little stray rubbed a paw over her face, clearing away a bit of spider web that snagged in her downy coat, and then turned to nibble a smudge of grime further down her flank. For a stray, Sugar kept up her appearance, grooming her tawny coat, and even keeping the patches of white along her throat and belly looking neat and shiny.

Cinnamon

Pity was normally all Cinna felt when he neared the pound. Dogs, most of them mutts, behind bars. He still visited, though; for some subconscious reason he wasn't fully aware of, he was drawn to these mutts. Did the pity give way to compassion in his hardened heart? Was there something that tamed his pride and ego?

He found himself staring at the pound, trying to make sense of just what he felt, when he spotted a dog at the edge of the forest. She looked clean and well-groomed, and Cinna thought to himself that there surely was no way she had been out here for long. Did she recently escape from the pound? He thought she looked lost, and just as Cinna felt sorrow for the captive dogs, he felt his heartstrings tug for this stray. His mind was engaged in a battle with itself as he pondered whether to approach. Eventually, curiosity - or was it empathy? - got the better of him, and he let out a little yip. "Hey!" He took caution steps forward, his plumed tail wagging ever so slightly. As he got closer, he noticed that he didn't recognize her physique as any of the doted-upon purebreds that strutted the show ring with him. Nevertheless, he took a breath and told himself not to pass judgment, as hard as that may be. "Are you lost? Do you live in the city?" The mostly-hairless dog stopped a comfortable distance from the stranger in an effort not to make her uncomfortable.

Sugar

A keen perception of the big, dangerous world around her had kept the diminutive dog alive so far, and it didn't fail her now. Shortly after Cinnamon had spied her, Sugar took notice of him, and immediately ceased her grooming to fix her honey-brown eyes on the stranger.

'That's no pup, he's full grown. And does he have mange?' Those first two assessments made, the pineranian stood and adopted a cautious stance. Her tail, longer and only half as fluffy as a pomeranian's ought to be - and yet existing where most min pin's were docked off - was held stiffly out behind her. Her fur, too, was a curious blend between her two parents, being less poofy than the pom's, but too thick for a min pin. It embraced her neck like the mane of a lion, and swept back along the rest of her body in sleek fashion, being just short enough not to obscure the definition of her long legs and body.

'Not mange, he doesn't smell sick. No crusties. He actually looks pretty healthy.' The third assessment, made as Cinnamon moved closer, eased some of Sugar's worries. She allowed her tail a stiff wave, followed by a slight smile when he spoke out in a friendly manner. "I'm not lost, no." Sugar offered with ease, regaining her confidence when it became apparent that this dog didn't mean harm. It helped that he was a similar size to herself. "I do live around here, but I've got no permanent home. How about you?" Her eyes roved from his face to the rest of his body, begging to ask about his extensive hairless patches, but having just enough tact not to.

Cinnamon

A gentle breeze rustled the leaves, and the cicadas in the trees were buzzing away. The natural world was a welcome retreat from the unnaturally sharp, concrete angles of the city. There were moments that Cinna missed the show ring, but there were other moments - like this one - where he felt more at home.

Feeling secure enough to let his guard down, the crested sat down, his tail still slowly waving side to side. He tilted his head at Sugar's response. "You're the first stray I've seen with a coat so well-kept, if you don't mind me saying," he offered with a stile. "Me? I was a show dog, but I guess I just... needed a change in scenery. Now I live near the zoo, and I sneak in at night to eat perfectly good scraps that the humans waste." He noticed the pineranian's curious, roving gaze - something he was entirely used to. "Oh! Don't worry about the hairlessness; my breed was bred for it, to keep our masters' hands warm, I think."

Sugar

For perhaps the first time since she'd found herself living this new life, Sugar felt at complete ease with this stranger sitting before her. This was no coyote, no big shepherd cross, or any other of the hundreds of combinations that absolutely dwarfed her in these lands - here was a dog of her own stature, and a nice one at that!

Her soft tail thumped against the ground more heartily. A smile crinkled her bright eyes at his compliment, and she actually dipped her head in show of modesty, "I appreciate the comment, but really - other than searching for food, grooming is what keeps me sane out here." At the mention of being in shows, Sugar cocked her head, one fawn ear falling to the side, "You competed in shows? I'd always heard about them, from some of the other dogs where I use to live - but I've never seen one."

When he brought up his lack of fur, Sugar again darted her eyes away, albeit briefly. She was about to usher a quick apology, but the crested seemed unconcerned with her prying eyes, and she looked back to him with a softer smile. "Oh? I guess that does make sense - but what will you do in the winter? I'm actually not sure where I'm going to go; this will be my first winter in this land, since I got free. And snow or not, I don't want to go back to the humans."