Ryn

The rumbles of a thunderstorm that had passed recently could still be heard faintly across the valley. The ground was wet, and the dust and dirt was starting to stick to Ryn's large white paws as he trekked over the Eskers. His thick grey and white coat kept him very warm from the slight chill in the air, that was still crisp and little damp from the storm.

Ryn was on the search for food, and had been following the scent of a rabbit burrow in the hope of catching a snack. Sinking to the ground, he caught the noise of scuffling, her tall ears trying to pin-point his meal. He leaped forward, snapping his jaws at a rabbit in the hope of grabbing hold of it. The rabbit was too quick though, and it bounded out of the way of his wicked teeth, disappearing into its burrow like lightning. Sneezing, Ryn stood up, shaking his muzzle to rid it of dirt, grumbling quietly to himself.

Farrah

Farrah had been travelling for a while now. Every so often she would stop and rest, having the stupid collar on her she couldnt catch any prey as it would hear her before she ever got near it. Farrah was well she was very aggravated at the humans who put the collar on her. Not wanting one in the first place she was forced into getting one. And the down side, it had a stupid cow bell making every step she took ring.

Farrah watched from a distance as a male tried to catch a rabbit. She chuckled slightly as he was a little to slow. Farrah picked up her pace and cursed her collar for the danging noise. As she got closer she sorta circled him. ''Quite a rabbit you tried to catch there.'' she smiled a little. The Alaskan Malamute wagged her tail a little. ''Im Farrah.''

Ryn

Ryn had his head dipped, his muzzle testing the air for any scents he could track for more prey. His ears, which had been swivelling like radars, listening for both other predators and prey alike, caught the unusual sound of a bell coming closer to him. His ears snapped round to fix on where the sound was coming from, and his head was quick to follow. His wolf blood meant he had more of a slender, long muzzle than his Malamute blood, and taller ears. His brown eyes caught sight of another dog coming towards him, and he felt apprehensive: was she friendly, or not? The fact she was alone meant he felt he could at least run away from her, or fight her fiercly if she did attack, but the bell noise that had given her away, and the way she carried herself made her seem like she wasn't going to try and harm him.

When she began to circle him, and he noticed how similar they looked becaue of their Malamute blood, Ryn's tail twitched as if to wag, but he seemed unsure of himself. When she spoke, smiled, and wagged her own tail though, a grin broke through Ryn's face, and his own tail began to wag in earnest. "Clearly it was a little too fast to me!" He laughed gently, "Farrah is a beautiful name. I am Ryn. Are you hungry? Would you like me to try and find us both something to eat?"

Farrah

Farrah shrugged. ''Thanks Ryn. Youd be surprised by how many scraps ive eaten from the humans. You dont have to do that Ryn.'' she said. In answer to his questions. She shook her head making the bell ding as she did. She found herself sitting down and wagging her tail. Trying not to move her uper body as much as possible because of the collar.

''Itd help if you could get this.. collar off my neck.'' she said looking down at the bell.

Ryn

When she said she had already eaten a fair amount from human scraps, Ryn nodded, but looked a little concerned. His mother had been a captive dog, but she had come across Ryn's father when she had strayed from her human's home one night. The pair became friends quickly, as Ryn's mother had been lonely and isolated on her human's farm, longing for the company of another canine. When his mother was found to be pregnant by the human, she was abandoned, and so she sought out Ryn's father and they lived in the wild together. Ryn did not know much about the humans, but he resented them for abandoning his mother. Instead, he had been brought up in the wild, and the wolfdog was glad.

When Farrah looked down at her bell, he eyed it too, "Did the humans do that to you?" Tilting his head, Ryn moved forward slowly as not to get into her space if she didn't want him to, to try and smell the bell and collar. As with all canines, his natural instinct was to chew, and perhaps that might break the collar, depending on what it was made from. "I could try biting it?"

Farrah

Farrah nodded "Yeah, the last humans I was with put the collar on me." She watched him and gulped a little as he got closer. Staying relaxed and not moving except for her sides rising and falling she. Farrahs white and black fur blew a little in the wind. She shrugged "You could try, it seems like ive tried everything but nothing seems to work. she said as she lifted her head slightly so he could get at the collar.

Ryn

Ryn flinched, stopping quickly when he noticed her gulp, assuming she was scared, but when she relaxed again and didn't move away, he moved his muzzle forward a little more and sniffed. The collar stank of what he assumed was human smell, but nothing seemed dangerous about the bell. He nosed it gently, and it rang once, causing him to flick his ears back briefly in dislike of the sharp sound. He smiled up at her, nodding gently as she moved her head to let him near the collar. Slowly and gently, he opened his jaws and closed them round the collar, before tugging firmly but gently to see what happened. He ground his sharp teeth together, like he would if he was trying to cut through meat on a carcass, before stepping back to see if anything had happened to the collar.

Farrah

Farrah felt the collar along with heard it ripping some. As he ground his teeth together the threads started to come loose. Farrah noticed it and her smile grew. "Its working!" she said as excitement filled her words. She wagged her tail excitement filled her whole body.

Ryn

He felt the collar give a little as the fabric began to tear between his teeth. His tail wagged a little in happiness, and he continued to gnaw at the material, giving one final tug as the collar fell apart and he held one end of it in his mouth, the bell jingling as it fell from around her neck. Grinning, Ryn shook it playfully before dropping it nearby, the bell clattering to the ground noisily. "All gone!"

"Have you got any family or friends around here?" He asked.

Farrah

Farrah smiled and giggled a little. She shook her fur out, happy to be free of the collar and its dangling noise. The Alaskan Malamute thought hard about his next question. When she couldnt come up with an answer she shook her head. ''Not that I know of.'' she answered. She kept thinking and then decided she didnt. When she did she kept looking to the collar, like she was trying to remember any family. She didnt know of any though, because she had grown up with humans most of her life.

''What about you? Do you have any family around here?'' she asked finally.

Ryn

Ryn's ears had been fixed forward, listening curiously to her, and his tail twitched occasionally in a wag while she tried to think. When she said she didn't and turned the question back on him, he tilted his head and thought briefly, "I don't have any family here, but I have two friends that I travelled here with. They are both wolves. They went to go and find a pack to live with, but I wanted to get to know the valley better first before I found a permanent home." He directed his muzzle across the scenery, and a spark of happiness and excitement lit in his dark eyes. "Do you have a pack here?" He decided to walk, and tested the air for any scent of prey, as his stomach rumbled gently in hunger. He nudged her on the shoulder, suggesting she should come with him. One ear was fixed on her while the other listened for any sound. He heard the sound of running water, and turned in the direction of a nearby stream, where he took a moment to have a drink, before turning back to see if she had followed.

Farrah

Farrah followed after him before speaking. ''Oh... no not yet. I dont think I want to challenge for a pack yet. Not when I havent been able to build up strength.'' she answered. Bending her head down getting a drink from the stream. She sat up smelling the air, not picking up anything fresh she sighed. ''I was thinking of joining a pack anyway.'' she said. Her tail wagging a little.

Ryn

The water was cool and refreshing, and Ryn lapped at it greedily to quench his thirst. Running his pink tongue over his muzzle to dry off the water, he too tested the air and found nothing. His stomach rumbled hungrily, but he put that thought out of his head for now; he wasn't that desperate for food, he could wait.

"I was too," Ryn agreed, "but my friends have said there are so many packs here, I have no idea which one to choose! Especially as they said some of them seem to be made up of all sorts of animals, not just wolves and dogs." He looked a little unsure of joining a pack that wasn't just canines, purely because he had never seen such a thing before, let alone be part of one. Yet, this was a new start for him, so perhaps that might be a way of starting anew? "Any ideas where you might be going to join, if you don't mind me asking?" He questioned her shyly, with a little smile, deciding that it might be good for them both to stick together. She was nice, and friendly, and also an Alaskan Malamute like his mother! He wasn't going to pass up the opportunity to make a firm friend like Farrah could be.

Farrah

Farrah shrugged a little. ''Really I dont know. Not sure if I even want to.'' she answered. Sitting where she was, the Malamute smiled a little. Ryn wasnt just a Alaskan Malamute, she could also see and smell the wolf in him. Her tail wagging a little bit more. She wondered aloud. ''What pack do you think is best?'' she asked by accident.

Ryn

Ryn was a little surprised when she said she wasn't sure if she wanted to join a pack. If she had been with a small group of friends or family he might have understood why she might want to stay as a small unit, but he couldn't imagine being on his own for too long, especially with all these big packs around that he had heard about. Being on your own just wasn't safe, he thought. At her question, he cocked his head, and considered his options before replying, "I'm not sure, either. I've never seen packs like the ones round here, full of different animals...I'm not sure I'd like it," he admitted shyly, but being raised by canines and being around canines all his life, Ryn had never heard anything like this. "And I wouldn't want to be a part of a really big pack, as they seem to always get into more trouble than smaller packs." It was a generalisation, but he was sure that despite having more protection in a larger pack, it was also more likely for members to cause trouble or problems. "We could just spend some time getting to know the valley before making a decision?" he said, subtly asking if it would be alright to stay with her by saying 'we'.

Farrah

Farrah nodded at his question the word 'we' having a little nice ring to it. She smiled. ''Sure. Might as well stick together.'' she said, smiling slightly. Looking around the place. ''Well besides this place where do you think we should go?'' she asked. The 4 1/2 year old Malamute wagged her tail and smiled. Wow. 4 years with humans and only 6 months alone. She felt helpless...

Ryn

When she agreed they should stick together, Ryn's tail wagged happily. He was relieved she seemed to feel the same way, and that staying together was best. He stood, licking his nose absent-mindedly as he glanced around, thinking about where to go. "Maybe we should go there?" he said, looking towards a Lake far off in the distance further down the mountainside. It would probably have food for them, they could rest there, and there would be plenty of water while they decided what to do! Having lived for five years in the wild, Ryn was well skilled in hunting, and looking after himself and others. They would make a good team!