Sssssss... A soft hissing fills the concrete world all around her, making her start and tremble whenever it's echo grows louder. It's just the wind streaming by... that's all... Her thoughts are nervous and her actions wary, for she's made the decision to enter the actual city itself, instead of running a circuit of it's outskirts, as she had been. Her urge to move on, along with the feeling of lonesomeness biting her worse than any flee, drives her to finally enter the place she's been observing for so long. But she's scared, too, for the forsaken realm of humankind has become the roiling, pitted territories of the dogs. No matter how she wishes for companionship she finds that she's much too shy to approach any creature other than prey.

A sigh escaping her, Fiadh raises her head higher, her sharp eyes scanning all around her. She's on a small hill, in the center of a rather large open area. Unfortunately, she can't see too far, for there are several large skeletons obstructing her view. What creatures could leave such bones behind? she wonders, her attention grabbed by a particularly large tusk sticking out of the ground right in front of her. An image drifts into her mind, one of a large, squat, brown-furred creature. It's hooves scrape the ground in rage, it's beady eyes glowing red in it's furry. Angrily, it tosses it's head, large pointed tusks gleaming in the leaf dulled light. Were they boars? The image fades, along with her speculation, for it had been a long time ago that she'd hunted that particular prey.

What is this place? Shaking her head, Fiadh shivers as another gust of chilled air tugs at her short fur and flops her long ears around. It's getting cold. Her ribs are painfully obvious, and it is just as obvious that she doesn't have enough fat on her body to easily survive another winter. Keep moving.

Leaping off of the mound, the fleethound female falls into an easy trot. Her long legs carry her swiftly to the crack in the wall she'd used as an entrance to the elephant graveyard. Pausing just beside the hole, she looks and sniffs one last time behind her. This place reeks of old death and despair. She'd only decided to come to this section of town because she'd seen very few dogs around the Zoo. She needs a new den, for her old one had been discovered by a gang of wolves, who had apparently been the original occupants anyway. Driven out of her temporary home, she'd decided that the city may offer her better protection from those wild creatures. She needs a place to stay, and a warm one at that, for winter has come and it's icy nip is not pleasant for someone as thin as her.

Sneezing, to get the stench of the place out of her nose, Fiadh slips through the thin opening and back onto the shattered concrete that was once a Zoo walkway. Here she slows, for there is much debris that she can step on and injure a paw with. And so she moves, carefully but determinedly, across the broken path, searching and exploring for a warmth she craves more and more strongly as the days go by.

Tip-toeing across the cracks.

SideNotes:
Words - 567
Muse - Hmm... so far, she's been quite fair *grin*
Thoughts - Play nice, ne? ^.~

Ah, finally... Fiadh gives a soft sigh of relief as she leaves the heavy rubble behind. Now she can walk smoothly and easily, without having to stare at her paws to make sure that she doesn't injure them. It had felt odd, to be looking down for so long, with nothing but the passing concrete to focus on.

Now, though, she raises her head and looks straight out, her quiet eyes roving across the landscape. Standing still, she gazes all around her, simply enjoying the fact that she can see so clearly. Still... it would be better if there were a horizon... A small frown drags at her black lips and wrinkles her pale brow, for her environment at the moment feels too closed in. All that she can see are abandoned cages, crumbling buildings and vine-choked walls. I don't like it. This place is a maze. Where is the exit? She doesn't want to go back through the elephant graveyard, despite it's more open fields. She doesn't like it's scent.

Another sigh escapes her, her ribs standing starkly out from her body as the air escapes her. She watches as her heated breathe mists out onto the chill air. There is nothing here... Unease suddenly grips her, for she feels like she's being watched.

Moving slowly, Fiadh twists her body sideways. Head held high, she looks behind her, and instantly freezes in place. Back from where she'd just come from stands another dog, as white as snow, fur glowing softly in the day's dim light. She hadn't heard him because he had yet to reach the small area of ruined sidewalk. So close... This is the closest she's been to another dog in ages and she trembles slightly with her insecurity.

The other dog is clearly not fully grown, but that means nothing to her. Tail automatically tucking up between her legs, Fiadh raises her ears and stares intently at the unknown male. Her body is twisted sideways, both her rear end and her muzzle pointed at the oncoming dog, but she's too locked up to move. The fact that he doesn't say anything to her only puts her farther on edge. What does he want?

From this close up, she can easily see the challenge gleaming in his eyes. Her empty stomach rolls at such a look, for she avoids unnecessary fights like the plague. Not to mention she's never really enjoyed fighting much in the first place. When the ghostly dog suddenly raises his tail and wags it in a friendly fashion, all that the feethound feels is confusion. She doesn't trust the body signals, for his eyes had been too intent on her, and their paleness only adds to her unease.

But there's something else that's bothering her. It nags at her and makes her want to flee. His step, his body motion, everything is too quite.

Why does he not speak?

So she stares, her sad eyes locked onto his approaching form, ready to run more than anything else.

On the Side:
Words - 504
Muse - She's still there
Thoughts - Nice to meet you! Thanks for replying ~ <3