The prospect for life [Drake, Gray]

[Drake]

It had rained only two days ago, but the ground was already completely dry. The sun was merciless and it's strong, hot rays scorched the earth further. The land was barren save for a lone and rusty car wreck and a burned, dead tree next to it. It was obvious by the damage to the car that the vehicle had been crashed into the charred remains of the once green plant. The hood of the car lay on the ground and was bent in many parts, now serving more as a water and dirt collector then anything else. There wasn't much, but the rare rain had filled it up, although most of it had evaporated by now. That water was the reason for a lone hound that took residence in the wreck.

Drake lay napping on the miraculously still intact cushioning on the back seats, a lone bone sticking out of his muzzle. He had found it while wandering the Burnlands. By the size of it he guessed it had been a rat of some kind, probably killed during the great fire that consumed everything. There was no food around here, save for the small desert-dwelling lizards, but even those were rare and hard to find unless you knew what to look for.

The dog's head moved slightly, his breath coming out deep and slightly uneven. A nightmare of his past running circles around his mind, making this round of sleep and many before it rather restless. Twitching a bit, his dark eyes opened a sliver before closing once more, sleep was out of the question now. He wondered time and time again about the way his life had taken after the death of his family. He found himself longing for the company of other dogs, in the long run, he wasn't really a loner. He like this peace, just being alone with his thoughts and yet, he also missed the presence of others, something to live for.

As he was lost in his thoughts his ever alert ears picked up a sound some way away from his current position. He didn't put much thought into it at the moment, he was pretty sure that he could handle whatever it was. Who knows, it could just be the wind again.

[Poizuun]

It was odd to be this far from the city and her own territory. Gray had spent so long there after leaving her family that she felt strange, awkward even. But mostly she felt exposed. The Burnlands. Why did she choose to come here, where it was fully open and there was almost a zero chance that there would be anything to eat? She paused in her walk and lifted her head, perking her ears as a thought struck her. It was curiosity that brought her here. She dropped her muzzle and gave her head a slow shake before continuing on with a small smile. She amazed herself quite often with the things her curiosity drove her to do. Often it led to trouble for her, but sometimes it also led to good things. For whatever reason, she had a bad feeling about what may happen to her while out here. So Gray was on her guard, the long hairs along her spine were prickling expectantly and she couldn't keep her whiskey-brown eyes from flicking back and forth.

Her dainty paws seemed to place themselves precisely, as their owner seemed so distracted with keeping her senses on high alert. Gray trotted at a steady pace, her ears swivelling every way possible and her short tail held rather stiffly out behind her legs. Her mind was a whirling dervish as she walked. She couldn't help but wonder what kinds of dogs might populate this area. She doubted they would be friendly to an intruder, with as limited as the resources are here. Gray was second-guessing her decision now that she was here and so far from home without any protection. Was this really safe? She stopped and looked around, ears falling back.

An unexpected noise sent the wolf mix skittering to the side with a loud and embarrassing yelp of fear. After collecting herself again, she looked down to where the source had been and saw a large lizard sitting there, staring right back at her. It tilted its head and ran its tongue across its mouth and then hissed at her, giving a small charge at her legs. Gray lifted her paw, staring at it, perplexed at its display of aggression. Then it suddenly occurrred to her that it was giving an obvious territorial display and was very unhappy with her presence. Gray continued backing away with a lowered muzzle. "Forgive my intrusion, sir, or lady I guess, lizard." She turned and then continued trotting in the direction she had been headed in.

{ooc} sorry this is so overdue.
and look! a decent post!

[Drake]

Just about ready to drift of to sleep again, or try to at the very least, his mind was jolted awake by a noise in the distance. That was definitely no wind as he had thought previously. He raised his head, hoping to hear the noise again, though on the other hand he hoped he wouldn't. It sounded like a yelp, whether of fear or pain he wasn't sure. Ears twitching and swirling in all directions, but he couldn't catch anything. What happened? Was there a fight and it was over already? It was a possibility, though it had been ages since he'd seen other dogs around this part and none of them very exactly friendly.

Standing up he turned his head from side to side, giving up on trying to hear what was happening and instead opted to look. Drake wasn't having much luck with it though, the frame of the car was just to much of a draw back. With a low grumble he flicked his rat bone onto the floor and slowly slipped out of the window opening of the door. Once outside he stretched and let out a soft yawn, blinking his dark eyes some, trying to get them used to the sun's brutal glare. While he was curious and slightly alarmed by what he had heard, he was in no hurry. Whatever had happened had happened rather far away, so there was no immediate danger to him. Man it was hot today.

Carefully he climbed onto the rusty wrack's roof to get a better view of his surroundings. Narrowing his sharp eyes some he spotted a canine figure in the distance. He tried to get the dogs smell, but the other canine was too far away and the wind wasn't blowing far enough. Drake knew he needed to deal with this potential problem and so he leaped down from his perch to make his way toward the dog. Keeping his head high, chest out and tail slightly raised as a show of dominance and pride, he trotted toward the intruder. He didn't have anything against other dogs and wasn't looking for a fight, but he would defend his patch of the Burnlands if the dog turned out to be aggressive. Besides, he had nothing to lose anyway.

OOC: It's ok. ^^