"A bear pelt?" Oona's shaggy pelt ruffled as she trotted closer to them in an oval, circling the two, tail out long. Laika eyed her closely, watching her movements, curious and sceptical. "Is it in good condition?" The coyote asked, large ears alert. They were orange along the rims.

Laika spoke, slender head raised high, "Yes, in great condition. It was my bed for a long time." The coyote eyed them both up and down, as if studying them long enough could help her determine whether or not the two canines were lying.

Then, Oona said, "Alright, lead me to it." Afore and Laika gave each other a wide smile, ears back, excitedly.

"Not far from where we came," Afore said. He tried to hide it, but his tail wagged a little. He was excited to finally be out of this mess, and finally away from this annoying dog who was tied to him. He was assured that she felt the same, and she did, tail wagging at the thought of being free of him. Still, a little thought persevered at the back of Laika's mind, telling her she wouldn't be happy going back to her shallow, safe life in her tribe. She enjoyed this adventure, this new air in her lungs and ache in her paws, the wind in her black fringed fur.

The wolf, the dog, and the coyote pranced their way through the woods, each with their own way of walking. The wolf, of course, with strong, heavy paws and a bushy pelt walked heavily and with his head low, a pound in every step. The dog travelled with head and tail held high, a light prance to her step. She walked with elegance and domestication. The coyote walked more like the wolf, or perhaps like a fox, low and sniffing the ground, huge ears perked for any sound, curious and clever. Oona trailed the two others, alert and careful.

Oona spoke over the sound of crunching leaves and branches, "How did you two end up roped in this, anyways?"

"It's a long story," Laika said.

"Tell me anyways," Oona said. "I want to know who I'm working with."

She sighed, "Fine. Well, our leader roped us together like this, without any warning."

"Her leader, not mine," Afore clarified. "I work for nobody but myself."

Oona spoke up, "A wolf, then? Just as I'd suspected, a face as wide as yours, a scent as primal. I've not met a wolf before. I heard they were extinct. Huge monsters, in fact."

Afore groaned, rolling his eyes and glancing back at Oona as they trotted along, "Oh, I've heard those things, too."

"He's likely the last of his kind," Laika said. Adore did not like her tone. She almost sounded proud.

He grumbled towards Laika, then, "No, I doubt it. I do have a pack. We're just all scattered about. I'm trying to find them, but this saluki has made my life a lot harder with her antics."

"Antics? You mean my job?"

"Your stupid job."

The coyote chuckled a little. Her chuckle was wiry and loud, like a hyena, "It seems like you two want to go back to your own lives then?"

"Oh, absolutely."

The trees seemed to move past them in rows and rows of grey and browned bark. Afore glanced back at the coyote once again, eyeing her pelt and small, lanky figure. Then, he asked, "And a coyote. I can tell you're primal, but I've never met a coyote before, either. So why aren't coyotes extinct?"

"Coyotes were not deemed powerful enough to overtake domestics," Oona said with a groan, "So we were not eradicated. Instead, many of us became enslaved."

"Like you," Afore nodded.

"No," Oona hissed, "I am not a slave. I am a merchant. A trader. I do not work for any tribe. I merely help them to help myself."

Laika spoke then, long ears pricked a little in curiosity, "And you weren't concerned, seeing a wolf at your current tribe?"

"To be honest," Oona said, "I wasn't even sure he was a wolf. They're said to be extinct. I wondered if he was a northern breed, or a primitive breed. But he looks nothing like a Dingo or Sled Dog. He's too large to be anything but a wolf. Too primitive. Too powerful." She said it with a sense of admiration and respect, which Afore was astounded by. "But, Saluki, to answer your question, I did not tell my tribe of him. Of course, you know that. I was with you two during that time. But either way, I would not want my tribe to know of him." She looked at them both, trailing behind them, agouti pelt ruffling, "At least, not yet."

"Not yet?" Laika asked.

Oona said nothing, only nodded up ahead at them. Laika glanced, head cocked, at Afore, who looked at her lowly right back, concerned.

Afore said quietly, "I don't trust this."

"I don't, either. But she's one little coyote, and she does not even bear armour or gear. She's defenceless against us."

The wolf shook his head, considering, "I know, I suppose you are right. I just have a bad feeling."

"It will be alright. We have to get this rope off if either of us want a chance for our separate lives."

That did sound appealing. Afore sighed and then, at last, nodded. They continued their walk, but Afore still felt uneasy. His stomach seemed to churn, his head seemed to sweat with the anticipation of something bad. Heavy, hard-to-breathe anxiety, igniting his body like hot, sweaty fire. Sure enough, he found himself heavily panting- and not from exertion- as their walked rounded to a close. His eyes were half-moons at the whites. Mind racing, heart beating, he wondered what this sly, stupid coyote had in store for him. For Laika. Was the coyote going to hurt them? Was she going to hurt Laika? His hair stood on end, hackles raising, and he glanced back warily to look at the coyote as she trotted along behind him, trees passing them by.

Nope. She looked normal, fine. Thoughtful, even. Ears and eyes alert, and for her own safety, as well. Afore shook his coat and ears, as if shaking off his nonsensical worries. This coyote was fine. She had nothing on her. Laika was right. Oona was just a trader, and her current tribe had something that Laika and Afore desperately needed. Afore wondered, then, in his own stupidity and anxiety, if he was more concerned with himself being harmed, or with Laika being harmed.

After their long trot through the forest, the three canines finally approached a large underground burrow. The saluki found it first, her black nose to the messy forest ground. The wolf followed, trusting her judgement. And then the coyote after.

The tan pointed saluki stood tall at the base of the burrow, watching Oona as she trotted up towards it and sniffed the ground, confirming Laika and Afore's scents. Hung loosely between the saluki and the wolf was their long, all-too-familiar rope.

"Here," Laika said to Oona, "The bear hide should be in this burrow." Afore sat down at the edge of the burrow, while Laika and Oona crawled underneath the dirt and into it to look at the large hide. Afore felt the rope along his neck tug a little, being pulled under Anertha's crust and into the dug out. He knew Laika felt the rope turn taught between them, as well, as she ventured farther than the rope would have liked. Still, Afore stayed sitting outside, watching the forest's movements of little critters, birds, and tumbling leaves. He was a look-out, more or less, and a figure of powerful protection. And honestly, he did not feel like forcing his large body through the small entrance of that burrow again. His entire body ached, his back bruised from their previous night of escape. Instead, the wolf finally relaxed, inhaling luxurious, fresh scents from the forest, some foul and some pleasant, but all welcome. The breeze brushed his coat.

Underneath the dirt, Laika's slender build and Oona's scruffy pelt. They stood close together, and Laika pointed with her long nose to the large brown hide across the dirt floor. She eyed Oona as the coyote slipped into the burrow and stood in it comfortably with a bit of envy. Laika, although thin, was much too tall for the burrow, and the ceiling of it nearly touched her rounded forehead. Oona seemed to be the perfect size for it, though.

The coyote studied the bear hide with her eyes, paws, and nose, leaning down to touch it, "This is a good hide. A very good hide."

"Yes, it is."

"I presume you own this hide, as you've said."

"I do."

"It wasn't... stolen?"

Laika hesitated ever so slightly, "Nope."

Oona chuckled, "Okay, I believe you. It reeks of your scent, anyways. The nose knows; there's no denying that."

Laika's tail wagged, "So you'll trade us, then? This for a cutting stone."

"Is that really all you want for it? This is a very nice hide."

Laika thought for a moment, then said, "Maybe some food and a water bottle for the wolf, if you have those things."

"I may not, but Jall Tribe does. I share the profit of my trades with them, of course, and they will help me with my trades. They have some large bottles made from fine deer hide."

"Oh, good. Straps, too, for easy carry?"

Oona nodded, "Of course. They will be good for the vagabond wolf."

"Good, good."

The grey and tan coyote glanced sideways at Laika, and then spoke again, "How did you meet that wolf, anyways?"

"Oh," Laika huffed, a bit frustrated. Or perhaps a bit nervous. "That dumb wolf was on Veal Tribe's land for a while, and I was head of the scout scent out to catch him."

"And you didn't kill him?"

Laika sighed, "Oh, trust me, I would have liked to." Oona only chuckled, looking at her as she talked. The saluki spoke again, having the coyote's full attention now, "But we were on direct orders not to."

Oona flicked an ear, "Oh, that's weird, isn't it?"

"Very. At the time, we were just following orders. That wolf..." Laika sighed again, but this time heavily, like there was burden crushing her lungs. She looked at the floor for answers, but found none, and instead turned back to the coyote, weighted, "Well, he killed someone that I work with. It wasn't anyone I was close to, or knew all that well. At the time it was just business, just part of the job. That's how our Baron had taught us to think. That lives were just tools to be used, and that when they ran out, they meant nothing..." She stepped away from the coyote, that damned rope tugging at her throat. "Well, that wolf still killed another canine, and sometimes, I think that is unforgivable."

"Oh, I agree," Oona said, stepping closer to her, "That... That is something only a beast would do."

"No," Laika said, turning back to Oona, "It's not. I have already forgiven Afore for that death, even in such a short amount of time. He thought we were going to kill him. Hell, I think we might just have if he didn't prove to be so formidable."

"He is formidable, isn't he?" Oona said.

Laika glanced at her sideways, one of her fluffy, floppy ears cocked, "Yes, he's a wolf?"

"Yes, he is. But he isn't so formidable now, with you, on that leash, is he?"

"I suppose not. But he isn't a monster like the world says he is. You're a coyote. You understand that better than any other canine out there."

"Oh, he is," Oona said, "He's just tamed on that leash you've got him on."

"I don't have him on any leash," Laika said back, low and slow. She did not like Oona's tone; not one bit. She wasn't afraid to be rude right back to her. "We're stuck together; it's not one of us leading the other."

"Just that rope on him keeps him calm, keeps him behaving," Oona said again, "I'm primal, too. I know it. But even I am not nearly as primal as the timber wolf. Coyotes have bred with domestics for centuries now. I'm practically some weird, primitive dog."

"You don't look it. You look like a coyote. Like a little, lanky wolf with big ears. If you're fine, then Afore is fine."

Oona shook her head, looking a bit desperate, as if she was praying that Laika would understand, "No, but I am vastly different from the wolf. You know that. You know by my personality, by my coat, my structure, my scent! You know it."

"You are different," Laika admitted, glancing away, "You are more like me, but that..."

"I am like you, Laika," Oona persisted, "I am just like you. But that wolf out there? That beast? He is nothing like us. He is primitive, feral, wild... that rope is the only thing keeping you from death."

Laika questioned, nervous, and disliking the situation, "Why hasn't he killed me, then? Or you?"

"Would you want to be attached to a corpse? That's not a good look, is it? And I'm your two's only hope of being separated. But once he's off that leash, Laika? What happens then? Then he's loose again with nobody to stop him, nobody to keep him from killing again."

Laika growled, "No, you're wrong."

"I would bet, Laika, that you didn't used to be so keen on defending him. Did you ever stop to consider that that's what he wants?"

"No," Laika snapped, glinting teeth bared, heart pounding, "No, Oona, No!" The nervousness built up, pounding her heart, her ears, her lungs, and spilled out of her maw as anger, as frustration, like an animal backed into a corner needing to escape a trap. She was close, very close to the coyote, teeth gleaming in the shade of the burrow. "Oona, he doesn't want that. He's never had ill-intention towards me, and yet I have still always judged him for what he is: a wolf!"

"How do you know that he's never had any ill-intentions?" Oona asked, raising her voice a bit, as well.

"Because," Laika said, inhaling deeply, releasing her tension, "The reason why my Baron did not want him dead is because he thought the wolf would be more valuable alive, as an asset in war. And he assumed the best way to give that power to his tribe was by having the wolf breed with them, and then training those puppies for war, the same way he trained the rest of the tribe's puppies." She sighed, "I was chosen to be the one to have those puppies. And now, we have this stupid rope between us. We just want to go back to our normal lives! We just need a damn cutting stone!"

Oona watched with wide eyes as Laika blew over, heated, fired, and then calmed. Laika breathed heavily and slowly, trying to calm her nerves, trying to calm the fury of her hot, beating heart, her pulsating blood, her shaking adrenaline. Like drums in her ears, her blood rushed with fire. But slowly, it calmed, and slowly, she cooled. She breathed.

Oona spoke hesitantly, "I know... I'm sorry... I was just trying to look out for a fellow female. I know things out here can be hard on us. I know how males can be manipulative."

"Oh, no," Laika said, calmer now, "Afore is nothing like that."

"Since he is, after all, a wolf," Oona said, "I was just concerned about his... instincts."