a condition, not a profession

[Jeremiah Ezekial]

You looked lonely :o. HI MEL JEREMIAH WILL HELP YOU
word count: 448

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The mottled canine was unsure about this whole thing. But then, that was nothing new; uncertainty seemed to be a way of life for him. He'd graciously accepted Eris' invitation to join Salsola, but the more he learned about the pack, the more doubtful he became. He hoped this was only because it was a world he was so unused to; in the Holt community, everyone believed the same things, and there was never any tolerance of any belief otherwise. Salsola was a whole different pot of stew; there seemed to be an overarching belief system by which the pack functioned on a larger scale, but Jeremiah was coming to find that each individual member was entitled to their own beliefs as long as the larger pack rituals were not challenged. The way the pack dealt with doubt had been made clear to the shepherd, however; he had to be absolutely positive that Salsola was a place he didn't want to be, because to leave mean a permanent ostracism from the pack, and possibly even threats on his life -- though this had not been explicitly stated -- were he to anger the Family enough. For now, he would live with his doubts quietly, and see how this went.


The Aussie had spent his time between meetings with Eris slowly scouting out the Salsola territory and trying to become familiar with his new home. It was this he was doing now, clad in his simple white shirt and leather workpants which were the only clothes he owned. Across his chest lay the strap of his messenger bag, in which he carried a few essentials: the small copy of his Holy Bible, a canteen of spring water, dried jerky to munch on, and so forth. He had not been wandering long when his brown eyes deciphered, through the foliage, a male beginning what was a very familiar activity. He had participated in many barn raisings back in Appalachia, and recognized the beginnings of the foundations the male was laying.


Though the pretty female mixing the mortar held little interest to the dog, the male himself was not so easily overlooked by Jeremiah; even though he had given up trying to evade his unnatural feelings, he still felt an immense guilt as he appreciated the strong, dark form of the male, touched here and there by patches of white. He stood for only a moment, watching the bulging muscles do their work, before coming close enough to be seen. He ducked his head in respect before speaking. Good day to thee, sir, he said, his voice soft. Thy barn wouldst rise much more quickly were there others to help thee.

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