The ride back to the beach where they had started off was pretty uneventful, only livened up by the new foal and the occasional meeting with other canines. For a few hours a day, as they took many breaks, Dixie would ride in the back of the wagon and weave thin twigs and vines together. The process was taking her forever because of the lack of materials that she was used to, but it was slowly getting done. The weaved shape grew from a few strands, to a bowl type thing about fifteen inches deep and at least twenty inches in diameter. It was solid, perhaps the weave wasn’t tight enough to hold water, but it would keep most dirt and bugs out. When she was done with the first one, she made Wayne stop in a grassy area and took her knife out to cut a few armfuls of the tall strands. They were perfect, after being soaked in salt water, for making more of these baskets. Wayne thought she was silly, but he also thought that she was immeasurably adorable in her musings and went along with pretty much anything she wanted.

By the time the small group had reached the beach again, Dixie had three baskets around the same size and shape, though they all varied in color. Duke, her chestnut stallion, had gotten a nice long break from being ridden, and he was feeling good, often times kicking up little games of tag with the little foal that ran alongside them. The large mare pulling the wagon was doing so with ease, apparently not finding the weight of the ‘vehicle’ or the luperci and their belongings to be particularly heavy. She just walked along, watching her colt play as she moved. When the grass and rock turned to soft sand and beach shrubs, all of the horses began to get antsy, wanting to go for a run in the surf. Wayne stopped the wagon a ways back out of the softer sand so it wouldn’t get stuck and then let Fern go, grinning as the huge mare shot off like a bullet to join the smaller stallion and her baby.

Wayne shimmied out of his frayed jeans and tossed them onto the wagon, getting ready to follow the horses out to play in the water. He had just shifted into Secui form when the howl came. His head snapped up and he scented the wind, growling softly at Dixie when she started walking towards the sound on two legs. In his halfling form, the male’s shoulders reached past the girl’s waist, she was so little. He pushed in close to her and rubbed his side against her legs annoyingly until she reached out and fisted one tiny hand into the scruff of his neck, acknowledging his want for her to stay with him. His form was a bit off looking, seeing as his Labrador side made him a lot bulkier looking and his wolf half caused his fur to be much thicker. Dixie thought he was damn adorable though. They kept getting closer until they found the other canine, walking up within fifteen feet of the male before stopping. Wayne huffed softly and sat down, placing his body slightly in front of the girl’s. She just rolled her eyes and waved to the other male, Hi there! We heard you call from up the beach…did you need help or just some company?

Dixie smiled at the male in lupus form, baring her teeth in a friendly manner as her arm raised and she waved at him. Something about him looked familiar, and her head tilted to the side as her eyes scanned his body and face. The shape of his muzzle and bone structure was similar to Wayne’s…perhaps he was part Labrador like her companion. Still smiling, she stroked her small fingers through Wayne’s fur and leaned against him. If she really wanted, she could have climbed on his back and rode him like a horse…he was big and strong enough to carry her relatively easily. C’mon Wayne, he ain’t gonna get past you, we can get closer.

She nudged her friend and began walking, grinning playfully at the stranger when the male huffed and tagged along quickly. Wayne was so silly and ridiculously overprotective sometimes. When they got closer, Dixie stretched with a yawn, unintentionally showing off her bare frame. As a young woman, she was still developing and growing, but it was obvious by her little stature that she wouldn’t be growing very much more. Light teal green eyes dropped down to the male as he began talking again. My name is Dixie-May, and this here is Wayne…we’ve got a few horses playin’ in the puddle back there. She tilted her head back slightly to indicate that the horses were back the way they’d come from, before yawning again and sinking down into the sand as well, stretching her short legs out in front of her body.

Wayne walked up behind Dixie and stretched out on the ground as well, practically curling his entire body around hers, shielding her from a lot of the strong ocean wind, resting his large head on her thigh and closing his eyes. He didn’t much care for other males, especially not when they were engaged in Dixie, so he figured he was only there for protection, not conversation. The girl rubbed his head affectionately and sent another sweet smile to the stranger. Well, Wayne and I come from the south, down in Texas where its hot and grimy an’ we ain’t got none of this frost so early in the year or chilly wind. She sounded a bit sad, homesick, and Wayne sighed, nuzzling his face against her stomach comfortingly.

Wayne wasn’t so happy when the other male mentioned Dixie being an attractive girl…he knew that she was beautiful and often thought it himself, but he did not like it when other men brought it to attention. It meant that either they were interested in her and content to just make comments or that they were going to make a move. Of course, having been infatuated with the little white female since the day they met when they were both so young, he was not impressed with anyone else’s efforts to steal his girl away. He knew that she had no idea about his feelings, and he wanted to wait until they were a bit older and had a stable place to live before making his intentions clear. In that time, though, he was determined to protect her and keep the other mutts away from sniffing around. The large male shifted slightly and flopped a large paw over Dixie’s lap, tugging her closer to him in a clear show of possession.

Dixie wasn’t paying any attention to her friend anymore and was just smiling and nodding at the stranger whose name she still did not know. The word ‘attractive’ registered and caused her to pause for a moment, but she didn’t really think anything of it. Of course she was not attractive! She’d been on the road for days with horses and all kinds of stuff. Her usually pristine white fur was now a bit off color from dust and her fingers were stained a soft green from the grass basket weaving. Deciding to ignore that comment and pay attention to the other part, she just shrugged her shoulders and looked down at the sand, frowning a little bit. At first I just wanted to get away for a while, to explore…and Wayne here followed me and then we began travelin’ together. I guess we just never turned back. Eventually I want to go back to see my home, but I do like it here, despite the horrendously cold weather.

Dixie looked back up at the male and tilted her head to the side, her hands resting on Wayne’s head again. What about you? Where do you come from…why are you out here all alone?

Dixie paid close attention to what the male was saying, smiling when he mentioned his name and then went on to explain his living situation. It was a common enough story; she’d heard many canines speak of never being able to find a stable home until they found some kind of pack to be with. The girl wondered what pack life would be like, surely not like her own family had been. Her father and Wayne’s father had both been alpha males, and best friends, and had shared the responsibility of caring for each other’s families…but it hadn’t ever been a pack mentality. There were no ranks, no eating order or anything like that. They were always way too busy working on the small farm to be bothered by setting up their tiers of command. While the girl was very interested in maybe being in a pack one day, she wasn’t so sure how it would work or if she and Wayne would fit in at all.

When he spoke of exploring the girl’s jaws parted into a knowing grin, as she was very much a curious explorer herself. But then he said something about no one wanting to accompany him to go anywhere. That just made her heart hurt and she started to move forward; only to be stopped by Wayne’s heavy paw and head laying over her lap. The large male growled softly deep in his chest and looked up at her with his deep chocolate eyes. Dixie sighed and leaned over, grabbing his face and pressing her nose to his in a friendly little kiss between what she thought of as a littermate. Wayne, can you go check on the horses? We’ve been gone for a while…I’ll be fine, I always am. The male’s eyes had grown wide at the nose touch and he nodded absent mindedly, standing and wandering back towards the horses with a slow ambling pace.

When he was about twenty feet away, Dixie turned back around and moved closer to Mido, sitting near enough to reach out and touch him. I’m sure someone would have come with you if you had asked them… A sad look came over her head and she reached out, placing her tiny hand on his head and rubbing gently between his ear. She knew that some Luperci hated being ‘pet’, but she loved it and Wayne didn’t have a problem with it, so she sometimes forgot to keep her hands to herself.

The girl kept stroking her hand over Mido’s head gently, scratching her nails against his ‘scalp’. He was definitely at least partly the same breed as Wayne, as his fur had an under layer that would help in keeping water and cold air away from his skin. The male was sweet and she leaned closer, sitting her bottom down in the sand right in front of his frame. His icy blue eyes were sharp and stood out in the dark rings that surrounded them, almost matching hers in color. A small smile pulled her jaws apart slightly as he pressed his nose to her hand and took a deep breath. That was seen as a form of bonding in her family, the sharing of one’s scent with another. Her fingers rubbed at the soft spot right above his nose until he captured her hand in his mouth and lifted a large dog paw to her face.

She tilted her head to the side a little in confusion when he spoke of Wayne and getting hurt, obviously not understanding right away what he was talking about. After a few moments of staring at him and thinking about his words, she frowned and peeked over her shoulder in the direction that Wayne had gone. He wouldn’t hurt ya, well…not ‘less you did somethin’ bad. She grinned and lifted her other hand and tapped at his nose with her fingers before pulling away and standing up. Even while up on two legs she was short and just altogether a small woman, her hand could still rest on his head. And…yes. I try to be friendly with everyone that I meet. Rudeness and distrust just breeds more of the same thing, likewise with love and caring. I’d want someone to be good to me, so why would I treat a stranger like dirt?

She shook her head and started walking back towards the wagon and her horses, gesturing for him to follow. Her body was fluid, moving gracefully, but pretty slow as her short legs didn’t allow for a fast walk. Come on, we’ve got some food packed away, an’ I need to do some fishin’. How ‘bout you join us for dinner?

As she led him back to the wagon, her eyes wandered over the beach in search of anything that could be useful in their travels. Sometimes odd things could be found in odd places and Dixie was a little treasure hunter when she got to certain points. The beach was just there perfect place to look for something special! Sadly, they reached the horses and the wagon before anything interesting caught her eye. Her fingers tapped the top of Mido’s head gently and she crouched down at his side, pointing to the horses. The really big on is named Fern, and she just had her baby, the colt over there, about a week ago. The gorgeous stud sulking over there is my boy, Duke. They are used to the two legged form, just in case you wanted to shift around. She smiled and stood again, leaning into the wagon and grabbing a lone saddle bag, a long stick and a deer skin satchel that could double as a shoulder pack.

Wayne had watched their approach and was off sulking with Duke, feeling left out. He had shifted back into Optime form but went without putting on his pants. Something in his over dominant and testosterone laden brain said that he had to show off his cajones to any other man who wanted to get near his girl. Not that he wanted men to be looking at him that way…he just wanted them to know that he was the big badass around and she was his and his only, even if she didn’t know it yet. He was leaned against the medium sized stallion, stroking grass over the horse’s back and hips to get the dead hair and dirt off, eyes narrowed as he watched Dixie and Mido interacting. There really wasn’t much to be jealous of in the case of Dixie reacting to anyone. She never seemed to give in to advances that anyone, including himself, made towards her. Whether she was just totally oblivious or just ignoring them was lost on the tan male.

Dixie sat down near the water line and opened the satchel, pulling out some nylon strings and thin wires, and then attaching one to the end of the stick with a wooden carved hook on the end. A little piece of dried meat was speared on the tip. Ready for some fish, boys?! She laughed and stood quickly, pulling the satchel up and around her neck before skipping out into the freezing water till it reached her hips. Hopefully she’d be able to bring something in and not disappoint their guest.

Dixie turned and watched the males for a few moments as she stood in the water, taking in their two legged forms. Wayne was tall and lean, obviously muscled but not bulky and his fur was short and cropped close to his body, almost the same color as sun dried sand with grey splotches and fleck spattered about. Mido on the other hand was shorter, though still taller than her of course, and had more bulk to his body. He also had a wider range of colors scattered all over his form. They were both well formed and good looking men. Smiling to herself, she turned back and flicked the stick in her hand, causing the hook to dance in the water. The weather was fairly nice outside, sunny and there wasn’t too much wind. The fish shouldn’t be too hard to catch…if this area was anything like her home, that is.

Apparently it wasn’t, and it took a long time for her to feel anything tugging at the string. Giving the stick a tug, she reached out and grabbed the nylon string and began pulling it in. Excited, she kept tugging and pulling until the thing was lifted up out of the water and swung back, smacking her in the belly and causing her to yelp in surprise. It was a fish…a small fish. Maybe only three or four pounds, but it was something and coupled with the dried meat that they had stored, she was confident that it would be okay to share for dinner. If not, she’d just give the entire fish to their guest and Wayne could grumble all he wanted. It’s not like the big lug went without, he was obviously a well fed boy. Smiling happily, she turned towards the beach and scampered out of the water, holding the squirming fish and the stick with both hands.

Once on the beach again, she ran up towards the men and came to a stop, hopping around like an excited little kid. Wayne laughed softly and approached with a small knife in his hand, reaching out and cutting the hook from the fish’s mouth before making a clean slice through the tummy. Dixie held onto the sides and pulled them apart, her nose wrinkling slightly as the guts fell into the sand. Technically they could eat the innards and be perfectly fine…but the though just grossed her out. Turning her face to Mido, she grinned and her body wiggled around as her tail whipped back and forth, Gotcha a fishy!

Wayne let the fish hang from Dixie’s hands when he was done cutting, leaning over to poke her head with his nose affectionately before going to gather some shrubs from further up the beach for a fire. Dixie set the fish on the edge of the wagon and crawled up into it, rummaging through a few of the saddle bags. They were running low on supplies and would need to go hunting soon. Obviously the fish weren’t super abundant in this certain area or else she’d have caught more. A few handfuls of dried meat were pulled out and stacked neatly near the fish, and then the death and bloody thing was impaled on a short stick, ready to hold over the fire when it was built.

A few minutes later the large man was back with an armload of sticks and branches from shrubs. He dumped it all in a pile about fifteen feet away from the wagon and went to find one of the many lighters he had collected during their travels. Dixie grabbed a few smaller skins and piled the meat on, carrying it over to the pile of sticks. She slowly walked in a circle, dragging the end of the sick with the fish on it in the sand. The resulting line was about a foot out from where the fire would be. After setting the skins down on the ground, keeping the meat clean from sand, she leaned over and piled the sand up near the edges of the dry plants.

Wayne was feeling friendlier towards Mido, suddenly feeling the urge to make a friend outside of Dixie. He clapped the other man on the shoulder and led him over to the fire circle, leaning over and flicking the igniter on the lighter a few times before a small flame shot out. It wasn’t hard to get the plants to light, as they were salty and very dry. Dixie stuck the stick in the sand at an angle, letting the fish hand over the side of the fire, the flames barely reaching high enough to lick at the low hanging tail. It would take a little while to cook all the way through, but they were canines, they could eat it a bit raw without a problem. Eat up, boys! There’s enough to go around, and then some! She grinned and tossed a piece of dried deer meat into her mouth, chewing happily.

The sun was starting to sink at a rapid pace as they sat and ate their dinner. Dixie grinned at Mido and chewed on her own pieces happily, the pile of meat in front of hers a lot smaller than that in front of both males. Wayne finished first, having scarfed his food down as per usual. He patted his belly with a silly smile and got up, stretching as he walked to the wagon. A blanket made out of sewn together deer skins was set near Mido, and one of the soft cloaks was draped over Dixie’s shoulders. He had two lead ropes in his hand and whistled, waiting near the fire as the horses came running up the beach towards them. Duke got there first and scampered off, knowing it was about bedtime and that he would need to stay near the group. Wayne patted Fern and fashioned a halter around her giant head with the soft rope, then connected it to the permanent one that Duke wore. Bark, the silly little colt wouldn’t need a halter, as he was glued to his mother’s side when the sun vanished.

Job done, Wayne returned to the fire and sat down, stretching his legs out. Dixie was done with her food and pulled the cloak tightly around her body. The sun’s disappearance brought on the cold, and being so far north meant that when it got cold…it got COLD. You can’t be goin’ back to your home tonight. It’s too dark and the temperature is droppin’. Stick with us for the night and we’ll have some breakfast come mornin’. Dixie’s voice was soft and lilted, hinting in to how tired she was. She kicked one little foot out, tossing a bit of sand over the fire so it wasn’t so bright, and then let her body fall into the shift. Within seconds she was on all fours, a little fluffy white dog that looked to be a larger version of an arctic fox. Yipping softly, she took the clock into her teeth and pulled it over to Wayne, curling up against his side. The man smiled and lay down on his back, pulling the cloak over their snuggled bodies and nodded at Mido, mouthing a silent ‘goodnight’.