woot

The weather was so cold that it burned. As a rottweiler, Axle's coat was not particularly thick and therefore offered little relief from the coldest winter days. Axle and his faithful companion, Grit, had come from farther south where the weather was considerably milder and the Canadian cold was taking some getting used to. As the two walked through the slush in silence, Axle began to wonder if their desire for a chance of scenery had been such a wise choice. The two had always been impulsive, and suddenly it seemed as though their childish drive for adventure would turn out to be a mistake.

"Yuh smell that, Grit? Wolves."

"I ain't smell shit, Ax, yuh cain't smell nuffin with my nose all frozen up like dis."

"Mine ain't froze. I smell wolves."

The truth was, Axle's nose was about as frozen as the snow they walked upon, but wolves were the dominant species in the world at this time, at least that's what Axle's experiences told him, and it was always good to reassure Grit when hope seemed lost, small reassurances that might not be true but were indeed believable, that was the key to being a leader, Axle reasoned. You had to say things that kept the faith going. If your followers didn't trust every word that came out of your mouth, you'd lost them.

As if to reassure Axle that he was in fact a noble leader, a wolf appeared, though as for what he was doing, Axle had no idea. His dark coat, now wet from the snow that had fallen upon him and melted from his dwindling heat, made him stand out against the white blanket that coated the rest of the land, and Axle was sure that if the wolf looked up at any given moment, he and Grit would be spotted in no time. With that thought, Axle reasoned that there was no hope in hiding, maybe they'd even get a place to stay for the night, after all it was outrageously cold, especially for two dogs.

As Axle neared, he realized that the wolf was pulling some foreign object with much difficulty. Without consulting Grit about it, Axle decided to offer them both up as assistance. After all, nothing in life was free, and if the two wanted shelter from the cold, they'd have to pull their weight. No pun intended. "Hullo pal," Axle thundered. "Yuh look like yuh could use some assistance, yeh?" Though Axle was curious as to what the stranger was pulling, he decided against asking just yet, too many questions right off the bat were always a bother. Behind him, Grit waited uneasily, slightly embarrassed by his companion's method of jumping right in to the situation. Years had passed and he still wasn't quite used to Axle's lack of shame.

yayy, they're quite a fun pair to play. ;D

The transaction was unspoken, but as soon as the stranger agreed to Axle and Grit's help, figurative hands shook to seal the deal. Though Axle wasn't yet sure of what his particular end of the bargain might be, he knew something was coming for him so long as he did the man a good job. The unknown didn't quite bother him, for though he was long past puppyhood, one never quite grew out of their excitement in regards to surprises. Now that the strangers were much closer to one another, Axle began to notice differences in the male that suggested he was not entirely wolf. In fact, he was almost sure another species tainted the creature's blood, though he would not ask as it was not extremely important. Still, the red eyes were intimidating.

Looking back to Grit, who'd remained silent through the short exchange of words, he nodded his head, "C'mon pal, get yuhself good to go." In case Grit was not quite sure what Axle meant by that (which wouldn't surprise him, the Presa Canario could be rather dim-witted), Axle proceeded to shift into his Secui form, which was much more fit for the job at hand. Once the two canines had transformed into bigger, stronger, and more solid forms of themselves, Grit listened up for the man's instructions. "Yuh got it, buddy, weather's a bitch but wit da two of us it ain't gonn' be too hard, jus lead da way," Axle stated before hearing Anselm's introduction. "Nice ta meet yuh Anselm, I'm Axle and dis here's Grit. He ain't mute, though at the moment he could be mistaken as such," he laughed, a deep laugh that rose from his belly, before gripping the rope firmly in his teeth and watching out of the corner of his eye as Grit followed, still looking apprehensive.

There was some difficulty in maneuvering the dolly, but eventually the job was complete and the safe was right where it needed to be. Huffing and puffing, the two dogs shifted into their more comfortable Optime forms and leaned against the wall of the garage. "So dis yur place den?" Grit asked, finally breaking his silence, for which Axle was grateful, as he hated the way Grit often came off as rude due to his long periods of quiet.

"It's real nice," Axle added, keeping it friendly.