Winter is just another season to me. Iromar hardly experienced the cooler months. Come Fall we would begin to have a cool swell of winds and that was the only sign that alerted me that the cooler months were coming. The reptile prey would begin their hibernation, but with their loss came an increase in fowl. Eating a bird was never fun. It was far too much work, but the tender flesh was worth it…well sometimes. Although I have thick fur it is not meant to do well in the swamps. I am far better in the valleys or mountains. I am capable of surviving the colder weather by my fur alone, but that isn’t something that I should rely on. I haven’t lived in snow or hunted in the white powdery stuff. Fur alone cannot keep me alive. Though I am not sure if I could even fair well here along the beach. The sand is far too soft and it moves too much. At least in the swamp the ground below is a slightly firmer, well actually the muck is a bit sticker so I don’t lose my ground. Yet the sand it shifts and moves far too much to my liking. As I sit here along the border I can feel the sand move away from my form and it is uncomfortable that I can feel the ground I sit on below. Getting up I walk over to a part of the sand that has some grass in it and I am pleased that it is much firmer than the other spot, that I sit back on my haunches again.

I do not mind waiting. I am such a patient creature, especially for someone with my young age, and I guess I have my Mother to thank for that. I’ve always had to wait for Mother to return. It took a long time, but I knew if I acted up then she would not return. Even when Mother left me for Iromar I would sit at the mouth of the den we shared, sitting, waiting, waiting until dawn before I went back to sleep. My ears always twitching, listening for a sound that warned me she was coming. Though each night I would sit there I would simply wait and wait, hoping….desperately sometimes, that she would come. Even when I consoled myself at night, curled up in a ball and craving for her warmth and smooth touch, I waited patiently never crying out in sadness or frustration…just waiting. Sadly she never came, but at least I learned how to be patient and expect that sometimes…sometimes….nothing good ever happens to those who wait.

My intense violet eyes see a bleached looking wolf heading my way. The way he held his head and the arch of his tail made me stiffen slightly as he came. It was clear he was the Alpha and I needed to make sure I don’t mess this up. I do not want to disappoint Andras. So, I pull my shoulders back and curl my crimson banner around my similar painted paws. My ebony crown lowers in a respectful manner acknowledging his rank. As he settles himself on his side of the invisible line I dare not approach any closer. I was not invited in and I will not do anything to jeopardize this. As he sits there looking at me with equal silence and patience I lower my job. My usual hoarse voice drips out softly, a clear sign that I didn’t speak very much.

“Hello Sir, my name is Raven and I was hoping to discuss a possible alliance between Iromar and Glorall.”

Short sweet and to the point. That is how I am. It is sobering to think that as I am about to enter my last year as a puppy I was never really truly able to act like one.