the key to innocence is a secret [ dakota/raven ]

joel could smell the scent of another dog before she could see the shepherd. it was male, and it frightened her, but the calming tone of clarice convinced her to stay near the deer. he is not harm to you, joel. she assured her friend. giving a small sigh the medium sized dog started to once again nibble on the prey.

it came out of now where, the blow to her hind leg. she barked loud and clear for everyone in the vacant forest to hear, as it throbbed slightly. her brown eyes waved this way and that with distress before settling on the small pup that sat cursing not a few feet away. go talk to him, the voice whispered, giving a small nudge in the other dogs direction.

joel watched the dog cautiously, before speaking. "hello," she started nervously. the jitter in her sweet angelic tone. "if you want some of the deer, you can just help yourself," she offered.

she watched as he seemed to finish his share of the deer. she could feel her once quaking stomach sigh as she finally ate something, and she quickly began to feel full. choosing to let the rest of the carcass and meat wait until a later time, she turned to finally face the pup full on.

letting her brown pupils wander his curves, she found him to be no older than six months, and what appeared to be some sort of shepherd with his husky coat that consisted of black and tan. she gave a small smile, before answering his question, clarice standing beside nudging her on. "i'm joel," she told him plainly, choosing not to mention the other canine standing by the pair. it freaked some people out, and so she choose to keep the knowledge to herself, at least until she could properly assess they wouldn't go mental if she did admit her secret.

"it's probably the musky scent of the forest," she suggested. "it's so beautiful, i prefer to spend my time out here," she sat quietly on her haunches. the breeze faded until it had no pulse, and the sun was final hiding behind the trees, but she could still see fine with her canine eyes. go on, clarice pushed joel, just like she always does. get out of my fur, clarice! she telepathically growled.

"and if you don't mind me asking, who are you?" she raised an eyebrow.

she cocked her head with curiosity as to why this young dog was all alone. it was very odd now-a-days that you would see a lone pup. with the infection running rapid mothers tended to pull their babies closer to them, rather than push them out of the nest.

"i prefer to stay out of the way," she replied simply. her tone was gentle and calm, as if she was singing a lullaby. it was like the sight of a lonely pup in distress could sway her into a maternal haze. pushing the sad thought of her infertility away, she patiently sat in front of the shepherd.

continue, clarice pushed gently. giving a quick glance beside her, before she turned back to face dakota. "may i ask the same of you?" she returned the question he had previously posed. joel didn't want to be too pushy towards the poor creature, but she was sincerely curious.