Lost in the Field (Nash and Lacey)

Lacey padded through the long grass fields of the farm territory. She had been following a road, but a noise had caught her interest within long green grasses and she had slipped within the croplands, turning back only to find she had lost the road. She turned around, or she thought she did, but she must be walking in the wrong direction because the road was not where she thought it was… and now she was lost… surrounded by waving green stalks many times her heights, and quite frankly she was terrified. She had seen herself how large these fields were. How would she ever make it out?

And to top it all off… she got the feeling she was not alone. Perhaps something had caught her fear scent, for she thought she saw a tawny shape slipping through the grasses out of the corner of her eye. She had spun around, snarling in her big-girl voice, ”Who’s there? Show yourself! Don’t make me come find you myself!” she had demanded, her voice shrill with fear. But never was there an answer, so she had continued on uneasily, her fur puffed up to make herself look as large as possible, which was not very large.

Lacey soon found herself racing through the fields as the sunlight became golden with the looming promise of sunset. Whatever was stalking her was always hard on her heels. Who was it? What did they want? But each time she called out to them they never answered, but they always seemed to be getting ever the closer. Finally Lacey took off at full sprint, as far as she could, until she could not run any longer. And she paused. It was silent. Perhaps her pursuer was gone… but she was beginning to believe she would never find her way out. So she dropped onto her bottom and let out a wail far too loud for a dog her size. ”HEEEEELLLPPP!” she screamed, but it hardly sounded like any word at all, just an incoherent shrieking noise that was sure to assault every ear in the area. She hoped that someone would be nearby to help, and forgot that her sound would also reach the ears of whatever it was that had been stalking her. ”HEEEELLLLLPPP!!” she wailed over and over.

A grey and white shape rustled through the low growing foliage of farm territory. Suddenly with a loud thrashing noise, a lanky Junkyard dog tripped and stumbled out from behind cover. "All sorts of rabbit traps, he said. Easy pickings, he said. Well, after two hours walking through pricker bushes the only thing that's gotten eaten out here is ME" The irritated greyhound mix turned and snapped at a large horsefly that had been buzzing around his hindquarters. "That's the last time I take advice from a schnauzer." he mumbled, glancing out at the horizon. The woodlands had given way to a large expanse of grassy fields, with the sun sinking towards the horizon.

"Well, I've got an hour or so left. Maybe I can-" A loud shriek in the distance interrupted his train of thought. What was that?! A cat? Padding in the general direction of the sound, Nash wove through the tall grass. After a short while, he recognized the voice and pushed himself faster through the field. "Lacey? Hey Lacey where are you?" The voice was so loud it was practically deafening now, and the next thing he knew he had to jump to avoid running over the wailing pomeranian mix.

"Woah! Lacey? Are you okay?"Giving the small female a once over, he was relieved to see she looked unharmed. "What are you doing all the way out here?" He let out a sigh, shaking his head. "And what's got you so spooked anyway?" The last time he had seen the tiny dog she had been incredibly brave, but now here she was crying in the dirt. Something must have happened to the poor thing and he wanted to know what.

Lacey wailed and wailed and wailed, but she fell deathly silent as a rustling sounded nearby. But her heart soared as she recognized the voice that came with it. ”Nash! Nash, NAAAAASH!!” she cried, her voice cracking in joy as the greyhound mix sprang to her side. He looked shocked and confused to see her here. Lacey forgot her dignity and leaped to the big male, collapsing into his leg with her two paws clinging around it as she sobbed into his white fur, ”Oh, Nash I’ve had the most dreadful day!!” she sobbed, her voice loud and dynamic and riddled with sharp inhales of breath as she cried. ”I came out here… to see the fields… and the animals… but I got distracted… and I went into this field… and now… now… I got lost… and then… then” she sniffled, sounding like a frightened child explaining a story to their parent. She turned her head to look into the sunlit grass forest behind her. ”this sound appeared… and someone was following me… and… I don’t know what! But it was brown… and… and it wanted to  EAT ME!” Lacey had no evidence to that last part, but her wild imagination always filled in the gaps. But as far as her guesses go, this was not her worst one. Whatever had been tracking her had not wanted to be discovered. It was stalking her. What else could it want from such a tiny, helpless little thing.

Lacey backed up, releasing Nash’s arms and sniffling, breathing in and out noisily as she gained her composure. With a final sigh and let her fur lay flat. She gave Nash a smile, ”You’ve come to rescue me… how very kind of you.” she said, her tail beginning to wag as she looked upon her savior with admiration and emotion in her brown eyes.

As the tiny female explained what had happened, Nash felt a pang of guilt. After all, he had put the idea of coming out here in her head in the first place. He had warned her not to visit this territory on her own, but he still felt responsible for the mess she was in now. He placed a paw on her back and tried to reassure her. "Hey, hey you'll be okay. I'll take you home. Wait... someone else is out here?" While she was regaining her composure, he caught a scent blowing over the grass. It was slightly familiar. Coyote. He saw them near the Junkyard often enough, the prospect of easy food attracted them like flies. He suspected it was just the sheer number of resident dogs that kept them at bay. But since it was just the two of them, he wasn't sure the creature would just turn and run like the ones back home.

He grinned reassuringly "I'll get you home safe, don't worry." He heard a faint rustle not far off, and his smile faltered. The pair had a choice. Normally Nash would have simply outrun any predators he came across, but he wasn't sure Lacey would be able to keep pace with him, especially since she had just been running. And they were quite a ways out, so unless they found a farm it wouldn't be a short sprint back to safety either. Craning his neck to look above the grass, he narrowed his eyes and realized they'd most likely have to stand their ground.

"Looks like we aren't out of the woods yet." He tried hard to listen and pinpoint where the coyote was, but the wind was rustling through the field and making it impossible to tell. "Stick close." he murmured to Lacey, keeping his eyes on the grass. Where are you...Come on where are you?! In a last ditch effort to scare the thing off, the male let out a loud growl and waited.

All fear had left Lacey’s heart. Nash was here, and he promised to get her home safe. She trusted him. She nodded at him, a smile on her face now as he glanced around and tried to decide what to do. Lacey was blithely unaware that Nash was uneasy. He was such a big dog, no way anyone could beat him!

She glanced at him as he said that they were not out of the woods yet. Lacey narrowed her eyes in determination and followed his direction, staying close to his paws. Nash stood, planted to the spot, facing some unknown enemy that seemed to shift and vanish like the wind that rustled around them. But Lacey had no fear. Not anymore. She stared at the swaying fronds fiercely, letting out a growl of her own as Nash did. But it was a game to her now. An exciting game of courageous friends with fires in their hearts fighting an enemy that was destined to fall at their paws. A rustle sounded at Nash’s menacing growl, and a flash of ragged gray showed through the grasses and then disappeared again.

Lacey stepped forward boldly, without fear, in a completely different mindset from before now that Nash was here. He would help her if she needed it. Not that she would need it! And it was about time the brute paid for scaring her all this time. ”Step forth, filth!” she barked with such bravery in her tone that it would have been difficult to even tell she had been sobbing in fear just moments before. ”Show yourself!” Lacey, in her stupid confident, charged forward with a flurry of barks. It was clear she was not a thinker. ”The hunter will becoming the hunted!” she sang as she crashed valiantly through a patch of grasses. Her battle bark turned into a terrified yelp as she found that the hunter had not at all become the hunted, but the ambusher. The coyote leaped on Lacey instantly with large teeth bared.

A flash of grey fur was the only sign Nash saw of their opponent. He kept his eyes trained on the surrounding grass, only barely watching Lacey with his peripheral vision. She was barking about something, and he strained to hear over her. He wasn't concerned, the small dog was right at his paws and easy to defend. Hearing a noise to his left, he turned only to feel Lacey rush out from beneath his paws. "What the-" He whipped back around just as she disappeared into the grass.

"No wait!" Launching himself after the small female, the greyhound mix crashed into the coyote head on, and the two larger dogs were sent rolling back into the grass. Completely caught by surprise, Nash was unable to get a grip on the predator and fell off to the side. The pair scrambled to their paws and Nash positioned himself between the coyote and where he assumed Lacey was. The beast paced back and forth, seemingly weighing its options before it lunged halfway across the space between them. The junkyard dog snapped at the coyote, but it had already danced back out of his reach.  This repeated two more times and he realized it was toying with him.

The greyhound let out a snarl of frustration. Enough. He had promised to get Lacey home safely, and it was a promise he intended to keep. The coyote lunged once more and this time the mutt's fangs managed to grab onto the thick fur on the bottom side of it's neck. Thrashing around, he threw the wild dog to the ground and tried to better his grip. In a panic, the coyote clawed at his chest and shoved upwards towards his belly with its hind legs. The blow caught Nash off guard and he was thrown off, the wind knocked out of him. He hit the ground hard and lay there in a daze, blinking and struggling to look around. Where'd it go? Wait where did SHE go? Lacey. "La...cey. Lacey...go. Lacey..." the words came out garbled and half formed, and the mutt's head fell to the dirt as he struggled to regain his senses. Come on, you've got to get up. You promised. You promised...

Lacey scrambled to her paws as Nash relieved her of the coyote that had been so close to snapping her neck. Her fur was messed up, her bow crooked, and her eyes were a blaze of anger and outrage. How dare it pull such a rotten move! Lacey pouted, bitter about having been caught off guard. The sound of snarling caused the creamy female to flick her ear to the side and she turned toward where she heard Nash. She raced to his side the moment before he lunged forward, snapping his jaws down on the coyote’s neck. Lacey cheered, her tail wagging and her eyes narrowed in excitement, ”Go Nash! Rub his nose in the dirt!” the pomeranian mix sang. But her excitement was replaced with terror as the coyote’s claws raked her friend’s chest and belly and Nash was thrown to the ground.

”Nash!” Lacey wailed, racing to his side with her eyes wide, and even tears began to gather. A snarl behind her warned her that they were not safe yet. Lacey whirled around, her heart pounding. She look beside her at Nash, who begged her to go. The greyhound mix was panting, his voice muddled and his head resting helplessly on the ground. Lacey shook her head, ”No.” She said, her voice resolute, and dead serious. She turned toward the coyote, who was now prowling forward through the grass. Lacey could see his mangy body, and his cold amber eyes, as he rounded on them for the kill.

”You… you monster! How dare you walk around here, frightening me and hurting Nash! How… how dare you!!” Rage filled the she-dog’s mind and she flew forward in a flash of teeth and claws. The coyote, not having expected such an upfront attack from a dog small enough to be his prey, recoiled a bit too late and Lacey bit him right on his big, wet nose. Hard. The coyote let out a yelp and turned tail and ran, deciding that between his injured neck and bleeding nose, surely there was easier prey elsewhere.

Lacey snorted after him, acting as if her driving off a coyote was the most natural thing in the world. Lacey found that it was all in a day’s work for her. In her mind, after all, she drove off fearsome enemies all the time. And sometimes the line between what Lacey actually does and what she thinks or dreams she does is a very blurred line to her. She went to Nash and sat by his head, her eyes narrowed and filled with tears once more as she nuzzled him. Her brave friend was hurt and it was all her fault! ”Nash, are you okay?” she whimpered.

A piercing yelp caused Nash to raise his head, just in time to see the coyote turn tail and run off into the field. With a sigh of relief he let his head fall back and he closed his eyes. At the sound of Lacey’s voice he reopened them. "Yeah, I think so." He stretched his limbs experimentally before rolling over onto his belly. He looked over his shoulder towards the direction the coyote had fled. "Wow, nice job. Guess you really are a little lion." The greyhound mix laughed before he noticed her tears. "Hey don't worry, you won't have to carry me back. Here, hold still." He reached out and delicately straightened the bow affixed to the side of Lacey’s head. "There. She battles the beast and walks away both triumphant and gorgeous." Rising to his paws, Nash took a deep breath and shook out his fur.

"Well, I promised I'd get you home didn't I?" The scratches from the coyote hadn't been deep, but they did sting and he grimaced as he stretched his chest. "You ready to get going? It's a little ways back to your place, and it's going to be dark soon." Nash wasn't sure how tired Lacey was, or how badly she wanted to get home. If he had it his way he would have holed up somewhere in a barn and slept until morning, but Lacey had had a rough day and he didn't want to make it worse. "Unless you want me to find somewhere so you can rest for a bit."

Lacey watched him fretfully as he rolled over onto his belly and pushed himself up, wincing as he bothered his scratches. Lacey whimpered sadly as the blood dripped down his handsome white coat. She looked up at him with wide brown eyes, but could not help but smile happily as he called her a little lion. Yeah… she was, wasn’t she? His words really improved her mood, and her poofy tail was wagging joyously as he fixed her bow. ’She battles the beast and walks away both triumphant and gorgeous.’ If she had been half better before, she was all the way better now, her face completely lit up in a proud smile and her tail wagging. ”Of course! I am always triumphant and gorgeous!” Lacey boasted, strutting a few paced around him, her fluffy tail brushing his slender form as she passed. A coy smile on her face as she looked up at him. But her appreciation for his words shined in her eyes.

Lacey nodded, becoming serious again, ”Yes, you did..” she said, looking up at the darkening sky, then back up at the icy blue eyes of her companion, ”Can we make it home in time, though…? Especially because you have to go all the way back to the junkyard. Maybe waiting until morning would be a good idea… if we can find somewhere safe…” Lacey was not the brightest pup in the litter, but her assessment was more reasonable than most of her assessments were as the sun grazed the western horizon. Besides, she honestly was quite tired as well, and she didn’t know if she wanted to go all the way home in unfamiliar territory in the dark… she found herself very unwilling to get into anymore fights.

Nash nodded in agreement, in all the excitement he had forgotten he would need to walk all the way back to the junkyard after making it to town. Grunting, he hoisted himself up onto his hind legs and looked around. Let's see... Town's that way...Ah, perfect! He had spotted a small barn not far off, and it didn't appear to be in too bad of shape. It would do. Dropping back down onto all fours, he nodded in the direction of the barn. "There's a small barn over that way, it shouldn't take too long to get there."

He led the way through the field, occasionally hopping upwards to ensure they were still headed in the correct direction. It was uncomfortable but it was better than getting lost. It wasn't long before the pair reached the clearing where the barn was located and the greyhound mix paused. "Wait here, I'll see if anyone's home." He didn't know if she would actually listen, but he didn't hear anything and Nash doubted they'd run into anything else so it didn't matter. The door was partially opened and he glanced inside.

The floor of the barn was empty, save a rusting tractor on the left wall. The last rays of sunlight filtered in and Nash could see straw piled up in the corners of the structure. He pushed his way into the building. It looked safe and dry, and the straw piles were looking more and more comfortable by the minute. His chest was no longer bleeding, but it was tightening up and it was affecting his gait. "Coast's clear" he called out, looking to see where Lacey had gone.

Lacey bounced beside him as he stood on two legs and tried to locate a way out, leaping as high as she could yet she still was much shorter than he could stand. ”What do you see? What do you see?” she asked excitedly. Nash soon told her about a barn and she did a happy little spin, as she often did when she was excited. ”Sounds perfect!” she cried, bouncing happily at his side as they made their way through the grass. Each time he leaped up to look over the grass Lacey tried to as well, but even though she always came up too short to see she gave a satisfied nod as they continued to walk on.

Soon they reached the barn. Nash lead the way first and Lacey followed after him, her eyes narrowed seriously as she glanced around. He asked her to stay, but she didn’t really listen, although she did stay behind him, which she figured was probably good enough. From here she could easily shoot out from under him and battle any enemy that may be lurking!

But all was quiet and Nash made the call that it was safe to enter. ”Oh yay!” Lacey said. What a fun adventure this had turned into, even if it had started not so great. Nash had saved the day! She shot forward to the piles of hay and leaped into one, rolling in the earthy-smelling golden grass. She rolled to lay down on her belly, looking at Nash with tongue lolling and brown eyes bright. ”And don’t worry, Nash! If anyone wants to bother us, I’ll send them running for the hills!” she vowed with her chin lifted boldly. She fancied herself quite the fighter, especially since the coyote she had someone managed to fend off.

Nash chuckled as a bundle of golden fur shot out from behind him and leapt into the hay. He followed at a slower pace and carefully set himself down on his side on the pile just behind Lacey. "Good to know I'm well taken care of." The male lifted his front leg to assess the damage. The worst of the scratches had been near the top of his chest, which had also been the source of the bleeding. But even that would be healed within a week or so. He set to work cleaning off his front legs, the blood and dirt had been irritating him to no end and he was relieved to get rid of it.

Nash kept his icy blue gaze on Lacey as he worked. "So," he said between licks, "I thought we agreed we wouldn't do anything foolish while I was gone." His tone was serious, but his expression was light and teasing. Lacey was a big girl, not in size maybe, but she wasn't some pup he had to watch out for. He was just glad she hadn't gotten hurt. She certainly wasn't cut out for his lifestyle, but all things considered she had dealt with the day's events rather well.

The grey and white dog shook his head tragically. "Fighting off wild animals and spending the night with a junkyard dog. What would your humans think." He cried dramatically, throwing his head back and rolling onto his back in the soft straw. He idly wondered if her humans would be worried. Lacey seemed to live a nice life, so her absence would most likely be noticed. His own absence on the other hand would only be noted by those who kept a close eye on the amount of food that made it's way to the Pit.

Lacey looked up at him with a smile, but looked suddenly heartbroken as she noticed his cuts. She had completely forgotten. ”Oh no, you’re hurt!” she pomeranian mix cried, bouncing up the hay until she sat between his paws where she could easily reach his chest. She helped him clean his pale smooth fur, licking at the blood with a gentle tongue.

She heard his voice and her ears lowered sheepishly, glancing up at him, but she smiled as she realized that he was not angry or scolding by the teasing look on his face. She pouted, ”It’s not my fault that I got lost in the field! No one told me that it was dangerous in there…. they ought to put up a fence.” Lacey grumbled, wanting to divert the blame from herself, even if she was pretty clearly completely at fault. Nash had even warned her. Even she knew she had messed up this time as she helped him clean his wounds. ”I’m sorry…” she murmured hesitantly, almost under her breath.

Lacey scrambled out of the way as he rolled onto his back, his paws in the air. Lacey swatted at his ears, and then realized that he was probably right. ”Hm… I suppose you have a point… I do hope they don’t worry too much. They adore me, you know.” Lacey said with a proud smile, ruffling her thick golden fur as she spoke.

The lanky dog snickered as Lacey batted at his ears. "I'll bet. Cute little thing like you, what's not to love. " Nash stretched his legs to their full extent, reaching towards the barn roof and opening his jaws in a massive yawn. He let his legs fall as he rolled onto his side, careful not to whack Lacey upside the head whilst doing so. "Must be nice, having decent humans. Bet you've got them wrapped around your paw." He smiled at her, imagining all of the things her humans probably let her get away with. "Warm bed, lots of food, and the couches. Ohhh, those are the best..." The mutt trailed off wistfully, thinking back to the early months of his life.

It had been a long time since he had even remembered that far back. Nash was used to being a junkyard dog now, and often forgot he was a pet himself at one point. He gazed intently at Lacey, well-fed and groomed, barely a care in the world as far as he knew. Is that what my life could have been? He mused, before blinking and bringing himself back to the present. Here he was in the middle of a sort-of-not-really-rescue, lying injured in enemy territory, and instead of staying focused he was getting all nostalgic like some old hound. Typical.

Lacey smiled happily, ”I sure do! And yes… there are all of those things.” Lacey said brightly, but her smile faded as she noticed the distant look in the gray and white brindle male’s eyes. Their pale blue depths were far away from here, in a different time. Lacey tilted her head as she watched him, ”Do you… like being a junkyard dog?” she asked him gently. For once she sounded not like the aloof, rambunctious, presumptuous diva she most often was was, but an actual normal dog wanting to have an actual normal conversation.

Nash paused for a moment, contemplating the question. It was something he had never been asked before. Most junkyard dogs avoided talking about their pasts, as they were often violent, tragic, or both. He sat up and tilted his head to one side, studying Lacey's golden fur as he explained. "For the most part, yes... I get a place to call home, even if it isn't the nicest...but I get the freedom to do almost anything I'd like." The male's gaze shifted to meet hers and he smiled slightly. "I get to see you whenever I want, for instance. Sure, that freedom comes at a price." His expression soured. "It's not always the fairest place to live; my boss's word is law. But he's alright." Nash shrugged, looking down and noticing the wounds on his chest.

Going home would be a much different story if he were a pet. He would be surrounded by his family, and they would either take care of him there or take him to a vet. Afterwards he would curl up and be able to sleep on a bed or some other soft piece of furniture, surrounded by safety and comfort. Instead he would walk home to the busted old van he currently lived in, eat that bone he had hidden under the seat, and try to get some rest before setting off to find food for the faction early the next morning. And if anything, the minor wounds would be cause for teasing not concern.

Blinking several times, Nash realized he had gotten lost in thought again. Hopefully she hadn't asked him anything. He looked at Lacey and smiled apologetically. "Sorry...Got lost there for a bit. It has it's ups and downs. But I'm still running on all four legs and I've got both my ears so I can't complain." The grey and white hound grinned and wiggled his head back and forth, his ears flopping about. "What about you? What's it like on the other side of the fence?"

Lacey blushed, looking visibly pleased as he mentioned that he had the freedom to see her. How important she was to him! And he was important to her too. She blinked her deep brown eyes coyly. She noticed that he was getting lost in thought again and she tilted her head curiously, seriously trying to read him. But she couldn’t possibly know what was running through that sharp mind of his. So she stepped forward to lick his chest to help clean his cuts more as he was silent. It seemed like he was thinking, and she wondered if he would say something else.

She drew back to listen again as he concluded his summary of the junkyard experience. Lacey felt a spark of adventure alight in her belly. If she could be a farm dog, then perhaps… ”Do you think I could be a junkyard dog?” she asked, her voice bold and confident and quite expectant. Of course she figured Nash would say yes. How could he not after she had taken on that coyote? It didn’t seem to occur to her that she had gotten lucky. As far as she could tell, beating that one coyote meant she could beat a whole mob of coyotes anytime anyplace.

Lacey wagged her tail as he asked her about being a pet, ”It’s great! My owners take care of me, makes sure I am fed. I have a beautiful garden to roll in too! But you’ve seen it… isn’t it just the best?” she closed her eyes with a giddy smile at the very thought of her beloved home.

"Hmm. I think you could. But I don't think you'd like it very much. Especially not compared to your home now, what with your humans and all. And there certainly aren't any beautiful gardens in our territory." Nash was choosing his words carefully so as to spare the small female's feelings, but they weren't entirely untrue. With the exception of a few, there weren't any junkyard dogs he could think of that could bring themselves to hurt a dog like her for no reason. And then there was that prissy poodle that lived in the junkyard, Lily or Lyla or something like that. She seemed to get along fine after clearly coming from a much classier way of life. He saw no reason Lacey couldn't survive if she absolutely had to.

Suddenly, Nash remembered what happened the last time he had put ideas in the spirited pomeranian mix's head. "You definitely saved my tail today, but Lacey" the male paused to meet her gaze, his tone suddenly serious "Don't get any ideas. And I mean it this time. There are plenty of dogs out there that would make that coyote that came after us today look like the neighbor's cat. Dogs that I might not be able to protect you from." The junkyard dog shuddered to think of how some of the higher ranked dogs would react if they could see him now. They would use her as leverage against him to say the least.

"Not that I wouldn't try of course, but still. I don't want anything to happen to you because of my, ah...associates I guess you could call 'em." He shook his head looked at the ground, slightly embarrassed. "Look just...Just promise you won't go looking for me in the junkyard or anything." He pleaded, his ears back. "I'll come visit whenever you want. I'll take you wherever you wanna go. Just not there." The greyhound mix cleared his throat and looked away, suddenly aware of how desperate he must sound. "I mean, if you wanna see me again anyway. Or not. Whatever. Is it warm in here?" His tail thumped nervously and he fidgeted in his spot, fighting the urge to stand up and pace around the barn. Real smooth, Nash. Must've hit my head harder than I thought...

”Hmm…” Lacey thought about it a moment, ”Yeah… I guess maybe that’s not my kind of place. And besides, there are some nasty folks in there.” she said, ruffling her fur indignantly, still clearly miffed about her first encounter with the junkyard territory.

Lacey closed her eyes, basking happily in his praise, but she opened them again soon, her smile fading as he became serious. She tilted her head curiously. It sure did sound like some of these other dogs were quite fierce… she thought of Nexus and it made her shiver. She shook her head to clear it. She’s a lion. She couldn’t handle it… right? ”That’s when I’ll protect you.” She promised, putting her little paw on his forearm and looking up at him with her clear brown eyes. Her voice was not arrogant or aloof as it often was. It was sweet and sincere, and she truly believed what she said and intended it.

But he continued speaking and she could hear the concern in his voice. And his pale blue eyes were full of concern as he spoke. She relented, nodding. ”Okay… I promise, I won’t go into Junkyard Territory.” Lacey said, trying to really ingrain that promise in her mind. She didn’t mean to break promises, but she often did just because she tends to forget things.

And then Lacey noticed something as he got nervous. Did he… fancy her? Well, in her mind he did. And that made her feel even happier. She tucked her muzzle against her chest with her eyes narrowed flirtatiously, fluffing her thick fur on her tail and chest with a demure giggle. ”Of course I want to see you again.” She said, getting to her paws with a flourish and strutting over to him. She settled between his paws and twisted around onto her back so she could bat his chin playfully with her little paws. She could barely reach. She was trying to be attractive and seductive, but such a little puff ball was more cute than anything else, no matter how hard she may try to be sexy. But don’t tell her that! ”You know where I have always wanted to go? To the other side of Stray territory. There is water on both sides of Pet’s territory, and the farmland is huge on the third side of Canidale. But when does Stray territory end? Is there water or is there more land or…?” Lacey thought outloud.

Of course I want to see you again. Relief washed over the junkyard dog, and he smiled. In truth, Nash found Lacey's display more adorable than seductive, but it was endearing nonetheless. He felt her small paws batting at his chin and he tilted his head down look at her. The fluffy fur on the pomeranian mix's chest brushed against his muzzle, and he crinkled his nose and laughed.

"Stray territory huh? I've been through there a few times, but I'm not sure. We could make a date of it and find out." Nash winked and nudged Lacey gently with his nose. He enjoyed having the small bundle of energy by his side, she was a welcome relief from the generally disgruntled attitude of the junkyard. "After all, I'm gonna need someone to watch my back while I'm out there."

Lacey smiled as he nudged her with his nose and she batted his muzzle again with a playful glare. ”I’ll watch your back! I’m quite the watcher, everyone says so!” Lacey said. In truth no one really said so, except her owners who comment occasionally on how often she watches out the window. But if one person says it, Lacey assumes that everyone else basically say it too. Unless it is something bad… in that case only that one person said it and they are stupid. ”I’m so…. excited.” her sentence was split by a yawn. She curled into a fluffy golden ball between Nash’s paws, clearly intending to sleep there. ”I’m tired… think we’re okay to sleep here tonight?” she asked.

Lacey's yawn reminded Nash of his own exhaustion, and he lay his head down beside her. He had never had to share sleeping space with another dog before, but he certainly didn't mind now. Nash closed his eyes and inhaled the sweet night air, air that was clear of the fumes and junkyard scents he was used to. "Yeah, I think so. Get some rest, you'll be home before you know it." He let out a contented sigh, and the pair drifted off to sleep.