{mirror mirror on the wall} o

[~Mirror~]

THE pond rippled as a soft cool breeze ghosted over it. In it's waters, an image wavered. It was the face of a dog, well, more like a wolf-dog. A long muzzle colored white, a black face, carmel colored eyes with a slice of blue in the right eye. From there, two large black and white ears stood atop the canine's head. Though the pond didn't show it, the canine was laying down at the very bank of the pond, tips of her paws bare centimeters from the glassy surface. A thick-furred mostly black body was what made up this particular female canine, burly and bulky. To some, she looked odd because wolves were known for being big but not fluffy and dogs were known for being fluffy but not particularly big. This was what Malamute, Husky and wolf blood made. Others would call her ugly because her fur didn't have the clean, classic markings of a Malamute or Husky and her eyes lacked the full icy blue of a Husky, yet they did not have the jewel-bright amber of a wolf. She looked dull and plain, except perhaps for her size, since few females were so large. Looking at herself in the rippling waters, the she-wolfdog sighed softly. More ripples cascaded from the disturbance of her breath.

HOW could beautiful things make something so ugly? That was more or less the train of Mirror's thoughts. She'd seen huskies, malamutes and wolves. They came to the island, unlike her, she'd been born here. Wolves were sleek, powerful, formidable. Huskies were clean and elegant, strong yet soft in the way of dogs. Malamutes, big and fluffy, were soft in the manner of dogs but had the formidable personas of wolves. Mirror, she had always felt out of sorts about her blood. The slice of blue in her eye, it seperated her from her nearly identical sister whom had shown more wolf than dog. That had been Mirror's downfall, wearing the subtle features of a dog. Her ears, though triangular, were not particularly sharp, instead a bit more rounded on top. The slice of blue gave away husky blood and her body shape was more malamute than wolf. Her legs, though she was tall, were thick with muscle, her chest deep and broad. Her tail curled a little at the end, curving up unlike any wolf tail she had ever seen. Subtle things, little things. They all damned her, or at least in the eyes of her mother.

LOOKING at her features now, mature and actually grown into the feet that had been monsterously huge as a puppy, Mirror still wasn't sure what she was exepcting to see whenever she looked in a puddle or pond. Did she expect to change? Yes, she had when she was little. She used to expect to one day wake up and the blue sliver be gone and her fur be sleeker. She'd been sorely disappointed. Each day it had grown longer and thicker. She had wished that someday she'd wake up and look perfectly like a wolf or like a husky or a malamute. She didn't care about dog or wolf, she just wanted to be something. Something that wasn't mixed up, that wasn't ugly, that wasn't hated.

SCOOTING forward carefully, Mirror stretched out her neck. Her black nose touched the pond's surface. The reflection was distorted. It rippled and vanished. Sitting back, now sitting up right, the she-dog watched it reform. Still the same black and white face. Same eyes. Same fluffy fur. Closing her eyes, the she-dog seemed to deflate a bit as she sighed. Always the same. Always Mirror. Always nobody. She rested in that gray area between domestic dog and feral wolf. Her sister, she'd had it easy. She looked wolf. Acted wolf. Thought wolf. Mirror...she could be feral if she needed to be, you had to be when raised by a wolf pack. But she lacked their aggression. She was dog at heart but wore both coats. Neither of them seemed to fit.

[ukprincess]

Stumbling through the tall white trees Dakota searched for any signs of live. He was confused as to where he was and how he had gotten there. The last thing he remembered was walking through a small neighborhood and then he woke up in this beautiful place. Working up the strength he trotted up a hill top and into the bright afternoon sun. A small breeze ruffled his long shaggy reddish coat. It was matted in some placed and was easily deceptionable about his weight. His lean muscles tensed while he sniffed the air looking for any scents.

Looking to the left he caught the smell of watch and something else. The scent was off. Maybe I'm still dizzy from earlier, he thought to himself. Dakota stretched out his long lean body and then shook it off. His head felt clearer not and he felt his full strength returning to him. Nervous about heading towards the water he was curious about who else was there. Instead of sneaking up on whoever it was and causing a conflict he decided to let out a warning. Raising his maw to the crystal blue sky he closed his bright yellow eyes and let out a long howl that started low and raised in pitch. Perking up his ears to listen for a reply he faced the water.

Suddenly he felt very eager to find this creature. He broke to a steady long stride lope down the hill and into the trees. Dakota let his long stride carry himself easily threw the tall grass and trees. Slowing up a little he sniffed the air again and could tell he was getting close. Dakota slowed to a walk and then to a crawl. Getting down on his belly he silently made his way through the grass towards the pond that was home to what he thought was a large dog. The only thing was this large dog smelled like a wolf. She was a dull color but it was so unique to Dakota he was curious as to what she really was. He decided to stay put and watch the beautiful creature from a distance to see what her story was.