A Night to Remember
Another gift!! So much fun writing this for Hetepaa099
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A Night to Remember
By: DayDreamer copyright 2023
The air was unseasonably cold and Alexandra was continuing her search for needed materials to get back to her own world. She was having fun, but there were definitely times that she grew homesick. Her adventure had been quite interesting thus far. A fennec, a coyote, and another like herself had all proven to be quite entertaining for her.
Their time with her, however, had come and gone. She was left alone, having left another village empty handed, to explore the desert. She hadn't anticipated getting turned around and being forced to travel through the night. Luckily, she'd collected a variety of food and supplies that she was careful to ration. Who knows when she'll find someone to help her again.
As expected, the land was nearly barren of vegetation, and she was grateful that she didn't have to worry about getting heatstroke, or burning her paws on the sand. But that didn't change the fact that the dark was eerie and quiet. Her eyes played tricks on her, detecting shadows that weren't there. Her big ears were still reliable, though, and they told her that something was behind her.
For a while, she carried on, as if she didn't hear anything at all. She couldn't be sure of what the being would do if she turned to face it. After a few hundred paces, though, it seemed to be catching up with her, and she was not one to run away from a fight. Suddenly, she turned, a small, sharp knife held in her hand that she'd gotten from the locals.
"Who are you?!" She asked, voice booming through the quiet night.
Closer than she had anticipated, she found herself a mere 3 paces away from a large...something. They were hooded, and she couldn't quite make out any features.
"Reveal yourself!" She yelled again, striking towards them with her knife in hopes of intimidating them. Yeah, right, this thing's a giant, she thought, but they didn't need to know of her concern.
The creature's head tilted, much like one would do when confused, or curious. But that couldn't be the case here... could it?
"I said reveal yourself!!" Another swipe of her knife.
Head still tilted, the creature lifted its muscular arms, the sleeves falling back to reveal a splotchy pattern in their fur. Much like her own. Within a few moments, a male painted dog met her gaze, a confused expression on his face.
"You like me." He stated, motioning between the two of them.
Alexandra hesitated, unsure of what he meant. No, I don't like you, you're a stranger and stalking me in the middle of the night, she thought before realizing what he was really saying. She was like him. They were the same. More or less. "Yes." She finally spoke, arm still extended towards him, "what do you want?"
"Me protect. Don't want friend hurt." He said, motioning to the unknown dangers around them.
"Friend? I don't know you."
"You like me, alone. You friend. Need help."
Her hand dropped, if only slightly, coming to terms that this man didn't seem to be interested in fighting. "Who are you?" She asked, her tone finally dropping to normal levels.
"Kee'lo"
"Well, Kee'lo, do you have somewhere we can stay for the night?" She wasn't completely sure if he could be trusted, but she was desperate for some rest.
He nodded, closing the gap between them with a single step, "No knife." He added, placing a large, but gentle hand around her wrist, pushing it lower.
"Okayyyyy" she said, her own head tilted in confusion.
"Follow." He stepped around her, taking a few steps before he turned back towards her, "or carry?" His arms were held out, motioning to her body. Alexandra considered it, for only a moment. He is kinda cute, she thought with a shake of her head. She took her own steps forward, trying to keep pace with his long strides.
~ fin ~