Nanook's journey

As the sun peeks over the tops of the pine forest a fog silently creeps in. Through the dense fog a canine wearily strides through the territory. He halts and cranes his broad head to scan the area. He lifts his muzzle and scents the air for any other dogs. He lowers his head and quickens his pace into a swift trot. His brindle fur is covered with dried mud and burrs from his long journey through the mountains. His round ears stay perked and alert as he bounds through a puddle giving him a new coat of mud left to become matted into his fur. He blindly trips over a root poking out from the ground and tumbles over in a heap. He lies sprawled out on the ground, panting and weak. His almond brown eyes narrow slightly as he rolls back on to his large webbed paws. He sits on his haunches and lifts his hind paw, scratching behind his ear and resting for a while.

From a fair distance away Magpie heard footsteps, was this an intruder? She couldn't smell from this far away, and wasn't sure if the other dog was dangerous, but headed in the direction of the sound.

Thunder looks up at the dogs and sneezes. The little pup raises his eyebrows. "What'cha doing?"