<span style="font-style: italic">Cream jaw rested on both paws, Lottie looked up nervously, brown eyes as frightfully emotive as a thousand canines before and probably a billion after. A plastic bag danced inches above the pavement, swirling and meandering down the road, frayed leaves picking up and scattering for the breeze. <br/><br/>Ears flat against her skull, Lottie picked herself up and slunk cautiously to the door.<br/><br/>Her Clyde hadn't noticed. <br/><br/>Had noticed the drop in temperature...<br/>The strange, daunting scent in the air, like the burning stink of too much adrenaline before a fight, as thick as the air before the sky clashes and bangs.... <br/>He was too busy doing human things.<br/><br/>An awkward keening noise rose in the back of her throat, her tail between her legs for nerves. The wind brought bad things! She loped towards her human and with one small precise snap, she tore holes in the back of his shirt. It hadn't been </span>intentional<span style="font-style: italic">... she'd just ... forgotten yanking people fur had to be done much more delicately.... <br/><br/>Oops. l</span><br/><br/>"Oh! Lottie!! Come one!" Clyde seized the corners of the once snappy, irritably suave white thing and frowned. Big wolf teeth sized holes now decorated the garment. Maybe he could make it a fashion statement or something...<br/><br/>He sighed. The irritable frown melting away to a half amused expression, one red eyebrow cocked, "Well," he scowled light heartedly, too used to Lottie's nervous and sometimes irrational behaviour, "What's gotten into your pretty little head that's gone done that, eh Missy?"<br/><br/>He scratched behind the wolf's ears, but, unlike her she didn't respond.<br/><br/>"Lot?"<br/><br/>The animal stared dead ahead, chocolate eyes dulled to a sharp, alert brown, every limb as tense as piano wire, tail still between her legs. A low grown rose in her throat...<br/><br/>Old man Buddy frowned at the display from the other side of the pavement. He scratched the dull hair behind his ears, "What's gotten int' the mutt Clyde?"<br/><br/>The red headed boy was already hunkered down to her level, fingers lightly tracing the fur on the scruff on her neck, "What do you smell baba?"<br/><br/>"She got 'er teeth out boy, y'be careful..."<br/><br/>Clyde looked sidewards bemused, "She's not going to bite me," he looked back at the poor animal trying guesswork at her expression. Lottie had always been a bit of the mystery to him, part of him had begun to ponder, to suspect she wasn't connected to him, you know, like the others were to their wolves, but he'd chased that one of the door like a rat the minute it had arrived in his head. It ... it was probably down to her rocky upbringing!<br/><br/>The small lupa whined and gave his leg a fierce nudge with her snout.<br/><br/>He sighed and gave her another scratch, "I'm sorry Buddy..." He hauled himself to his feet with a small grunt, "I'm gonna take her home, somethings got her spooked,"<br/><br/>"Hey hey, no, no problem at all son!" The old Italian shrugged, "You go have her seen to! Just.." he gave the animal a wary stare, voice faltering distrustfully, "... just you be careful. You never can tell," he shot him a cheery wink immediately after, like it would act as a plaster against the small cut of a comment. Clyde wasn't so convinced, but-- well, Buddy was only looking out for his health. The grey haired old friend never meant any harm.<br/><br/>Clyde frowned, hitched up his jeans a touch and launched into a brisk jog. Lottie took to his side.<br/><br/>But it wasn't homewards the wolf thief was headed... Not at all.<br/><br/>***     ****    ***