I walk a lonley road....

"My eyes are open!" he barked as she picked the bramble from his scruff. "But, seriously. I was raised in the desert. This really is the forest time I've ever been in a forest... especially at night. I know to you and some other wolves it's weird, but, that's just the way it is." He followed her gaze and inhaled deeply, now both seeing the creek and smelling it. He couldn't really smell the old wolf scent he was talking about, but it was a start. Tyrone followed her down to the stream, and the deeper they went into the woods, the more he was convinced that he was physically impaired when it came to forest life. Not only was he large and his shoulders seeming to bump into every twig and tree, not only was his nose overwhelmed with scents he couldn't recognize, and not only did brambles and burrs of all kinds stick to his fur, but now there were bugs. Bugs everywhere. Mosquitoes, in particular, flying into the fleshy parts of his ear, their high-pitched buzzing like a screeching owl in his eardrum. Tyrone growled and batted the air. He was used to bugs, but these... Well, they were everywhere. "Dammit all..." he cursed beneath his breath, but then glanced at Raven. She was ignoring the bugs entirely.

He took his own drink of water, but he stopped after he accidentally swallowed three more bugs... and one of them definitely wasn't a mosquito. His orange eyes landed on Raven's sleek form once again, and despite his growing hatred of the forest, there seemed to be something... natural with her being here. His ears flicked back at this realization: Raven was a forest wolf, and he a desert one. Sure, they could adapt to each other's environments, but... it was easy to see who preferred what and who did not. But he continued to stare, yet again fascinated with her dark, lithe body. She was beau -

A breaking branch snapped his sights away from Raven. His eyes darted back and forth between the line of trees that yielded to the creek, searching for whoever was there. He inhaled, standing tall and his tail crowning over his back, taking a very defensive position. If it was a wolf coming to assassinate them or any kind of predator on the prowl, Tyrone would make certain that no tooth or claw landed on Raven. "Whoever you are, come on out!" he barked, voice deeper than it usually was and matching his incredible size. He was ready to fight if he had to.

Tyrone's pillars stood like stone as the old wolf emerged from the forest. His ears flipped back and his nose wrinkled at the stink Barbos carried - it smelled very close to death, and Tyrone felt like he was just waiting for him to flop over at any moment. He backed up and stood next to Raven, his muscles still very tense, his shoulder brushing hers. He gazed at Barbos with orange, wary eyes. "She's not my..." he began, but then paused. He didn't have to tell this old man anything. He shook his head. "Never mind. We're looking for a wolf corpse. You wouldn't happen to know where one is, would you?" All of Tyrone's senses told him that he couldn't trust this guy... Something about him just didn't sit right.

Tyrone's ears pinned back once more in defense. "What does it matter to you?" he spat, his fur ruffled by his comments about Raven. Tyrone would make sure the old coot didn't lay a single paw on her. "You asked what we were doing, I told you. Any other questions, grandpa?" Tyrone's lush tassle swayed, as if a signal that his temper was beginning to run a little high. He could sense Raven's unease as well. Before Barbos could reply, Tyrone snorted and turned his back, his eyes on Raven. "C'mon, Rae. Let's go somewhere else."

Tyrone paused in his step, ears twisted back towards the old wolf. He turned around, an eyebrow raised. "And why do that for us?" he said, skeptical and curious now. "Are you asking me to kill you? Why not just let the Grim Reaper do it himself?" Yes, this provided an opportunity for them... but it was too obvious to tell the differences between Tyrone and Barbos. Tyrone was large, tri-colored, and muscular; whereas Barbos was skinny, grey, and weak-looking, and not to mention missing teeth. Darrel and the Brotherhood wouldn't at all be fooled.

Tyrone paused, watching the old wolf pick at a flea... No, he hadn't at all considered that he may know something... else. Tyrone considered the options in his head... They could wait for this old wolf to die off, pick up his corpse, drag it all the way back to the Oasis, and hopefully Darrel wouldn't notice that it wasn't really him; they could just turn away now and hope to find something else in the forest; or, they could see what this old man had to say. The tri-hued brute sighed, rolling his eyes and giving in. "All right, gramps," he said, ears flicked back in annoyance. Now that he would be talking to this guy, he'd have to be patient, and Tyrone was anything but. "Since the only thing you're a threat to is the fleas in fur... We need a corpse. Preferably a fresh one with a couple of scars. Kinda young-looking, like me." He knew that wouldn't suffice, but he didn't want to risk telling him too much of their plan... What happened if Darrel traced their scents to all the way back here, and questioned Barbos? Tyrone closed his eyes, searching in his head for a good lie. "Because, uh... It's, um... It's a training ritual I got back home. Me and uh, my... friend, here, were chosen to fetch a corpse to show all the youngsters what happens after you die... Y'know, besides all the spiritual mumbo-jumbo. Know what I'm sayin'?"

Tyrone raised a brow. What did this old coot mean by 'something else'? He looked to Raven, wondering if she had any idea. Tyrone's auds twisted as Barbos spoke again about the buzzards. Huh, why hadn't they thought of that? Tyrone's stomach rumbled, as if it were an automatic response to Barbos' request to catch an elf as payment for staying in his lands. He had never had elk, but it sounded pretty damn good at the moment. "I think..." Tyrone paused, unsure to make a decision just yet. Raven was being awfully quiet throughout this whole thing. "I think you'll have to give us a moment to talk this over. Excuse us."

Tyrone turned his back and walked a few paces away, motioning for Raven to follow. He wanted to trust this old man's words, but... he didn't know why he was so hesitant. Maybe it was the darkness and unfamiliarity of this forest... and not to mention Barbos had said something about a prowling cat. That didn't put him on edge at all.

Tyrone sighed, clearly annoyed by the situation. "Well, if that cat shows up, we're outta here," he grunted, inhaling the thick scents of the forests as he spoke. He could faintly smell the lion - it must have been in the area only a couple hours before. "I mean, I'm pretty big and I've tangled with them before, but they aren't the fairest of fighters." He glanced over his shoulder at the old wolf, picking the fleas out of his coat or something. "But I guess you're right. We don't have a choice. And if he flops over dead while we're here... Well, if that lion does show up, at least we'll have a distraction," he said. The idea was somewhat cruel, but if it meant securing their escape, then all the better.

He turned back to Barbos, brow set. "Fine, old man. We'll help you get some dinner," he said, not entirely willing to help Barbos, but not shunning his offer, either. If anything, a good hunt would distract Tyrone from their current mission and all the frustrations he currently had.

Tyrone cast one more look at his companion; they had made a choice, and now had to stick with it. He could only hope that this old wolf wasn't tricking them in some way, like lead them to the lion or something. The forest grew thicker as he followed Barbos, his eyes growing used to the darkness and his nose beginning to sort out the millions of smells - one of them being the increasing scent of water. His eyes grew wide as Barbos led them to the top of a waterfall, cascading down over the side of a cliff. He heard Raven gasp, and he just couldn't repress a smile - it was such a beautiful sight, it was hard not to.

His ears flicked as Barbos called, suddenly down below them and seeming to dissappear behind the waterfall. Tyrone promptly stopped, fear taking over him. He looked and Raven and gave her a cheesy grin. "Uh, you can go ahead," he said, gesturing at the steep slope with one of his huge paws. "Ladies first and all."

Tyrone snorted. "What's that supposed to mean?" he asked, laughing as he spoke. He allowed her to go first and he followed, his large paws slipping on the narrow edges of the path. He pressed himself to the wall as the waterfall roared next to him and overhead, threatening to push him off into the water far, far below. He clenched his teeth and tried to keep his eyes focused on the slope in front of him, and not on the rushing water below. "I hate this place," he muttered, trying to get traction on the wet surface. Sure, they had some waterfalls at an oasis or two in the desert, but nothing like this - nothing that required them to go behind it. He growled; it was that stupid old man, probably leading them into a trap. This wasn't his den. He wanted to eat them and kill them or go fishing for their dead bodies or something.

He finally made it to the bottom despite his uneasy way down, following Barbos and Raven through the darkness. Oddly enough, the cave wasn't wet to the touch, but... dry. Weird. He followed them as they came upon an opening, where the sun was beginning to rise on a valley. He joined Raven's side as they overlooked the valley surrounded by cliffs. "Talk about a diamond in the rough," he said, always having some quip or another on hand. He didn't care if he had agreed to help Barbos, it didn't change much about the way he felt about him. "All right, so you've shown us the elk. Now where do we take it?" he asked the old wolf, hoping he would catch him off-guard. Hell, it wouldn't surprise him if Barbos couldn't even remember where he lived because he was that senile.

"Bear?" Tyrone echoed, his ears alert and muscles at the ready. It wasn't a word that should be commonly uttered in these neck of the woods, he guessed. Bears were what the wolves of the forest had always forewarned about. But he swallowed his concern, knowing that he really didn't have a choice, especially if this old wolf claimed that it was dead. He glanced at Raven and snorted. "If he leads us into a bear cave, then I'm leaving him there to die," Tyrone murmured under his breath. He still followed Barbos, though, as they zigzagged through the forest and came upon the rocks. While the dens did look too small to house a bear, Tyrone knew that animals came in all shapes and sizes.

"Okay, okay," he said impatiently, tassle flickering. "We're going on the hunt now, or at least I am. See you later." He turned westward for a meadow he had seen in their passing, one where the elk had been grazing. He was really tired of all this right now.

Tyrone sighed. "I just wanted to get away from him," he replied, orange eyes set ahead. He spotted a break in the forest, a place that lead out to the meadow. "And I'm tired. We've been travelling all night, and now he wants us to hunt? And he never said what he'd give us in return. Sorry to say, but I can't really trust him." He came upon the meadow, the sun shining down upon his tri-colored coat and striking his eyes. The wind was in his favor and he could smell the herd of elk that Barbos had been talking about.

He couldn't help but smile at her comment about Barbos flopping over dead. "Heh, we can only hope," he chuckled, but his smile was soon replaced with a disappointed frown. He shook his head and sighed. "No," he said. "Though this place is a paradise... I've learned to never doubt the Brotherhood's skills. They'll follow us. If Darrel doesn't find me, then Miranda will. She's probably already heard that I'm still alive, and will want to put me in my place, if you know what I mean." He came beside her, his shoulder brushing hers. "But for now... I could use some relaxation." He laid down in the patch of warm, dappled morning sun. The emerald grass was shimmering with dew and he inhaled, the morning smelling... crisp. Odd. He had never scented such a thing - the desert always made the morning smell dusty and dry. His shining orange eyes looked up at her, her shadow cast over him. "C'mon. Let's lay down for a while. I'm tired."