I walk a lonley road....

Her words were so soothing, but they seemed to just pierce his heart. Why had he gotten her into this? Why did he have to meet her? All he had wanted to do was get away, and now... Now, well, he had no idea. He couldn't even look at her. "I'm sorry, Raven," he said. "You should just... go. Pretend you never met me. If everyone says I'm a killer, then I guess I am one. What I say really doesn't matter anymore, even all the way out here."

Tyrone lifted his head from the ground and stared at her in genuine surprise. He thought he saw tears threatening to spill from the corners of her eyes, and she looked so strong and so heartbreaking that he realized he had never asked her what her past had been like... he had always just assumed. And when she said that they didn't care what anyone else called him, it sent an... odd feeling, into his chest. It was warm and sweet, like melted chocolate or honey. He blinked once, realizing that Raven was not going to leave, no matter what he said. He sat up.

"All right," he said in an undertone, but raised his eyes to hers. "I'm sorry, Raven... You don't have to go. I mean... You're probably the only friend I have." He had wished that wasn't true, but it was. He used to have tons of friends, within his pack and the Brotherhood, but that... That was all different now. And Raven was willing to understand him. "And the way I feel with you... I haven't really felt with any of my other friends. Er, friends I used to have. But I like the way I feel when I'm around you. It's nice. So... Don't go. I'm sorry."

His ears fell back and his tail remained low. It was perhaps the most submissive stance he had ever allowed her to see him in. He prayed he hadn't scared her off or angered her more, for all he really wanted was her ear to listen and her heart to understand. He knew he should have told her where he come from earlier, but why dig up bad memories? Apparently, though, they come back up from the earth like the living dead.

He leaned into her shoulder, welcoming the comfort. The last time someone had comforted him like this was when he was a pup, when his mother was still alive. "Thank you, Raven. I couldn't ask for a better friend," he said with a smile, his tail twitching in a bit of happiness. She really didn't care about his past because he had changed, and she knew it... and that was enough to make him happy. "But you're right about Darrel. If I don't go back, they'll hunt me down. I thought I had escaped him and the Brotherhood when I went into this desert... but I guess not. They're extremely good trackers. I don't know where I can run to." His orange eyes burned with worry, and he stood up, padding over to the water hole. He looked as his tri-colored face in his reflection, trying to figure out what he could do. "Do you think you can just run from your past and start over?" he said, not quite to himself or his reflection, but not quite to Raven, either. "Because that's what I'd like to do."

"Nah, it's okay," Tyrone said in response to her apology. "As for the Brotherhood, well... You see..." He sat back on his haunches and looked at her. It was going to be quite a tale, and he knew that. But Raven was willing to listen, and she had asked about it, so he may as well tell it. "Okay... Where do I start? Um... All right. The pack I come from has always been involved in war. I don't know why, but we always were and still are. My pack is what we call the 'Bloods'. I don't know why. That's just always what everyone around me referred to us as... And the war we fight, is against another big pack, called the 'Graves'. We're taught to hate them and that they're filthy and disgusting and don't deserve to rule the land that we rule... It's a pretty useless war, anyway, because no one is ever going to win. Sure, we can win the battles, but... The war itself is endless."

Tyrone hesitated. He wasn't sure if he wanted to go one, since what he had told her was already ridiculously dark. But... She wanted to know. "Anyways, Darrel is my older brother... Well, sorta. He's a part of the Blood pack, so everyone there is your brother or your sister. Not really by blood relation, but... You know what I mean. He's always been on the higher-up in the pack because he's such a good fighter. A couple of years ago, he decided to form an elite clan, one that would target specific wolves in the Graves pack. That is what became known as the Brotherhood of War... and what I became a part of."

He stopped again and shook his head. "I'm sorry. I really don't know if you want to hear the rest."

From the way she reacted, Tyrone knew he shouldn't have told her about Miranda. Dammit all, why couldn't he do anything right? But, Miranda's story was one that was to be told later. If anything, she was the one Tyrone wanted to get the most away from. His ears perked and his eyes lit up at Raven's plan to make the Bloods think he was dead. "What do you mean?" he asked, curiosity surging through him. "How could we do that?"

Tyrone could visualize the plan in his mind already. The fake Tyrone, drenching it in his scent, and then running for it and leaving Raven to deal with the rest. He slowly nodded as she spoke, the information sinking in. "I think... I think that might work," he finally said, recalling the skills of the Brotherhood. Sure, they were excellent trackers, but even they would be challenged by the harshness of the desert. If they worked out the plan to when there would be a sandstorm, it would give them so much more time and chances of it actually working. The sand would throw scents around, mix up directions, and cover tracks. Everything seemed like it would work, but suddenly Tyrone's eyes met hers.

"Raven... What about you?" he asked, a bit of doubt slipping into him. "What if... What if Darrel doesn't believe you and kills you? Or... or something goes wrong when the Brotherhood gets here? And like, when we leave the fake body here, and I run away, how are you going to follow me if my tracks and scent are covered? I don't know really anywhere outside of the desert here... and I don't want to risk coming back to the Oasis to see you... The Brotherhood might be waiting out for me to see if I'm really dead or something." Many more questions spun in his mind, for he was genuinely worried about her. He paused, catching his breath. "I mean... I really don't want you to get hurt or something... and have it be my fault."

Tyrone's brow furrowed. He shook his head. "Yeah, well, that was then, and this is now. And right now, you're important to my survival," he replied. Deep down, he had always known that he couldn't leave her. Sure, they may not have always gotten along or cared about one another, but he knew he'd already have gone back to the Brotherhood if he hadn't met her. "But, if you gave him the impression that we're enemies, all the better. I guess just when Darrel does approach you... Try not to get sucked into anything. The Bloods are more of a gang than a pack. The last thing that needs to happen is for you to get involved," he said, with a slight warning tone. Though, it was all in a manner of protection. Darrel was a tricky bastard. He could get away with whatever he wanted, if given the chance.

He tried to remember the water hole... He wasn't really good at remembering stuff, but this he did. He had caught a wild hare there and dined in the cool shade. "Yeah, I remember it," he said. "I'll wait there for you. I promise."

"Now," he said, changing the subject. "This wolf that's going to replace my body. You know I don't like to kill the innocent. Unless... You want to, and I don't hold that against you. But, before we do any killing... I was thinking maybe there'd be a dead wolf already out there we could use." He turned his orange gaze to the vast, scorching desert. On his travel to the Oasis, he remembered passing many lupine skeletons. Perhaps there were some fresh carcasses out there they could use.

Tyrone nodded. "Okay. We'll wait until night fall, and then we'll search the desert," he decided, knowing that it was better to travel in the night than in the day, especially with the blistering heat. His stomach growled, but it felt all knotted up within himself. He thought he was still full from the spider... He guessed it was just nerves, and hoped he didn't have food poisoning. That would've sucked... a lot. He looked to Raven, and his stomach knotted tighter. Dammit, he thought, What is wrong with me? He shook it off with a shake of the head, though, and went over to the water hole, stepping in. His tail curled up in pleasure as his hot pads soaked up the cool water. He grinned and looked over his shoulder at the dark femora behind him.

"C'mon, Raven. Loosen up a bit. I mean, I know this is dark and serious and such... but right now, we got nothing but time on our paws," he called, splashing about. The water came up to his chest, and felt so good against his warm skin underneath all of his fur. He waited a moment, and knew that she wouldn't be quick to jump in... Tyrone raised his front legs and chest up, and then came crashing down into the water, sending a small tidal wave in her direction.

Tyrone laughed, throwing his head high in the area. "A dunking, you say?" he called out. "Why you wouldn't - BLUBBLUBBLUB!!!" Raven's paws came crashing down on his skull and he sank deep into the water, air bubbles spurting out of his mouth and nose. She was on him, and he thrashed and kicked, but to no avail. He sank deeper and deeper underneath her weight, and he let the air seep out of his lungs until no more bubbles came up. His talons found the sandy bottom, and with his clenched muscles, he shot up, hoping to rocket Raven's body off of him entirely.

Tyrone grinned, standing tall and proud with his head high and his chest out, his boyish pride shining bright as the sun. "A truce?" he echoed. "Aww, c'mon. We were just getting started!" Her splash hit him in the face, and she was already sauntering off. Tyrone loped up and out of the water, shaking off his coat, water droplets flying everywhere. He wagged his tail, ears perked and full of energy. "So now what do we do, oh Mistress of Everything Serious and Gloomy?" Tyrone teased, his smile still on and his tail still swinging.

And down he went, splashing back into the pool. "You're just determined to drown me, aren't you?" he laughed, twisting his body and using his weight to dunk her, this time. They splashed and romped and spent the rest of the day just playing about, as if they were puppies in a puddle. The sun began to set, though, casting an orange glow over the golden lands. The earth began to cool. Tyrone stepped out of the water, shaking his coat off for a final time, gazing off into the sunset.

"We should probably eat something before we go looking," he suggested, his stomach growling. It seemed like it was days ago that he had eaten the tarantula instead of only mere hours. "Because I'm hungry as hell."