Sorry, my posts might be a bit short until things really kick off.

Mal, growing up a bit of an outsider in his pack, liked to break some of the many rules of night watch. Two of the most important being a) Don't go near the town, and b) Do not fall asleep. On that particular night, he was happily breaking both rules. In all his time with this pack, only one human had ever wandered into the pack's territory. So most nights he had watch duty were spent near the highways, trails, or backyards, dozing peacefully at the edge of the woods as the soothing white noise of distant cars lulled him to sleep.

He was rudely jolted from his nap by a girl wandering by whose scent was startlingly strong. His tired brain couldn't process it at first, but it sure did surprise him when she just walked off of the path and into the forest. She was only ten feet away and his ink black fur was hiding him, so he decided to have a bit of fun. He waited for her to wander in a bit further, then rose to his feet and silently followed her. His amusement grew when he saw the full backpack. A runaway, he surmised, and he decided to begin his game.

Silently he crept up to her. With a playful growl, he rose onto his hind legs and shoved her forward with his front paws, settling on her back when she fell to the forest floor. He pressed his nose into her neck and snuffled around, gauging her scent. Amazing, he decided. Her scent was indescribable. Maybe something like blankets fresh out of the drier, or the air before a rainstorm. Autumn mist. All intangible, fleeting scents that made one feel comforted.