Quiet Deliberation.

[River]

Little drops of rain began to pitapat down on the dry ground around her, slapping against the ground and creating a mix of liquid and mud. She didn't like it - not the rain, but when the rain was coming down. There wasn't a cloud in the sky, and the sun still burned on heavily, as if it were trying to set the earth itself ablaze and destroy everything on it. Much to her surprise, then, the sun quickly sank down, giving way to a giant red orb, a planet that she hadn't seen before in her entire life. It was a strange sight to see; the giant red planet, with wispy clouds that looked like blood swirling around its atmosphere. And what were those bits and pieces around it? Any modern day scientist would know it an asteroid field, but to Eve, it was just a marvel of nature, something she was foreign to. Looking closer, those seagreen eyes suddenly flew wide and she stumbled back, realization smacking her in the face. Those weren't rocks floating around that planet - they were skulls, and skulls of wolves and humans, and birds and deer. Her jaw tightened, and she stumbled backwards yet again, though this time her back feet seemed to fall, as if she was melting into the ground. The rainshower stopped, though a striking flash of lightning dove deep into the ground before her, splitting the earth and causing it to shake violently.

Jolting upright with a gasp, the golden beta looked as if she'd seen hell and heaven at war. Reddened eyes glanced around at her den, then to herself, checking to make sure it was all just a dream. Thankfully it was, and she gave a more than relieved sigh. "Damn.. " she muttered softly, raising a paw to rub her eyes as if she could simply wipe away those visions. Everytime she blinked, she saw them all - the red planet, the skulls, the shattering earth. It all had to mean something. It just had to. Nothing like that ever came without a reason - was it a sign of something terrible to happen? After a few moments of sitting in the sanctity of her den in quiet deliberation on the subject, she stood, slipping out between the crack in the rock that made her den entrance. Once out, she gave herself a mighty shake, sending bits of sand away from her creamy body.

The thing that occurred to her then was that the dream she'd had only moments ago was not the first of its kind. She dared not call them nightmares - no, they were poetic expressions of the mind, something that swelled within the darkest reached of her brain and burst out in a flash of mystery and ominous signs. Though they did frighten her, she appreciated them; they gave her something to think about, a distraction from the overwhelming stress that had built up inside of her upon gaining her new rank. The thing about Eve was that she didn't forget things easily - each day she remained beta was like the very first day she'd been assigned to the rank. The idea of stress and so much work never left her mind, so it was always good to have a distraction to avert her mind from the thoughts of the work that her job required her to do. Silently, as it was still nighttime even though the sun was beginning to pink the sky, she made her way down from the high cliffs to the watery oasis below. The cool stone, always shaded by the lush trees that grew around, felt amazing on her paws. She'd trained too much the previous day, and it had worn her out. Her paws ached, as well as her shoulders and legs. Of course, she knew nothing ever came easy - she was proud of herself for pushing her limits. Eve sighed, lowering her head to lap up the cool liquid of the oasis pool. After that she'd sit back, give her neck a quick scratch( the black collar she wore did hide a few itches underneath ), and raise her head to gaze at the fading stars.

What did they need to tell her?

[River]

Early morning. That was just about the only time Draven got a moment to himself. During the day, Mistral demanded his total attention. At night, he got alone time with Icebite. But just before the sun rose, Icebite and Mistral were both asleep. For those precious couple hours, he had the chance to be alone. It gave him a chance to relax, to think, or simply to take care of himself. The moments alone had become cherished in the past couple of weeks.

Moving cautiously so as not to wake up his friends, Draven slipped out of the den they shared. The stars were slowly fading from the dawn sky, but the moon remained the most reliable source of light. Its pale glow lit his path down to the water hole, his destination. For once, he was able to make it down the rocky slope without tripping over himself. Once he was at the water's edge, he laid down and dipped his feet in the cool liquid. He shuddered a little at the cold, then released a content sigh. That feels nice...His teal eye closed slowly and a smile spread on his gray muzzle.

He was so absorbed in how wonderful the cold water felt that it was a few minutes before he sensed the presence of another wolf. What was more, it was a familiar scent. He had met with this wolf on more than one occasion. Curious to see who it was, Draven opened his eye again. His ears went back in concern as he spotted Eve, who looked like she hadn't been sleeping well. She was looking up at the sky, seemingly deep in thought. Draven got up and waded closer to where she sat. "Rough night, Eve?"

[River]

The red dog was already awake and alert as the first rays on golden light painted his fur. Those few seconds before the sunlight were something that enchanted him; the light brought with it a shock of cold as a night’s worth of moisture was suddenly and rapidly evaporated from the desert soil. Taking a deep breath of chilled air Benoni took the time to simply enjoy the cold before it faded away in the baking desert sun. For now the Oasis was silent, all those bar the night watch still huddling for warmth in their dens. It was the silence that drew him into the center of his beloved desert this early in the morning – it was the perfect time to grab a much needed drink before the hustle and bustle became too much.

Long, steady legs made the journey around the huge red boulders surrounding the water seem easy. Benoni had lived his life in the Oasis and despite knowing next to no one he knew his way through the desert like the back of his paw. During the day the boulders would provide shade for the larger dires that inhabited the oasis and he for the most part tried to avoid. By the middle of the day Benoni would be scouring the outskirts of the desert, enjoying the way the sun sparkled over the sandstone cliffs. A small, peaceful smile flickered across his muzzle, already imagining those tiny quartz veins catching the light and sending tiny ripples of colour across the deep shadows hidden within the cliffs.

The water played a similar game, early morning sunlight dancing across barely there ripples. Today Benoni wasn’t the only one making the trek down to the water’s edge. A golden female was already drinking her fill, but a troubled look marred her features in a way Benoni couldn’t stand for. Her eyes were coloured with blood, a sure sign that something was wrong. A dark male was already questioning her discomfort but even so Benoni moved to her side. Keeping his eyes friendly and calm the mutt wet his paws beside the two, eager to help any way he could.

“Hey.” As always Benoni’s voice was easy going and soft. “Could I ask what’s wrong? It seems too nice a morning to look so down.”

[River]

The dream still perplexed her - she had never seen anything like the sights that had appeared to her then. They were all so strange, too, like something from a soothsayer's story of the end of the world, or their explanation of the world unknown. Had it been anyone else, they would have dismissed the dream as a nightmare and tried to forget about it, but Eve enveloped herself in trying to remember it and store it away, hoping someday to find an answer for such abnormalities. However, her concentration was shattered when the familiar scent of Draven found its way to her senses, and she lowered her gaze, looking fondly at the healer. He hadn't noticed her yet, but until he did she was perfectly content to sit silently and enjoy the serenity of early morning. However, as it always was with Draven, it didn't take him long to notice her and speak. His words were soothing to her ears, though unfamiliar at the same time - she knew his voice, but the world around her had been so silent for so long that a voice seemed strange.

A smile, quaint and sincere, spread across her lips, and one would have expected her to hide her nightmarish visions away and lie, say that everything was alright; not Eve. She nodded a bit, her creamy bangs dangling down in front of her eyes, before she raised a paw and pushed them off to the side. The golden beta was almost hesitant to give an explanation, not because she was afraid of rejection or scrutiny, but because she wasn't even sure where to start. Each and every thing in her dreams had a meaning, and she knew it did - dreams were often the release of stress, or explanations that the brain thought up. At least, that was what Eve thought about them. Before she could speak, however, another wolf arrived, one she hadn't had the pleasure of meeting yet. A little to her surprise, she was slightly taller than the male. Though a pleasant thought, she couldn't dwell on it for long. The new male must have had some dog or other canine in him. Directing her attention back to Draven, the beta would then delve into her story.

"Rough nights, rather." She began, her voice calm, but seemingly holding more to it than just that. "I've been having these strange dreams lately, dreams that I can't explain well enough to do them justice. The latest one I had, was the one from last night. I found myself outside of the oasis, in a rainstorm on a clear, sunny day. There was.. this giant red planet, that had the skulls of so many animals swirling around it, like a planet of death with clouds that looked like freshly spilled blood. The blood of those animals swirling around it? I'm not sure. Then there was a strike of lightning, and when I tried to move, it felt like I was sinking, stuck in the ground." She paused for a moment, checking her story over to make sure she covered everything. Figuring out that she did, she nodded a bit. "That's it." Finally she turned to the newcomer, her eyes soft and welcoming. "I'm Eve, beta of the Outlands. Pleasure to meet you." Her voice was a soft as her eyes, mimicking them in a way - soft, inviting, motherly and friendly.