"szybki! teraz!"

harsh orders barked behind him as he dove underneath the wired barriers. the explosion of mortars kept his heart racing and ears perked for oncoming attacks. they had to survive. three more months and they would be allowed leave for visiting home.

the thought alone kept them going. fighting to stay alive. in three months he could sleep on a proper bed. eat real food with clean water. no more worrying about ambushes at night or how many days they had to continue to ration...

"mikolaj! żołnierze wroga!" their gaze turned to look behind them, body stiff seeing their partner tackled down back into the trenches. a swift sweep had suddenly picked them up in their moment of distraction, and he responded giving snarls and nasty bites and snaps, trying to find his attackers face and neck.

"mikooo! miko…!"

the shepherd's eyes snapped open, checking their surroundings before moving to stand. it had been some time since they dreamed of those times... it made mikolaj uncomfortable seeing those memories again. it had been so long ago... that was not who he was anymore. he scoffed at his own emotions getting to him, pushing his way across the dusty, debris-littered room before leaving home. it looked like morning had just begun, tanglers still rising out of bed bitterly and continuing their start of the day.

mikolaj avoided the main road, instead heading toward the farmlands. the people there kept to themselves a bit more over there, just focusing on their tasks on the ranch. the presence of the farm also gave the shepherd peace, reminding him of home.

rising up on a hill overlooking the farm, mikolaj stopped to sit and rest. he wasn't sure what his duties were here, exactly. he enjoyed the freedom to do as he pleased, though, perhaps soon crow or whomever was in charge would direct him somewhere useful. for now, he would rest and enjoy the developing summer sun.

[member=5539]moth[/member]

"SPEECH"

mikolaj's senses were not perked or alarmed that morning, giving moth's decision to follow him lucky. had he been in a place he hadn't felt comfortable in he would have definitely been looking for something to pick up on, just to ensure he was alone. like sam, when they had first met, with her cigarette smoke clinging to her pelt and on her breath. uck.

when moth had become closer, about thirty feet away, mikolaj had picked up her scent. the shepherd's ear twitched, wondering if she was looking to approach him or just by and continue on her way. he received his answer not moments later when he heard her voice pipe up.

mikolaj lazily opened an eye at her, recognizing her from the border. perhaps she had seen him there in his brutish stance. a wonder why she would think to approach him now, or at all. a soft grumble came from the canine before he sat up straight, eye's narrowing as they looked down at the petite fox.

did he have to answer? she seemed much too oblivious to read when someone wished to be unbothered...

"mmph…" was all he mumbled, nodding his head. they had not officially met. he wasn't concerned with how well anyone knew him here, if at all. they had simply asked for a name when he arrived and that was all he had given. perhaps, though, he couldn't blame her for being curious. she was still young and while his days as a pup were long, long behind him, he could slightly empathize.

he just hoped this curiosity would not get her harmed later.

"... mikolaj." he decided to introduce himself, dipping his head slightly in a curtsy.

"SPEECH"

he remained silent, simply watching her inch closer to him. it was by habit that he assess her actions and expressions, reading her next move. despite how small she was and the clear lack of a threat she gave, mikolaj couldn't stop himself. a habit that would never leave him, it seemed.

the way she spoke his name made him slightly... uncomfortable. her pronunciation might have been slightly off, that wasn't why. again his mind was sent back to those decades ago. the little girl that belonged to the family that housed him. though it did not show through facial expressions, his eyes couldn't meet hers for several moments. he did not wish to speak more with moth but he did, and that in itself was strange to him. mikolaj never felt the need to speak or explain himself. why now?

"is polish." he explained, finding the nerve to make eye contact again. "do not know the translation... but is polish." what was he saying? why are you talking. głupi. mikolaj sighed quietly to himself. he almost missed her question while mentally berating himself for being so strange.

a favorite part of the territory? he glanced around them, trying to think. did he have a favorite spot? there were some that were visited more frequently than others... he would not say he favored it, though. "no. favorite place is not here." nothing in the territory was exactly favorable to him. he would much rather be where he felt he belonged more.

"favorite place... far from here. too far for moth."

"SPEECH"

a soft amused exhale left his nose at her admission, nodding slowly. was there anyone here who even spoke a lick of polish? he hoped not... he enjoyed being able to speak when only he understood. his English was fairly broken anyhow despite living in the states for several decades. the language never seemed too important for him to learn anyhow. he spoke enough to be understood when he had to be. so far he hadn't run into any detrimental issues with communication and that was good enough for him.

at the interest of his mother language, mikolaj lazily shrugged his shoulders. learning languages young was good developmentally, but he had no skills or means to become a teacher. he wasn't quite sure how he even learned the three he knew. they just... were there in his memory. the thought of it was nice, though. having someone just clueless enough about anything that he could communicate to. she was still young and could pick up fast on simple phrases. it gave him a few other thoughts, much more sinister in context, and he quickly shoved those away. he would not be involving a child in his... hunger pangs.

"too far for mikolaj, yes." he agrees bitterly, allowing his expression to sour at the thought. poland was much too far away. his original home was probably mown over now and built upon just like the cities in the states. he wouldn't be surprised if all the family he knew there had died off with the war. either from the russians or germans, he would not know.

"one day, mikolaj can bring you to favorite place. when we are both ready." he nodded affirmatively. "does moth like the cold? we will need to bring a fur coat for you." he added, his tone a tad bit teasing. he began to reminisce about his first snowfall only a month after his birth. it was... ages ago, but still so fresh in his mind. he hadn't though of that time in a while. thinking of the life he previously had used to make him uncomfortable, but now it simply felt disconnected.

"SPEECH"