Pretty long chapter, for me at least. I hope you like it! So sorry for the immensely long wait…

Disclaimer: I do not own Warriors.

Tess shook moss, fern, and dust out of her fur, waking up after the dogs' first night away from home. So far, the Keepers hadn't come to find them, so they were safe. Lastel, Cloe's feline friend, had nothing to worry about, as she was a stray. The border collie's jaws parted in a huge yawn, and her tongue curved out as she took in air, allowing herself to taste what the fresh morning forest had for her. She shut her mouth fast when she was done, then stretched her front legs far in front of her, then her hind legs out back, making sure not to miss a muscle.

Beside her, Spike snorted disdainfully, shaking his head, then rising to shake the rest of his body. The motion did not cause quite as big of a dust cloud as Tess' had, since the rotweiler's fur was so short.

"What're you trying to do, swathe me in your filthy nest?"

"Sorry," Tess grunted.

Growling obnoxiously, Spike plodded away to find breakfast.

"Well, he woke up on the wrong side of the den." Cort padded up to stand beside his new friend. "What's up with him?"

"I think he's always like that," Bekky growled good-naturedly, coming to stand on the corgy's other side. "It may just be me, but rotweilers seem to get a bit testy at times."

"I hear that," Cort grumbled, but a glint of amusement lit his amber eyes. Clearing his throat to change the subject, the dog turned to Tess. "So, where are we headed now?"

The black-and-white female took a step back. "Whoa, don't ask me! It wasn't my idea of where to go!"

"I think I know a way to a bigger forest," Bekky added. "I'm not sure what's in it; I was too afraid to go that far from home alone, but it's big and far away from Keepers."

"Sounds good to me." Buddy shrugged when he came to join the dogs with a rabbit in his mouth. He dropped the prey in front of the group. "Wanna share? Could it take us as far as that forest?"

Bekky's mouth twisted in thought as she worked out the route. "I suppose, but why don't we wait to see what Lastel catches and share that before we go."

Tess hadn't noticed the cat had gone, but now that she looked around the clearing, the tortoiseshell was no where to be found. All the dogs nodded, but Tess wondered why they weren't thinking of sharing what Spike brought back.

Probably because they're scared of him lashing out, she thought, slightly amused.

The rabbit was devoured quickly, and Lastel returned in no time with three mice and a fleshy magpie. Spike had also come back, but he ate by himself on the far side of the clearing from the other animals. Tess was suddenly worried and a bit protective, and it took all of her self control not to lay down beside him and press against his flank, to tell him that she was there for him and he could tell her anything.

Forcing her gaze away from the other dog, Tess decided that they should be getting on their way. She voiced this when all the prey was gone, and the other dogs agreed. So, without hesitation, Bekky took the lead of the group with Cort beside her, Buddy, Cloe, and Lastel just behind, while Tess dropped back to jog with Spike, who was looking depressed as a hornet in winter.

"What's bugging you?" she whined.

"Nothing," grunted the rotweiler moodily.

Tess chewed her lip, thinking of what to say.

"Okay, just know that you can come to me if you need anything."

Spike paused. "Well, don't worry about it, 'cause I don't."

Tess fell silent as she continued to trot perfectly in step beside the older, larger male. The sky was getting clearer as the day drew on, the sun rising above the trees of the small wood they were in. Fluffy white clouds drifted across a bright blue sky, and the air tasted crisp with mid-fall temperatures on the brink of making the dogs fluff out their fur against the cold.

Suddenly, the troop stopped. Tess halted just before colliding with Cloe, then peered around her friends to see what was going on. Just ahead of Bekky was a wide stream, not fast-flowing, but deep.

"We'll have to swim, guys," the terrier barked so all of the animals could her. "I hope none of you mind getting your fur wet."

Below Tess, Lastel shifted uncomfortably.

"I do," she heard the cat grumble to Cloe. "I hate water. You know that."

"I could carry you," the husky suggested.

Lastel paused, then shook her head. "No. That would just weigh you down." A shadow of sadness clouded the tortoiseshell's eyes. "I think I'm going home, Cloe. The wild isn't for me, even if I am a stray."

Cloe's eyes widened in surprise. "No, please stay! I don't want you to leave. We've been friends for as long as I can remember. Don't go!"

"I have to. My place is here."

There was a long pause, then, "I could carry her."

Tess' head swung around to look straight at Spike, who had unwillingly spoken the words. Everyone else copied her actions, yet more astonished than proud.

"Oh, really?" Cloe yipped excitedly. "You would do that?"

"If it'll shut you up, then yes," Spike grunted, but Tess knew that wasn't the reason.

"Lastel, will you?" Cloe turned hopefully to her best friend. It nearly made Tess' heart break when Lastel shook her head sadly and she saw the pup's crushed expression.

"My place is here," the cat repeated. "Not out in the cold and rain."

"But my place is with you," Cloe whimpered.

"Then stay!" Now it was Lastel's turn to be both hopeful and disappointed, but she had already known the answer.

"I can't go back to those forgetful Keepers! You'll have to bring me food all the time again."

Lastel's eyes gleamed with tears. "I don't mind that. I'd hunt for you all seasons if it meant you staying home. You could be a stray with me!"

Cloe sighed the most melancholy sigh Tess had ever heard. "No. I have to find my place somewhere else. I just wish you would be there to find it with me."

"I've already found my place."

There was a long pause, in which a song sparrow chirped melodiously, accompanied by the tapping of a feeding woodpecker. The faint sound of cars on the black path nearby whooshed toward the group, making Tess unexpectedly homesick.

"Well." Cloe gulped and unusually large amount of fluid, choking back tears. "I g-guess this is good…bye."

"Yes, I s-suppose it is."

Cat and dog gingerly touched noses for just a moment, their eyes locking in a teary gaze, then Lastel leapt off into the undergrowth back toward the Keepers' dens. Cloe stared after her until she was out of sight, then snapped her head forward and stared blankly at the ground. Buddy, who had been beside her the whole time, pressed his golden flank against her white and red-ish-brown one. The husky gratefully buried her face in the retriever's long shaggy fur, shaking with sobs.

Cort coughed. "We haven't taken a rest since we left. That was just after sunrise, and now it's after sunhigh. Why don't we go hunting? Then we can cross the stream."

Tess realized only then that her belly was growling at her with hunger, and she nodded agreement. Spike, without a word, had bounded off without responding, and the ferns through which he had disappeared still quivered from his passing. Deciding to take a similar route as the dog, Tess padded after him.

It was no unusual path that would lead off somewhere without prey, and the female had to linger for a few moments downwind as Spike tracked a rabbit. Deciding she would find him later, Tess went off to find her own food.

A flutter in some holly bushes caught her eye. It was a mockingbird, plump despite the coming winter. Its glossy gray feathers seemed to meld with each other, but stood out against the bright green of the holly leaves. Not wanting to get herself a few good scratches, Tess waited for the bird to hop out into the open. Not waisting any time, she leapt at it, managing to snag its tail between her teeth as it tried to fly away, shreaking a cry.

Trying desperately not to chase off any more of the prey in the woods, Tess struggled to bring down the bird, but instead it wrenched its tail from her mouth, leaving two beige feathers for the dog to spit out. As she glared after her escaped meal, Tess heard a mocking growl coming from the undergrowth behind her, remiding the female of the bird she had just been trying to catch.

"You need to work on your hunting skills."

Whipping around angrily to look at the speaker, Tess colored when she realized it was Spike. She didn't know why, but she felt even more humiliated than she would have with anyone else.

"And I suppose you could do better?" she sniffed.

"Already have." Spike reached behind him and turned to drop a large buck rabbit in front of Tess. "We can share this, and then I'll teach you to hunt like a real dog. Or, better yet, a wolf."

Tess raised a brow. "Wolf? No dog can hunt half as well as a wolf."

"They can if they try hard enough," Spike growled, taking a step toward the female and sending a thrilling shiver down her spine. "It's in our blood."

The rotweiler and border collie locked eyes, and Tess tried her best to look beyond the beautiful golden color of the male's orbs, but for the first time in her life, she was unable to break through the force of his protective barrier. Yet the intensity of the feelings within Spike almost swept the younger dog away, and she was almost shaken by the time he dropped his gaze and bent his head to nose the rabbit closer to Tess.

"So, you want the first bite? I don't think you've ever had any raw meat before. I'm guessing you came from a pretty sheltered home not to know how to hunt."

With a half-hearted growl, Tess gingerly nibbled a morsel from the rabbit's side. Loving the warmth of fresh kill, she ate another, larger bite, and Spike began to eat as well. Tess thought she was going to faint at the smell of his hot breath, tasting of the wilds. When the rabbit was nothing more than a small pile of frail bones, Spike licked his chops and his eyes narrowed mischeviously.

"So, you ready for some hunting? Though I don't suppose it'll do any good—females would never be able to hunt as well as a male can."

Tess revealed sharp, gleaming white fangs, letting out a snarl. "I'll show you hunting! I can do this on my own, once I know how, and then you'll see if males are any better than a pup!"

Spike growled knowingly. "Ah, but little dove, you are but a pup."

Tess looked at him, not knowing what to say. It was true—Tess was eighteen moons old while Spike was twenty four.

"Well, shall we get started?" the rotweiler suggested, and, not waiting for an anwer, bounded off to a different part of the forest. "We'll have to go far from here, since you practically scared every mouselet out of this wood."

Following obediantly, Tess longed to be closer to Spike, but held back, afraid of what he would do. Not afraid of being lashed out at, but afraid of being hurt inside.

0000

Spike taught Tess how to hunt with every ouce of patience he had. She was a quick learner, he had to give her that, but he knew it was only because she wanted to prove herself. Just before the sun was dipping below the treetops, the border collie had managed to catch a slow-reacting mouse.

"Good job," he growled. Then bared his teeth in a grin as he added, "For a female pup."

Tess lifted her nose into the air. "I'll bet you didn't do any better on your first hunt."

Spike paused, wondering if he should tell the pup. "My first hunt was that rabbit."

It was the truth. He only knew how to hunt from the other rotweilers and pit-bulls who lived with him at his Keeper's place. They had taught him of the different tecniques, as he had been the youngest of the fighting dogs. He had tasted raw meat before, though, because that was all he was fed, in order for his Keeper to make sure he still had the heart of a killer. Sometimes he would have a raccoon to chase out of their training yard, but otherwise, Spike had never really had the thrill of a hunt.

"It still comes to show that I'm better than you."

"No, not necessarily." Spike's brow furrowed and he cocked his head in confusion. "I didn't even know how to hunt, and I managed to catch something, even if I didn't kill it."

Spike grunted. "You'd be amazed what I've caught in my life."

"You said this was your first hunt."

Some of the dog's fur bristled with a fighting spirit. "There are more things to catch than prey."

He saw Tess shiver and noticed he was making her uncomfortable, and having a sudden loathing of making the pup scared, Spike changed the subject.

"We should probably head back. I'm sure your friends are waiting for us."

Tess nodded, and she fell in step with the rotweiler. Then she glanced up at him with her warm brown eyes and muttered, "I didn't know them until moments before you did. At least, barely knew them. They're not my friends…yet."

And just with that phrase, Spike felt unusually drawn to her. They had something in common none of the other dogs did—They were outsiders, no matter how different their situations had been.

Aww, they're falling in love. So cute! Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Please R&R! I know there are more people out there reading this, and if you just send me something blank, that's fine with me, I just want to know that there are more people reading! –Spiritwind