~Hmm? What's that? Oh! Hello there, little one - I didn't see you... I'm so very sorry - please accept my apologies. Why yes - it is a very nice burrow, soundly built, and I can see you're well-stocked. It should see you through the winter very well. I must be off now, thank you kindly.~ As I say farewell to the young squirrel, I lift my head, scenting the wind. The smell of winter is in the air again, and my tongue lolls out in a grin. The smell of winter is a comforting one and long missed. The southern latitudes just don't have much of a winter to speak of - and it makes me miss home. Miss it terribly. But I'm here for a reason - a very important reason, so here I will stay.

I lift my head and look about the small park, my eyes sighting on the reason for my presence in this place that is so foreign to me. I let my tail move back and forth behind me, my deaf ears lifting forward to show my happiness. Sometimes I wonder how my companion gets by without those two necessary extremities. It seems to me that his kind are seriously impeded in their communications with each other for lack of them - perhaps that's why they rely on vocal communication so much...

I take a good long sniff as He approaches, laying a gentle hand on my head. I've learned to understand a great many of the sounds these humans make - even if I only understand them as facial contortions. Between that and the vibrations I feel, He and I understand each other fairly well. But it is still my sense of smell I rely on most to learn what I need to know. As I take in His scent, I quickly process the mixture of smells that coat His person like a puzzle.

He's been indoors most of the day, in the place He calls "the consulate". The smells of papers, ink, and lead shavings are strong on Him - it makes me sneeze. The sides of His mouth lift upwards - a contortion I've learned to identify with happiness. How strange it must be to show such emotion with one's mouth as opposed to the tail... I shrug it off, and continue my inspection. He's been around the Lady - the one that also smells of Home. But she also works at the "consulate", so that only makes sense. As near as I can gather, she is some sort of a Pack Leader for the consulate, but the consulate is a building so that makes no sense. He has tried to explain it further to me, but I'm beginning to think that I will never understand her position. It doesn't bother me much - humans complicate their lives more than necessary, and it isn't a wolf's job to understand it. Personally, I think she'd make a good mate for Him, but He doesn't agree. I usually let the subject drop - He doesn't like to talk about the choosing of mates, or the birthing of pups - another thing I can never understand about Him. Ah well.

I take another deep sniff - He is restless, eager to be moving. He is often thus after spending a whole day at the consulate with the Lady-Leader. I begin to walk, understanding this emotion far more than I do the others - after all, no wild thing likes to be cooped up in the man-buildings all day. I push myself into a steady lope, looking briefly over my shoulder to see that He is following - His mouth is still stretched upwards. Good, He is still happy.