Escape! The urge to run had overtaken him and he had dug himself free of his owners a good few months ago, yet there was still an unnerving sense of home that called to him - a feeling of companionship that he could not quite shake off. The life of a stray, he knew, would only be something for him if he was with others, and at the moment he was alone.

Alone--the silence was suffocating him, perhaps not literally but metaphorically. Comforts of the city gave him little joy and he only got the faint spark of happiness when he came across another dog, be the creature tame or on its own like him. Attempts to befriend other canines had been turned down in favour of misjudgement and apprehension and that old-age law of tooth and claw that sometimes the Hovawart did not appreciate.

Okay, so a lot of the time he didn't like that law. Still, he'd learn to live with it. The soft roar of the waves rocketed the male from his senses and he stared forlornly at the sea in front of him and at the waves that crashed against the shore every few seconds. They were free, the lucky buggers, and he did envy them. All they did was rise and fall with the rhythm of the sea, and here he was, finding it difficult to go along with the flow of the city.

The sand was weak beneath his paws, caving in at every step he took. Atlas was not amused by having to pick his feet up a lot and having to take every step carefully and then dart forward in order to stop himself from sinking--he was not used to the sand. The dog had grown accustomed to grass and tarmac and concrete, so in an eager attempt to explore, he had landed himself here. Wonderful.

Scanning the shore took a while as the creature waited for something to happen. His keen eyesight was an added bonus as it enabled him to see quite far, if only in a few shades of colour - not that he knew any better. Standing tall and proud on the wet sand (he had moved in order to see if this sand was any better, and it was), he scoured the terrain in search of something - anything - and then he found it.

Life! A strangled yelp escaped his muzzle and the black-and-tan beast began to run at a full on pace, whining and barking happily as the shape grew bigger - and at a rapid speed, too. Soon he was heading towards another dog, and he was going so fast that he found it difficult to slow down, therefore stumbling and falling into the spray of the waves.

Darn. Struggling to get to his feet, Atlas dashed out from under the walls of water, coughing and spluttering, shaking his body vigorously in an attempt to dry himself. He looked rather sheepish as he approached his fellow canine, sitting down beside it (or rather her, or so he thought he saw...) and clearing his throat slightly. "Hullo there! You look rather loney; I'm Atlas!"

For some reason, Atlas was quite surprised that his approach wasn't rebuked with a scoff and a flash of teeth. From what he had encountered so far, arrogance and rudeness were all that went through the heads of most homeless dogs, and so he was quite pleased to discover that not all strays held the same amount of nastiness as other dogs he had come into contact with.

'A good observation, Atlas.' At the mention of his name, the Hovawart's tail wagged ever-so-slightly and he let his tongue loll from his mouth in a content manner, watching her with something about him that could almost be described as a shy aura. 'Epilogue, Alphess of the Cani Liberi at your service.' The male did a double-take--Alphess? He had some vague idea of what that was; it was like his old master and mistress who had told him what to do all the time, or so he thought. Whoa.

He grinned loosely and stood up, shaking free sand from his coat and then falling still again. Waves crashing against the shore caused the male to glance from the sea and then back to Epilogue. He was silent for a minute, thinking about why he was on the beach in due to her question about - well, rather obviously - why he was there. He didn't know... exploring, adventure, you know, all that jazz.

"I'm just wandering about," He replied somewhat modestly, attempting to come up with a reasonable answer. "You know, just checking things out and looking for somewhere to stay. Being on my own is quite lonely." Atlas said the last bit almost wistfully, keeping the miserable tone out of his voice and quite at bay. He stretched loosely, uttering a simple yawn before turning to the female. "And what about you? Why are you here?"

'Well, if you're looking for a place to stay, you can always come to join my pack.' Atlas peered at her slightly, wondering if she was just having him on. He was silent for a moment, still peering at her with some uncertainty and letting her words fill his brain and his mind like a sponge before fully analysing and going over what she meant. 'Would a position as someone in charge of a small group of dogs seem appealing to you? I need someone to help manage and control a certain fleet.' Well, that did sound awfully appealing to him...

In all honesty, the Hovawart was interested. He mulled over the offer in silence, starting to wag his tail as it occured to him that she was kind of inviting him into her pack and that if he accepted, he wouldn't have to be alone anymore. No more mooching about because he didn't have company--no more whining pitifully at humans for food; he wouldn't be alone! He'd have company for the first time in months - or quite possibly a year, but he didn't really know how long he'd been on his own for.

'Maybe I would have the honor of achieving my goal today?' The male inclined his head ever-so-slightly, rising from where he'd been sitting and attempting to look half-regal, although he did fail at that. He yawned lightly, glancing out to sea and then back at Epilogue again. A pack all of his own... with others in it that were just like him. If he let her achieve her goal, she'd be helping him achieve his, too. It was like 'Scratch my back and I'll scratch yours' and he did like that prospect a lot.

"That does sound appealing to me," Atlas answered with brutal honesty, his eyes lighting up, "And I'd be happy to join you. One is the loneliest number, right?" He ended it on a sort of teasing note, his tail wagging vigorously now. He had a home!