Rain spluttered down to the ground, pouring from the skies in a violent storm. Gusts of wind bursted around the park and breezed quickly past things, causing rushes of cool air to hit the pelts of dogs all around. It was certainly chilly outside, and the temperatures promised a cold drop again, reminding everyone of the trecherous winter. But at least it was forming to be sunny and warm, and everyone looked forward to that. If a little rain meant a lot of sunshine, Riddle would welcome the wet splashes like she'd welcome Jiro back into her life; Unsurely but happily.

A pretty american foxhound darted out from underneath a rusty red slide and flashed toward another shelter. Soon enough, she had darted under the plastic blue covering of a bridge; One of the many playthings of those strange humans; The humans who nearly killed them all, but also nearly saved them with their gasoline. Raindrops still managed to hit her silky pelt, though, which made her frustrated and agitated. She absentmindedly muttered something under her breath, and looked around with her ears flattened. Everything was wet and dirty and.... wet. Although she very occasionally liked to swim, she did not like getting very wet this often. She just wished that it would get warm and stay that way, without all this disgusting rain falling down and splattering on her pelt whenever it wanted to. Feeling stupid and silly for thinking about things such as this when there were much, much more important things to think about, Riddle shook her head and glared off into the distance, hatered for her own life sinking into her gaze.

Self-pity and sadness for herself weren't things that Riddle really had in her. She didn't have the boldness for even that at the moment. All she could really feel at the moment is hatered and anger. Somehow, she felt like all of this was her fault. Although it was a silly idea, Riddle was very serious and just knew that it was her fault that Jiro had been taken away from her. When he got bitten, she should have defended him instead of just standing there in terror. It should have been her who was bitten. Or better yet, killed. She sighed. "I don't deserve to live this life," She muttered under her breath. She knew she was going to die at some point anyway, and she knew that her life was pointless. Nothing important would ever happen in her life, so she'd just be wasting space in this world. This was a one-way road for her at the moment, and she had never really thought about the gray area in between the black and white. She though that she may as well die now before she does something else stupid or senseless. Riddle sighed once more and looked around for any trace of another dog. But no scent lingered at all, and so she sat in silence as she thought of possible ways to die quickly while still making the murderer amused by her death. Hm...

Standing up and walking out into the rain, Riddle thought for the first time of what her parents-parent- would feel like if she died. Would they be angry with her efforts to die so quickly? Would they be sad about her death? Would they... She shivered. Would they avenge her death? For the first time in a long time, Riddle began to see the gray areas of this twisted plan of hers. Perhaps she should think more about this before deciding what she wants to do with her life. By now her pelt was soaked, but she was still in a daydream and wondering about those silver and gray areas where things would get messy. And, for the first time, she wondered why she really wanted to die, why she couldn't just see the brighter side of things anymore. Riddle sighed again and sat down in the pouring rain, wrapping her tail around her paws. She had so much to think about.

Though the rain had not cleared, and the sun was not yet shining, the dark mood that seemed to cling to Riddle had left and drifted elsewhere. Oddly, everything around her was viewed from a different perspective. She wasn't sure why she had this arbiturary mood swing, until she realized what- who- she was gazing at, her bright eyes shimmering with hope and- could it be?- happiness.

The familiar white dog seemed to be walking toward her, with more caution than she'd have excepted. He looked hesitant, but also very happy to see her. Reminiscence flooded through her, all around her body as she remembered this miricle of a canine; Snowflake. Snow had saved her when she was so young, so helpless, and helplessly running from a tainted dog. She'd never thought twice when she ran away from the scene of the crime, leaving Snow to his fate to fight off the infected canine. Of course as she fell into the ranks of safety once more, she felt terrible and regret had flooded through her. She could have never forgotten the terror in his eyes as he battered the dog away, frantically trying to keep it off of himself while she ran, like a coward.

More and more regret and pity flooded through her as she got a closer look at Snowflake. He was still the fluffy ball of love she'd once remembered him as, but every battle ends in scars and sorrow. She could see scars and cuts, still not healed since their last encounter, all along his snow-white figure. Riddle bit her lip and felt so stupid as to have left him there, all alone to fight off the infected dog. How cruel she must have been, how selfish. But right now, Riddle couldn't think much about that. She was much too happy as to see him alive than to think about him being dead.

With another sudden burst of joy, just as he finished his sentence, Riddle darted over to him with a few happy barks and toppled him over. She laughed and licked him playfully, just happy to see him. For a moment she grew silent, wondering what he was thinking about. Probably wondering why the h*ll she did that... Again, she laughed. Sitting up, she said, "Snowflake... Is it really you?" Riddle could hardly believe it was the same dog she'd met so long ago, but she knew in her heart that it was.

Joyous still, she got off of him and sat up, just now realizing that they were sitting there in the rain. Her pelt was soaked in rain water and mud, creating a mix of dirty fur along her body, but she didn't care. She wasn't really sure that Snow cared either, though she did get his lovely white fur all dirty.... Yes, how cute he was... Startled with her sudden thoughts, Riddle nearly jumped in surprise, hoping that the shock didn't show on her face. She wasn't exactly sure what Snow thought of her, whether he hardly even cared for her or not, or any of that... How foolish she'd been. Suddenly Riddle felt very immature and silly. It usually wasn't like her to be so happy and bubbly. But, despite her bitter defense against herself, she had to admit that she liked it. And she knew exactly who caused it.... That wonderful ball of white fur, called Snowflake.

The rain had cleared up pretty well, though gray sheets hung over them in the sky and smothered it in endless dreariness. Their mood, though, was completely different. Riddle was very happy and beamed as she sat beside Snowflake. It was as if the darkness, the coldness, that had once resigned in her lifeless heart had been lifted, and all that was left was warmth and love.

Calmer than before though still a bit playful, Riddle happily licked Snow's fur and looked around with her wide, curious orbs as he spoke. It was hard to concentrate on what exactly he was saying, for she was so excited she figited and began to meander off in her own thoughts. Mixed emotions swarmed through her mind, confusion refusing to ebb from the cluttered area of thoughts. Snowflake- Love me? She questioned herself, rather lost in her web of puzzled thoughts. But I'm just- I'm just- Just...Me. Just plain old me.

Riddle sighed and wondered why she was having this arguement with herself when it was never really needed. She was sure that Snow, the sweety that he was, would never take back what he said about her just to be cruel. And she knew that it was just foolish to try and make herself believe that none of it was real. Oh, how she wanted it to be! But no one had ever thought of loving her before... Except her beloved Jiro, but he was lost a long time ago.... Finally she decided that Snowflake really did love her. But she still had a final question; Did she love him back?

For a two year old dog, it was hard to find the answer to that. Any other female dog would think that all of this was way too fast. Besides, she'd hardly met this dog! But love is about trust, right... And she knew that she trusted Snow with all of her heart. It was just hard to think about him taking it and breaking it, just as Jiro had done. She wasn't sure why she doubted Snow at all, but... She just wouldn't be able to bear it if Snow, too, got caught by one of the tainted canines. It would break her heart-Or what was left of it.

So still was left the decision of what to say to him. She knew that she loved him very much, but she wasn't sure that she could bear taking the risk. Also, all of this love mess had left her in a ball of confusion. It was as if there was suddenly no way of knowing what was going to happen next. Despite all of what she'd just been thinking about, she believed that she liked that feeling.

So saying that she knew she loved him as much as he did her, Riddle thought of something to reply with. She avoided his eyes a little, but found it hard to look away from his big brown eyes. At last, as she spoke, she was gazing right at him. "Snowflake..." She murmered and lied her head on his shoulder, burying her face in his fuzzy white fur. She wasn't sure if there was much more to say, or if Snow would just understand what she intended to say in the first place. "I love you, you know that. It's just... It is a little fast for me." She admitted, hoping that her soft tone would ebb the anger or hurt that Snow might feel as he heard her. Nervously, she waited for a reply.

White fur meshed together with black, creating a strange melody of the two canines' pelts as they quietly sat there together. The heavy rain and strong winds that once pushed past them had stopped altogether. It seemed almost as if everything had stopped- However, each of them could hear the quiet, rhythmic beats of their hearts, syncopated in a beautiful harmony. Only the quiet murmer of owls hooting in the background broke the silence, though even that sounded pretty and tranquil. Everything seemed so meekly perfect and in place for once in Riddle's life.

The American Foxhound seemed to be thinking very hard about something, and as she stared blankly down at the ground, her eyes fixed on puddles of murky rainwater, something much bigger than just happiness was on her mind. Though she was young, she knew what she wanted; She knew what she had; She knew about exactly what she'd gotten herself into. However, she wasn't quite so sure of how to get herself out. It wasn't like her to try and take things back, or wish that she could just go back in time and redo something. There was only one other time in her life where she had wanted to do this, which was when she wished she could have saved Jiro before he was turned into a dreadful tainted dog, now so evil and cruel. This was the second time she wish she could take something back.

Guilt washed over her, knowing that she had probably made Snowflake very sad with what she'd told him. Riddle knew it was the right thing to tell him the truth, but she couldn't help but feel sorry for what she said and wanted desperately to take it back. Why couldn't I have just told him I loved him back and nothing else? She asked herself. She knew fully well that she couldn't take anything back that she said, though, and she couldn't go back in time to change it. However, Riddle still wanted to make it up to him and didn't want this guilt to continue on eating away at her. Although he grinned and tried to look happy, she was almost positive that Snowflake wasn't so happy as he looked. Come on, Riddle, think...

For a few minutes she was silent and thought about what to say to him. What to do, what to do... She thought, and sighed mentally. She felt pressured and weighed down with the guilt she felt, making it harder and harder for her to think of what to do or say. She felt so helpless and unsure, she had no idea what it was that she wanted. But then she knew; She wanted Snow, and she wanted him to be happy. Quickly she regained hope and thought of what to do. She looked up at him and licked his cheek, still looking meek, and smiled at him. "Snowflake, I still love you. You know that. Just... Take it easy on me, I'm still getting used to this." She told him with a grin, and giggled a little. Maybe she could get used to this.