»The ßεlligεrenτ ╬ Артём« {p}

Arty nodded, laughing lightly in agreement at Kasey's statement. "Yes. I want nothing more than to lie down and go to sleep, too." He admitted, padding without hesitation over toward the other two. Slowly he flopped himself down, amazed at just how achy his body felt from lack of rest, and the fighting. It was hard to believe that had only been earlier today. Of course, he could see in the west that the sun was finally setting, long rays of orange light shadowing everything in a sort of obscure manner.

He too knew that the city journey would be challenging. He'd need his rest, as would the others, to make it through there.

He blew out a short breath, feeling much better after having rested. He was surprised to find he had fallen asleep so early. Opening his eyes, the shepherd also found the ground to be... moving in a funny way beneath him. And then he remembered - they were aboard a train. Sitting up, he found it to be much quieter than expected, though the distinctive rumbling of the train was still present. The air inside the car was hot and stuffy, as it had been closed up before leaving the station - something he did not even recall.

Artyom cricked his neck slowly, letting out a pleased sigh as he did so. Next he stretched his limbs out. His body still ached in an annoying way, and he finally realized what it was. "Ugh. I'm getting too old." The dog grumbled. Still, he managed to move himself to one of the cracks in the wall, to press his nose against it and take in a few breaths of cool, fresh air. It was light out, but still early, and he wondered just how much further they had before reaching the first stop.

He glanced back over his shoulder a couple of times, at the sleeping forms of his companions. Artyom could not resist a small smile on his face, happily enjoying the moment for what it was worth. Turning back to the crack in the wall, he poked his nose out once more. The cool morning air was a welcome change compared to that of the boxcar, but eventually he pulled himself away from it and padded quietly to the others. The shepherd hoped Kasey's leg wouldn't be too much of a bother for her today.

Lying himself down beside them, Arty rested his side up against the wall, eyelids dropping into a half-shut position again. The rocking of the train car beneath him seemed to do wondered for making one drowsy, which was quite the opposite of what he had been expecting. Somewhat regretfully, he realized he had not thought to ask Lacey if she knew how long the journey was to the city. The thought of the old dog made him feel bad once more, but the inquisitive voice of his youngest companion distracted him.

"Yeah. It's cool and refreshing." Arty answered.

The young dog watched him for a little while, seeming hesitant to actually go over and take in a breath of the fresh air. Arty offered a small smile when Raleigh asked, for whatever reason. "Yes, course you can. Just be careful not to fall out." The last statement was meant as a joke, for there was no way to fit out the hole, even for a pup. A newborn perhaps, but that was about it.

Humored by Raleigh's reaction, the shepherd cautiously lie his head down beside Kasey's. She appeared still peacefully asleep, and he took that brief time to look at her. She must've truly been tired after the previous day's events. But she'd been a faithful travelling companion, and had proven to be a lot braver and a lot tougher than he had originally thought. He truly did admire the she-dog very much. Artyom was brought from his thoughts by the excited exclamation of the younger dog, and turned his eyes toward him, but lazily kept his head where it lie. Rolling onto one side, he adjusted himself so that he was comfortable as possible on the boxcar floor. He too was still really tired, even after a full night of sleep. Perhaps another hour or two wouldn't hurt.

((Ugh. I know I typed a reply to this two days ago. Now why didn't it post, I wonder...))

Arty was more than content to stay lying on one side. The gentle rocking of the train had a stunning effect of tranquility on his mind, putting him to sleep faster than he would've thought possible. He moved slightly to adjust himself again, growing comfortable as he rested himself near Kasey's side. One eye opened for the briefest of moments however, letting him see that Raleigh was no longer getting the fresh air. He didn't bother to look for the young dog, as there was nothing that could happen to him, anyway. But the strange thing was, he had stopped talking. And he wasn't making any sound.

He got the sudden feeling that he was being 'hunted'. There was no other reason for him to have gone so silent, so suddenly. A wry smile of realization grew on his muzzle, but he used a paw to cover it, content to play the part of helpless victim until the last moment.

He felt some small amount of laughter threatening to burst out from his throat, which the shepherd somehow managed to hold in long enough for the younger dog to attack. Even if he had been expecting it, Arty was still surprised to feel one ear come under attack. It coaxed the shepherd into lifting his head in both fake and genuine surprise. "Oy. Not the ears!"

The dog let go, though he still did not seem to be done attempting to play with Arty. The amount of energy he had was astonishing, making the shepherd wonder if Raleigh had ever even had the chance to play before. He seemed quite hyper, and very curious about many things. It did manage to bring up a more innocent side in the once dark dog, making him decide to fight back a little bit.

"Oh Kasey. You better wake up. I need your help with him!"

Giving his body a slight shake before moving to roll onto his back, he hoped to unbalance the younger dog and get him to release his grip.

With one eye on the border collie female, he sucked in a surprised gasp, almost pretending to be angry. "Were you awake this entire time?" He growled in the fake tone of anger, eyeing Kasey with suspicion. He was distracted again by Raleigh, though the young dog soon lost his grip and fell off. A small smile forming on his face, Arty quickly turned back over onto all four, brownish eyes alight with a happiness that hadn't been present in a long time. Quickly he reached out with one paw, trying to lightly pin the younger dog beneath it.