Cypress licked his lips with a small huff, stepping out of the huddle of puppies and backing up very slowly. He then turned around and trotted at least 15 feet away, sitting back on his haunches witha sigh of relief.

He then turned his icy blue eye and deep brown eye to the big male he had noticed before. Bellamy, he suspected? When the male introduced himself, Cypress knew he had been correct. He took a small breath in to better memorize the scent, especially since this dog would play an important role in his joking standards. He didn't want to make June mad, and by the looks of it, he didn't really want to make this guy mad either. +Bellamy would be better as an ally, for now+ Cypress concluded, dipping his head slightly in painful respect. "Nice to meet you, Bellamy. If you haven't heard already, I'm Cypress." He answered. His voice had a special tone to it that now came alive... he had a strong Russian accent. He had actually been flown to Alaska- terrifying trip- after being a sled dog in Russia. That's where he was born, but Cypress liked this place much better. At least dogs here actually seemed to care about each other.

Cypress was quite pleased when it seemed at least one dog found it slightly funny he overreacted- not that he was really trying to, he was just a dramatic dog in general and he really didn't like the nippy furballs.

Cypress glanced around, answering snorting a little when Raina asked her first question. "In Russia I competed in races- and got severely injured. Shattered my leg. I kept running till the end of the race, somehow, before my musher decided I was useless and sold m. The plane ride over here was quite smelly, and before that I lived in a stable till the leg healed." He answered gruffly, flicking his ear and restraining a slightly annoyed expression. That was definitely the worst time of his life- pain every day wasn't the worst part, but having to stay inside for weeks. Blech. When the young female was finished speaking to him, he turned his attention back to the large male.

"A little farther out- Western side of Russia, close to Eastern Europe." He answered, nodding at Bellamy's first comment. Cypress had always loved the running- he had been the lead dog on the team a year ago. When he got injured, his personality changed like a flipped pancake. He had been a mostly serious dog with a strong drive for running, although he had always had the small joking glance. After the accident, Cypress still loved running more than anything else- but he was suddenly afraid of something. Afraid he wouldn't be able to run any longer- and that made him act aloof, young, and childish sometimes. He hated being reminded of his time in the house, and hated being reminded he was 4 now.

Cypress shook his coat a little, his tail twitching on the ground as he thought about, and studied, the dogs that made up his new team. All he had gotten- June, the lead dog. Bellamy, a hardened second in command. Raina, a young tempermental female (with not enough appreciation for his jokes, in his opinion), and Mz, an older dog that came back from the vet. He knew there were others, like the female laying down- if Cypress had to guess, Denali- but he hadn't spoken to any of them yet.

His gaze flickered over to another female as the dog walked up and spoke to Raina. So- was she Denali? Or Sky? He didn't know yet, but probably would soon. Cypress was quite good at memorizing names, personalities, and anything important he may need to know for whatever reason.

He could tell the other dogs were on edge and reluctant to trust the new dogs, but Bellamy was quite pleased to have new dogs join them. They seemed like they would be a strong addition to the team, and the team did need a few more dogs anyway. He could only hope they would be able to keep up in time for the next racing season.