Artwork done by the amazingly talented . If you're not already watching her... you should be.

Characters: Lightning the shark  lightningpup and of course, myself.

And I do take pride also in the fact that this is both attire and historically accurate. I did a lot of research and footwork for both outfits, and of course, story as well.

Story below written by yours truly.

Part One:

Alexandria, the capitol of Egypt- Noon, July 15th, 41 BCE

A clear blue sky stretched across the sands of the desert, the lush farms, the salty blue sea and the outstretches of the city. The midday sun shone down hot and bright upon the bustling city. Vendors, merchants, guards, soldiers, fishermen and blacksmiths filled the streets, hawking their wares and goods to any whom were close while throngs of people bustled about on their daily rounds.
One of these was Thunder-ef-en-Yinepu al Alexandria. He stood at six foot two at the top of his head, with a further height of six more inches with his tall ears. He was an Anubian jackal, from a long family line of Anubianites, covered in short black fur with golden trim fur on the end of his muzzle and around his eyes in traditional Egyptian style, leading to a point on the outsides of each eye.
He wore garb consisting of white linen, light and airy for the sweltering climate that was Egypt. A hood was pulled up over his head and attached to a shoulder cover which also had a half-cape over his back in white with a deep blue inner cape.
His body was open to the air for the most part, a sleeveless coat covered his back and part of his chest and stomach, leading down to his shenti and leather belt, which had a few draping narrow aprons on the front.
He made his way through the crowds, gently moving people and furs alike out of his way as he proceeded down to the docks of Alexandria on the Mediterranean Sea where a large trireme was pulling up near a dock, flying a Roman flag. Thunder made his way down to the wooden dock where a gangplank was cast down from the ship to the dock below.
A fairly large group was cluttered here consisting of all walks of life. Roman soldiers, Alexandrian city guards, dock workers and slaves all awaiting the disembarking.
A whole legion of Roman soldiers began to descend from the ship, clasping arms of those waiting below and giving one another greetings and cheerful hellos.
The jackal watched each one as they came down from the ship, mostly wolves, bears, foxes, humans and a few goats. In the midst of the line of soldiers, a teal and light blue shark came down between the others. Thunder smiled and pushed his way through the workers and slaves excitedly.
The shark looked up and seemed a bit surprised. He shouldered his gear bundle on his back and stepped off the gangplank. He was wearing the typical Roman armor, a lorica segmentata- the stripped torso cuirass, manica- arm guards and galea- helmet and a cloak over his back. Under these was his crimson red tunica, sword and dagger belt, cingulum and his caliga military boots.
The shark cleared his throat as he approached the jackal. “Thunder? What are you doing here?”
The jackal smirked. “I live here.”
“…at the dock.”
“Meeting you of course.”
The shark looked over to the other soldiers to see if they took any special interest in what was going on. They didn’t, finding more interest in story swapping with their other compatriots as they headed off towards the city.
“Is something the matter Lightning?” the Anubian jackal asked.
The shark smiled and shook his head. “Not in the least.”
They started walking down the dock and through the crowds packed in the city streets. This was easily done as many parted the way at the sight of the Roman soldier walking along, his hobnailed caligae clattering on the stone paved streets.
“So, how was Rome?” Thunder asked after they had walked for a bit, the streets thinning out some and the dull roar of the crowd dropped away.
“The same as always. Things seemed to have settled down quite a bit. Some peace is nice for once. I have been assigned here in Alexandria by order of Marcus Antonius whom wishes to keep Egypt garrisoned and safe for his bride Cleopatra.”
“Does that mean that you are staying?”
The shark nodded shifting his pack on his back. “That it does. For how long I am unsure. Times are changing as is the world of which we live in. Nothing stays the same forever.”
Thunder nodded at this, chewing on the food for thought that the shark had given him and they continued on for another mile or so, winding their way through mostly houses at this point. The streets became progressively less and less crowded as they continued further along the coast where Thunder’s decently sized, but plenty lavish home was.
The two entered his gardens through an opening in the small stone wall that surrounded his property and into the main courtyard. Here was littered with benches, a square pool, flowers, ferns and tall palm trees in front of and surrounding the single story stone house. Two heavy wooden doors closed off the front entryway and it was through these they entered.
Inside was a very open floor plan with lofted ceilings and painted walls and columns. A doorway on each side wall led to the various rooms of the house, to the right, the bedroom, library and bath; to the left, kitchen, dining area and lounging room. The far wall of the main room opened up almost completely to a wide balcony overlooking a stunning view of the Mediterranean Sea, framed by thin white curtains gently billowing in the warm breeze.
The shark looked around and his journey from Rome suddenly washed away and a warm smile crossed his face as he let his gear pack slip off his shoulder and to the floor with a deep thud, as he suddenly felt completely at ease and relaxed all over.
“Welcome back to Egypt.” Thunder said with a smile, putting his arm around the back of Lightning and drawing the two in close. Lightning took a deep breath and smiled, putting his arm around the jackal and squeezing him tightly back. “It’s certainly good to be back. But even better to be with the one that I love.”

Part Two: http://www.furaffinity.net/view/9256260/