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age. 3 yrs . role. the tenacious . where. helicopter ; desert . tags. the six . words. 2070
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lol
from the time that she was a young pup, andie had dreamt of flying.
indent may it be shivering in the backyard of her old home in a broken-down doghouse, or laying in her crate, well cared for but unable to leave the confinements of the laboratory, the retriever had fantasized about flying away. taking to the sky with mighty wings, paws craving to touch those teasing white wisps above . . . fleeing from all her problems and worries. days used to go by, and andie would not remove her gaze from the sky; over the sound of her rumbling belly and the painful blows from her human's significant other, she continued to dream about ascending──continued to dream that there was something beyond her malnourishment and sorrow. the breeze would tickle the golden-red dog's fur and ruffle her ears; they too wished they could fly. andie's heart never ceased to feel joy at the sight of the sky's winged crusaders, chirping melodiously overhead. at the time, more than ever, she had wanted to be with them . . . and even now believed she would join them one day──twisting and twirling towards the sun.
indent yes, from the time that she was a young pup, andie had dreamt of seeing the world from above.
indent but she'd never thought it would look like this.

indent the rhythmic pounding of the metal bird contraption thumped in tune with andie's frantic heartbeat. the female's usual crate suddenly felt a lot smaller; the metal bird her owners had placed her and the others in rocked and moaned, and everything was consumed in its reverberating pulse──thump, thump, thump. she could feel it in her bones and throat, like an infection that would never leave her. birds were not supposed to be so noisy. the nova scotia duck tolling retriever shook and tumbled in her crate, banging into the ones on her left and right with the turbulence; human chatter and the shuffling of feet mingled with the powerful noises of the metal bird and the slam of the crates. andie's big hazel eyes were as wide as the stars they were passing; she could glimpse the tiny pinpricks of light through the metal bars at the front of her crate, and she latched onto them, a sign that the world had not shrunk to the dimensions of her crate. smells of foreign human belongings──metallic, harsh──that she had never scented before back in the laboratory met her pink nose, as well as the putrid reek of the other dogs' panic. as soft whines and confused yaps poked through the small holes in the side of her crate, andie wondered if the other canines inside the metal bird could surmise why they were here. she certainly couldn't hope to know; the toller had thought within the past year-and-a-half of her life with the laboratory humans──her owners, her saviors──that she had come to terms with the strangeness, but overall kindness, of mankind. perhaps she was wrong about all she'd learned. but somewhere in her heart, she didn't believe that stacy would lead her astray after all she'd done for her . . . right?
indent the abrupt oddness of the situation had the golden-red female perplexed, and so she thought back on the happenings within the last year-and-a-half. andie recalled the silence that rocked the world. suddenly, no more cars honked and no more people were present; they all disappeared, while the amount of animals in the area intensified. dogs ran wild in the haunted, ghostly silent streets . . . free . . . while andie, bewildered and scared of the strange feeling in her bones and the looming knowledge that her two people wouldn't return for her, was chained to a metal stake in the ground, fighting for her life. that was when stacy and the other white-coated humans found and rescued her, driving her for quite some time to a desolate, rusty-grounded place with distant mountains and windblown shrubbery. that was the first and last glimpse she'd gotten of the place before she'd been ushered inside; until now, andie hadn't left since. stacy and the other scientists had done what her former owners hadn't, and within the two months that andie was alone with them all in the labratory, she was given a name, a warm bed and crate, a proper master, and steady food and water. all of which she'd never experienced, but soon learned to guard protectively. in april, when nefertiti the pomeranian arrived, the retriever was a brand new dog: fit, strong, confident in herself . . . and emerging as a powerful leader already. she and the younger male connected instantly, and for the next two months, they trained under the watchful eyes of the white-coats . . . until the loyal and selfless keno, a handsome great pyrenees, came into the picture in july.

indent a small system was adopted. the dogs would bond, and then a stranger would be added to their midst, interrupting the cycle and forcing them to become familiar with each other until the next arrived. october brought the quiet, watchful eurasier named atlas; with january blundered in riko, a white kishu ken that was undyingly energetic and desperate for love . . . and april produced the final dog: gunnery, an aggressive, snappy old german shepherd with shrapnel in his legs and in his heart. when he completed the set of six, that was when the training the white-coats and stacy subjected them to became more rigorous; the dogs scarcely had time to get properly intimate with each other during the following months after gunnery's arrival. life was a cycle of training──running, hunting, tracking, sparring, and mind simulations to name a few──eating, and then sleeping. everyone became so exhausted and sore that they simply put up with one another's presence and focused on their work. none of them knew why they had been chosen or what the idea behind all the humans' tests and simulations were . . . but they complied with them, for all their lives had taken a bad turn somewhere and they had no place left to call home. the seemingly endless days of waking up early, training all day for something nonexistent, and then collapsing the second they entered their crates finally came to a halt just today, however. the six had been put away in their crates for the night, only to be woken up a short time later; the sun hadn't even started spilling across the horizon. it had been dark as pitch, the hallways and white walls washed of their light, and there were new additions to the white-coats──black-clothed men and women in enormous black boots. andie and the others, confused and disoriented, were taken and shoved into the back of a vehicle that blended into the desert floor. shortly after that, the metal bird's whooshing and whirring began, and it was like the strange noises signaled that everything was about to change. when andie's crate was carried out, she saw people running and barking at each other, sliding open the belly of the metal bird to let the crated dogs and various other appliances aboard. stacy was among them all, following whoever was holding andie's crate with fear rolling off of her in waves. the dogs were placed roughly in the belly of the beast, crates strapped together, fear-scents mingling; was this another test? a way to spook them that would eventually relax into routine? by the way all the humans and dogs seemed to be on edge, she was starting to suspect not.

indent andie, lost in her past and the events of the night, was only aware that her crate door had been opened when a gentle hand grabbed the leather #1 collar around her neck. it was stacy, pulling her forward to attach something small and metallic to the front of her collar, press a button on its leather surface, and then fiddle with a thin electronic slab that lit up her face and gave her a ghostly sheen. like the numb-pawed fool andie was, all she did was watch, hazel eyes round; it had to be a new test, considering all the buttons and the devices being attached to her, but the sadness in her handler's eyes . . . what could excuse that? she should have known something was wrong when she heard and felt the young woman's pulse slam through her veins, reaching andie's floppy ears like a prologue to the departure ahead. but even so, the retriever hadn't the heart to blame her master. if she was destined to finally take flight in this manner, who was she to question the gift? stacy gave her one last kiss on her pink nose, then reciprocated with a flick of andie's tongue along her cheek. her tears were salty, and later, she would remember the tang. then stacy, with one last fond rub of andie's golden-red ears, was gone; she shut the crate and moved onto the dog next to andie, whom she could half-identify using her nose as atlas.
indent when the last crate door was closed, the humans began to shout again, and the stars flew by ever faster outside the metal bird's windows when the beast swooped lower to the ground. from her vantage point near a window, the retriever watched the ground come closer and closer . . . until the metal bird was hovering a few dog-lengths above the red earth. this time, when her crate was opened, harsh gloved hands grabbed the ruff of andie's neck, dragging her forth from the safety of her confinement and to the metal bird's now-open belly. andie didn't even try to resist, knowing it was a useless struggle; with only a small whimper, she allowed herself to be half-thrown half-carried to the opening in the metal walls. without thinking levelheadedly about what could be below, andie ran for the whistling sky and twinkling stars . . . and as she jumped, she found nothing beneath her white paws but cold air. it was the most amazing feeling she had ever endured; ears flapping, fur catching, eyes watering, jowls moving . . . and then, like a comet, she fell to the earth. andie landed with a loud thump and a gasp quickly followed by a pained groan, her shoulder smacking into the hard-packed earth and chest knocked clean of air. flailing and sending dust and grit every which way, the retriever rolled into a standing position, head tossing back and dizziness making her skull throb. the metal bird hovered above; more of the black-clothed strangers were opening crates, grabbing her companions by the collars or ruffs to throw them through the opening.

indent dancing plumes of dust were being kicked up by the bird's wings, and she had to narrow her hazel eyes to peer through them; her ears flapped across her face and her fur was blown every which way. one by one, the other five canines plummeted from the belly of the beast, plopping to the ground like rejected angels, just like she had. andie let out a bark, the noise hoarse from the dust she was inhaling; she had to let the others know she was there. they managed to hear her and barked back. she ran to them, concern in her watery eyes and a whine in her throat. the nova scotia duck tolling retriever dared not speak over the roaring of the metal bird, so she nosed the five dogs and stared with nerves and fear both at them and the metal bird. the humans leaned out of the side of the bird's belly, staring down at them and talking; after a few more excruciating moments of kicked dust and biting sand, they closed the gaping wound in the bird's stomach and the creature took to the sky again. the last thing andie saw as it pulled away, drifting further and further into the stars, was stacy's sobbing face, pressed against a windowpane.
indent even after the terrible whooshing noises had left them, even after the dust had settled──all andie could do was stare at the spot in the sky where the metal bird had disappeared. and wonder, just maybe, if this was her second time to be abandoned . . . if she really wasn't meant to fly after all.

[ataraxic_gone]

xxxxＧｕｎｎｅｒｙ
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xxxxxxxHe was asleep. The shaking of the craft and the vibration of the engines lulled the seasoned warrior into slumber, he was not one born to sleep on the stilled ground when there was this delightful and peaceful machine to sleep in. The clicks and sway of this bird were different from the trusted and true c-17 but this plane still had the qualities he adored from the aforementioned craft. It had perturbed him that the make and model of the craft was unfamiliar to his eyes, meaning it must have been either new or very old and re-purposed. It didn't matter to him, this plane still quivered in the air, sending vibrations through his bones that calmed his soul. He'd been in these planes many a time before and the journey always was enough for one to get in some decent sleep. It was a known fact to the old solider that when they came to a landing they would not get the chance to rest and danger would most likely be awaiting them. It would do them well to rest, be prepared and alert. So he slept, rather peacefully, chest rising and falling, his sides pressed against the walls of his crate, holding him in place and his head held firm between his paws. To his ears the sound of whimpering blended in with the rattling of metal and only aided in the German shepherds slumber. Did he dream? Yes but far from in colour; what he saw was the black abyss of doubt and anxiety bringing with them thoughts of what ifs and maybes. He would often find himself questioning what would have happened if he had been settled at his masters feet instead of on top of his lap. It was definitely a possibility that if Gunnery had taken the brunt of shrapnel, Jake would be the one alive today. Despite the thoughts of doubt that plagued him no sound escaped the sleeping form of the brute and his form remained steady and calm in his moment of respite from reality.

xxxxxxxAll noise around him was drowned out into a soft background noise- except one. A soft click alerted him to the presence of someone at his crates door. Opening his eyes, he raised his head to address the human who was peeling open the door, cautious of escapees. He wondered if another dog had tried to run loose? He pushed the though out of mind as the human reached out towards him, moving forward slightly he inched into the touch. Underneath his head he felt the soft and furless hands begin to work on the leather collar that donned his neck. He held still, allowing them freedom to do as they had to. His alert ears could make out the sound of metal clicking into place as the sound echoed through out his body as if he was merely hollow. The hands retreated, releasing the collar. As they did it fell heavy upon his neck, not by much but definitely noticeable. Something had been added, he could feel a bit of a box under his chin if he looked down and he raised his gaze curiously towards the human once more. The furless paws closed the crate door slightly, confident that the sarge wouldn't try anything. She returned her hands, to the crate revealing a syringe. "Platz!" She called in broken German, smiling slightly as immediately Gunnery's head fell flat to the metal cage's floor, giving free access to his scruff. The bitter tang to his senses was something he recalled too well from his nights at the vets and the bad days when things got worse and an annoyed huff barely made it out of his form. It was only appropriate that they couldn't let him go without one final jab of their healing concoctions. His scruff was grabbed softly and lifted, a pinch followed, quickly becoming dulled as the pain medication did it's work.

xxxxxxxAny residual pain in his leg began to dull and he questioned their motivation. They only ever gave him medication for the pain when the mild arthritis in his joints was set to act up because of the cold or if they had a hectic day of training- well atleast hectic training by military standards. Training, for the most part, only became difficult a while after his pack-mates began to feel the struggle. Even with his damaged leg he carried on, strong muscles making up for the lacklustre performance of one of their units. He knew that it was a concern among the humans, that he never seemed to show the pain he was going through, which lead them to use the medication. If the didn't know the severity how could they prevent going too far? They couldn't. All they could do was prepare for the fall-out, which never came. His leg had healed and other than being stiff and a bit painful to step on it wasn't getting any worse. He never complained. Which was more than he could say for his comrades in arms; ditsy, unreliable, air heads. They had dreams bigger than their heads, bar one or two and this worried him. He was brought out of his critiquing thoughts by an itching in his scruff, a side effect from the injection into his scruff. It was something he was used to but the urge to itch was strong. If it wasn't for his cramped position he seriously considered that he would have engaged in itching the surface with his back leg. His eyes travelled forward, noting that at some point his cage had been closed and the human had departed.

xxxxxxxMoments passed as the atmosphere began to shift dramatically, tension filled his senses of those around him, both dog and human. As a sign of the changing times the planes parts began groaning and clicking, the world outside revealed through the mouth of the plane. His heart beat with zeal, he was ready for this. He thought, eyes staring vividly at the night landscape he could see. Andie was the first to be sent out of the plane, she leapt from planes mouth with all the grace of a cricket with one leg. Next was Dixie, fearless as always, followed by Braum, Atlas, Riko and then the humans were at his cage. It humoured him greatly that while most dogs were pulled from their cages it was respect the elderly dog was treated. He also now understood why he had been given the medication for pain, he would be landing on the earth and most likely taking the brunt on all legs. "Hier, Fuss!" the handler sounded in fluent German, unlike the previous human to pass by his crate. There was no hesitation as Gunny moved the side of the handler, posture alert as he walked in step with the human towards the mouth of the plane. He waited for the word. "Hopp!" Shouted the man beside him and without hesitation he leapt. Wind whistled through his fur as he positioned himself similar to a cat would, legs outstretched and ready to hit the ground. Thump. His injured leg immediately called out in pain the second his velocity ceased and he impacted upon the ground. For a brief moment it all came flooding back to him and he let out a loud snarl, the images of the floor crumbling upwards before everything went white. His heart ached with the loss as he stood unsteady, shaking and looking around at the dogs near him. He could smell a bomb! Or was this just in his head, beside him the form of Riko became clear in the haze. "Get up rookie!" he snarled, biting at the air near the youth, he was tense from the shock of the fall and directed it into anger.

xxxx➸ ⇢ former solider⇢ sire ⇢ 10y ⇢ helicopter, desert; riko ⇢ 1,307 words

[paper planets]

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( 2 years ) ( female ) ( the clay ) ( scent: spruce & rain ) ( location: helicopter, desert ) ( tags: gunnery )
❁. ── ❝ i fall in love, just a little bit, everyday with someone new !! ❞


The crate in which the young Kishu Ken cowered in did little to soothe her already fried nerves. In fact, it only worsened them and caused her whole body to shake as her wide, brown eyes stared out through the bars at the front of the cage. The feeling of the crate shaking, sliding slightly at times, and her paws loosing traction on the ground, causing her to fall and crash into the side of the crate evoked memories in her mind. Memories of a time many months ago, about a years ago, maybe more, Riko had lost count. Times were simpler back then, living in a house with her parents, traditional and strict dogs, but caring, nonetheless and her litter-mates, her siblings. Who's fate was still unknown to the pure white female. They had been learning morals and specific responsibilities from their parents when the world crashed and burned right before their eyes. A simple day turned into a nightmare within seconds when the ground shook and the buildings fell, leaving nothing but rubble from what had been a beautiful city in Japan. Riko had not even been a year old when she rose from the dust and rubble with her head aching and the dark sky covered with clouds of dust and smog. When the city fell it had been afternoon and when she rose, like a ghost trapped within the shadows of an empty town, it was night. Somehow she had been spared from the majority of the chunks of her house falling and it seemed as if something had fallen onto her head in the single moment of panic she did have before everything went black. Riko ran after that, stumbling over rubble and slipping on foul-smelling liquids that oozed out across the abandoned streets, coughing on the smoke, ash and dirt that clouded in the air and never looking back. She hadn't stopped to rest that whole night, instead she was searching for her parents, letting out rough and ragged cries into the vast, emoty sky and the eerily silent city. It was dawn when she caught a scent of them that caused her heart to swell with hope and she ran towards the comforting scent, only to find them, collapsed on the ground, right near her house. She had gone in a circle and found her parents, who had obviously been searching for their lost pups, she could see the fear in their glazed over eyes. She wasn't sure how they died, with foam around their mouths and their forms crumpled on the ground, but she did what she knew best; she ran. And ran and ran and ran. Weeks passed after that and she saw a few dogs smelling of rank scents and looked ragged and dangerous. But, she approached them anyways, desperate for company in this world alone. But she could've been invisible for all she knew, for they merely ignored the small, skinny pup. Perhaps in those weeks she began to wonder if she actually was a ghost.

Riko snapped out of her thoughts when she heard the clicking of a crate's lock sliding out of place, it wasn't her crate, but one close to her's. Of course she remembered the rest of her story, about being found by humans who descended from the sky in a huge metal bird and coaxed her out of hiding with kind words, giving her the impression that she would be loved. Only to be thrown into a crate just like she one she crouched in now and brought to a strange place where other dogs resided in and given a collar with #5 on it. Then, training until her muscles were sore when she moved, until her head spun and, most importantly, until her heart ached with loneliness and desperation. She cowered in the back of her crate as the memories ate away at her. She would give anything to go back in time and not run and find her siblings who probably were trapped in their fallen house and to be with her parents. Though, she couldn't do that, it was impossible and all she had to focus on was the present and, right now, her cage was being opened. Her fearful eyes snapped towards the opening, a human crouched there, using sweet words to try and coax her out. She almost fell for their soft words, but then her mind jumped back to the last time she listened to sweetly spoken words coming from the furless humans. Without much hesitation, the Kishu Ken had leapt forwards, slipping out beside the human and bolting, she wasn't sure where she was going, or if there was anywhere to go, she just ran. Like always. But, she didn't get far, the human who opened her crate yelled frantically and two of the other black-clad humans rushed forwards and scooped her up, despite her squirming they held onto her strongly as she twisted and whimpered, the whites of her eyes showing in her panic-driven state.

The next thing she knew she was held to the ground and after a few moments of struggling she gave up, too drained, from all of her emotions and her failed escape, to continue fighting. She lay there, chest heaving with her heavy breaths that escaped through her parted, panting maw. The humans fiddled with her collar, their faces serious and hard. A few others came to watch speaking a few words that she barely caught, they were talking about being careful and not rushing with this one. This one.. Do they mean me? she thought suddenly and her breathing nearly stopped what did I do? Is it because I ran? she thought frantically and she would've began struggling again if it wasn't for the genuine worry and fear in the humans' eyes as they worked carefully and precisely on her collar. She wasn't sure why, but she just knew that something bad - really bad - would happen if they messed this up.

The pressure of human hands was slowly and cautiously removed from her flank and her legs and she sat up, hunching her shoulders as she finally took into account her surroundings. She spotted the other dogs, all out of their cages and saw, through the windows, that it was night. She was beginning to calm her wildly beating heart when she felt the machine suddenly fly downwards, causing a feeling of nausea to arise within her, making her stomach feel like it was doing flips. She crouched low to the ground, her chest touching the cold metal, as if that would help. Perhaps it did, but she couldn't focus on that because before she knew what was happening, commands were shouted and Andie jumped out of the large metal bird, where it's belly had been opened. She stared at the place where the orange-furred female disappeared and then watched as the other dogs followed suit, Braum, Atlas and then she was being guided towards the opening. She looked around as confusion swam through her brown gaze and only when she peered down at the opening and felt the wind blowing through her fur did she realize that the humans wanted them - wanted her - to jump. She paused, trying to take a step away from the opening, only to be pushed towards the hole once again. She stood on the edge of the humming machine for stretched on moments before a command was sharply yelled and she knew that there was no getting out of this, so, before the humans could push her again, she jumped, telling herself that Andie and Braum and Atlas would be waiting on the ground for her. So, the young, impressionable female followed their lead and jumped.

It didn't feel freeing or good at all when her hind legs pushed off of the metal belly of the large mechanical bird. It felt like she was falling - not flying. She fell like a dead weight, legs flailing around as she tried to think of how to land as the wind whipped by her ears, making her unable to hear anything besides the rushing of wind as she fell towards the red and orange earth. The landscape was odd and, when she finally crashed to the ground, she found that it was sand, they were in a desert. When the white ghost fell to the earth she landed on her side, shoulder smacking into the ground and sending a shock of electric pain throughout her entire body. She lay on the ground, questioning if she would even be able to rise to her paws through the blinding pain she felt in her shoulder. She groaned in pain and sneezed and coughed from the dust and sand that had gotten in her throat and nose. She was still lying on the ground when a sharp command sounded right beside her and the loud snap of teeth was heard beside her ear. She simultaneously jumped to her paws and flinched away from the snapping jaws and cowered away from the dog, who she could now make out as Gunnery through the thick dust that billowed up around them from the metal bird. But it was flying away, she looked up and saw it's retreating form and only looked at Gunnery again when the sound had completely faded, "I-I'm up! Sorry, Gunnery.. I just hurt my shoulder when I fell," she whimpered and, at the mention of her possible injury, she remembered the pain. It had subsided slightly, but her shoulder still ached and it hurt even more when she put pressure on that leg. Ignoring the anger that radiated off of the older male she looked around at their surroundings and whimpered softly, "Where are we? Why did the humans abandon us here?" she questioned in despair. She didn't like it with the humans, but it was better that being stranded in a strange, new place.

[linkmama]

( `♚ -- ｄｉｘｉｅ ! )
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( ● gender. cisfemale ) ( ● age. two ) ( ● role. dauntless ) ( ● location. helicopter; desert ) ( ● feeling. tense ) ( ● word count. 1260 )


xxxxxDauntless. The word itself conveys a conflicting connotation for each and every one of us. Some look up in wonder with innocent eyes that grew to unfathomable sizes, just longing for the ending about old folktale about that god-like dauntless hero who defeats his enemies with just a snap of his fingers. The children with fingernails that left an indent their mother’s imported chair who would later get a scolding, but didn’t care because their only desire would be to find out if he saved that princess, or if he slayed that dragon. Others can look to the real world, occupied by fearless modern heroes. Those who dive directly into a burning building to save a worn-down teddy bear, or chase down that brown-haired menace that stole a mother’s silk-woven purse. But some just grimace at the thought of a dauntless. Their minds are clouded and bitter. Naive, that’s all they say. Risk-takers. Wreckless. But they don’t take risks; because risks are stupid. And they are not stupid.
xxxxx But what, exactly, does that mean? One could provide the subordinate definition of the word -- that would be expected of Gunnery. A simple, straightforward brute with a dull glaze in those dark, tired eyes. He carried his head parallel to his shoulders and a furrowed brow plastered to his forehead. His very presence struck some form of panic within Dixie; it was as if she felt a different emotion each time the two characters interacted. Instead of her heart pounding -- as described vividly in so many stories -- she felt that she froze from within herself. Ice crystals that crept through her veins and arteries just turned her rigid. Dixie became dumbfounded. Her initial desire was to prove herself to such an honorable brute -- but she realized that such a goal was nothing but a lost cause. She felt that she couldn’t function around him, as she had only received positive feedback from her trainers at the lab. Gunnery had never uttered a word as simple as “good job” to her. It was a small thing, but it hurt her confidence. In an effort to prove herself worthy of the six, she had only defeated herself. Still, one would never notice. Dixie hid her failures with an ever-flowing confidence -- it was a mystery to even her where it came from.
xxxxxAnother could say it was a prideful thing to be. They were to look to reality for the answer. She expected such an answer of Andie. The rusty-red female was perhaps wise beyond her years. A determination as strong as the sun, whom has risen and fallen each day for billions of years. Just like the sun, her purpose was made clear the first time Dixie had met her: to keep them alive and prospering. Open-minded and strong-willed, with a realistic perspective on the world. Dixie could’ve been called naive for putting all of her trust in one dog; well, she has already. She hasn’t figured out why she trusts Andie so much, though is confident that the journey will reveal the answer.
xxxxxLast, but certainly not least, was the perspective of an ignorant child who wanted to be the embodiment their fairy tale heroes. Dixie had certainly gained respect for the one she thought held this title. And that was Braum -- the grief-stricken dog whom was shattered from within. His eyes were plaintive; his memories were most likely ardently viewed. Dixie believed that he craved the thought of retreating from the program and returning to someone -- could it be an owner? A lover? Family? Whatever it may be, the spaniel had now locked in her answer. His thought-process was the most creative and pure of each dog. It was almost as if Braum was internally begging for that gallant hero to save him, and return him back to his palace.
xxxxxBut, of course, this was only her opinion...


_____


xxxxxA low, rhythmic moan was the first sound Dixie picked up. Dreary eyes, heavy with exhaustion, blinked to take note of her surroundings. Her state was dream-like and hazy; visions of her previous dream pranced and laughed and giggled with each other as they raced to the back of her mind. The only thing she was able to recall was some sort of hero, in the midst of a formidable quarrel with his enemy, determined to save her. How odd. Dixie never dreamt.
xxxxxThe click-clack of canine nails sounded an echo throughout a hollow dome she was enclosed within. As Dixie regained her consciousness, panic began to rise in her throat. Heat flooded to her ears and cheeks, and the french spaniel dropped her jaw to pant. Enormous hazel eyes darted left to right, trying to get a good read on her situation. Andie was to her left, and Braum to her right. Peering down the line, she caught glimpses of the ambivalent Atlas, panic-stricken Riko, and barbarous Gunnery. Dixie pressed her tongue to the roof of her now-closed maw, preventing a whine from escaping her lips. She attempted to rid her demeanor of any aspects betraying her anxiety, portraying herself as cool and calm and relaxed. Her chest was puffed and extended, assigning herself a hard shell of pride. She was not any of this.
xxxxxAn hour passed by. Her breath was released and her chest slumped to the floor. Her broad face wedged itself between massive spotted paws, and glazed, heavy eyes drifted across the room. No one spoke. It was a challenge for this french spaniel to hold her tongue; she wasn’t labeled as the most chatty of the six for nothing. The only sound that was ever added to shallow breathing and a low hum of the massive metal cage was the approach of a woman by the name of Stacy. Her intentions were only to pay her respects to the six, kissing them each on the nose and whispering a sorrowful goodbye. Dixie had picked up the human’s name from Andie, assuming they must have an extremely close bond. She herself had never felt such a connection with anyone. Could that possibly be an advantage? If there was ever a situation where one of the six were lost, killed… would it lessen the grieving?
xxxxxAbout ten minutes passed by. Dixie could sense a change in their movement; it was no longer smooth. It felt like her throat had descended into her stomach. Was it this, or something else that drove Riko to such fear? She watched from afar, embarrassment creeping beneath her fur, as the young kishu ken made a weak attempt at escape. Fearful yips and wistful cries were now the only sound Dixie could hear. She pressed her ears flat against her head, an uncertain frown findings its way to her lips. The pure-white dog was gradually put to ease, and placed back into her cage.
xxxxxThe whole thing was a head-rush. Dixie was overwhelmed, and she barely remembered any of it. The belly of the metal cage opened, revealing a tornado of dust quaking at its presence. Humans instructed the young spaniel, after Andie, to leap from the tongue of the beast -- and into the storm of tan and brown. Without a second thought, the red spaniel intrepidly leapt from the metal monster. The landing was inevitably painful -- but the injury to her forearm and hindpaw was most likely minor. Sand and dust filled her lungs with every breath and coated eyes; a fit of throaty coughing and teary eyes would most likely continue on for a few hours.
xxxxxThe dream was now long forgotten.

[ataraxic_gone]

xxxxＧｕｎｎｅｒｙ
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xxxxxxxThe whimpers of the rookie below him caused the gruff elder to bite his tongue. The rookie was scared, so was he and his aggression did nothing to aid the situation. A quiet voice in the back of his mind spoke in soothing tones that he stand by his squadron and support their ranks. The voice was silent and shouted over by the emotions that ran rampant in his head, spawned from the fear. Small threads of pain spindled up his leg in sharp and fading pulses that were silenced only by the medicine that echoed through his bones. Golden orbs scrutinised the subject before them, their details dilating with hidden fear and undecided thoughts. It was however, the unusual bulge to the youths shoulder that caught his eye. It was familiar; he had seen this before. His eyes flicked back and forth as he moved his weight across his paws to give his mangled limb a break. His brain calling to mind the memory of years past, a memory that would serve him greatly in this moment.

xxxxxxxHe remembered. The smell of sulphur permeated the air with a tinge of burning rubber and wood ever present. To the ears the sound of bullets breaking their way through air and smoke was just as common. Guns were constantly being emptied of their clips and reloaded, almost like a melody, a melody called stalemate. Gunnery stood strong as dirt sprayed from around their cover, at his side Jake stood speaking in the tongue of the people. Gunny could smell the fear on the natives, this attack had been going on strong for days and their homes were destroyed. Supply caravan's were under attack and the order was given for an evacuation was to be made. All routes of evacuation weren't stable however and the territory they could take to leave was waiting in his paws; there were bombs that stopped them from proceeding. Jake and Gunnery were assigned to a group of five, with whom they made seven. Connor, Luka, Mak, Jude and Iriel. Connor was a young gentlemen of similar breath to Jake, the two got along well and intern Connor was favoured in the eyes of Gunny. Luka didn't talk much with anyone, he had his guns, his eyes and a shoot first, don't ask questions attitude. He could tell that Jake didn't like Luka but Gunny couldn't bring himself to agree, he did see himself in Luka after all. Mak was an american born man of the lands they now stood on, he spoke the tounge well and sympathised with the plight of the area. Jude was a marksman, he stood in the same boat as Luka but his presence was more calming. Jude was someone you could trust, no matter what. Lastly their was Iriel, who was named after the high king of ireland, a quiet kid who was in over his head. Gunnery and Jake would go first, spotting bombs while Connor and Mak built a rope line that marked the safe passage. Behind them Luka and Iriel guarded them from attacks during the night, leaving it up to Jude to cover with sniper fire- shoot before shot.
xxxxxxxIt went well, they had paved a path during the silent, moon lit night that was ready for evacuation, one kilometre remained and not a single casualty to their party. Connor and Mak had begun to get cocky, following close behind the two scouts. They were beginning to bundle closer together and despite Jake's protest the two persisted up until the shout of Jude over the comms shook the group. An enemy sniper had emerged, with a smart plan, shoot the bombs. An explosion went off behind them, directly next to Connor and Mak. Mak hadn't been lucky, the blast enough to take him out of the world but Connor survive with minimal injuries. The only thing to impact him was a shoulder that ailed him. It had looked off, but not in anyway painful; just unusual to what Gunnery had seen prior. Not that in the moment, that had been what he was concerned about. With Jake perfectly fine, Gunnery leapt into action dragging Connor towards cover. With help far away it was up to Jake to fix things. Gunnery remembered what he had done in that moment.

xxxxxxxGunnery shook his head, eyes meeting with Riko's in a moment of haze. Bombs hadn't scared him back then, he hadn't felt their venomous bite and now the thought of the ones he had seen explode before his accident brought him immense distress. His eyes moved around the desert floor, cautious of his steps he ushered his way closer to the kishu ken. His memory itched with the smell of plastic, the kind which haunted his dreams- c4. He could swear it wasn't in his head as he stood over the white rookie. "Lay down," he spoke, more softly, his tone still carrying with it anger, bitterness and a brash tone. He waited for the lady to take position and gently traced a paw over the shoulder, abruptly applying pressure to the sound of a clunk inside the smaller being. His ears flicked back slightly, "there," he growled plying away from the clay and turning his attention to the dusty floor.
xxxxxxxThe dust was swerving around them and he whisked his tail back and forth once or twice at the fondness of the memories that arose from the sensation of breathing in the dust of the desert. He waited still, tail raising in a posture of alertness as he waited for the dust to settle. He waited, steady at first, only to move slightly to take the weight off of his leg. It was numb to the pain but it would come soon, he knew it would. As the dust lowered the dogs around him became clearer and he let out a sigh, yes they were all here and that meant their squadron was still completely under prepared. With vision granted his priority was set and the brute went about making a round to search for explosives. The idea scared him, that he would find one and something would set it off; but he knew that he understood what to do and what to not. He couldn't trust his nerves but he could remain faithful in the training that had let him get this far. In his head he heard the calls of Jake, ordering him how to proceed. Nose in the dust he scented the area, tracking from area to area, ears swivelling as he went.

xxxx➸ ⇢ former solider⇢ sire ⇢ 10y ⇢ desert; riko ⇢ 1,098 words