[Griffin Torrens]

Adopted

Username: AustrianAce
Name: The North Sider | Hickory
Gender: Female
Height: 18 in
Weight: 34 lbs
Color: Blue and Silver Brindle Cryptic Merle Minimal White
Genotype: Aya BB cchce dd EE hh ii kbrky Mcm Ssi tt UU ll

[saorsa]

Username: saorsa
Partner Username: luxio
Name: VH Across the Summer Sea (Dreamfyre)
Name Meaning: Dreamfyre is a dragon in Game of Thrones. (read more here)
Gender: female
Entry Part: 1
Entry:

Competition day. She could feel it the night before- her handlers heightened excitement and anxiety. After a busy morning of breakfast, a short practice run of the agility course and grooming, the pair were ready to head out. Dream barked in anticipation as she jumped up into the show van. A short ride later they arrived at the trialing grounds. Today there were more dogs than she could count, and the smells wafting from the bustling concession stand made her mouth water. Focus! She remembered. Her handler clipped the leash on and led her through the maze to a large field tied off with ropes. Inside were the many colorful structures she was practically raised on. She sat patiently as the final paperwork was ready to go. As they took their place waiting in the lineup, she spotted her red coated rival nearby. The two were similar in age and abilities. They even had similar names; it was as if fate was making a joke on them. “I’ll best you this time!” Dream barked with a sly grin. The last time they had faced, Sunfyre had slipped ahead and taken first place. The day went on slowly as the other competitors complete their courses. There was only one collie that she was concerned about that day. Finally the announcer called her forward. Alright, here goes nothing! Dreamfyre raced through the tunnel and weaved through the poles with ease. She flew over the jumps, up and down the A frame and never took a wrong turn or tripped. Yes! She was in the top placement! She plopped on the grass while Sunfyre took her turn. There was no turning back for either of them now. Watching carefully, Sunfyre hadn’t missed a beat either. Dream felt her heart racing; it was anyone’s game now. The announcer blasted off. “It’s… a TIE!!” What?! They were both equally good? Dreamfyre reluctantly trotted over to congratulate her equal. “You’re pretty good… did you want to share some of my treats? My handler gets the best after a good competition.”
(344 words)

[insidious.wizard]

Username: Marz-Barz
Partner Username: DarkestWerewolf
Name: G&S Fallen Empire "Remus"
Name Meaning: Remus and Romulus are twin brothers in Roman mythology who founded the Roman Empire
Gender: Male
Entry Part: part 1
Entry:

[AustrianAce]

(cc)

Username: AustrianAce

Partner Username: southern sweetie

Name: The North Sider | Hickory

Name Meaning:

the show name is a complement to the derogatory nickname Hickory gave Haisley.
The name Haisley means "the hazel tree," and Hickory is another kind of nut tree.

Gender: female

Entry Part: part 2 - ending

Entry:

Once, Hickory and Haisley were best friends. Haisley called her Rory, Hickory called her Haze—no one else could call them that. The South Side of the tracks wasn’t the worst place to live, they told themselves. The searching for scraps, the having to find a safe place to sleep every night, the begging, it wasn’t so bad, because they had each other. The two of them were born so close together, their mothers knew each other and had found the same place to have their pups, and they were the only ones born alive in their litter that rainy night. It was like Haze and Rory were meant to be friends, to depend on each other to live, rather than simply survive.

Then one day, when their families’ paths had diverged somewhat, Rory disappeared from Haze’s life. Her family had come into more fortunate circumstances suddenly, and one morning they packed up their belongings and left for the North side of the tracks. It was devastating for the two of them—the hasty goodbye. So, they didn’t prolong the misery and didn’t tell the other all that they wanted, or needed, to say.

Some years passed, and Hickory forgot her roots, the early years of her childhood that had made her who she was. She looked down on the South Siders, the collies that had to beg for food to survive. She forgot Haisley, and their bond, because no one on the North Side could be friends with a South Sider, and she had to keep up appearances. Her owners had trained her well, and as soon as she started competitions, she excelled and began to win. She was the best, and she belonged on the North Side, and the South Side collies could never compare to her skill. One day early on during a trial, she saw a familiar face from her past competing as well. Haisley. How? How could she be here? Rory wondered. She had almost forgotten what she looked like but there was no mistaking her gorgeous red merle, her blue and gold eyes.

Their first reunion was not a joyful one. As they passed each other on their leashes, their eyes both narrowed. “You.” Haisley lowered her voice menacingly. “You.” Hickory growled back. Their eyes conveyed everything that words could not—“how could you leave me?” “why did I never hear from you again?” “how did you make it here?” “go back to the South Side where you belong.”

As each competition passed, Hickory and Haisley competed more and more in the same levels, and more and more Hickory felt the need to prove that she was better than Haisley, as Haisley gained on her in both skill and determination. Hickory continued to prevail, the star of her owners’ attention and expectations, but Haisley the underdog, the one no one expected to win, rose through the titles nearly right behind her.

On a blustery, sunny day at a competition, both collies were getting ready in the same area to compete in a herding competition when a ruckus caused alarm to rise through the owners. Haisley and Hickory and their owners sensed the panic immediately and took off towards the commotion. A herd of cattle had broken loose because some other trainers were having trouble getting their collies to work together, and it had caused panic in everyone. Haisley and Hickory’s owners both called a command to their collie to help herd the cattle back into the corral. With one look at each other, the two communicated just one thing. ”It’s on.” They each wanted to prove they were the best. Hickory shot off one way, Haisley the other. The cattle, confused and still panicked, ran around with no direction, desperately trying to avoid the collies battling to bring the cattle in from different directions.

Suddenly, Hickory felt a sharp pain in her shoulder and fell to the ground, the sudden force knocking the wind out of her. The falling piece of wood she had collided with landed on her leg, trapping her on the ground. Haisley, her senses attuned and acute, noticed the fallen collie immediately. This was her chance, she thought, her chance to prove that South Siders were just as good as the North Siders, to bring the cattle home safely, alone. But at what cost? Hickory whimpered aloud, struggling to get her leg free. The cows bore down in her direction, the stampede threatening her life. One split second decision, and Haisley was by her side, pulling on the wood with all her might to get Hickory free. “Haze?” Rory asked, her tone desperate and questioning. “Rory come on, get up and help me and we can get the cattle in together! It’s the only way. You have to trust me” Haze shouted, finally freeing Rory and pulling her to safety just in time. Rory looked at her, stunned. “I thought you hated me..” She whispered almost imperceptibly. Haze replied, “..well I thought you hated me.” They looked at each other, finally realizing they had needed each other all along, communicating in their unspoken language all that they wish they had said along the years in one look. Then, with a new determination, they worked together, quickly getting the herd of cattle calmed down and into the safety of the corral. Someone closed the gate behind the cows, and their work was done.

Panting, happy and exhausted, Rory and Haze ran towards each other and embraced. Their relationship wasn’t completely fixed, not yet, but it was healing, and they had found their purpose in each other again.

(936 words)

[Griffin Torrens]

Username: AustrianAce

Partner Username: southern sweetie

Name: The North Sider | Hickory

Name Meaning:

the show name is a complement to the derogatory nickname Hickory gave Haisley.
The name Haisley means "the hazel tree," and Hickory is another kind of nut tree.

Gender: female

Entry Part: part 2 - ending

Entry:

-snip-

(936 words)

Congrats! I really enjoyed all the entries, however these two touched my feelings the most!

[AustrianAce]

ahh thank you so much! <3