Tracker Dog Application Series 9Username: Lyrical_Rose
Tracker Dog you want: #29
Name you'll give it: Dune if he prefers it, but if I had the choice;
Corliss. It means Cheerful, or Joyous. I think that sums him up quite nicely. (The rest of the form will say Corliss, just to keep it simple.)
Reason why you want it: He is beautiful, and everytime I look at him I see something new. He has this simple majesty about him, and his colors are magnificent. I'm a fan of naturally colored pets, and his green just adds a splash of randomness amongst the brown, orange and cream. You wouldn't think that those colors would work together, but they do.
Will it be used in any kind of story? Yes, I'm sure I'll think of loads of little stories for this lovely boy.
Describe its personality: He is:
Playful
This boy loves to play, he will find a stick and be able to be entertained for hours. He loves to romp around and get dirty, and he has the worst time staying clean. He will play with anyone and anything, and he's destroyed a number of items in play before.
Mischeivious
Corliss is very mischeivious, he has that kind of smirk that just lets you know he's up to something. Maybe he buried your favorite shoes, or perhaps he started a game of 'Treasure Hunt' with your briefcase contents.
Hard-Working
Corliss is very hard-working, if he's allowed to, he will work from dawn till dusk, till dawn again. His owner actually has to tell him to take a break. But when he's taking a break, he takes a break. He will do nothing for hours and hours.
Innocent
This little boy acts just like a little boy. He never willingly hurts anyone, unless it's someone he deems dangerous to his person. He loves other people, and has the mind capacity of a four-year-old human.
Friendly
He loves meeting new people, and he'll become best friends with almost anyone. He does have a great judge of character, though. Some people he avoids, and his owner immeadiately knows that they aren't to be trusted.
Imaginative
While most Trackers go about their sense of smell and hearing, Corliss tries to imagine what the world looks like. He still relies on his ears and nose, but he like to think about what there is to see. He changes his mind, too. Leaves are blue on Wednesdays, and red on Thursdays.
Favorites:
Food:Either Chicken or hamburger, depending on his mood. He does love macaroni and cheese though. And Waffles.
Sport:Either sleeping or running around like his tail's on fire.
Color:Well, he can't see, so he doesn't know what color is...but he imagines the world in color all the time. His favorite is a blue-green color, which is how he imagines his owner. It's a comforting, loving color.
Sound:Birds, he loves chasing birds, and their songs mean he's going to have some fun.
Scent:Freshly made waffles. Boy, he enjoys waffles. With butter, syrup, and whipped cream.
Likes:
Birds
Running in open fields, preferably with Horses.
Snow, Rain, Sunny days, and water.
Sweet, salty, and meaty foods.
Peanut Butter. ^^
Working
Listening to T.V.
Trying to imagine what the world looks like, due to scents and sounds.
Dislikes:
Sour foods.
People with bad intentions.
Overly hot days, as well as cold.
Darkness, he can feel it, and he doesn't like it.
Long vacations.
Write an introduction for your Tracker:Corliss looked up, his multi-colored head peeking up from the overgrown field. His owner, a young woman with her hair tucked up underneath her hat, whistled. He bounded forward, leaping over the golden-brown hay in large bounds. He ran up and looked up at Leah expectfully.
"We've got a mission, boy. We're going for a ride." The girl said, clucking and nudging her horse on. Corliss bounded up towards the farmhouse, waiting at the front door while Leah quickly untacked the horse and put her back in the pasture. She walked back to the house to get packed.
~
Three hours later, the pair looked much different than the happy-go-lucky pair before. Leah was now in workclothes, her rescue wear. Her hair was in a ponytail, and Corliss was wearing his neon-rescue dog vest.
"Who are we looking for, Aaron?" Leah asked, walkign up to the leader of the rescue group. Corliss trotted at her heels, his ears swiveling around to catch everything going on in the small camp.
"Two kids, brother and sister. Ages 7 and 10. The family was camping, and they dissappeared during the night. They're foster kids." Aaron said, flipping through his clipboard.
"Any chance they ran away?" Leah asked, giving Corliss the command to sit as she saw a squirrel out of the corner of her eye. No need for him to be tempted.
"Possibly, although they seemed happy with the fosters. They've been there for three weeks, and never seemed upset. More likely the real father took 'em. He's an alcoholic, escaped from the county prison twice, most recently three years ago. He is on parole for good behavior, and he is very upset that he came home to his kids gone." Aaron continued, smirking slightly at Corliss, on edge as he watched the squirrel.
Leah ignored Corliss, he wouldn't run off. "Who took care of them while the father was in prison?" She asked, studying the map of the forest.
"Grandmother. She had a stroke and is now in a nursing home. She was deemed unable to provide by the state." Aaron replied.
Leah nodded. "When can we head out?"
"Now."
~
Leah silently walked behind Corliss, stepping over fallen logs and under an overhanging branch. She watched as he scented the ground hurriedly, searching for the scent that was on the sleeping bags. Unfortunately, it had rained earlier that morning, so the scents were weak at best. Leah had faith in him, though. He had never failed a mission.
~
Corliss' nose was on the ground as he snuffled through rotting leaves and scented the trees. He headed through some brush, scenting peanut butter. That had been one of the scents in the bag, stronger than that of the children. They obviously had been eating in bed. The Tracker started to trot, hearing crashing nearby. It was light, not that of the other rescue groups. A small squeal could be heard, from the same approximate area as the footsteps.
"Shut up!" A low voice hissed, much deeper than the squeal. "Do you want to be found?"
A almost silent mumble was the response. Corliss scented peanut butter again, and knew it was the boy.
"No one asked you!" The deeper voice roared, and Corliss heard a loud smack. He growled, his ears lying flat against his head. He immeadiately didn't like the older male. The Tracker stopped, and watched. He would wait until the opputune moment to continue.
"I'm tired." The soft, high voice said. "Can we stop?"
"No! If we stop, they'll find us. And if they find us, they'll take you, and then they'll put me back in jail. I can't go back to jail, I won't. I'll escape if they try, I know how. My buddy did, he's free." The adult kept rambling on, his words slurred slightly. Corliss continued to silently pad along behind them.
~
Leah could no longer see Corliss, and walked faster. She picked up her phone and pressed a button, making a GPS image appear on the screen. She saw two blips, one symbolizing her, and the other being Corliss. A metallic beeping emitted from her left, and she walked throug hthe brush towards it.
~
Corliss stiffened as his collar began to beep. He'd be found! He scrunched down into the tall bush, trying to become invisible.
The man turned, and looked around with narrowed eyes. He pinpointed the position of the beeping and concentrated through his alcoholic fog. "Who's there?" He called, stumbling.
Corliss looked to the children, who had faces filled of joy and anxiety. He hoped that Leah was coming soon, he needed the help to save them. Just as he was about to bark, two large eyes locked on his bright orange vest.
"Rescue dog, huh? Well, I guess they're missing you two. Got the Trackers out and everything." The man said, looking towards the children, "Too bad this puppy won't be getting a treat tonight."
Corliss growled and leaped out of the brush. He couldn't afford to wait any longer, he'd have to try and defeat this man himself. He bit down on the man's arm and growled, but the man retaliated by throwing him against the tree. The man's crazed eyes were the last thing Corliss saw, before it all went black.
~
Leah appeared only two minutes later, She saw some blood, and footprints leading away. What made her heart lurch, however, was the scene next to the tree. Corliss' vest lay on the ground, torn and mangled. The words, "Rescue Dog" Were crossed out in Sharpie, and it read instead, "My Dog Now" Leah grabbed her walkie-talkie and hurriedly pressed the button. "Aaron! Corliss found them. " Her voice almost cracked in a mixture of fury and anxiety.
"Leah, that's great! Where?" Aaron's voice came through the hand-held device.
"I dont' know, the tracks end here. But, Aaron. Whoever took the kids, they took Corliss too."