by Shilo the Quaker » Mon Feb 11, 2019 5:32 pm
Sheila
German Shepherd | Dark, long coat | Female |5 Years | Strays | Subordinate | Mentions: Fiona, Milo | Tags;; Zeus
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Sheila pricked her ears as she woke, detecting the faint sounds of paw steps padding quietly down the alley. The dark, woolly-coated German Shepherd female had positioned herself slightly away from the group with her back against the wall, where she could easily see everything and everyone. It made her feel more secure, despite being among a group of individuals she knew she could trust... however she didn't quite have it in her yet. It was hard to be friendly, although she did her best to remain polite for the sake of peace (at least, for the time being). She had nowhere else to go, no other way of staying safe.... Especially not after a handful of incidents that brought out her worst. Sheila shuddered at the memory.
She hardly noticed that her outer layer of fur was damp from the rain, as it did an excellent job at protecting her downy undercoat. Her amber eyes scanned the alley before her briefly, and she stifled a large yawn as she rose with a stretch. Shifting her head slightly, she noticed two vague dry patches up ahead where Milo and Fiona had been sleeping. They must be on patrol... Perhaps I should do similar and go find some food...
Hunting and scavenging were a favourite task of Sheila's. As she picked her way around the others, still resting, she couldn't help but let her tail wag at the thought of chasing down a bird or a mouse. She lived for the thrill of the chase, and of course the climactic ending, which varied depending on the situation and prey of choice.
As the sun rose, droplets of water glimmered in the morning light. The metallic surfaces of trash cans, street signs and dumped cars almost appeared to sparkle. But Sheila wasn't one to notice all of this. She was more focused on staying hidden, concealing herself within the shadows and moving as inconspicuously as she could muster whilst her ears and nose checked for signs of life... or maybe even death. She'd settle for carrion. But it had been many days since she'd had the opportunity to stretch her legs and display her true agility and prowess, even if it had to be wasted on tiny prey animals.
In that moment, her ears twitched and swivelled to the right, and her nose followed suit. With a twitch of her muzzle, she was able to discern the source of the rustling noise coming from a few feet away. Two mice were rummaging in a pile of mouldy food scraps just up the street. Sheila dropped into a crouch, and crept up to the pair of tiny creatures.
As she got closer, the stench of mould assaulted her nostrils. It was absolutely putrid. But the mice were oblivious to her presence, the dog's scent masked by the strong smell.
With a swift snap of her jaws, Sheila launched up the pile of food scraps and rubbish and caught the two rodents in her strong jaws. One was dangling by its tail, the other... wasn't so lucky. She placed them down and trapped the live one under a paw so as to get a better position. And in one quick motion, she put it out of its misery. As she made to find another place to eat her well-deserved catch, her tail knocked one of the trash cans over. The ensuing noise was deafening to her and she pelted further down the narrow street in fright... and tripped over a big furry lump in the process. Uh oh....
She froze, two mice dangling from her jaws, as she looked down and saw a large male German Shepherd had been resting where she tripped. Fun's over now....
The female prepared herself for conflict as she awaited the other dog's response.
Word Count: 640
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