[ "the empty city" ] [ dog rp ] [ started ]

[littlewolf5000]

★Dakota★

{Tags-none
Rank-loner
crush-none
mate-none
breed-Alakan husky
Gender-Female}

The red and white alaskian husky was asleep in a crumbled area of the town, she was laying in a pile of debre she was streached out in attempts to cool down from the harsh head, as she slept a few whines escaped her muzzle every now and then, she stirred more and more as her dream deepend, she was currently dreaming of her family before the big roar hit, she was getting hooked up to the slead, filled with happiness and exitment as she watched her sled mates where hooked up behind her as soon as the malamutes where hooked onto the back of the sled she was ordered to run, which she did gladly, pulling at the harness until she felt the sled begin to move, she ran and ran, the cool air blowing through her thick coat, she raised her nose to the air as she ran, her eyes filled with pure joy, they had ran a good 4-6 miles when the weather picked up, it began pouring down rain, the wind getting harsher the ground more slipery, she slowed as she felt the brake on the sled be forced down, she turned to see her long paw getting off, unhooking each dog and telling them to run, when she was unhooked she tried to get her long paw to come but he pushed her off, she whined but as soon as she saw the storm coming she turned and bolted with her sled mates behind her she was running in the direction they had come, away from the distructive weather she could hear the yelping and whining of her sled mates but she couldn't stop, she just kept running as fast as her paws would carry her, she turned to see her mother standing behind her, she didn't understand her hadn't seen her mother in years, she was padding over to her when she was sweapt away by the monsterious stormfilled with fear the husky jumped awake panting heavily and looking around frantically "it was just a dream" she whispered to herself looking at the ground, "it felt so real though" she said with a sigh, she took a moment before getting to her paws and shaking the dirt from her pelt before padding off her mound of dirt and looking for some sorce of food

❤Mazie❤

{Tags-none
Rank-hunter
Crush-none
Mate-none
Breed-Australian shepherd
Gender-Female}

The Aussie was sleeping under deck of the house she used to live in, well what was left of it anyway, she haden't gotten alot of sleep the night before as she always has nightmares about the day she was left whenever she tried to sleep, and thats what was happening Mazie was just left by her humans, she watched as the car travled further and further down the road, stood there in the yard wondering what she had done wrong, wondering why she wasn't good enough, wondering why she was unwanted, she sighed softly as she dug under the fence and crawled under padding along the streets watching as other long paws shooed her off from the food carts, she sighed and continued padding she could sense the change in the weather feeling the wind change and the rain pour, she looked up at the clouds making the ground darker and darker by the moment, she knew it was coming, jumping as a sudden boom was let out of the sky she took off running, she hated loud sounds, she ran faster and faster with every crashing boom and every striking light following after it, she found a hold in the ground and ran to it jumping in and cowering to the back, watching as the land was distroyed, she saw a cloud move over the hole she was in, she shook her head but before she had time to run the lightning had struck and she layed there unable to move and unable to breathMazie shot up as she thought it was happening again, she looked around only to see anything but a cloud in the sky, she sighed softly relieved it wasn't true, she slowly crawled out from her slumber area and padded towards the meadow in hopes to find even the smallest thing to make her tummy stop rumbling

♛Delgado♛

[Tags-none
Rank-
Crush-none
Mate-none
Breed-German Shepherd
Gender-Male}

[color=#0077BE]

[sprightly]

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Yoshi
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[] Male ; 2 yrs old ; Patrol ; Akita Inu ; Tags: none []

Yoshi always remembered his owner fondly. Ever since that horrible growl shook the earth and seemed to break many good dog's lives in half he had been having dreams. Yoshi had been noticing most of the other dogs had been having nightmares now instead of actual good dreams but it was different for him. His dreams just seemed to be reminding him of his life before the big growl. A day at the park, cuddling with his owner, riding in his owners car, he didn't understand why he had dreams like that. His dreams seemed totally normal, there was nothing wrong in them. At least that's what others might think. There was something very unsettling about those dreams for Yoshi, with each dream he had his owner became less and less clear. The first dream he remembered her perfectly, but as the dreams went on he started to forget her and his old life. His dreams became less and less clear, it scared him. He didn't want to forget her but he was being forced too. She was being taken away from him, he already lost her but that wasn't enough. Time had to take his memories of her too.
Yoshi woke up from another dream of his owner. They had been playing in the park. She would throw a tennis ball and he would retrieve. Always getting a pat on the head after he brought the ball back. The dream had continued like that until he had woken up that moment. He was about to get choked up since he knew he would never see her again but he wouldn't let himself do that. He knew she wouldn't want him to, if he was gone he'd want her to stay strong and move on. So he did the same. She was becoming blurry in his dream, her face was seeming to lose its features, as if he was looking at her through fog. He shook his head in an attempt to release his thoughts from his owner. She was gone so he needed to stop thinking about her. He'd leave only his dreams for her. He had a new life now, the life of a pack dog.
He had been woken up by the sun peeking through any crack it could find in the den. One of the cracks seemed to let the sun shine right down on his face. He tended to try to fall asleep near that crack in a hopes that it would wake him up early so he wouldn't be late. He licked a tuft of his fur back into to place and stood up. He stretched his legs out and was happy to find out he wasn't that stiff. He was starting to get used to the ground instead of his owner's soft bed which he always took half of up. He shook once as to clear lingering sleepiness and then walked out of the den. It was time to start his day. He noticed the alpha already awake and dipped his head in respect. He wondered if the others had already patrolled without him, he didn't mind but he wanted to be useful, and sleeping in too long was a bad way to be useful.

[autumn,]

c a l e b

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xxx✺ gender. brute x age. seven years x rank. alpha x tagged. open. x word count. 1,140

words could not express the amount of anger that coursed through the young male's body as he stared at his attackers. they were a larger group of brutes, probably standing a good few inches above him in height and bigger body build to go along with their greater strength. they chanted and jeered, laughing uncontrollably with each other while looking down on the other pup with judging eyes. "ah you poor thing, you probably wish you were never born!" yelped the largest of the three, sneering at the black wolfdog. "why don't you go back where you belong, mutt!" the smallest growled in his ear, smacking his tail into the side of the male's face. he gave a snarl and bared his teeth, standing nearly as tall as the smallest purebred wolf. the only thing keeping him from launching his equal sized body at the silver wolf was the rest of the pack looking on. he could feel their eyes burning through his pelt and in fact, if he had been born a white wolf he figured their stares would burn his pelt black. his angry eyes met the alpha wolf's, who lifted his chin in the air, signaling that he was going to be of no help to the young male pup. he shook his head from side to side, showing his white teeth and as a warning to those around him. he may be smaller, but he wouldn't go down without a fight. "why don't we finish him now alpha? he is of no use in the pack, he is weakened by his dog genetics!" a voice spoke from the back of the group, sounding eager to get in on the action. worry spread through the canine from his ears to his tail, they couldn't do that...could they? it seemed very unlikely, but then again the wolf pack had never been very welcoming of the hybrid. every ear perked to see what alpha would say, clinging on to every word that dropped from his muzzle. "teach him a lesson he will never forget, and then we will send him on his way." excited yelps and howls filled the forest clearing and at once wolves leaped on their paws and advanced towards the small wolfdog. he gave a terrified bark and searched the crowd for someone to save him from the army of powerful jaws but all he could make out was the receding figure of a much larger brute as he disappeared underneath the wave of teeth and claws.

a loud growl echoed across the walls of a large den, escaping the jaws of a large black canine laying in the center of the stone floor. he kicked out angrily and bared his teeth in the midst of his dream. his fur coat was long and soft, mixed with the colors of black and silver with a tan color brown underneath his belly and chest area. he appeared to be an oddly colored wolf, with the size of a full-grown german shepherd. his flank rose and fell slightly as he calmed down, a large scar ran down from the top of his shoulder to where it wrapped around to his exposed belly. suddenly the male gave a jerk of his body and opened his eyes, a renewed hatred burning in the depths of his amber eyes. yet another deep growl rumbled in his throat as he sat up from his grass bed and began to groom his thick fur. the sun peered through the den entrance and shined warmly on his ebony coat, helping him calm down from his recent nightmare. of course, he wasn't shocked from the bad dream as it occurred nearly every night when he went to sleep. from the time he laid his head down to when he woke up sweating in the morning he relived his old days as a pup, when he used to live in the wolf pack. the days of being mistreated and bullied were over for him when his eyes were open but when they were closed he remembered every single word being yelled at him. though there was one thing that stayed with him every minute of the day, the retreating figure of his father abandoning him when he needed him most. he would never forget the amount of betrayal that had rested on him that evening after he had been torn up and thrown out of the pack to survive on his own.

he had never known his mother, nor his siblings, but he had heard stories of how his mother was the most beautiful dog of all. she was a pure-bred german shepherd with sleek tan and black fur who went by the name of sophie. after giving birth to him and his sister, she gave up her son to live with the wolf pack saying that it would be safer for him. it was not, however, and to this day caleb blamed her greatly for his horrible start to life, along with his father, boris. he had seen nether his mother or father since then, but he knew that they both were still out there. one lived in the wolf pack while the other lived with the killers, what a great combination. the large brute shook his head free of the memories and prepared for the day to come. ever since the big growl had hit the earth, the alpha wolfdog had to be more prepared and aware of everything around his territory. he couldn't have a pack on his own, of course, and had gathered a large group of outsiders himself as followers. over the past few months he had established a new pack, one that would be known long after he was gone, the lost pack. it consisted of dogs who were either mistreated like himself or had no where else to go. he had welcomed them into his pack willingly, but not easily, there were still many rules that the pack members had to follow. they had to earn their ranks, just like any wolf would have to in a pack.

after a while more of thinking, the alpha male was ready to present himself in front of his pack. he rose to his full height and padded across the stone floor to his lichen covered den entrance, shouldering his way into the full view of the sun. he looked down on his camp, seeing a few dogs of his pack already awake in the medium-sized clearing. he met eyes with lexie, one of his hunters and was pleased when she dipped her head low in respect. he gave a slight nod of dismissal before lowering himself onto the sunny rock surface to watch over the camp before the day in the life of a pack member began.

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l e x i e

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xxx✺ gender. fae x age. four years x rank. hunter x tagged. open. x word count. 852

every day seemed to consist of the same things. wake up. hunt. eat. sleep. it was a constant routine, and quite the boring one at that. she loved being athletic and enjoying a good hunt, don't get her wrong, but when things were going as badly as they were now it was tempting to give up and try something different for a change. ever since the big growl more and more of the pack's prey had begun to diminish, leaving very little for the large group of dogs. she had heard rumors about the patrol dogs finding an adult rabbit dead inside a puddle of water that had turned black, but she didn't quite believe that it was the only problem that was causing their food to disappear. she pondered the thought throughout most days, but mostly just because it was her duty to the pack to do so. she was one of the lost pack's very own hunters, proven to be agile and fit enough to take down the biggest of preys for the pack to feed on.

most dogs joined the pack in high ranks in order to impress the alpha and keep him happy, but this was not the case for lexie. she enjoyed her rank as a hunter purely for the chance to get to run and be free. she didn't enjoy being cooped up in camp for long periods of time, and hunting gave the perfect excuse to leave camp. most of the time she fond herself just exploring the territory, not worrying about having to catch something until the very last moment when she realized that she was running late. she had been caught a time or two by alpha when she came home late with nothing to show that she had been out hunting at all, but even having to go a night without eating didn't phase her adventurous spirit. lexie had always been that way since she was a pup back in the longpaw place.

she missed her old home dearly, often wishing that she would open her eyes in the morning to find herself back by the family's fireplace in her soft plush bed. she would be contently laying by the warm fire listening to her longpaw pups playing on the main room's rug. the sweet smell of food would be drifting through the air as the mother and father made their meal, and the sound of the cat snoring near the window would be soothing to her ears. occasionally the children would run over with their high pitched squeals to lexie and shower her with hugs and kisses before being called into the food room to eat. lexie would follow them in and happily clean up after the mess on the floor, and sometimes she would be given the leftovers. ah, those were the good old days. she missed going on the daily visits to the park, meeting new dogs and playing catch with her favorite frisbee. that was where she had met her good friend essex, she had accidentally ran into him while running to intercept her flying red disk. ever since then they had remained good friends, and somehow they had both found their way to the pack.

lexie allowed a small sigh escape her jaws as she made a side glance to where she had her frisbee hidden beneath her grass bedding. perhaps one day she would be able to experience that feeling again, but for now she had a job to do. rising to her paws, she shook out her golden brown fur and stretched, extending her front legs forward and lower to the ground to where her rear end was left in the air. she yawned lightly and blinked the rest of the sleep from her ocean blue eyes, it was time to start the day. lexie trotted quickly out of her den and over to where the pack had eaten the night previously, nothing was left on the small deer carcass. it was picked clean by the pack members, but most likely by shiro in his attempt to get full enough to survive the night. the omega never really had gotten much to eat in the first place, so she didn't blame him for eating all he could get.

a small rock falling to the ground startled her slightly and caused her to look over towards the alpha's den. she could make out the black outline of the wolfdog against the sun and dipped her head in deep respect. she was required to do so unless she wanted to get an ear ripped off, which would be a pointless loss for any dog. she had never particularly favored the wolf hybrid, he was far too serious and grumpy for her liking, but she was forced to at least act like she liked him. lexie faintly saw his quick nod and knew that she had been dismissed by the much larger brute. she briskly returned to her calculations with the carcass and began to plan out some possible strategies for another day of hunting with her comrades.

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r i l e y

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xxx✺ gender. brute x age. three years x rank. stray x tagged. open. x word count. 1,015

oh the taste of that meat! it was refreshing to his body and tasteful to his tongue. the prime beef and pork chops seemed to never end, and riley was making the best of it. knocking over the coolers became much easier after about the fifth or sixth one, as did solving the secrets of the small locks that kept the jaws of the large containers shut. riley growled as he placed the lock between his strong jaws and clamped shut, hearing the satisfying break of the weak metal. at once the doors of the cooler came open, revealing two fairly large cuts of meat in its grasp. hungrily, the light brown and black stray snatched the piece and scarfed it down once more, feeling it land in his stomach with pleasure. luckily for him the longpaws hadn't been smart enough to secure their food when they left, and it was the only reason that he was alive today.

a grumble sounded in the tall dane mix's stomach, suddenly he wasn't feeling so well. he felt a growl rumble in his throat as he looked around the shop knowing that he must have eaten too much for his small stomach. riley snorted and pushed the other piece of meat back into the cold trap to save it for later. for now, he was feeling too sick to try and eat more of the tasty sustenance. his belly felt full and round, he was grateful to have shelter for the night in the shop where he wouldn't have to sit outside in the oncoming storm. riley sniffed the air before laying his head on his paws, slowly drifting off into a light nap to pass time.

he woke up in a small grassy clearing positioned a little ways out of the city. the weather was warm and the sky was clear. riley had just traveled from the bustling streets of the city to the calming meadows belonging to a very small pack known as the lost pack. he had been here before when he had accidently bumped into some dogs known to "patrol" for their pack. there was only two of them, a large rottweiler and a smaller pitbull mix. he wasn't too worried about running into the group again, but he kept an eye out just incase. moments passed as he layed underneath a small aspen tree, soaking in the sun's rays. a loud bark sounded from up ahead, and to his demise the shapes of three or four dogs appeared from the top of a hill. one large brute caught Riley's eye in particular, he had fur the color of a german shepherd but he looked like a wolf, riley had never seen a dog this... weird. he stood up as the group approached, but quickly got the feeling that the large brute meant trouble. quickly, he began to back away and then turned tail to flee. he could hear the brute give chase behind him with an angry snarl while the rest of the dogs barked encouragingly. blood pounded in his ears as he raced across the meadow, but he soon felt the impact of a paw on his rear end. a yelp escaped his jaws as he pulled forward, hearing the furious howl of the wolfdog behind him. "stay out of my territory you nasty mutt, or you will pay the price!"

bang! the sound of a trash can falling to the ground echoed through the back of the kitchen area where riley rested. his soft brown ears perked up and his eyes flung open, gleaming brightly and curiously, his dream was long forgotten. he slowly rose to sit on his haunches, placing one paw in from of the other to push himself off the white tile flooring. he could hear the contents of the can spilling over on the floor outside of the room he was in. sniffing and rummaging, he could hear the creature in the opposite space. quietly, carefully, he listened to it, trying to locate the animal exactly and trying to figure out exactly who was intruding in his new shop. he could detect the scent of dust and the faint scent of metal, which led him to believe that whoever it was, they had come from the streets like himself. riley didn't know whether to feel relaxed or nervous that he was dealing with one of his own kind, on one end they might be understanding but then again they might be just as cunning as himself.

the shepherd mutt walked as quietly as he could across the tile floor, but it proved difficult when he was mostly used to having dirt or a road under paw. riley peeked around the corner slowly, his eyes picking out the frame of a slightly smaller dog about the size of a border collie. her coat color reminded him of collie as well, though he couldn't be sure. he could catch hint of white on her paws and muzzle as she moved about the trash, but could not see any thing else worth noting. riley drew in a breath before pushing his body out through the damaged doorway of the shop, not minding his quietness any longer. he cleared his throat before speaking, "and what would you be doing here?" he asked loudly, forcing authority into his voice. last thing he wanted to do was lose his source of food to a random stray who thought they could come in and take over. he could sense that the fae was standoffish, which led him to believe that she too wouldn't give up such an important key without a fight. riley flattened his ears slightly and stared into her brown eyes without flinching. out of the corner of his eye he located a quick and easy escape in case things went very wrong, a small crack in the side of the building. he watched the female cautiously, wondering whether or not he should prepare to be defensive in order to protect himself from this unknown stray.

[MyLostShadow]

B L U E J A Y

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║ Gender: Female ║ Age: 3 ║ Breed: Border Collie ║
║ Rank: Scout ║ Tags: Open ║ Form: The Scout ║
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The first traces of warmth from the sun danced across the female's fur, heating it considerably as she awoke from her slumber. Though she had only just awoken (and slept very well throughout the night) the pleasant weather was already trying to persuade the sleepy canine to take a nap. No, I can't she groaned internally as she slowly forced her eyes to open, the light blinding her for a few seconds before her brown eyes adjusted to the new light. She remembered the days when she would wake up like this in her longpaws' house, the sun shining brightly through the windows and smiling at the young dog. Her dog beg, a sky blue bed just the right size for her to curl up in, was directly under the window of one of the few upstairs rooms, and so each morning when the sun chased away the night, sun beams would race through the windows and land on her silky fur. What could she complain about?

The sound of movement around her pulled Bluejay from her thoughts. She looked around to see that some of the others were already awake, including her brother Chase. Yawning, Bluejay used her long legs to push herself up into a sitting position, small stones leaping from her pelt as she did so. Before the big growl, Bluejay would've thought this day to be fantastic: the sun was shining, the sky was a brilliant blue, and there was a warm breeze drifting through the air, however now that food and water were scarce, rain had become one of Bluejay's favourite things, and sunny days were just as unwelcome as fleas.

More and more of the pack appeared to have woken up now, and so Bluejay stood and stretched out her legs, planning to soon go scouting out the surrounding areas for anything unusual or unwanted in the pack's territory, perhaps even leaving the territory and exploring past their boundaries. Glancing briefly up at the Alpha, she gave a small nod of respect, though her attention was soon elsewhere as she planned out in her head where she would go scouting today.

C H A S E

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║ Gender: Male ║ Age: 3 ║ Breed: Border Collie ║
║ Rank: Hunter ║ Tags: Lexie ║ Form: The Hunter ║
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Eventually, Chase decided to go out hunting, and so got up and stretched his legs. Though it was still sunny, the Border Collie had noticed that the temperature had dropped slightly, and that the air seemed heavier. A storm was coming. Many may think that this would be a disaster (which it partly was: Chase wasn't overly fond of thunder and lightning), but rain was one of the main sources of water for the pack. Most water sources around them, apart from the lake, had been contaminated by a strange, black liquid which had leaked out from the longpaws' machines. Drinking contaminated water never ended well, and so there were only two reliable sources for water: the rain, and the lake. The pack guarded the lake like it was a pile of precious treasure... Though I suppose that compared to everything around them, the lake is a very rare and valuable prize. But for how much longer would the lake stay theirs? More and more animals (mostly strays) seemed to approach the lake by the day, only to be chased off by the pack's fearless patrol dogs. They were becoming braver though, risking everything to try and get just a sip of the clean water. Even Chase, a hunter who wasn't to concerned with the whereabouts of strays, had noticed the increase of braver stray dogs, and so he had no doubt that this fact was one weighing heavily on the minds of both the patrols and the scouts, who risked running in to the strays every time they went out.

Chase looked over at his sister and shivered, the thought that she may run in to one of the strays unnerving him. Yes, she was fast, agile, and had amazing stamina... but what if she became trapped? Chase knew that he was being overprotective, and that his worrying was pointless: Bluejay wasn't a puppy anymore, and she certainly wasn't defenseless nor helpless. With this thought in mind, Chase got up and looked around. He noticed Lexie, another hunter, sat down by the carcass of the deer the pack had devoured the previous night. The deer's bones were barren, not a single scrap of meat remaining on them.

Deciding to approach the huntress, Chase padded over to the canine, purposely kicking a small pebble to create a noise so he didn't make the other dog jump when he spoke, "'Morning Lexie" he barked, his voice happy and cheery, "That deer's been picked clean, I don't know how we're going to be able to keep up with the demand for food" Chase chuckled, his chocolate coloured eyes seeming to sparkle as he smiled at the female.

[~animallover~]

♦Fluffy♦

Gender: Female
Age: 5 Years
Breed: King Charles
Spaniel
Rank: Hunter
Tags: Caleb
Words: 406
Form

Fluffy was awake long before the sun had risen. She hadn't even went to bed. She didn't know what was wrong with her last night but she just couldn't sleep. She had woke up in a fit by a nightmare of her owner's death, the debris of the house crushing her to death. Each time she had dreamt this, it had always become more and more gruesome, as if her mind was trying to distort the memory into something even worse, and each time, it drifted her farther and farther from sleeping. She was out in the forest now, trying to collect her thoughts away from the pack boundaries. She had decided to hunt herself, something she hardly ever got to do for a reason that bugged her extremely. You see, Fluffy was always a small dog, and being put in a pack full of bigger breeds made her look weak and very cowardice. But she was no coward, she was a brave and strong dog who loved to hunt. She didn't know if the others knew but Spaniels were hunting dogs to begin with. But there was one dog who treated her the worst out of the others, Caleb, the alpha. He had always looked at Fluffy as something you would regret giving a chance to, something that didn't do much in your favour other than diversify the pack and "sit pretty." She hated the fact that this was how her own alpha thought of her, but was to kind to admit it and instead constantly tried to prove herself. She didn't know if it helped her case or not, but one thing's for sure, it made her feel stronger, and she could settle for loving herself.

She smiled at the thought of her hunting successes and looked down at the grouse that was in between her paws, her smile grew wider. Something they didn't know about her? Well, her size was perfect for getting into nests and burrows, and thick places where things like the grouse before her liked to hide. She took it in her jaws and padded back to the pack quickly, looking around at the dogs that were now mostly up and awake. She placed the grouse down and nudged it towards the alpha den, giving him a nod of greeting before walking to a tree close by, waiting for her turn to eat for she knew alpha's got first bite.

♣Marmaduke♣

Gender: Male
Age: 3 Years
Breed: Great Dane
Rank: Patrol
Tags: Mika
Words: 371
Form

Marmaduke had awoke with a loud rustle from his dry, leafy bedding. He had been having a dreamless sleep and for once actually treasured the fact. He used to be annoyed when he slept without dreams, even a little upset. Now, all his dreams were nightmares, and he was glad to get them out of his head. He walked slowly out to the sunlit morning to do his rounds of patrol, which were usually mostly all the time. He grunted as he was blinded by the sun and went to the middle to find Caleb, the alpha. He nodded and gave out a low woof to let him know he was on duty now, heading for the border. He was starting to look for any signs of disturbance when he spotted Mika, a fellow patrol dog. He smiled, but remained alert before saying, I see you've finished already? He asked, knowing that he had woken a little late but still nothing to get upset over, he had his main patrol during the evenings anyway. He looked at Mika, awaiting an answer to whether or not he was off the hook for his job.

He had always loved the thought of protecting. Ever since his boy had left him, it was almost like an obsession, he didn't want anyone to leave without him again, but honestly, he no longer cared about anyone to really care. All he ever wanted was his boy to come back. His name was James, the sweet thing, but he had always called him ‘his boy’. For that he was, James was his boy and Marmaduke was his dog. They were always together, like two peas in a pod. Either playing Frisbee in the backyard, making sculptures in the sandbox, reading stories late at night even though it was way past their bed time. They had always had happy memories, but now they were just that, just simple memories. He had lost a piece of himself that awful day, and has never found it since then. He sighed silently and brought his paws to the ground a couple times to bring up small dust clouds around his large ankles, listening with one ear as he recited old memories.

♠Iris♠

Gender: Female
Age: 2 Years
Breed: Mutt
Rank: Stray
Tags: Riley
Words: 415
Form

Iris found many assorted meats hiding amongst the trash can, it was almost overwhelming. The taste of it was satisfying, and made Iris’s mouth water at the mere sight of the meal. She had always felt this way after finding meals, even back before the big growl, the growl that made the long paws flee. But nowadays, the feeling was even stronger, for food was much scarcer unless you wanted to hunt, and even then there wasn’t much prey. She ate amongst the on the cold tile floor. She had drifted into the shop through the back door while she was eating her meal, but didn’t seem to notice too much. She licked her muzzle and was about to dig in again, praying the meat shop would never run out of luxurious meat. It was her favourite food after all, when a deep and very stern voice spoke from her behind her, asking why exactly she was in the shop. Iris jumped a mile inside, feeling very anxious but still breathing steadily, but, kept her cool on the outside and she turned around slowly and calmly, looking at the- Shepherd? –with a straight face, her eyes slightly narrowed. She had taught herself this technique all on her lonesome, proud that she had learnt it without much help. To her, it helped make you look much tougher than shivering in fear instead. If you ever show fear in front of another stray, especially a sizable brute like the one in front of Iris, they would surely take advantage of you. She knew this from experience all too well for she used to be shy as a pup and feel frightened when talking to other dogs. She stared him down for a moment before clearing her throat, ready to respond to the brutes’ question.

I would ask you the same question, Mister. she said calmly with a slight bit of sarcasm hanging off of her words. Sitting down and going into a rested position, she licked her muzzle and paws free of any more meat that was stuck to her fur, along with the blood that coated it as well. She may have done something that usually resembled a cat, the whole cleaning process and all. But, she looked anything like a feline. I was simply enjoying a nice morning meal. Yourself? She continued, she looked back at the stray calmly once more after finishing her quick clean, looking at him as she listened for an answer.

[fruitvale]

(had to remove, sorry)

[deftonesly]

[☄] ❝ ( G U N T H E R )
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♛ ( voice: bogo ) ♛ ( age: five years ) ♛ ( breed: gsp ) ♛ ( rank: stray ) ♛ ( location: green meadow ) ♛ ( tagged: dodge ) ♛
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xxxx gunther was used to the heat of the day. which was why he and his brother were wide out in the open, on the lush meadow beyond the tainted river, while any other sane dogs were finding shade and shelter in order to beat the heat. not the german shorthaired pointers, though. they'd been trained by their longpaws before the big growl had struck how to deal with midday sunshine, because, days upon end while their longpaws had worked in the heart of the city, the brothers had been left outside. they'd had no kennel, no shade, for their farmhouse had been too squat, with only two bowls of kibble and some lukewarm water. so they'd had no other choice other than this: adapt. cruel as this treatment may have been on his busy, busy, busy owners' part, gunther didn't blame them, and was actually happy that he and dodge had been left alone so often.. for the absence of their longpaws allowed the brothers to not be so heartbroken when they disappeared. plus, their absences had also allowed the dogs to train themselves in the ways of the wild, as the pointers had been able to slip into the woods beneath their shabby fence whenever they'd pleased without their charges' supervision. they'd scavenged for food when they'd finished the pellets that their longpaws' had set out for them, and would explore the land beyond their property, even catching a few birds in the process. little had the dogs known that their experiences in the wilderness - experiences most pets in both the city and the countryside didn't have - would come in handy some day.. and someday soon.
xxxxxx while many of the other pets had been devastated and broken beyond mending when their owners had packed their things and left without so much as a pat on the head or a rub on the belly, gunther and dodge had maintained their dignity. gunther missed his longpaws - he knew that dodge did; much as the younger pointer denied it, his whimpers during his sleep stated otherwise - but they'd been so absent in his life (other than when they'd trained him for hunting when he'd been a pup) that he found himself not being.. as wounded as the other dogs by their departure. if anything, he'd kept a straight face and a stern, stoic air about him as per usual; nothing, not even something as big as the big growl, had shaken him. or at least not on the surface, for gunther had learned long ago to master his emotions for both his sake and the sake of those around him. and especially for dodge's sake, for the dog was technically still a puppy, and he had a whole lot more to learn; what good would gunther be if he didn't set an example of maturity during these hard times? dodge was immature and naïve and blind to the crisis at hand in his youth, after all. and gunther had made it is his job long ago, when his owners had brought the lanky-legged youngster home swaddled in a blanket, to care for his ''younger brother'' and to protect him at all costs.

xxxxxx and the whole ''protection'' part of his relationship with dodge had gotten a lot more complicated since the big growl. the pup was all questions and all energy: "where have the longpaws gone? what's that? and that? why does that river stink, gun? oh, boy, a rabbit! can i gave chase? no? okay, sheesh!" and wasn't.. the easiest of dogs to get along with. he was stubborn and impulsive, and when he wanted to do something, there was no stopping him. gunther supposed that that latter part wasn't really dodge's fault. their longpaws had started dodge on the same training program that they'd put gunther on when he'd been a pup, but before they could finish his sessions and break his high-strung spirit, they'd left without a trace as to where they'd gone. thus leaving dodge's training up to him, much to his dismay. gunther could feel his patience with his brother dwindling with every word he babbled and with every scuffle of his paws he heard as he chased a butterfly, and it had only been two weeks since the longpaws had left. just two. already, gunther felt like ripping his own floppy ears off, but he knew that it was his duty to protect his brother and to keep him away from danger. so he refrained from doing what he would've done under normal circumstances: take off during the night like his longpaws had and never come back to the foolish pup.
xxxxxx much as dodge irked him, he was family. and family never abandoned one another.. right? at least, that's what gunther had thought, before his longpaws had set sail for greater pastures off who-knows-where. but that was no matter. what did matter was that gunther was the sole provider for the two of them now that their former caretakers had vanished, because, clearly, dodge was unequal to the task of taking care of himself. and in the meantime as they survived in the wild, the older pointer would keep this promise to himself: that he would see dodge to his adulthood. then, and only then, they could part and go their separate ways.. should dodge even grow up in the first place.

xxxxxx even now as gunther and dodge slunk across the meadow - which contained prey just begging to be discovered should you know where to find it and if you had a good enough nose - the latter was distracted. gunther had been staking out in the shelter of a thicket of tall, yellowing grass, amber eyes narrowed and dark with his focus, when his pricked ears picked up upon the jangling of someone's collar. irritated, the spotted dog closed his eyes and breathed out a long sigh. he did his best to steel himself and keep a composed, no-nonsense face as he swiveled his angular head about to face his brother and assess what he was going to have to deal with. dodge was rolling in the grass behind him, chasing his own stumpy tail and smashing weeds in his mad dash to catch his prey. his tags were beating against one another wildly, and gunther gritted his teeth in vexation at the sight of them and his brother's foolish actions; couldn't he see that he was trying to get the both of them a meal?
xxxxxx furious, the older german shorthaired pointer hissed at him, "what are you, a ten month old pup that's still sucking on its mother's teats? you may want to go hungry, dodge, but i do not." his stomach rumbled in agreement, very audibly. a trill of satisfaction coursed through him when his brother snapped to attention and stopping tumbling around. was it just gunther or did the younger stray look a tad bit more guilty.. and put-off by his words than usual? good, he thought, lifting his head and staring disdainfully and stoically down his long, broad muzzle at the pointer, who was licking his chops in something like shame and discomfort. a little bit of regret and guilt will serve him well. he'll be more compliable that way.
xxxxxx more at ease now that he'd put dodge in his place (and content knowing that the youth was less likely to act up after getting served enough of gunther's iron gaze for the day), gunther turned away from dodge with one final, hard glare. as he did, he caught a glimpse of brown out of the corner of his eye, and, instantaneously, the pointer was in a hunting crouch and was rearing to go. without taking his eyes off of what he'd just spotted - a young, scrawny rabbit that was bounding towards its burrow - gunther beckoned dodge forward with a quiver of his tail and a grunt: "there's breakfast." he chanced a glance in his direction, and nodded at the faster dog. "you know what to do." as his brother slunk off towards their quarry's burrow without further question, gunther's large, speckled paws pricked with anticipation and with triumph. for once in his life, he'd gotten dodge to listen to him.. but for how long would this trend of acting respectful last? probably not for much longer, knowing him, which is why i intend to milk this cow while i'm still able.
xxxxxx observing dodge stalk around the burrow and settle in beside it for a moment longer, gunther then set off on his own way towards the rabbit, hoping against hope that he wasn't making a mistake and that now was the time for dodge to prove his hunting skills.. which definitely were not the finest. he was taking a leap of faith, and he could only hope that dodge would take that leap with him.

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[✧] ❝ ( D O D G E )
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♛ ( voice: ryan ) ♛ ( age: two years ) ♛ ( breed: gsp ) ♛ ( rank: stray ) ♛ ( location: green meadow ) ♛ ( tagged: gunther ) ♛
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xxxx gunther would never admit it, but dodge knew that his older sibling missed their longpaws, too. it made sense, at least; he'd been with them for five long years, hunting at their side, while dodge had scarcely known them and, yet, was still hurt by their abandonment. what didn't make sense was gunther taking such hasty steps to move on from their longpaws and the life they'd had. almost the moment when the german shorthaired pointers had caught wind of what had happened in the city from the neighboring dogs and had fit the piece of information together with the fact that their owners had left them alone for far longer than usual, gunther had taken over as his alpha and had led them into the wild beyond their cozy farmhouse.. where they still remained today, with no news of the longpaws returning and with tensions climbing higher and higher between the strays and the pack dogs.
xxxxxx dodge just wished he could figure his brother out. why wasn't he mourning? then he remembered that gunther had always had a cruel, ruthless streak.. especially when it came to pressing forward and getting on with life. but even with gunther's "streak", dodge knew that there was something, a spark, lying under all of his elder's icy glares and lifted haunches and expressionless, robotic emotions: and that something was true sadness. gunther may think of dodge as a fool, and he wasn't about to deny that he wasn't; he did do some crazy stuff more often than not. but the thing was? dodge was also incredibly perceptive. it was his superpower: one that gunther had yet to grasp that he possessed. and for the time being, dodge was laying thick on the charm and was acting more rambunctious than usual. he was rowdy without even thinking about it, but when he put his mind into it, he could be as wild as a cat in roomful of rocking chairs. his hope, however, was that by pushing gunther a bit, he could maybe get him to crack and admit how much he missed their longpaws.. or that he could put an end to his streak and bring a more fun-loving side of him out.

xxxxxx even now as he and gunther trekked across the long, grassy expanse that was known as the green meadow, dodge was doing his best to be, well, his worst, in order to bring some amusement into his brother's life. it had been so long since the older dog had smiled.. since dodge had even seen a wag of his tail! so when they stopped to rest and scout for prey, dodge took action: he started chasing his tail in tight circles, blundering through the grass and flinging dirt. his collar tags beat against one another, their loud clinking and clanging echoing throughout the meadow. but, of course, dodge didn't care. he was so intent on amusing gunther and was so fixated on catching his target that the thought hadn't crossed his mind that the pack dogs could hear his tags and come after them. it also hadn't crossed his mind that he was probably ruining their chances of eating for the first time in days. all of the pup's sense of reason was gone.. until gunther finally gave him the attention he desired from him when he turned around and faced dodge. only.. this attention wasn't exactly positive, and the anger in his superior's eyes and tilt of his lean head caused dodge to stop what he was doing immediately and stand before gunther even said a word.
xxxxxx his brother's harsh statements made him wince inwardly, and dodge momentarily hung his head in shame and defeat. if there was one thing that the pointer disliked and feared, it was getting snapped at. he hadn't intended to make gunther upset! quite the opposite, actually. surely he must know that my intentions are pure and that i was only trying bring light into this world of darkness, death, and despair? looking up into gunther's eyes, he realized that the older, wiser canine did not. he only sees me as a troublemaker! he doesn't see anything else beneath the romping around and the jokes.. but i'll make him see. i'll open his eyes. he's grown up far too fast.. and needs to learn how to let go and live life loosely! he's been broken in by our masters, but even an old dog can be taught new tricks. i'll make him see that there's more to life than survival and hunting birds all day if it's the last thing i do. he glanced up into gunther's eyes as he finished chastising him, and the tiniest hues of a challenge flared in dodge's own gaze. i'm not going to give up on you, no matter how much you try to shape me into what our longpaws made you. i don't know what they did to take away your pup-like joy about everything, but i sure am glad that they didn't take mine before the big growl hit. no, i'm going to remold you, gunther! i know there's a puppy locked away in you somewhere.. i just have to draw him out again.

xxxxxx dodge was wrenched away from his deep thinking when his brother returned his focus to the rolling meadow before him. he saw gunther stiffen, saw him duck down into his hunting stance, with one paw raised and muzzle pointed forward. what had he spotted? food? water? a pack dog? he hoped that it was either two of the three options.. and it turned out that it was. as dodge hunkered down besides gunther, who was no longer giving him the time of day and was assessing his victim-to-be, the scent of rabbit touched dodge's nose. his muscles tensed themselves on their own accord with excitement, and his docked tail began to wave through the air, merely a dark brown nub attached to his hindquarters. it took everything he had in him not to whine aloud right along with his grumbling belly, and when gunther spoke to him, still not taking his gaze off of the rabbit up ahead, dodge's jaws were cinched together tight in order to not spoil the hunt with his whimpering. "there's breakfast. you know what to do."
xxxxxx wordlessly, dodge peeled off and away from his brother. he and gunther had practiced this hunting routine dozens of times in their brief escapades into the forest when their longpaws had left them alone outside. they called it, for obvious reasons, flush and kill. dodge got into his position after navigating and shoving his way through the meadow's tall grasses: the rabbit's burrow, which it was nearing. as he crouched, hind-legs quivering uncomfortably as he struggled to find his balance and stance, he glimpsed gunther also slipping off into the grass. how dodge envied the older shorthaired dog's ease and elegance during a hunt! while dodge excelled at the chase, he wasn't the best stalker or tracker like his brother was.. and while dodge could run any prey to the ground, it was gunther whom had to do the brunt of the work. but their methods usually ended up working in their favor anyway, so dodge tried not to concern himself with his inability to find his balance and his inability to hunt as well. still, though.. it irked him that an old timer was better at hunting than him!

xxxxxx with his mind going green with his envy of his brother and his skill, dodge had completely lost his focus on the hunt. a heartbeat after he'd shifted his hazel eyes back to the rabbit, a loud bark from gunther's direction startled both the other pointer - and the rabbit - out of their wits. frozen fast to the spot and unable to move, dodge watched as the rabbit, shrieking, tore towards its burrow. but before it could reach it, gunther, snarling fearsomely, leapt from his cover and pounced on the prey-creature. he wrestled it to the grassy earth - for a moment the stillness of the meadow was interrupted by the rabbit's screaming and gunther's growling - and it wasn't long before the rabbit was dead at the larger dog's paws, neck bent awkwardly to the side..
xxxxxx and all dodge had done was stay stock-still in the cover of the grass, belly flat against the ground as he whimpered pathetically at how stupid he'd been. why hadn't he gone for the rabbit? the chase was what he did best in; it was his part, his duty! and yet he had failed.. caught once again by fate for his daydreaming. the white-flecked dog was starting to see why gunther trusted him with so little, and thought him to be so immature. in fact, he was starting to realize just why the older pointer had so little patience with him. dodge hardly had any patience with his own sluggish self anymore!
xxxxxx gunther didn't seem at all triumphant about the kill, and that terrified the german shorthaired pointer more than any of the older dog's snappy words or glares. the only times dodge ever even saw the traces of a grin cross gunther's face was when they'd successfully brought down prey. he was a hunting dog to his bones, and longpaws or no, it was obvious that he still carried a part of his former owners with him when he looked down at his defeated quarry with a slight stirring of emotion clouding his amber gaze. there, however, was no happiness on gunther's face now like there normally was; now there was only ire in his furrowed brow and glistening gums, which had rolled back to reveal pointed pearly whites tinted pink with rabbit blood.
xxxxxx at the sound of his "alpha's" voice, dodge cowered and tried to shrink back into the long grass. his ears went flat back against his head and his chin lowered itself pitifully onto his paws. every part of him wanted to disappear into the earth. "dodge!" his voice was commanding and dominant. "i know you're there, i can see you. would you care to step out and explain yourself, son?"

[autumn,]

c a l e b

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xxx✺ gender. brute x age. seven years x rank. alpha x tagged. tag him. x word count. 1,140

words could not express the amount of anger that coursed through the young male's body as he stared at his attackers. they were a larger group of brutes, probably standing a good few inches above him in height and bigger body build to go along with their greater strength. they chanted and jeered, laughing uncontrollably with each other while looking down on the other pup with judging eyes. "ah you poor thing, you probably wish you were never born!" yelped the largest of the three, sneering at the black wolfdog. "why don't you go back where you belong, mutt!" the smallest growled in his ear, smacking his tail into the side of the male's face. he gave a snarl and bared his teeth, standing nearly as tall as the smallest purebred wolf. the only thing keeping him from launching his equal sized body at the silver wolf was the rest of the pack looking on. he could feel their eyes burning through his pelt and in fact, if he had been born a white wolf he figured their stares would burn his pelt black. his angry eyes met the alpha wolf's, who lifted his chin in the air, signaling that he was going to be of no help to the young male pup. he shook his head from side to side, showing his white teeth and as a warning to those around him. he may be smaller, but he wouldn't go down without a fight. "why don't we finish him now alpha? he is of no use in the pack, he is weakened by his dog genetics!" a voice spoke from the back of the group, sounding eager to get in on the action. worry spread through the canine from his ears to his tail, they couldn't do that...could they? it seemed very unlikely, but then again the wolf pack had never been very welcoming of the hybrid. every ear perked to see what alpha would say, clinging on to every word that dropped from his muzzle. "teach him a lesson he will never forget, and then we will send him on his way." excited yelps and howls filled the forest clearing and at once wolves leaped on their paws and advanced towards the small wolfdog. he gave a terrified bark and searched the crowd for someone to save him from the army of powerful jaws but all he could make out was the receding figure of a much larger brute as he disappeared underneath the wave of teeth and claws.

a loud growl echoed across the walls of a large den, escaping the jaws of a large black canine laying in the center of the stone floor. he kicked out angrily and bared his teeth in the midst of his dream. his fur coat was long and soft, mixed with the colors of black and silver with a tan color brown underneath his belly and chest area. he appeared to be an oddly colored wolf, with the size of a full-grown german shepherd. his flank rose and fell slightly as he calmed down, a large scar ran down from the top of his shoulder to where it wrapped around to his exposed belly. suddenly the male gave a jerk of his body and opened his eyes, a renewed hatred burning in the depths of his amber eyes. yet another deep growl rumbled in his throat as he sat up from his grass bed and began to groom his thick fur. the sun peered through the den entrance and shined warmly on his ebony coat, helping him calm down from his recent nightmare. of course, he wasn't shocked from the bad dream as it occurred nearly every night when he went to sleep. from the time he laid his head down to when he woke up sweating in the morning he relived his old days as a pup, when he used to live in the wolf pack. the days of being mistreated and bullied were over for him when his eyes were open but when they were closed he remembered every single word being yelled at him. though there was one thing that stayed with him every minute of the day, the retreating figure of his father abandoning him when he needed him most. he would never forget the amount of betrayal that had rested on him that evening after he had been torn up and thrown out of the pack to survive on his own.

he had never known his mother, nor his siblings, but he had heard stories of how his mother was the most beautiful dog of all. she was a pure-bred german shepherd with sleek tan and black fur who went by the name of sophie. after giving birth to him and his sister, she gave up her son to live with the wolf pack saying that it would be safer for him. it was not, however, and to this day caleb blamed her greatly for his horrible start to life, along with his father, boris. he had seen nether his mother or father since then, but he knew that they both were still out there. one lived in the wolf pack while the other lived with the killers, what a great combination. the large brute shook his head free of the memories and prepared for the day to come. ever since the big growl had hit the earth, the alpha wolfdog had to be more prepared and aware of everything around his territory. he couldn't have a pack on his own, of course, and had gathered a large group of outsiders himself as followers. over the past few months he had established a new pack, one that would be known long after he was gone, the lost pack. it consisted of dogs who were either mistreated like himself or had no where else to go. he had welcomed them into his pack willingly, but not easily, there were still many rules that the pack members had to follow. they had to earn their ranks, just like any wolf would have to in a pack.

after a while more of thinking, the alpha male was ready to present himself in front of his pack. he rose to his full height and padded across the stone floor to his lichen covered den entrance, shouldering his way into the full view of the sun. he looked down on his camp, seeing a few dogs of his pack already awake in the medium-sized clearing. he met eyes with lexie, one of his hunters and was pleased when she dipped her head low in respect. he gave a slight nod of dismissal before lowering himself onto the sunny rock surface to watch over the camp before the day in the life of a pack member began.

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l e x i e

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xxx✺ gender. fae x age. four years x rank. hunter x tagged. chase. x word count. 670

he is so angry. lexie thought to herself as she glanced towards the resting shape of her alpha. he seemed quite agitated, but it was nothing new for him to be in a bad mood in the morning. he was a puzzle that lexie couldn't figure out, something about him would always remain a mystery. what was his problem with strays anyway? the retriever often found herself thinking about what could have possibly caused him to have such a hatred for dogs he had never even seen or spoken to. lexie herself couldn't think of a reason why to hate them, they were just dogs like themselves right? in a way all of the dogs that belonged in the pack were all strays, so did that mean he hated all of them as well? she hadn't ever met a true stray before, but the thought mystified her. would they be different than other dogs? she was sure that living a life on the streets of the city would have an effect on the mutts but could they really be so dissimilar from the pack that they should hate them? lexie didn't think so, perhaps the strays were no different. they were most likely kind and caring just like any other dog, the mother dogs would take care of their pups in the same ways as in the pack, and just like everyone else they were suffering from the big growl.

the big growl... had it destroyed the strays as much as it had the pack dogs who once belonged in their longpaws homes? they didn't have their own longpaws, so it wasn't possible that they were missing them but were there other things that they missed? lexie imagined that there must be something that the strays missed, whether it be losing their shelter or maybe even losing a travelling partner. lexie shook her head, what was she doing? she had a job to do and a pack to provide for! she didn't have time to be sitting around thinking about her alpha or the strays that lived in the city. returning her attention to her duty, lexie began to haul herself to her paws. the sun warmed her golden brown coat as she padded out of the shadows left behind in the camp from the night before. as she headed towards the front of the camp a fellow hunter caught her eye. he was one of the dogs which lexie didn't speak to much, other than the occasional conversation about hunting. she admired his speed and agility when it came to chasing down the fastest types of prey. he was a valuable asset to the pack despite his outspoken attitude that caused trouble between himself and alpha.

like herself, chase had once been a longpaw's best friend as well. she could remember the stories he had told of his old home and his boy, whom lexie could tell loved him very much. she too had a favorite longpaw when she lived in her home, but she hadn't been mistreated like chase. she felt bad for the brute when he explained why he hadn't been disappointed to leave his longpaw after the big growl, she might not be so fond of her longpaws if they had tied her to a tree and left her either. "good morning, chase." the fae greeted calmly, not sounding quite as cheery as chase was but still friendly. her smile was friendly towards the male, "i agree, I've been seeing less deer around as well. we're in for trouble if we don't bring home something for alpha." she commented with a small glance over to the black male. returning her gaze to the white and black collie, lexie sighed lightly. "as long as we still have the lake we should be fine... perhaps we should check the strip of meadow nearest to the lake and city? I don't think we have checked that stretch lately." she suggested to the collie, seeking his opinion on the matter.

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r i l e y

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xxx✺ gender. brute x age. three years x rank. stray x tagged. iris. x word count. 920

living life on the streets of the city, alone, left a lot of time for a dog to think. riley was no different, surprisingly, and had often thought up situations where he ran into another of his kind. before the city was destroyed, the conversations he had made up in his mind consisted of friendly and comfortable words, but after the big growl shook the earth he imagined it differently. tension would fill the air and less words would be spoken to one another, the talk would be centered around finding food, water, and shelter or protecting it. this situation with the collie seemed to fit in perfectly with that imagined event, both of them wanted to keep and protect the meat shop for themselves. it was the only sign of food for miles besides the occasional hare, and truthfully it was quite rare to find such a surplus of food anywhere in the city. could there really be room for two? could either of them afford to allow the other to stay? the questions in his mind were never ending, he had never thought a conversation could be this difficult. there was many moments of silence between the time that riley announced his presence and when the collie mix replied. he glared into her eyes as she turned around, they were like stone as she met his position equally.

he hadn't meant to cause trouble, all he had wanted to do was prove that he wasn't going to give up the precious meat so easily. she, on the other hand, seemed to have taken it a completely different way and was now staring at him with accusing eyes. he began to feel bad but he wasn't about to show it to a stranger, she might try to use his kind heart against him. instead he took a deep breath and stared levelly ahead at the fae, determined to stand his ground for as long as he could. though, he still made a check on his escape route with the flicker of his eyes sideways, he couldn't trust that she would only use words to fight for her share of the meat. fortunately for him, however, she seemed to be willing to talk it out, for now. "i suppose you could." he retorted calmly at the female's sarcastic response. mister? the shepherd dog had never heard that word being used much before, besides one other time.

the male had been walking down the streets of the city, feeling the warmth of the sun on his back in the early morning. he had been grateful that the sun hadn't been at its highest peak, for he was on the move to find something decent to eat. he hadn't eaten in a day or two, and his stomach had begun to grumble and growl at him ferociously. off in the distance, riley spotted a growing group of longpaws gathered in what the leashed dogs called the park. bingo. he started to make his way over to the longpaws, whining and whimpering pathetically in an attempt to score some food from the tall pale creatures. the smell of grilled meat made his mouth water as he neared the gathering. one of the longpaws took notice of him and leaned down, saying something high pitched and quite annoying, "oh hello doggy! hello mister!" another longpaw, however, started saying something loudly while waving her giant paws at riley angrily. he grew uncomfortable and shrunk back, flattening his ears against his head until the other longpaw stood up and they began to fight amongst themselves. riley took his chance, strolling over to one of the longpaw pups with his very own hot dog located in his much smaller paws. having experience, riley knew how to distract the young boy and yapped once before rubbing against his leg, allowing the young boy to pet him for a moment. shortly afterwards, riley quickly snatched the delicious piece of food from the longpaw and took off with it in his jaws. he could hear the surprised yelp of the young longpaw before it started wailing, but the real satisfaction for riley came from the adult longpaws. they all yowled and flung their arms up and down, some even started to run after him, but none of them were a match for the stray and he escaped with the hot dog.

despite the females seriousness, he couldn't help but feel amused at the word. "doing the same, I suppose." he replied nonchalantly with an amused edge to his voice. "i guess we both found the right place, huh?" he still maintained the authority that he held inside while remaining unthreatening to the fae. all he really wanted to do was find out what her plan was, perhaps she planned on leaving soon and there was no need for any kind of confrontation. riley took a few steps forward, brushing against the base of a tall counter before sitting down on his haunches. he tilted his head to the side slightly, "the name's riley. and you are?" he inquired curiously, he might as well do his best to earn the tiniest bit of trust from her by being friendly. he was once more reminded of his mothers words. always remember to never stop doing things for others, my son. because sometimes those small acts occupy the biggest parts of their heart. he would never forget to at least try to be kind to others, no matter what situation he was in.

[~animallover~]

♦Fluffy♦

Gender: Female
Age: 5 Years
Breed: King Charles
Spaniel
Rank: Hunter
Tags: Caleb
Words: 406
Form

xxxxFluffy was awake long before the sun had risen. She hadn't even went to bed. She didn't know what was wrong with her last night but she just couldn't sleep. She had woke up in a fit by a nightmare of her owner's death, the debris of the house crushing her to death. Each time she had dreamt this, it had always become more and more gruesome, as if her mind was trying to distort the memory into something even worse, and each time, it drifted her farther and farther from sleeping. She was out in the forest now, trying to collect her thoughts away from the pack boundaries. She had decided to hunt herself, something she hardly ever got to do for a reason that bugged her extremely. You see, Fluffy was always a small dog, and being put in a pack full of bigger breeds made her look weak and very cowardice. But she was no coward, she was a brave and strong dog who loved to hunt. She didn't know if the others knew but Spaniels were hunting dogs to begin with. But there was one dog who treated her the worst out of the others, Caleb, the alpha. He had always looked at Fluffy as something you would regret giving a chance to, something that didn't do much in your favour other than diversify the pack and "sit pretty." She hated the fact that this was how her own alpha thought of her, but was to kind to admit it and instead constantly tried to prove herself. She didn't know if it helped her case or not, but one thing's for sure, it made her feel stronger, and she could settle for loving herself.

She smiled at the thought of her hunting successes and looked down at the grouse that was in between her paws, her smile grew wider. Something they didn't know about her? Well, her size was perfect for getting into nests and burrows, and thick places where things like the grouse before her liked to hide. She took it in her jaws and padded back to the pack quickly, looking around at the dogs that were now mostly up and awake. She placed the grouse down and nudged it towards the alpha den, giving him a nod of greeting before walking to a tree close by, waiting for her turn to eat for she knew alpha's got first bite.

♣Marmaduke♣

Gender: Male
Age: 3 Years
Breed: Great Dane
Rank: Patrol
Tags: Mika
Words: 371
Form

xxxxMarmaduke had awoke with a loud rustle from his dry, leafy bedding. He had been having a dreamless sleep and for once actually treasured the fact. He used to be annoyed when he slept without dreams, even a little upset. Now, all his dreams were nightmares, and he was glad to get them out of his head. He walked slowly out to the sunlit morning to do his rounds of patrol, which were usually mostly all the time. He grunted as he was blinded by the sun and went to the middle to find Caleb, the alpha. He nodded and gave out a low woof to let him know he was on duty now, heading for the border. He was starting to look for any signs of disturbance when he spotted Mika, a fellow patrol dog. He smiled, but remained alert before saying, I see you've finished already? He asked, knowing that he had woken a little late but still nothing to get upset over, he had his main patrol during the evenings anyway. He looked at Mika, awaiting an answer to whether or not he was off the hook for his job.

He had always loved the thought of protecting. Ever since his boy had left him, it was almost like an obsession, he didn't want anyone to leave without him again, but honestly, he no longer cared about anyone to really care. All he ever wanted was his boy to come back. His name was James, the sweet thing, but he had always called him ‘his boy’. For that he was, James was his boy and Marmaduke was his dog. They were always together, like two peas in a pod. Either playing Frisbee in the backyard, making sculptures in the sandbox, reading stories late at night even though it was way past their bed time. They had always had happy memories, but now they were just that, just simple memories. He had lost a piece of himself that awful day, and has never found it since then. He sighed silently and brought his paws to the ground a couple times to bring up small dust clouds around his large ankles, listening with one ear as he recited old memories.

♠Iris♠

Gender: Female
Age: 2 Years
Breed: Mutt
Rank: Stray
Tags: Riley
Words: 623
Form

xxxIris looked at the dog. He was being... friendly? This was something that most dogs had leave them the moment the Big Growl hit. She had constantly been attacked by other dogs, big or small, for stepping foot anywhere near them. Now, she was stealing the eating place of another stray, yet they didn't want to attack her? She looked at him, completely lost in thought by the memories of being attacked by other strays, other Longpaws, other animals. She hadn't had a conversation with anyone for... well, who knows how long. She had always had to flee or fight, never talk anything out. This is why Iris had been the stray she turned out to be, reserved, quiet, lonely. She looked down for a moment and couldn't help but sigh as she brought her head back up to Riley. Her mind raced and she was brought back to a memory she had always tried to forget, one that was the reason she is the way she is.

The stray walked along a dusty alley, a few feet away from her mother and siblings. She looks down at the ground, kicking a rock between her feet as she follows slowly. Her mother calls her over to be closer when a huge dog comes into the ally. He growls loudly, slobber falling from his mouth and his fur bristled unevenly throughout his body. He stands behind Iris who is unaware of his presence. Her mother calls her over and runs towards the dog, prepared to attack at any moment. Iris turns, screams and runs to her mother in tears. The dog chases after the pup, getting attacked by her mother and eventually moving on, for no one gets in the way of a mother and her puppies. The females' siblings are curiously walking up to the pup, but are shooed off by the mother to give her space. Iris's mother says something that day that changes the pups' life... Iris. One day I won't be there to protect you like I was then. You will have to learn to fend for yourself and be alert. Without your fighting instincts, you'll have no chance of surviving in the city alone. And with that, the mother gathers the rest of the pups, walking along once again, this time with Iris close by her heals, looking forward at nothing as she walks quickly.

A million other thoughts bombard her, Iris running from a Killer, Iris fighting off a terrier, Iris getting her butt whooped by a black lab and leaving full of bloody wounds and bruises. Never in her life had Iris actually talked to anyone, just a simple chat that wasn't about learning a lesson or stating a few words before a large fight, not even with her mother. It had always been fight, flee or die, fight, flee or die. It was something she had always been taught, you could never survive the city without fighting and being strong. Softies got killed, fighters lived another day. This was another reason why Iris never let anyone see how anxious or scared she constantly felt. Her motto was simple and clear in her head...

Fear leads to weakness,
Weakness leads to injury,
Injury leads to suffering,
Suffering leads to death.

She sighed as she went over the short speech in her head, pawing the tile. It took a while until she realized that she had been silent for a bit too long, probably getting the male uncomfortable. She nodded, Yes, I would say this is a pretty good place to eat. She agreed, My name is Iris. Just you're average stray. She continued, sitting down and making herself comfortable and keep her shivers of fear from showing.

((Thought I'd change my format a little bit... looks way neater... Just to let you guys know and I can change it back if it makes you guys feel like I'm copying any of you))

[MyLostShadow]

B L U E J A Y

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║ Gender: Female ║ Age: 3 ║ Breed: Border Collie ║
║ Rank: Scout ║ Tags: Open ║ Form: The Scout ║
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The first traces of warmth from the sun danced across the female's fur, heating it considerably as she awoke from her slumber. Though she had only just awoken (and slept very well throughout the night) the pleasant weather was already trying to persuade the sleepy canine to take a nap. No, I can't she groaned internally as she slowly forced her eyes to open, the light blinding her for a few seconds before her brown eyes adjusted to the new light. She remembered the days when she would wake up like this in her longpaws' house, the sun shining brightly through the windows and smiling at the young dog. Her dog beg, a sky blue bed just the right size for her to curl up in, was directly under the window of one of the few upstairs rooms, and so each morning when the sun chased away the night, sun beams would race through the windows and land on her silky fur. What could she complain about?

The sound of movement around her pulled Bluejay from her thoughts. She looked around to see that some of the others were already awake, including her brother Chase. Yawning, Bluejay used her long legs to push herself up into a sitting position, small stones leaping from her pelt as she did so. Before the big growl, Bluejay would've thought this day to be fantastic: the sun was shining, the sky was a brilliant blue, and there was a warm breeze drifting through the air, however now that food and water were scarce, rain had become one of Bluejay's favourite things, and sunny days were just as unwelcome as fleas.

More and more of the pack appeared to have woken up now, and so Bluejay stood and stretched out her legs, planning to soon go scouting out the surrounding areas for anything unusual or unwanted in the pack's territory, perhaps even leaving the territory and exploring past their boundaries. Glancing briefly up at the Alpha, she gave a small nod of respect, though her attention was soon elsewhere as she planned out in her head where she would go scouting today.

C H A S E

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║ Gender: Male ║ Age: 3 ║ Breed: Border Collie ║
║ Rank: Hunter ║ Tags: Lexie ║ Form: The Hunter ║
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It was true: there did seem to be even less deer in the meadow than previously (even then, they had been scarce) and Caleb wouldn't be happy if they turned up with nothing for the pack to eat. After all, that was Chase's job, wasn't it? Provide food for the pack, just like the patrol's job was to make sure their borders hadn't been crossed by strays or other unwelcome animals. Chase rather liked hunting, it gave him a feeling of freedom when he was out there chasing prey or laying in the grass stalking an oblivious creature. He also enjoyed hunting together with other members of the pack, as it meant they could go for much larger prey, such as the rare deer which occasionally made an appearance in the meadow. The hunting groups were almost always successful when hunting, as more eyes and noses searching for prey meant more chance of them finding something. On occasion though, Chase would prefer to go hunting alone. He found the quiet relaxing.

As Lexie suggested they go and check the strip of meadow between the city and the lake, the black and white border collie nodded in agreement, "Right. It's been a couple of weeks since I was down there last, and I haven't heard about any of the other hunters checking there either. Perhaps we might find some more prey down there" Chase said, his tone taking on a more serious tone as it often did when he was talking about hunting. The male didn't do it deliberately, and his tone certainly wasn't an unfriendly one, but rather one which showed that the collie loved hunting, and equally loved talking about it.