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Username:
ChristainAnimalLover
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Name:
Wild Blue Yonder
"Liberty"
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Gender:
female
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Name Meaning:
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click for full-size˗ˋˏ Soaring Free ˎˊ˗
- - -Texas, 2024- -- - - - - - - - -
Clancy had a blast telling people about Liberty’s love of flying. How she went with him on all of his crop-dusting runs and how he flew them to the majority of their competitions. They became quite the talk of the town, then the county. Honestly, Clancy wouldn’t be surprised if their story made it all the way through the state of Texas.
“So, how high has Liberty been?” One of their fellow contestants asked one day as they waited for their division to be up.
“Technically, she’s been to 30,000 feet. But that doesn’t really count. It wasn’t the best experience for anyone involved and,” he paused and glanced down at his girl, who was looking up at him as if she knew exactly what he was talking about, “she couldn’t see the sky.”
“Oh?”
Clancy waved the query off dismissively. “It’s a long story. But I’d say the highest she’s been is 9,500 feet, when we flew out to Carrolton. Usually though, we just cruise around at 4,500.” He ruffled her ears affectionately.
“Is that where she gets her name?”
Clance threw his head back and lagged. “Y’know, I never put that together. Nah, I named her that because of her striking markings and brilliant blue eyes. It just.. Seemed to fit. ‘Liberty’ is kinda in honor of my Pop. Plus, the Air Force song is sometimes called ‘Wild Blue Yonder’ and he was enlisted.” He said, voice softening with emotion.
"Maisie, Gunnar and Scout! Please make your way to the cutting corral!" The organizer called.
"Oh, that's us!" The gal said, giving her leash a light tug to get her dog's attention.
"Good luck." Clancy said with a tip of a his Stetson.
"Thanks, you too."
˗ˋˏ ☁️ 🛩️ ☁️ ˎˊ˗
- - -Belarus, 2022- -- - - - - - - - - -
Vicini picked the gray and white pup up by the scruff, supporting the butt as he lifted it to eye-level, wanting to examine the pup more closely.
“I don’t like the look of this one’s ears and tail.. It’ll never take the title.”
“Forget the ears, look at the face! I can see
clouds! You’re not supposed to see things in brindling, my grandma says that’s bad luck. It may even be possessed! Look how it's around the eye-”
“Don’t be ridiculous, it’s not possessed.”
She didn’t understand the words, but she could tell that the voices were unhappy, angry even. She didn’t know what she did wrong, but she tried to make it up to them. She wagged her tail and wriggled a little to lick apologetically at the arm of the guy holding her.
“You might be right about the luck thing though..” Vicini muttered as he shifted his grip to avoid the quick tongue. He put the pup back down and turned to the other guy, “we'll leave it with the stash, if it survives, good for it, if not..” he shrugged, “no one will find it, let alone connect it to us.”
Anatoly nodded with a nervous gulp.
˗ˋˏ ☁️ 🛩️ ☁️ ˎˊ˗
“When is this stuff going out?” Anatoly hollered as he moved some crates around.
“It'll be loaded for transport in a couple days.” Came the answering call.
“Sorry little demon,” Anatoly mumbled as he secured the latch on the makeshift crate.
She sat politely and looked up at him with big eyes. It didn't change anything, he turned away. When he began to walk off, she let out a mournful whine. He didn't even hesitate. As he disappeared from view, she started to bark and cry in earnest.
She missed the warmth and familiarity of where she’d grown up. The humans weren’t around much but it was all she knew. She didn’t want to be stuck here, alone, in the dark and the cold.
˗ˋˏ ☁️ 🛩️ ☁️ ˎˊ˗
Outside, in an unmarked black panel van, a CIA strike team prepared to storm the warehouse, which honestly looked abandoned. Windows so dirty they looked opaque, some with the glass shattered. Dilapidated crates and pallets scattered around the perimeter of the building, the few forklifts and small box trucks looked like they had been teleported straight from a junkyard.
Leading the team was Clancy James, a seasoned agent from the great state of Texas, with several years at the CIA under his belt and several more in the army before that.
Clancy checked his handgun, a standard 9mm glock, for probably the third time since arriving at the target. This was going to be his last op with the CIA and he wanted it to go smoothly.
“Okay listen up!” Clancy called, holstering his weapon as his team turned their attention to him. “I know this place don't look like much, but intel says it's the main hub for the biggest smuggling operation in the region. Details are sketchy at best beyond that.” He met the gazes of each of his team, receiving confident nods in return.
“Alright gentleman, stay sharp. Unknown number of hostiles.” He jumped from the back of the van and drew his glock in one fluid motion, dropping low as he landed and heading towards the warehouse at a light jog. Once his team had the place surrounded, Clancy ordered the breach.
Chaos ensued.
“Looks like it's moving day!” Clancy said into his comms when he saw the swarm of activity inside. People milled about, moving crates and boxes from their neat stacks to the loading dock on the west side. There was only a moment of calm before a firefight erupted. Clancy felt his training take over as he moved, quick and quiet, through the warehouse. Taking out targets as he went.
By the time the cacophony died down, Clancy's ears were ringing. Every shot had echoed back at least twice in the cavernous space. After receiving the all clear from his men, Clancy holstered his glock allowed himself a breath, shaking his head against the incessant ringing. He could still hear a sharp, pulsing echo and it took him longer than he'd like to admit to realize that it wasn't just in his head.
Clancy followed the sound and after a few turns found a few of his men standing in a semicircle, looking down. They parted as he approached.
“I'll call Animal Control.” One of the men said offhandedly.
Clancy finally caught sight of the source of the ruckus. A small gray and white puppy sat in what looked like an overturned pallet crate with wire mesh screwed haphazardly over most of the gaps. The pup was whining and barked and snapped whenever anyone moved towards the crate, bearing its sharp little teeth. The floppy ears and soft, fluffy coat took out any ounce of menacing the little thing could muster.
Clancy practically
felt his heart instantly melt.
“Nah, don't bother.” He said with a dismissive wave, “I don't wanna wait around for ‘em.”
“We can't just leave it here, sir.”
“Well of course not.” Clancy tried not to sound affronted. He knelt down and undid the latch.
“Be careful sir, it looked pretty upset..”
The pup, who had been watching him curiously, stood up and took a tentative step forward, tail wagging slightly.
Clancy grinned, “She's not dangerous.” He crooned as he held his hand out. “Are ya sweetie?”
Seeming to sense that Clancy wasn't a threat, the puppy scrambled right past his hand and into his lap, wriggling around with so much energy she became just a blur of color and happy whimpers.
Clancy lost his balance and the little whirlwind took full advantage of it, drawing out a laugh as she clambered across his chest, quick tongue darting over his face.
The two of them tussled around for a few minutes until Clancy finally managed to sit up, the puppy settling in his lap with a happy grin.
Clancy looked up at his team, “Site secure?” He asked, back to business. Authoritative tone only slightly belied by his position on the floor.
The men all straightened a little.
“Yes sir.” his second-in-command answered promptly.
“Good work.”
Clancy eventually got to his feet, the pup cradled carefully against him, and attended to the remainder of his duties as leader of the strike team.
˗ˋˏ ☁️ 🛩️ ☁️ ˎˊ˗
She had nearly barked herself hoarse when the room exploded into a frenzy of shouts and bangs. It was worse than thunder.
Finally, the noise died down. Except for the occasional angry protest.
Then there were strangers surrounding her prison. And someone with a gentle voice and slow movements was reaching for her, but not aggressively like the other men used to.
Somehow, she knew immediately that she could trust him.
She had never felt so
safe.Something about this new human who had taken the time to lower himself to her level and offer his hand.. Everything about him was just so warm and welcoming. And then he was holding her.
Arms around her securely, supporting her weight evenly. His gentle voice in her ear.
˗ˋˏ ☁️ 🛩️ ☁️ ˎˊ˗
- - -Two months later- -- - - - - - - - - - - - -
“Are you ready to finally go home girl?” Clancy asked in an excited puppy-voice. They had spent the past two months living out of a motel, walking the small neighborhood and taking regular trips to the local park while Clancy got all the paperwork for bringing an animal home from a foreign country in order. And the all-clear from the vet.
The young pup looked up at him, tongue lolling from the side of her mouth, tail wagging so fast against the floor she was stirring up tufts of stuffing left from last night’s wrestling match. Her patched coat had a healthy shine to it now and her wonky ears stood up, mostly. They were still adorably flopable, and her right one almost always sat funnily.
“Yeah?” Clancy murmured as he shouldered his rucksack and grabbed the leash from the little table by the door. “Let’s go!”
His energy was met and reflected with happy little yips and barely-contained bouncing.
Clancy couldn't help but grin. She was a quick learner and tried so hard to be good. While they didn’t have an exact age of course, the vet estimated that she couldn’t be more than 10 weeks, possibly 12 if she was the runt of the litter. Which seemed to be his theory, given the situation Clancy found her in.
They walked to the local pet store and roamed the aisles, Clancy letting her pick out a new toy before selecting a crate for the flight home.
“That the one you want?” He asked when she grabbed an unbelievably soft purple octopus. She wagged her tail, head held high as she trotted along with him. Again, Clancy couldn’t contain his laugh, it was almost bigger than she was.
“Hi there,” he greeted the young cashier, “one crate and one oversized calamari please.”
She peered over the counter and nearly squealed when she saw the pup holding her prize. “Awww!! She’s
so cute! What’s her name?” She crooned as she came out from behind the register to clip the price tag free and greet the puppy.
“This is Liberty.”
“Hi Liberty! Oh, she’s gorgeous! Look at those stunning markings. And so soft!” The gal gushed, giggling as the pup squirmed around, excitedly sharing her new toy and loving the attention. “Aww, look at her wittle ears!”
After a few more moments, the cashier finally pried herself away and finished ringing up the purchase before wishing them a safe flight.
˗ˋˏ ☁️ 🛩️ ☁️ ˎˊ˗
Liberty started whining as soon as she lost track of the nice man who had been taking such good care of her. She hadn’t been too sure about the crate but she trusted her caretaker.
Until now anyway.
Now, she was stuck in a small, dark place with a grated door, surrounded by strange smells and the occasional loud noise.
Liberty did not hesitate to voice her displeasure.
Several times over the next handful of hours, strangers came up to her crate and talked to her. Some in low, gentle voices. Some more harshly, reminding her of the two men who first locked her up. One offered her treats, but she refused. Eventually, someone draped a towel over her crate. She couldn’t see anymore but she could still hear and there were still people around.
So she continued to whine and bark and howl and claw desperately at the corners.
Anything to try and get her caretaker’s attention. He had to be out there. He wouldn’t just leave her. Right?
˗ˋˏ ☁️ 🛩️ ☁️ ˎˊ˗
Clancy eagerly made his way through the terminal towards the pickup for checked luggage. He frowned when he didn’t immediately spot the crate.
“Excuse me, I’m looking for the animal crate I had checked on flight 407.” He told the nice young man at the counter, showing his boarding pass and ID.
“One moment please,” he replied, then turned and flagged down his manager.
“If you’ll follow me please, sir.” The manager requested, words polite but tone clipped and expression taught.
Clancy followed the older man to a quieter corner of the claim area. There, flanked by a security guard, was his crate. Which promptly erupted with happy little yips, joined by the occasional rattle of metal as Liberty wriggled enough to move the whole thing.
“This animal is banned from flying with United Airlines.” The manager said flatly.
Clancy blinked at the man, completely at a loss. He had no idea animals could even
be banned from flying. “Did something happen?” He asked, crouching down to see if Liberty had gotten hurt or something.
“The animal is a nuisance and uncontrollable.”
Clancy chuckled softly and stood up. “I’m sorry about that. She was just nervous, she’s never flown before. And never been outta my sight, either. Poor girl must've been really spooked.”
˗ˋˏ ☁️ 🛩️ ☁️ ˎˊ˗
- - -Texas, 2024- -- - - - - - - - -
“Yes! Atta girl!” Clancy praised as Liberty came racing back to his side and sat promptly, looking up at him for her next command.
“Another marvelous run by Clancy and his dog Liberty!” The loudspeaker declared enthusiastically. “Final results will be announced at the judges’ table in five minutes. Contestants, please make your way over.”
Clancy clapped his thigh and headed for the gate to the corral, Liberty trotting alongside in a perfect heel.
“Wow, you guys were amazing today!” One of the other regular contestants said as they neared the judges. “How did you train her so well?”
“Honestly? I don’t really know. I hardly did anything. She’s so smart,” Clancy reached down to ruffle Liberty’s ears affectionately, “I let her watch the ranch dogs, run with them while they worked, and soon she was just.. Working with them.” He shrugged. I started calling out the commands as she performed certain maneuvers, but that’s about it.”
“Well, I wouldn’t be surprised in the least if you two took first place. Again.” The contestant ribbed lightly.
Clancy rubbed at the back of his neck sheepishly and settled in to wait.
“And, in first place for the Herding and Cutting Division,” The judge called, pausing to consult the clipboard, “Clancy and Wild Blue Yonder!”
A round of applause rippled through the small crowd as Clancy made his way forward.
“Great work out there,” the judge said as she handed over the ribbon.
Clancy accepted it with a firm handshake and wide smile.
˗ˋˏ ☁️ 🛩️ ☁️ ˎˊ˗
Liberty bounded along, nearly getting underfoot and barking in excitement as Clancy prepared his cessna to dust the Western field.
“Liberty, go to your station.” Clancy ordered when he was ready to start the plane. He trained all of his animals to keep clear of moving machines, usually just having them stay put while the engine ran. The dogs, though, had a certain spot to retreat to located near each of the vehicles’ normal parking areas.
Liberty froze and stared at him, her tail dropping slowly.
Clancy stared right back. This was not something he let anyone get away with.
“Liberty.” He warned sharply.
The collie’s ears flicked back but she obeyed, turning and trotting to the small platform he’d built. She sat down and watched him intently.
“Good girl,” Clancy nodded, then started the engine.
Liberty started barking as soon the plane started moving, ears perked, whole body taught with excitement. Clancy kept an eye on her as he taxied over to the stretch of land that served as a runway.
He needn’t have worried, she didn’t move.
˗ˋˏ ☁️ 🛩️ ☁️ ˎˊ˗
Liberty watched the great metal machine climb into the sky with rapt attention. She wanted to be with her caretaker, of course. But more than that, she found herself wishing that she could be up there, soaring effortlessly through the sky.
How freeing that must be. Up so high, wind rushing through her fur.
When the machine began to descend, Liberty started barking again. So excited she could barely sit still. And as soon as the whirring of the engine stopped, she was off like a shot, barreling up to it.
She leapt onto the broad plank that stuck out from the main body with ease, drawing a laugh from her caretaker, which made her tail wag furiously. She loved making him happy.
She nosed at his face and have, managing a few excited licks in getting before jumping into the alcove behind him. It smelled like baked metal and leather. Ears perked tall and gaze straight ahead, she let out another sharp bark.
Let's go!Hey antics were rewarded with soft chuckles and a contemplative voice.
˗ˋˏ ☁️ 🛩️ ☁️ ˎˊ˗
When Clancy peered out over the side of the plane as he circled for a landing, he saw Liberty still sitting on the small platform, watching him. He couldn’t hear her but he could see her barking.
He brought the plane down and pulled it back alongside the stretch of grass. As soon as he cut the engine, Liberty was off like a shot. Barreling up to the cessna, ears back and tail wagging so hard her whole body wiggled. She circled the machine once, then jumped effortlessly onto the wing. Whining softly as she nosed at Clancy’s hat and goggles, licking where she could.
Clancy laughed and ruffled her ears, meeting her enthusiasm warmly. A broad smile splitting his face.
Once she had settled a little, Clancy expected her to jump down. But she didn’t. She just stared curiously into the cockpit.
“What? You think you wanna be in here?” He asked, offering a subtle hand signal that invited her to jump in. He wasn’t going to make it an order, he wanted to see what she’d do.
Clancy’s eyebrows climbed to his hairline when the collie jumped into the seat behind him, sat down and let out a hearty bark. “Oh really?” He twisted around in his seat to see her better and she looked up at the sky for several seconds, then looked back at him, tongue dropping out of the side of her mouth. Clancy chuckled, “Yeah?”
Liberty’s ears perked and her tail thumped against the seat rhythmically.
˗ˋˏ ☁️ 🛩️ ☁️ ˎˊ˗
The sun was still low in the east, barely peeking over the mountains.
“C’mon Liberty! Let’s go!” Clancy called from the door, holding it wide as he listened to the clack of her nails scurry through the house. She loped along ahead of him as he strode through the misty morning.
When they reached the cessna, Clancy called the dog over and asked her to sit. He slipped the harness over her head and she stood up so he could clip the girth in place. He then slid specialized goggles onto her face and stepped back, waiting to see how she’d react. Liberty merely offered a toothy grin, ears flicking forward as she waited for a command.
“Hup,” he ordered, and gestured at the wing of the plane. She obeyed, jumping over into the cockpit without needing to be told.
“You know exactly what’s going on, dont’cha girl?” Clancy asked her, pulling his own goggles into place and then climbing up onto the wing himself. He fastened her harness and double-checked everything before taking his own seat. “Ready?”
Liberty answered with an excited bark.
Clancy kept the flight short, just one circle around the ranch. The wind snatched away the bulk of his passenger’s excitement, but he heard enough of the happy barks to know that Liberty was thoroughly enjoying herself. He joined in with his own barks of laughter.
When they landed and clambered from the plane, Clancy would swear his dog was nearly glowing. Her joy was evident in every fiber of her being. From her shining eyes to her furiously wagging tail as she leapt around him exuberant circles.
˗ˋˏ ☁️ 🛩️ ☁️ ˎˊ˗
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Author's Notes: Art by me | Clancy is my OC, any other character appearances are NPCs of mine | Coding all by me, just for show; purely for fun and aesthetic
