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Post by shade on Aug 21, 2015 23:25:26 GMT
All was quiet.
Just as it should be.
Raksha padded down the path, a muddied old rope toy between her teeth and blood still fresh on her breath from the kill she'd made earlier. Since the gardens had been left to grow wild, the fences to rot and sag, all manner of creatures had crept in to reclaim the land that had been once stolen from them in the name of civilization. The suburbs had slowly become a jungle, fraught with its own dangers; broken glass, decrepit buildings on the point of collapse, and disease if you did not tread carefully. Disease such as the strange sickness that had taken the humans away.
They still found skeletons. Hundreds were wrapped in rotting cloth and lined up in rows in the yard outside the large building to the South; the whole place smelled strange, and scary, and Raksha didn't like to go in there. The rest of her pack didn't seem too keen either; although the surrounding area made good hunting for rats, there were better places to roam in the vast maze of stone and concrete that they claimed as their territory.
The old city park, for instance.
Raksha hopped up onto a wall and swaggered along it, her tail brushing the sign that had once informed people not to bring their dogs into the playground, before dropping down onto the sand. She caught the scents of Naren and Sadie on the wind; they were nearby, likely hunting in the copse of trees across the man-made lake (which was more of a stagnant pond in comparison to The Lake on the edge of their territory, but it still attracted waterfowl on occasion.)
Upon reaching her destination the Belgian Malinois paused to collect herself, sinking her weight back into her haunches, then sprang up the wooden climbing wall onto the platform that served as her favourite lookout point. Settling down amongst the frayed remains of her previous finds, the tan and black bitch began methodically chewing and tearing at her trophy of the moment, occasionally pausing to scan the surrounding area for potential intruders.
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Post by Blue on Aug 22, 2015 16:30:19 GMT
Mitch's day started at the break of dawn.
It was some time since he and Ellie had returned to any human settlements. The fear of being robbed or attacked along with the paranoia of transmission convinced Mitch's meek two-legged companion that a solitary life was best. Solitary, in terms of humans, that was. So far, the supplies from half-emptied village stores had sustained them. Not once had they braved the city since the disease had struck.
Ellie was still on edge, and as a familiar hand reached for his scruff the Australian Shepherd lifted his head. Her steps slowed and every inch of the human's poise revealed her reluctance to cross into the vast grey settlement. What's up? Mitch's head tilted to one side in the usual playful manner. If he possessed a tail, it would have been wagging- a sure indication to the human that everything was fine. They'd approached empty territories many times over their travels, other than the stale scent emanating from this one, it seemed relatively similar (other than the skyscrapers and mass of concrete, that was). Mitch was relatively sure that Ellie's nose wasn't as good as his- either that or she was simply too lazy to use hers. As this seemed to be the case, the shepherd was certain that the stale scent would go undetected by her. Everything would be fine.
With a playful tug at her trouser leg, he danced to the side of the human. Itching for the release command that they had been working on.
After a moment of hesitation a smile twitched across her pale lips in response.
'Alright Mitch...Scout!'
He didn't need to be told twice. Without a second glance towards his human, Mitch had set off at a merry trot into the city. The command was a work in progress. 'Scout' was supposed to instruct him to flush the area, barking if he located a human. Mitch liked to think of it as permission to roam. He had scented dogs on the wind. Lots of dogs. More dogs than he recalled scenting in one place before. Humans could be looked for later. After all, it seemed only sensible to get his bearings within the vast territory before searching for anything.
The shepherd picked his way along the streets, habitually keeping to the paths and lifting his nose to sample the occasional overturned trash can. The grit beneath his paws presented an unusual contrast to the woodland that had been their previous hideout. He mused silently as to whether the dogs in this territory knew of the nearby wood. Perhaps they had also been there. Or perhaps they preferred trash cans and sidewalks with broken glass? Each to their own, I guess.
His paws carried him at a brisk pace towards a more unusual structure; something that appeared to be a caricature of the much larger human settlements. It was equipped with two odd slopes that were somewhat reminiscent of those he had scaled on agility courses. The surrounding fence seemed like an odd addition, however. Unperturbed by the small elongated house, he continued his approach before coming to a halt.
The wind had changed.
The scent of dog was much closer than it was before.
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Post by shade on Aug 22, 2015 17:55:26 GMT
Raksha froze mid-chew, dropped the semi-destroyed rope toy, and sniffed the air.
Intruders.
The Belgian Malinois gave an unhappy rumble and jolted to her feet, hackles bristling, but the dog that had dared to stroll onto her pack's territory had yet to arouse the attention of the others; they were likely downwind, seeing as Sadie's deep protective barks and thundering of paws would have split the air as soon as she noticed anything amiss. The scent of human, so sudden and fresh, was even more troubling. Raksha had not seen a live one in moons. Were they coming back to the city now? What would they do to the dogs who lived here?
This was why Raksha always remained vigilant. Her packmates just weren't serious enough about all the looming potential threats to their existence.
The tan and black bitch prowled to the edge of the platform to get a good proper look at the insolent pup who was nonchalently trespassing right under her nose, upper lip twitching, tail arcing upwards in an aggressive slant and waving slowly, stiffly. The human at least was still a fair distance away and did not appear particularly hostile in body language, so Raksha deemed them a secondary concern for the time being. But this bumbling, long-coated flybrain beneath her....
He was going to be taught a lesson.
Raksha gave a deep, long snarl that rose into a volley of hostile barks, and leapt down to cut the stranger off mid-step. Unlike Sadie, who preferred to use her superior bulk and powerful vocals to intimidate other dogs into backing down before a fight ever even broke out, the Belgian Malinois adopted a very different approach; flashing teeth, snapping jaws, speeding into her enemy's personal space and overwhelming them with ruthless tenacity. She flung up her forepaws, lunging for the other dog's scruff, every action designed to force him to either hastily concede submission or accept the irrefutably clear challange that was being issued to him.
Her packmates would hear her barks and come to her aid. Raksha was confident of that much; it made the presence of this dog's human partner significantly easier to cope with.
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Post by Blue on Aug 22, 2015 18:43:35 GMT
An eruption of barking broke the silence.
With a sharp movement, Mitch lifted his head, not possessing the time to react further as the flash of black and tan fur collided with him in a furious flurry. As the flash of fangs found his thick scruff, the male ducked with an indignant yelp.
'Hey hey hey! What's the deal?!'
His fur had thankfully softened the blow, however the sensation of the bite continued to ebb as a prominent reminder of the female's bad attitude. Mitch did not fight. His stance alone could reveal as much as he remained in an awkward half-ducked pose akin to a play-bow. He liked to think himself as a pacifist. Clearly the Malinois begged to differ. The scent alone was sure to betray is affiliation. Ellie was always so particular about keeping his fur 'just right' by her frequent brushing. Her scent was practically infused within his long dappled coat. Not cool. Not cool.
The barking continued, and with it Mitch stole the opportunity to rise out of his peculiar bow to regard the female with a sense of curious bewilderment. Her teeth remained very much visible whilst her verbal warning echoed across the park.
Aw c'mon, don't bite me again. It kinda hurt...
His poise although being straightened to his full height was more wary this time. His rump shifted awkwardly- moving in the place of what would have been a cautious but amicable wag of a non-existent tail. It would be inconvenient if reinforcements- or indeed the Belgian Malinois alone- tore him to bits. He could hardly turn tail and run, Ellie would surely come to investigate sooner or later. It seemed that some negotiation was in order. Cautious, but well-meaning negotiation. He wasn't keen for another bite- and he was even less keen for the frantic brushing it would result in that evening if he returned to Ellie in a bedraggled state.
'Hey-'
'Look I'm not-'
'Can we just-'
'Okay, you see-'
'Will you just liste-'
Alright fine. With a sharp exhale, the Australian Shepherd spoke up, his own bark competing with the volume of the Belgian Malinois facing him.
'Lady lady, c'mon. Say it don't spray it!'
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Post by shade on Aug 24, 2015 16:11:47 GMT
The softfooted craven didn't even try to fight back.
'Hey hey hey! What's the deal?!'
Raksha felt him flinch as her teeth found their mark, and immediately the Belgian Malinois reacted as she had been trained to do - she pursued the movement, snapping at the dense merle coat, effectively warning the other dog that she'd do much more than a nasty nip if he didn't choose his next actions very carefully.
Satisfied by the male's body language that she'd got her point across, Raksha stepped back. The tan and black bitch's lip relaxed a fraction, no longer baring her fangs in quite as aggressive a fashion, but she remained stubbornly poised in a distinctly aggressive stance and held him with her eye. Despite her raucous barking, Sadie and Naren had yet to appear, and this made the Belgian Malinois anxious. Had they not heard her? Evidently she'd just have to keep barking until they did.
In the meantime, this intruder wasn't going anywhere. Raksha refused to allow him to regroup with his human - threats were more easily dealt with when they were separated.
Where were her packmates?
As the Australian Shepherd cautiously rose out of his placatory half-bow, Raksha risked a brief glance for any sign of Sadie or Naren - upon seeing none, her tail drooped infinitesimally, having to face the reality that backup would not be as immediate as she had originally anticipated. Which meant she might have to actually acknowledge the stranger's attempts to negotiate through a civil exchange of words.
Raksha was really, really unnaccustomed to using her words. She was much more comfortable using her teeth. After all, she'd been trained to tackle threats, not talk to them -
'Lady lady, c'mon. Say it don't spray it!'
The exasperated bark that echoed out from the merle dog's parted jaws made the steady onslaught of noise from Raksha's own die down in surprise, receding to an unhappy rumble in her chest. It took her a brief moment to recover from the confusion - lady?
What kind of insult was that?
"I ain't no 'lady'," the Belgian Malinois growled at him, arching her neck and head up in an attempt to emulate Sadie's typical 'don't mess with me' posture.
"And y'all are trespassin'."
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Post by Blue on Aug 24, 2015 16:48:49 GMT
The barking died down into a rumble. An unhappy rumble, but it was more promising than another bite.
Still maintaining a wary distance, Mitch surveyed the Malinois' expression, noting the slight drop of her tail with his usual optimistic edge. A moment of silence was held between them, and for a moment each seemed a little uncertain as to what was the logical next step in their jarring introduction.
"I ain't no 'lady',"
Her growl was enough to assure him that this was not a point to be argued. With a casual tilt of his head, he continued, edging a few inches further away from the black and tan bitch by means of respect (and self-preservation). Frankly the distance between them was uncomfortably close, and the scent of blood on her breath was not remotely comforting as it rolled over his nose. Someone needs to brush.
'Alright alright,' His tone had lost its indignance and instead resorted back to its usual mellow demeanour.
'I mean...I wasn't gonna say anything, but I was already beginning to question that after you used my neck as a chew toy.'
A hint of bitterness crept forwards as he spoke, but the grin crossing his immaculately clean muzzle revealed the humour he so clearly saw within the statement. He hadn't been bitten for quite some time- it was a shocking sensation- one that he hadn't missed. In fact, he was rather put-out that it had happened at all. Ellie would fuss over him and that would be embarrassing.
"...And y'all are trespassin'."
Her following statement shattered his brief trail of thought.
'Traspassing... Oh-- Oooh. This is your territory, huh?' The slight shift of his hind legs implied the wag of his non-present tail.
'I thought I scented dogs around here. Hey, sorry about that. Didn't think I'd run into you. No hard feelings, right?'
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