Post by tanniyn on Sept 11, 2007 11:29:45 GMT -5
Characters:
Jolon - adult male Elkhound
Sketch - female German Shepherd pup
Freyr - adult male mastiff
Field of Flowers
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Flowers are nodding in the breeze, their colors and scents enveloping everything around them. The colorful vegetation reaches for the sunlight, stretching as if being called to the glow and in the evening, the moon shines upon them until they shimmer with a silver light. The flowers seem to stretch for miles but that is only an illusion.
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In the dying rays of the sunset, Jolon lays in a patch of flowers. They smell pleasant and the insects crawling everywhere that would normally irk him, but do not seem to tonight. He is looking out quietly over the field, watching the plants quiver as rodents disturb them underneath. Tail flicking absently in the dirt, his ears flick toward the sounds of the emerging night. With a sigh, the elkhound wishes there was something to do. It has been too long since he has caused some real mischief, just for the fun of it. The wolves seem to have lost their sense of humour as of late, forcing the dog to avoid testing their borders. Sigh.
They're making fun of her! She doesn't know how or why, but she just /knows/ the flowers are being /too/ bright and cheery. Giving something between a puppyish growl and cry, she lunges at one of the flowers and angrily rends it to pieces. Stupid flowers, mocking her with their happiness. And with that, she tears apart another one. And another one. Angry tears find their way to her eyes, and finally she has to stop, collapsing with a sob. Her human left her, and as much as she wants to deny it, she knows that what's done is done. But /why/? What did she ever do to deserve this? Why does she have to go through this heartache? The presence of another canine in the field isn't even noticed; the girlpup is only seeing one thing right now: despair.
Sigh. Borrrrinnngg- wait. Jolon's ears swivel, focused on an area a few yards ahead of him, where a couple flowers mysteriously disappear in a flurry of torn petals. A distressed noise reaches him and he gets to his paws. Cautiously, he steps forward and sniffsniffs. All he can smell is the flowers. Eyes trained on the growing circle of destruction, he pads toward the strange occurence. The stems of the plants bend easily under his stride and he is quickly only a few inches away. Peering warily through the floral carnage, he spies a small furry body. Not a rodent. Unless rodents make a habit of drawing undue attention to themselves. He steps closer, almost looming over the little...thing.
It's quite the shock for Sketch when she realizes that there is a MONSTER that suddenly appeared out of NOWHERE, and is looking at HER! All of a sudden her paws are trying to carry her in every direction at once.. just get away from the bigscarymonster now! And as could be expected, the only place the girl ends up is sprawled out on her belly, terrified eyes looking up at the monster, tears forgotten. This'll be the sad end for her... first her human--the human who /loved/ her so dearly too!--leaves her to die, and now she's about to be eaten by a monster. Life just sucks. ;_;
Oh. Well, it's still alive, at least. Whatever it is. Jolon eyes is suspiciously as it ends up going no where, fast. "Calm down." He says gruffly. "I don't eat...pups." A moment of hesitation is given before he tentatively labels the spazzing bundle of fur. It /could/ be a pup, for sure. It is tiny, furry, locomotionally challenged and smells like dog. Yes, it must be pup, the elkhound decides with a snort. His muzzle dips a little lower, nostrils flaring. Hmph. With a start, he urgently looks around the field. Just what he needs, some freaked out parents trying to rip out his throat for getting too close to their kid. After a moment of frenzied surveying, he cocks a brow. "Hey, kid, why're you so far away from your mommy?"
The German Shepherd pup gives the much larger canine a furious glare. "Of /course/ monsters eat pups!" Whoever heard of one who didn't? Is he trying to make fun of her too? First the flowers, now... huhwhat? Her mommy? Tears spring back to her eyes and a note of defiance creeps into her voice. "You can't eat Mommy too, 'cuz she's already dead!" Bristle. "What kind of monster are you, anyway?" She mimics his looking around, wondering what he could possibly be watching for.
He's... not a monster? But.. he looks so /scary/! But he said that he's a dog, so.. "What's yer name?" the girl asks, voice and expression switching to genuine curiosity in an instant, almost making it hard to believe that she was ever scared in the first place. "How did you get here so fast?" The word 'teleport' isn't in her vocabulary yet. "My name is Sketch, and..." Her energy visibly fades. Normally the latter half of her introduction was to describe her human... but now all she feels is bitter emptiness. No more.
Eye roll. "Jolon. I /walked/. You know, with my paws." He wiggles one foreleg as a demonstration. Ears flicking, the dog prompts, "And...?" It is a pet peeve of his when others don't finish their sentences. What are they, too immersed in dreams to finish their thought? Hmph. Nonsense. His tail twitches with irritation and he supplies, "Aaaand? Did you forget where you left...who ever is looking after you?" The elkhound almost says 'mommy' again, but manages to stop himself in time. No need to provoke another outburst from the tiny fur bundle.
The girl wrinkles her tiny nose into a scowl. She /knows/ what a /paw/ is! She's about to retort with the face that she thinks he's being really mean gaspomg!! .. but then he begins verbally prodding her to continue, prompting her to shuffle her paws and look down at the flowers, face still scrunched up. "I don't need no one to look after me now, see." Her voice quivers at the end, and she glares at the big canine again, as if he's to blame. "And I no need you, either." She sniffles, swiping angrily at a flower.
Jolon has to admit, that little scowl is /kinda/ cute. In a disgusting, helpless kind of way. After Sketch's /ridiculous/ reply, he doesn't restrain a snort. "Don't need anyone to look after you, hmm?" A devilish smile curls on his muzzle. Tail whipping excitedly, he lunges forward with his teeth bared, hoping to grab the girl by the scruff.
Hah! She KNEW he was a monster! Except that she doesn't have any time whatsoever to enjoy her victory, as those are TEETH coming for her! She lets out a terrified whimper and flattens herself against the ground.. and is promptly grabbed by the Elkhound. Fiend! Devil! Brute! Monster! "Lemme /go/!" she yelps, trying to growl. It's more of a squeak. Hey, she at least /tried/ to be ferocious, yup she did!
Grinning, Jolon deposits the young girl in the dirt. "Still think you'll be fine by yourself?" There is a satisfied glint in his eye- he's proved his point. "You can't defend yourself against me- and I'm not even hungry for an easy meal. That's /you/ by the way." He adds, nose pointing to the German shepard. "Oh," he continues, his smile adopting a more sly look, "Maybe work on that growl of yours before you go around trying to intimidate anyone with it, kid." The male's voice is sickly sweet and condescending.
Sketch furiously jumps back up on her feet, bristling and breathing hard as she glares. For one brief moment she considers showing him how sharp HER teeth are--maybe he'll bleed! ... but then she gets a better idea. "You're really meeeean!" There's that scrunched-up scowl again. "Meaner than.. than even /humans/!" Ooooh. A triumphant smirk appears on the girl's muzzle. Hah! Take /that/, bigscarymonster named Jolon!
The male barely contains the urge to roll his eyes. Mean? Is that the best she can- HUMANS. The word sparks hatred within him. Within seconds, Jolon's body is shaking with anger. He lips peel back, exposing his long yellow teeth. A deep, rumbling growl pours from the elkhound and he fixes the pup with a glare. "Never. Mention. Those /scum/. In my presence. Ever. EVER. Again. Or I swear it will be the last miserable thing you will do in your worthless life. Got it?" As he speaks, he advances on the German shepard until his muzzle is almost level with hers.
Okay. If she was scared before, now she's terrified and /freaking/ /out/ This monster is going to KILL her! Ears as flat against her skull as they can go, she cowers down, shaking almost uncontrollably. She tries to get out some kind of apology, but she's too scared to even formulate words. The fact that this canine hates humans is almost not even comprehended, but she /does/ make a note of it for later. She's not the only one who's bitter toward the two-legs, apparently.
It seems she understands. After what seems to be a long while, his growl quiets and he pulls away, relatively calm. The air stinks of fear. "Now that we have learned that lesson," Jolon finally says, briskly, "What are you going to do for the night? You're on your own in an unfamiliar place. Can you even /hunt/ for yourself yet?" The male is betting the answer is going to be no. Hmph. Females.
The pup remains where she is, flattened against the ground, still looking scared half out of her mind. So much for bravado. It's quite a few seconds after the questions are asked of her before she manages a very timid and small "I.. don't know." Suddenly her eyes fill with tears again as the full weight of her really bad situation hits home. The big monster is right -- what /is/ she going to do? Mustering what small amount of anger she has left, she growls, "I'm gonna go away from /here/ though, so you don't have to be mean to me anymore 'cuz you don't like me."
Oh, not the tears. After a frown filled silence, he finally replies, "I never said I didn't like you." Hmph. Maybe the little girl isn't /so/ bad. Sketch did show some potential- some spirit. But no. Pups are not his to take care of. Besides, Jolon wouldn't know the first thing about being fatherly. Wait...why is he even thinking about this in the first place? It's ridiculous!
"You.. you do like me?" Sketch's question sounds almost desperate. Pleading, even, as if it's more of a request than a question. Her little tail begins to wag slowly. Sniffling through her tears, she crawls back onto her feet. Her ears perk forward, and an inquisitive headtilt is given as she notices the big male apparently thinking about something. Whether or not to eat her, perhaps?
"I didn't say that either," Jolon replies grumpily, shifting his paws. "But I guess you're not bad for a useless pile of fur." That's darn near a compliment! The male looks a little bewildered, in fact. He must be going soft, even /talking/ to this mangey pup. At least it stopped crying. Mostly. He hesitates before offering, "I /guess/ you could...come with me, or something. Stay in the copse till I figure out what to do with you." Pausing, he hastily adds, "But this isn't a permanent thing- for tonight only. Maybe tomorrow. If Freyr says you're gone, you're gone before we blink twice, got it?"
The pup wilts a little at being called a 'useless pile of fur'. Her mother never called her mean names like that! But at the reluctant invitation to stay, Sketch perks up, tail starting to wag again. Yay! "What's a.. copse?" she asks, stumbling over the unfamiliar word. "And who is Freyr? Is he another monster too?" Her excitement is growing by the second, and soon she's trotting around, urging Jolon to come /on/! "Lessgo, slowpoke monster!" She beams.
Jolon emits a small frustrated growl. What was he thinking? Sketch is just going to gibber questions from sun up to sun down. "The copse is where I like to sleep. You'll when we get there. There's lots of other dogs there. Don't bother them. They're not as nice as I am. Freyr is the leader of our pack. He's not a monster, but he is big enough to swallow you whole." Pretty much. With a sigh, he starts to walk to the south. Well, if the elkhound has any luck, the other Russet members might scare the German shepard away.
Her earlier bitterness and frustration seems to have been forgotten; now, Sketch is all but running circles in and around the Elkhound's legs; she's going to be staying with a friendly (he didn't eat her up, nope!) monster tonight! She doesn't know what a copse is, she doesn't know what a pack is, but she doesn't care! Her eyes widen slightly at the mention of other dogs and especially when the big canine describes this 'Freyr' as being able to swallow her WHOLE. Whoa... and he's /not/ a monster? Puh-/leeze/!
Great. The little spaz is making all manner of noise running around like that and will not /calm/ /down/. Jolon rolls his eyes and continues walking, not making much effort to avoid Sketch's antics. If she steps in front of his paws, it's her own fault. Hmph. At least she stopped asking questions. Snorting, he says firmly, "When we reach the copse I will alert any pack members there to your...situation. And then you will go to sleep. Immediately. Got it, kid?" An 'or else' is implied with his glare. However, trying to fix a scampering puppy with a nasty gaze is tougher than it looks.
"Wassa pack member?" She /has/ to know! The thought of having to go to sleep so immediately upon arriving at a new place doesn't seem like a good plan to Sketch, but.. he might eat her if she doesn't. o.o "Do ya know how to play hide-and-seek?" Her question is followed by her offering the larger dog a flower that she pounced on and plucked from the ground with her teeth. Here, a present for the monster! But wait... do monsters even like flowers? She hopes so.
Oh, for moon's sake. Jolon's frustrated growl is a little more pronounced this time, to clue the girl in that he is /not/ impressed with her 20 questions. "It's a dog- or wolf- that is part of a pack." Yeesh. The male's tail flicks with irritation. They're almost to the copse, at least. "Hide-and-seek?" His brows raise. "Yes." What /is/ Sketch doing now? Sneering, he says, "Take that flower out of your mouth. Dogs eat meat, not plants, you idiot." Clearing his throat, he announces, "We're almost there. Now shut up. Don't annoy Freyr or he'll gobble you up, remember?"
The flower--her /gift/ to him!--is dropped, though Sketch doesn't know whether to feel guilty or just disappointed that her gift was rejected. Her voice sounds hurt: "I wasn't going to /eat/ it.. it was for you!" She frowns, her joy dampened significantly. Being called an idiot and told to shut up isn't something she's used to, though... maybe monsters are supposed to be mean like this? Her ears flatten back and she seems to almost shrink down to the ground. "I don't wanna be gobbled up," she says softly, almost a whisper.
Sparse Copse
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Several elms rise up out of the rolling landscape: three, set in a rough triangle, the ground beneath rich with the smell of their rotted leaves from years past. They're old, gnarled, their trunks scarred. Still, their branches reach up to the sky, and out to one another, three old men supporting each other in their age. One elm seems to be dying; while the others are leaved, many of this elm's branches are bare.
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"Good. Then keep quiet." Jolon dips his muzzle down to whisper. As he enters the copse, he straightens up, surveying the area for pack members. His nose sniffs, hoping to find Freyr. The Russet leader will know what to do with this...thing. The elkhound is getting a little sick of the pup, though he finds the fact that she got him a gift a little-oh, what's the word? Cute. Yeah. That's it. Cute in a disgusting, worthless way. After all, what would he use a flower for? How ridiculous.
The German Shepherd pup drops into somewhat of a crouch behind the large male, ears swiveling as she also tries to detect anyone nearby. Probably more monsters, to be sure! And where is this copsething too that he mentioned? Oh yeah.. and there's supposed to be other dogs.. and /wolves/ around here? Sketch has never seen a wolf; her mother mentioned them a few times, but only in descriptive warning. Like dogs, only... more bigger and monsterisher. Yeah.
The bulky, hirsute mastiff sits by the dying elm tree. Freyr is soaking in the silence, using his time alone to think on things. His recent escapade into the forest, the weather, and the future of Russet. But he's taken from these thoughts at the sound of approaching pawsteps, and he immediately looks to see who it is. At the sight of Jolon, Freyr stands and lets out a low bark in greeting. "Evening Jolon, hav--" And then he smell somebody else, not immediately visible behind the elkhound and the grass. A questioning look is shot to Jolon.
"Good evening, Freyr." Jolon greets, dipping his head. "Ah." He says in response to the look from the mastiff. "Well, I found a-" He pauses for a heartbeat, "-pup, in the field to the south. She's alone. I made sure." Sort of. "I was wondering if she could stay in the copse tonight. Until we figure out what to do with her." The dog tries to look as submissive as he can without actually grovelling. His ears splay, and can't contain a nervous expression.
And with super-wide scared eyes, the pup's head comes into view, peeking around one of the legs in front of her to stare at the... dog? Looks like a monster to her! The Elkhound's words are heard as though as a distance, as Sketch is too occupied with trying to make sense of this huge war machine of a dog in front of them. That thing is /scary/! Her jaw gapes slightly. There's a lot she has to learn about pack behavior and dominance, but she does notice the complete change in demeanor from the Elkhound.. his earlier meanness toward her has switched entirely over to... she's not sure how to describe it, but now /he/ almost seems scared.. or something.
"I see." Well, not quite yet. Freyr shortens the gape between himself and Jolon, dark eyes moving down to the pup, noting her appearance faintly reminds him of Kole. He gives the Elkhound a faint nod, indicating he's not in trouble. At least not for the time being. For now, Freyr steps around to get a better look, lowering his broad muzzle to sniff at the youngster. "Name yourself." He rumbles, not even attempting to restrain the regular, harsh raspiness of his voice. It's actually rather civil, for Freyr.
Glancing at the pup out of the corner of his eye, Jolon almost smirks at her awed expression. The male nods in return, grateful that Freyr does not seem angry. Stepping back to allow the mastiff to examine Sketch easier, he watches curiously. He knows the girl was scared in the first place- how will she feel with the Russet leader in her face and demanding answers? The elkhound peers at the female, hoping she'll be smart enough to reply.
As the scary face gets closer and closer, Sketch shrinks down to the ground, ears flattened against her skull, and eyes still as wide as they can be. She's going to be eaten! >.> But... no. She's just sniffed and questioned, much to her surprise. "S-Sketch!" she squeaks out in response. Nonono.. why's the first dog moving away from her? Now she's all alone with no protection or hiding place just a few inches away from monsterteeth! o.o
The Mastiff lets out a bit of a hmph, then lifts his head up and away. "And where do you come from?" He had detected a faint trace of man on her, but not enough to immediately want to reject her from his lands. She does seem a bit on the skittish side, however. Completely neglecting the fact that /he/ may be contributing to any of it. Freyr glances at Jolon again. "If she wishes to remain here the night, or however long, it'd be best to keep her our of my way." Sounds like he means it.
Jolon nods again, murmuring, "Of course." He expected as much. "Thank you, Freyr." The male gives an approving look to Sketch. She's survived, at least for tonight. Still, she needs to toughen up if she plans to stick around for more than one night, he thinks with a frown. "Bed. Now," the elkhound barks to the little pup.
A shiver runs through the girl's body as the mastiff continues speaking. "My hu.." She flinches and gives a fearful look at the other canine. "I.. uhh.. I got lost." Crawling backwards away from the mastiff toward the larger dog, Sketch still keeps her eyes trained on him, just in case he decides to suddenly change his mind and use those big teeth of his. Once she's closer to the elkhound, she whispers to him, "You said he wasn't a monster!" She hates being lied to. -.-
"Lost?" Freyr grunts, unsure if the pup is willing or able to explain any more than that. In any case, he doesn't press any farther. "She's all your's." Is said to Jolon. Turning, the mastiff lumbers back over to his tree and flops ungracefully onto the grass and roots. It's been a long time since there were any pups among Russet, and the mastiff had forgotten how to deal with them. Not that he'd even been all that good with them in the /first place/.
Why didn't she listen? Jolon made the instructions clear enough. Bed. Now. Oh, great, now she's trying to hide behind him, or something. Rolling his eyes at the girl, he replies, "He was /very/ nice to you. You're lucky. However, he doesn't like you very much and neither do I. Go to sleep now." Hopefully she'll understand the second time around. "Lay down right here and don't make too much noise," he says gruffly.
Grudgingly, Sketch flops to the ground where indicated, shooting another annoyed look at the elkhound. He really is mean.. in fact, they both are! Why is she even staying here, anyway? Maybe she should just go back to the flowers. And yet.. the thought of being alone scares her more than being here, even though she knows the /flowers/ at least won't eat her. But maybe these two won't either. Maybe. Before resting her head on her forepaws, she mutters something that sounds suspiciously like, "I /knew/ he was a monster..." Her eyes remain open, gaze moving back and forth between the other two canines. She doesn't look /quite/ as scared as when she first came here, but she definitely looks far from comfortable.
Jolon - adult male Elkhound
Sketch - female German Shepherd pup
Freyr - adult male mastiff
Field of Flowers
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Flowers are nodding in the breeze, their colors and scents enveloping everything around them. The colorful vegetation reaches for the sunlight, stretching as if being called to the glow and in the evening, the moon shines upon them until they shimmer with a silver light. The flowers seem to stretch for miles but that is only an illusion.
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In the dying rays of the sunset, Jolon lays in a patch of flowers. They smell pleasant and the insects crawling everywhere that would normally irk him, but do not seem to tonight. He is looking out quietly over the field, watching the plants quiver as rodents disturb them underneath. Tail flicking absently in the dirt, his ears flick toward the sounds of the emerging night. With a sigh, the elkhound wishes there was something to do. It has been too long since he has caused some real mischief, just for the fun of it. The wolves seem to have lost their sense of humour as of late, forcing the dog to avoid testing their borders. Sigh.
They're making fun of her! She doesn't know how or why, but she just /knows/ the flowers are being /too/ bright and cheery. Giving something between a puppyish growl and cry, she lunges at one of the flowers and angrily rends it to pieces. Stupid flowers, mocking her with their happiness. And with that, she tears apart another one. And another one. Angry tears find their way to her eyes, and finally she has to stop, collapsing with a sob. Her human left her, and as much as she wants to deny it, she knows that what's done is done. But /why/? What did she ever do to deserve this? Why does she have to go through this heartache? The presence of another canine in the field isn't even noticed; the girlpup is only seeing one thing right now: despair.
Sigh. Borrrrinnngg- wait. Jolon's ears swivel, focused on an area a few yards ahead of him, where a couple flowers mysteriously disappear in a flurry of torn petals. A distressed noise reaches him and he gets to his paws. Cautiously, he steps forward and sniffsniffs. All he can smell is the flowers. Eyes trained on the growing circle of destruction, he pads toward the strange occurence. The stems of the plants bend easily under his stride and he is quickly only a few inches away. Peering warily through the floral carnage, he spies a small furry body. Not a rodent. Unless rodents make a habit of drawing undue attention to themselves. He steps closer, almost looming over the little...thing.
It's quite the shock for Sketch when she realizes that there is a MONSTER that suddenly appeared out of NOWHERE, and is looking at HER! All of a sudden her paws are trying to carry her in every direction at once.. just get away from the bigscarymonster now! And as could be expected, the only place the girl ends up is sprawled out on her belly, terrified eyes looking up at the monster, tears forgotten. This'll be the sad end for her... first her human--the human who /loved/ her so dearly too!--leaves her to die, and now she's about to be eaten by a monster. Life just sucks. ;_;
Oh. Well, it's still alive, at least. Whatever it is. Jolon eyes is suspiciously as it ends up going no where, fast. "Calm down." He says gruffly. "I don't eat...pups." A moment of hesitation is given before he tentatively labels the spazzing bundle of fur. It /could/ be a pup, for sure. It is tiny, furry, locomotionally challenged and smells like dog. Yes, it must be pup, the elkhound decides with a snort. His muzzle dips a little lower, nostrils flaring. Hmph. With a start, he urgently looks around the field. Just what he needs, some freaked out parents trying to rip out his throat for getting too close to their kid. After a moment of frenzied surveying, he cocks a brow. "Hey, kid, why're you so far away from your mommy?"
The German Shepherd pup gives the much larger canine a furious glare. "Of /course/ monsters eat pups!" Whoever heard of one who didn't? Is he trying to make fun of her too? First the flowers, now... huhwhat? Her mommy? Tears spring back to her eyes and a note of defiance creeps into her voice. "You can't eat Mommy too, 'cuz she's already dead!" Bristle. "What kind of monster are you, anyway?" She mimics his looking around, wondering what he could possibly be watching for.
He's... not a monster? But.. he looks so /scary/! But he said that he's a dog, so.. "What's yer name?" the girl asks, voice and expression switching to genuine curiosity in an instant, almost making it hard to believe that she was ever scared in the first place. "How did you get here so fast?" The word 'teleport' isn't in her vocabulary yet. "My name is Sketch, and..." Her energy visibly fades. Normally the latter half of her introduction was to describe her human... but now all she feels is bitter emptiness. No more.
Eye roll. "Jolon. I /walked/. You know, with my paws." He wiggles one foreleg as a demonstration. Ears flicking, the dog prompts, "And...?" It is a pet peeve of his when others don't finish their sentences. What are they, too immersed in dreams to finish their thought? Hmph. Nonsense. His tail twitches with irritation and he supplies, "Aaaand? Did you forget where you left...who ever is looking after you?" The elkhound almost says 'mommy' again, but manages to stop himself in time. No need to provoke another outburst from the tiny fur bundle.
The girl wrinkles her tiny nose into a scowl. She /knows/ what a /paw/ is! She's about to retort with the face that she thinks he's being really mean gaspomg!! .. but then he begins verbally prodding her to continue, prompting her to shuffle her paws and look down at the flowers, face still scrunched up. "I don't need no one to look after me now, see." Her voice quivers at the end, and she glares at the big canine again, as if he's to blame. "And I no need you, either." She sniffles, swiping angrily at a flower.
Jolon has to admit, that little scowl is /kinda/ cute. In a disgusting, helpless kind of way. After Sketch's /ridiculous/ reply, he doesn't restrain a snort. "Don't need anyone to look after you, hmm?" A devilish smile curls on his muzzle. Tail whipping excitedly, he lunges forward with his teeth bared, hoping to grab the girl by the scruff.
Hah! She KNEW he was a monster! Except that she doesn't have any time whatsoever to enjoy her victory, as those are TEETH coming for her! She lets out a terrified whimper and flattens herself against the ground.. and is promptly grabbed by the Elkhound. Fiend! Devil! Brute! Monster! "Lemme /go/!" she yelps, trying to growl. It's more of a squeak. Hey, she at least /tried/ to be ferocious, yup she did!
Grinning, Jolon deposits the young girl in the dirt. "Still think you'll be fine by yourself?" There is a satisfied glint in his eye- he's proved his point. "You can't defend yourself against me- and I'm not even hungry for an easy meal. That's /you/ by the way." He adds, nose pointing to the German shepard. "Oh," he continues, his smile adopting a more sly look, "Maybe work on that growl of yours before you go around trying to intimidate anyone with it, kid." The male's voice is sickly sweet and condescending.
Sketch furiously jumps back up on her feet, bristling and breathing hard as she glares. For one brief moment she considers showing him how sharp HER teeth are--maybe he'll bleed! ... but then she gets a better idea. "You're really meeeean!" There's that scrunched-up scowl again. "Meaner than.. than even /humans/!" Ooooh. A triumphant smirk appears on the girl's muzzle. Hah! Take /that/, bigscarymonster named Jolon!
The male barely contains the urge to roll his eyes. Mean? Is that the best she can- HUMANS. The word sparks hatred within him. Within seconds, Jolon's body is shaking with anger. He lips peel back, exposing his long yellow teeth. A deep, rumbling growl pours from the elkhound and he fixes the pup with a glare. "Never. Mention. Those /scum/. In my presence. Ever. EVER. Again. Or I swear it will be the last miserable thing you will do in your worthless life. Got it?" As he speaks, he advances on the German shepard until his muzzle is almost level with hers.
Okay. If she was scared before, now she's terrified and /freaking/ /out/ This monster is going to KILL her! Ears as flat against her skull as they can go, she cowers down, shaking almost uncontrollably. She tries to get out some kind of apology, but she's too scared to even formulate words. The fact that this canine hates humans is almost not even comprehended, but she /does/ make a note of it for later. She's not the only one who's bitter toward the two-legs, apparently.
It seems she understands. After what seems to be a long while, his growl quiets and he pulls away, relatively calm. The air stinks of fear. "Now that we have learned that lesson," Jolon finally says, briskly, "What are you going to do for the night? You're on your own in an unfamiliar place. Can you even /hunt/ for yourself yet?" The male is betting the answer is going to be no. Hmph. Females.
The pup remains where she is, flattened against the ground, still looking scared half out of her mind. So much for bravado. It's quite a few seconds after the questions are asked of her before she manages a very timid and small "I.. don't know." Suddenly her eyes fill with tears again as the full weight of her really bad situation hits home. The big monster is right -- what /is/ she going to do? Mustering what small amount of anger she has left, she growls, "I'm gonna go away from /here/ though, so you don't have to be mean to me anymore 'cuz you don't like me."
Oh, not the tears. After a frown filled silence, he finally replies, "I never said I didn't like you." Hmph. Maybe the little girl isn't /so/ bad. Sketch did show some potential- some spirit. But no. Pups are not his to take care of. Besides, Jolon wouldn't know the first thing about being fatherly. Wait...why is he even thinking about this in the first place? It's ridiculous!
"You.. you do like me?" Sketch's question sounds almost desperate. Pleading, even, as if it's more of a request than a question. Her little tail begins to wag slowly. Sniffling through her tears, she crawls back onto her feet. Her ears perk forward, and an inquisitive headtilt is given as she notices the big male apparently thinking about something. Whether or not to eat her, perhaps?
"I didn't say that either," Jolon replies grumpily, shifting his paws. "But I guess you're not bad for a useless pile of fur." That's darn near a compliment! The male looks a little bewildered, in fact. He must be going soft, even /talking/ to this mangey pup. At least it stopped crying. Mostly. He hesitates before offering, "I /guess/ you could...come with me, or something. Stay in the copse till I figure out what to do with you." Pausing, he hastily adds, "But this isn't a permanent thing- for tonight only. Maybe tomorrow. If Freyr says you're gone, you're gone before we blink twice, got it?"
The pup wilts a little at being called a 'useless pile of fur'. Her mother never called her mean names like that! But at the reluctant invitation to stay, Sketch perks up, tail starting to wag again. Yay! "What's a.. copse?" she asks, stumbling over the unfamiliar word. "And who is Freyr? Is he another monster too?" Her excitement is growing by the second, and soon she's trotting around, urging Jolon to come /on/! "Lessgo, slowpoke monster!" She beams.
Jolon emits a small frustrated growl. What was he thinking? Sketch is just going to gibber questions from sun up to sun down. "The copse is where I like to sleep. You'll when we get there. There's lots of other dogs there. Don't bother them. They're not as nice as I am. Freyr is the leader of our pack. He's not a monster, but he is big enough to swallow you whole." Pretty much. With a sigh, he starts to walk to the south. Well, if the elkhound has any luck, the other Russet members might scare the German shepard away.
Her earlier bitterness and frustration seems to have been forgotten; now, Sketch is all but running circles in and around the Elkhound's legs; she's going to be staying with a friendly (he didn't eat her up, nope!) monster tonight! She doesn't know what a copse is, she doesn't know what a pack is, but she doesn't care! Her eyes widen slightly at the mention of other dogs and especially when the big canine describes this 'Freyr' as being able to swallow her WHOLE. Whoa... and he's /not/ a monster? Puh-/leeze/!
Great. The little spaz is making all manner of noise running around like that and will not /calm/ /down/. Jolon rolls his eyes and continues walking, not making much effort to avoid Sketch's antics. If she steps in front of his paws, it's her own fault. Hmph. At least she stopped asking questions. Snorting, he says firmly, "When we reach the copse I will alert any pack members there to your...situation. And then you will go to sleep. Immediately. Got it, kid?" An 'or else' is implied with his glare. However, trying to fix a scampering puppy with a nasty gaze is tougher than it looks.
"Wassa pack member?" She /has/ to know! The thought of having to go to sleep so immediately upon arriving at a new place doesn't seem like a good plan to Sketch, but.. he might eat her if she doesn't. o.o "Do ya know how to play hide-and-seek?" Her question is followed by her offering the larger dog a flower that she pounced on and plucked from the ground with her teeth. Here, a present for the monster! But wait... do monsters even like flowers? She hopes so.
Oh, for moon's sake. Jolon's frustrated growl is a little more pronounced this time, to clue the girl in that he is /not/ impressed with her 20 questions. "It's a dog- or wolf- that is part of a pack." Yeesh. The male's tail flicks with irritation. They're almost to the copse, at least. "Hide-and-seek?" His brows raise. "Yes." What /is/ Sketch doing now? Sneering, he says, "Take that flower out of your mouth. Dogs eat meat, not plants, you idiot." Clearing his throat, he announces, "We're almost there. Now shut up. Don't annoy Freyr or he'll gobble you up, remember?"
The flower--her /gift/ to him!--is dropped, though Sketch doesn't know whether to feel guilty or just disappointed that her gift was rejected. Her voice sounds hurt: "I wasn't going to /eat/ it.. it was for you!" She frowns, her joy dampened significantly. Being called an idiot and told to shut up isn't something she's used to, though... maybe monsters are supposed to be mean like this? Her ears flatten back and she seems to almost shrink down to the ground. "I don't wanna be gobbled up," she says softly, almost a whisper.
Sparse Copse
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Several elms rise up out of the rolling landscape: three, set in a rough triangle, the ground beneath rich with the smell of their rotted leaves from years past. They're old, gnarled, their trunks scarred. Still, their branches reach up to the sky, and out to one another, three old men supporting each other in their age. One elm seems to be dying; while the others are leaved, many of this elm's branches are bare.
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"Good. Then keep quiet." Jolon dips his muzzle down to whisper. As he enters the copse, he straightens up, surveying the area for pack members. His nose sniffs, hoping to find Freyr. The Russet leader will know what to do with this...thing. The elkhound is getting a little sick of the pup, though he finds the fact that she got him a gift a little-oh, what's the word? Cute. Yeah. That's it. Cute in a disgusting, worthless way. After all, what would he use a flower for? How ridiculous.
The German Shepherd pup drops into somewhat of a crouch behind the large male, ears swiveling as she also tries to detect anyone nearby. Probably more monsters, to be sure! And where is this copsething too that he mentioned? Oh yeah.. and there's supposed to be other dogs.. and /wolves/ around here? Sketch has never seen a wolf; her mother mentioned them a few times, but only in descriptive warning. Like dogs, only... more bigger and monsterisher. Yeah.
The bulky, hirsute mastiff sits by the dying elm tree. Freyr is soaking in the silence, using his time alone to think on things. His recent escapade into the forest, the weather, and the future of Russet. But he's taken from these thoughts at the sound of approaching pawsteps, and he immediately looks to see who it is. At the sight of Jolon, Freyr stands and lets out a low bark in greeting. "Evening Jolon, hav--" And then he smell somebody else, not immediately visible behind the elkhound and the grass. A questioning look is shot to Jolon.
"Good evening, Freyr." Jolon greets, dipping his head. "Ah." He says in response to the look from the mastiff. "Well, I found a-" He pauses for a heartbeat, "-pup, in the field to the south. She's alone. I made sure." Sort of. "I was wondering if she could stay in the copse tonight. Until we figure out what to do with her." The dog tries to look as submissive as he can without actually grovelling. His ears splay, and can't contain a nervous expression.
And with super-wide scared eyes, the pup's head comes into view, peeking around one of the legs in front of her to stare at the... dog? Looks like a monster to her! The Elkhound's words are heard as though as a distance, as Sketch is too occupied with trying to make sense of this huge war machine of a dog in front of them. That thing is /scary/! Her jaw gapes slightly. There's a lot she has to learn about pack behavior and dominance, but she does notice the complete change in demeanor from the Elkhound.. his earlier meanness toward her has switched entirely over to... she's not sure how to describe it, but now /he/ almost seems scared.. or something.
"I see." Well, not quite yet. Freyr shortens the gape between himself and Jolon, dark eyes moving down to the pup, noting her appearance faintly reminds him of Kole. He gives the Elkhound a faint nod, indicating he's not in trouble. At least not for the time being. For now, Freyr steps around to get a better look, lowering his broad muzzle to sniff at the youngster. "Name yourself." He rumbles, not even attempting to restrain the regular, harsh raspiness of his voice. It's actually rather civil, for Freyr.
Glancing at the pup out of the corner of his eye, Jolon almost smirks at her awed expression. The male nods in return, grateful that Freyr does not seem angry. Stepping back to allow the mastiff to examine Sketch easier, he watches curiously. He knows the girl was scared in the first place- how will she feel with the Russet leader in her face and demanding answers? The elkhound peers at the female, hoping she'll be smart enough to reply.
As the scary face gets closer and closer, Sketch shrinks down to the ground, ears flattened against her skull, and eyes still as wide as they can be. She's going to be eaten! >.> But... no. She's just sniffed and questioned, much to her surprise. "S-Sketch!" she squeaks out in response. Nonono.. why's the first dog moving away from her? Now she's all alone with no protection or hiding place just a few inches away from monsterteeth! o.o
The Mastiff lets out a bit of a hmph, then lifts his head up and away. "And where do you come from?" He had detected a faint trace of man on her, but not enough to immediately want to reject her from his lands. She does seem a bit on the skittish side, however. Completely neglecting the fact that /he/ may be contributing to any of it. Freyr glances at Jolon again. "If she wishes to remain here the night, or however long, it'd be best to keep her our of my way." Sounds like he means it.
Jolon nods again, murmuring, "Of course." He expected as much. "Thank you, Freyr." The male gives an approving look to Sketch. She's survived, at least for tonight. Still, she needs to toughen up if she plans to stick around for more than one night, he thinks with a frown. "Bed. Now," the elkhound barks to the little pup.
A shiver runs through the girl's body as the mastiff continues speaking. "My hu.." She flinches and gives a fearful look at the other canine. "I.. uhh.. I got lost." Crawling backwards away from the mastiff toward the larger dog, Sketch still keeps her eyes trained on him, just in case he decides to suddenly change his mind and use those big teeth of his. Once she's closer to the elkhound, she whispers to him, "You said he wasn't a monster!" She hates being lied to. -.-
"Lost?" Freyr grunts, unsure if the pup is willing or able to explain any more than that. In any case, he doesn't press any farther. "She's all your's." Is said to Jolon. Turning, the mastiff lumbers back over to his tree and flops ungracefully onto the grass and roots. It's been a long time since there were any pups among Russet, and the mastiff had forgotten how to deal with them. Not that he'd even been all that good with them in the /first place/.
Why didn't she listen? Jolon made the instructions clear enough. Bed. Now. Oh, great, now she's trying to hide behind him, or something. Rolling his eyes at the girl, he replies, "He was /very/ nice to you. You're lucky. However, he doesn't like you very much and neither do I. Go to sleep now." Hopefully she'll understand the second time around. "Lay down right here and don't make too much noise," he says gruffly.
Grudgingly, Sketch flops to the ground where indicated, shooting another annoyed look at the elkhound. He really is mean.. in fact, they both are! Why is she even staying here, anyway? Maybe she should just go back to the flowers. And yet.. the thought of being alone scares her more than being here, even though she knows the /flowers/ at least won't eat her. But maybe these two won't either. Maybe. Before resting her head on her forepaws, she mutters something that sounds suspiciously like, "I /knew/ he was a monster..." Her eyes remain open, gaze moving back and forth between the other two canines. She doesn't look /quite/ as scared as when she first came here, but she definitely looks far from comfortable.