Post by Curiosity on Jan 28, 2010 19:51:06 GMT -5
Characters Involved:
Nanook, male dog
Vega, female dog
Skylar, neuter dog
=== Stand of Wisteria ===
A few more weeks had gone by since Nanook's last encounter with anything of any importance. He hadn't seen Allegro in quite some time, or the rest of the pack, for that matter. This concerned him slightly, as he knew that there was a substantial wolf population in the surrounding area. Far from the dog pack, but still. Threats were threats. Or cougars, for that matter! Or coyotes.. anything, really. Nanook wasn't paranoid by any stretch of the mind, and as soon as he thought of any of his fellow canids being devoured or simply mauled by a 'better' predator, he rolled his eyes and let out a scoff to mock himself. That moment, he did just that. Luckily, he was in one of his favored spots of the land that Allegro had claimed, and the scents that filled the air were very re-encouraging. A grin formed, and the mix's tail swayed back and forth mildly. Blue eyes glanced about, searching for the culprits of the scent, as his white fringed paws carried him in a manner that was quite fluid for a herder like himself.
Vega has clearly been seated in the purple field for quite some time, judging by the fact her scent had filled the field almost as much as the flowers own scent. At the moment, she was once more sitting, her deep red fur standing out, and clashing horribly, with the colours of the meadow, a bee buzzing by her left ear - but she didn't seem to notice. The red dog was fixed on her right paw, cleaning it over and over, obsessively. As the mixbreed wandered ever closer, however, her ears twitched and she looked up, whiskers drooping. If a dog could look disdainful, this one did.
Skylar is no stranger to disappearing for days, even weeks at a time -- though the Saluki rarely says more than a few mysteriously vague words as to why when it returns to rejoin the motley pack of dogs it's found itself a part of. The summer is reaching an end, however, and the intense heat that has been a particular reason for Skye's absence (though only a part of it) is fading into the cool of autumn. As always, the purebred's prance is a high-stepping strut as it makes its way back towards Sienna territory, sniffing at the air to find smells of other canines, both familiar and non, though it hasn't yet spotted any of the scents' owners.
Nanook's position and the way he was approaching could've been the reason for the setter's apparent hostility, right? As he sees the red dog's whiskers drop and her overall body appearance giving off a very 'do not want' type of vibe, Nanook pauses, his head carried lowly, one paw held above the ground. Of course, this could be taken as a threat, but it's not meant to be that way. It's merely his herding instinct taking over, and he unfortunately hasn't had much social interaction to tell him that that position is offending. After something knocks some sense into him however, he lifts his head, and lets his muscles relax, resting his dirty paw on the ground. "Hello?" He calls out cheerfully enough, and tilts his head to one side, offering a half smile. One ear flicks backward, and his neck turns in return. He heard something, but he couldn't see it just yet, either. Smelled familiar enough, though.
Vega lowers her lifted paw slowly, floppy ears directed slightly forward, in the general direction of the herding dog. Scanning with her deceptively warm brown eyes, the red setter notes the stance of the other: brutish, truely. Obviously, this beastly dog lacked proper breeding, and refinement. In response to the avancement, she lifts her head slightly, the better to look down at him. Ugh, so....soo...ugh! "Indeed," she winds up responding with, fairly uselessly, as her attention is dragged elsewhere, a weird smell, one she wasn't truely familiar with: her time in the showring had let her meet only males, or females; not the neutered genders.
Skylar is no stranger to being considered 'weird', either. As the purebreed trots into the wisteria grove, its feathery tail is flagged high in the air, swishing back and forth with each prancing step. With no pretense whatsoever, the fawn-toned saluki skips right up to the pair of other dogs, assuming that if one is a known member of Allegro's pack, then the other must naturally be a new recruit that joined during his absence. "Merry meet, my friends," Skye greets rather cheerily to the duo.
Hmm. Well, this one wasn't nearly as friendly as the others that he'd met. Though, in her defense, he hadn't met many other dogs aside from Allegro and Skylar. Taking in a breath, the long haired mix nodded slowly, and chuckled a bit. "Been here very long? Never seen ya around here before, is all." Nanook's way of speaking wasn't quite as slanged as Allegro's, but with the other male being the only guidance he had around here, it was understandable if he was getting a bit of an Alpha-accent. Resting his back legs, Nanook sat down and turned once more to see the oddball of the pack, Skylar. Grinning again, the only non purebred dog of the three wagged his tail contently. "Hey there, long time no see, hmm?"
Vega visibly seems to recoil, her body tilting backwards, thus lifting her self generally higher. "Not very," she began to drawl, her voice almost choked, as if it pained her to speak to the strange mutt. "Seems I have nowhere else to go," she adds, peering over at the source of the strange, strange smell: the saluki. The red dog openly stared, scanning over the fawn-furred dog for a moment, though she says nothing. Her weird look should say it all; she was confused - what was he...it?
"Indeed," Skylar answers the black-and-white canine with a slight dip of its slender head, before turning sky-blue eyes towards the less familiar female, head tilting somewhat as the Saluki admires the other pureblood's coat. "You're quite pretty, miss," comes the deadpan compliment, though it's offered with a friendly enough, if somewhat off, smile...apparently the hound doesn't take any offense to the setter's staring. "I'm Skylar, but you can call me Skye if you'd like. Who are you?"
Nanook says, "Indeed, indeed, indeed." Nanook replied with a roll of his eyes and a widened smile. The both of the purebreds seemed to be much more.. oh, civilized compared to him. All the better for the mutt anyway, as he'd never been too keen on the goody-goody act himself. Tongue falling out from between his jaws, the male didn't hesitate in all in letting himself pant to remain at least somewhat cool. Oh, how he couldn't wait for the chills of fall and the cold of winter. Those were the seasons that he thrived in. Lifting his hind end, Nanook's front paws reached out far in front of him, his claws digging into the dirt and his tail curling and wagging as he stretched out, sighing contently afterward and then flopping onto his stomach on the ground. "Where ya from, miss?""
Vega continues to watch the strange saluki, but when he complimented her appearance, well, Vega was a fan of such flattery. Her chest seemed to expand with pride and she lifted her head that little bit higher; "Of course I am," she decided to say, her arrogance as obvious as her red coat. "Skylar," she repeats his name eventually, clearly wondering whether such a name was appropriate. Deciding it was, she inclines her head slightly. "I am Vega," she announces, before her ears catch the mixbreeds words. That was a good question; one she took a while to consider. Should she tell them? Tell them she had been a showdog of mild repute, before being so gruffly thrown from her house? Or, should she dance around it? "The city," she replies eventually; it wasn't a lie.
"Vega..." The Saluki repeats the female's name as well, before his long-haired ears prick upwards alertly. "Are you one of Man's as well?" While many of the feral mutts around here look down upon 'collareds', it appears as though Skylar is potentially on his way to making a new friend. Pale blue eyes search the Irish Setter's crimson coat for signs of a collar or tag, but find none.
Watching the way that this Vega behaves around both he and Skylar, Nanook can't help but quirk a brow at her.. what was it, vanity? Of course she was? What kind of an answer was that? Chuckling a bit at the response, the male listens to the remainder of what she has to say, and yawns boredly. "The ..siddy?" He repeated, and stared at her blankly. The mix had lost his mother at a young age, and had always been a wild dog, more or less. "What's a 'siddy'?" He wondered out loud, though the last question was kind of muttered to himself so as not to seem entirely uneducated.
Vega stares at the mutt in disbelief, and only just resists tilting her head to the side (what a COMMON gesture!) Instead, the setter continues to stare, until she recovers from her shock. "Ci-tee," she enforces, firmly, her muzzle crinkling slightly. "Somewhere that you will, clearly, never set foot," she finishes, feeling slightly guilty at her sharpness - not that she showed this. Instead, she briskly moved on to the next topic: Man. Of course Skylar was one of Man's: he had their collar. "I...was," she started, slowly, obviously uncomfortable. "Things change. They do, anyway."
Skylar isn't quite so uppity as the new girl, despite being a purebred as well, when it comes to matters of differences between collareds and ferals, though of course it's not held against her -- at least by Skylar. "It's a place where hundreds of Men build their box-dens, like the farm north of here. But many more of them than just one," the Saluki explains to the collie-cross, before returning its attention to Vega, considering her choice of words. "Yes, many things change. Even the earth and sky change." It's the odd hound's version of sympathy.
Nanook was never one to show anger, nor hardly frustration. But this female was just being so difficult. Rolling his eyes once more, he stood up, shook off some dead grass from his dirtied pelt, and kind of glared at her for a moment, before he let out a scoff. "Don't wanna go there, either." That much was true. While he could remember his mother's Man vaguely, he couldn't remember ever enjoying his company or anything like that. Plus, his mother was the one who raised him, not the man. No loyalty was held to the so-called 'greater' species. "From the looks of it, doesn't seem like you'll be goin' back any time soon either. So don't be too thrown off if those pretty paws of yours get a little muddy, alright princess?" He said this all in a very calm manner, not trying to be malicious, but not wanting to sit there and be looked down on by the setter either. "'Scuse me. It's about lunch time." With a grin and a nod toward both of them, Nanook quickly trotted off, in search of a rabbit, squirrel, or some other small bit of protein that he could catch.
Vega is left once more stunned by the actions of the mutt - just so, so...rude! He would never be allowed into her Humans house with a mouth like that: mind you, he probably wouldn't have been a llowed in that particular house with a look like that, either. Despite all instinct telling the setter to jump at the mutt, instead, Vega 'huffed,' tossing her head and making her long ears cascade and ripple down the sides of her head. "Silly boy," she mutters, watching him run off, staring after him bitterly, before seeming to realise the saluki was still with her. "Yes. Especially when the sky has a little cloud child, and pushes the earth away," she adds on, completely losing the metaphor in the process, or at least, complicating it to a pointless extreme.
Skylar's gaze swivels to watch Nanook as he leaves, though no words or actions are offered in an attempt to stop the other male -- it's just not a conflict that the saluki wishes to involve itself in, on either side. Turning back to the setter as she continues speaking, Skye's head tilts at the extended metaphor, a little lost in regards to the true meaning - and so, it's taken literally. "Oh...but the sky has many cloud-children." A glance up towards the heavens, then similarly-hued eyes return to Vega. "I don't /think/ the earth has gotten further away from the sky...at least, I haven't felt any difference."
Vega settles herself down, mentally at least; still calm, collected, and perfectly poised on the outside. Idly, she listens to Skylar, trying to sort out her own metaphor and fit his back in - or something. Whatever the case was, it was way over her head. "...you're right," she says, for lack of anything better to say: and because she was completely confused, but didn't want to admit it. "So," she swiftly changes the subject, somewhat: "Howcome you're out here, if you still wear the collar?"
Skylar has always been secretive about its loyalty to Man, and not only because of the prejudices against collareds by ferals, the majority of the mutts around here. And while this Setter is (or was) one of Man's purebreeds as well, she's still a new face, and Skye is naturally hesitant to share anything beyond superficial chatter with the newly acquainted dog. However, an answer is still offered nonetheless, with a half-glance down towards the leather band in question: "I am a trained hunting dog...the wilderness is like second nature to me."
Vega switches her gaze from the collar, to the saluki's head. She didn't really recognize a secretive attitude: which was odd, since she herself was clearly keen to keep her own secrets. Nevertheless, she seemed to take this answer as the whole truth; a hunting dog who wanted to stretch his legs, perhaps coming from that farm that was previously mentioned. Fair enough; she supposed not everybody could have her life. "It isn't mine," she states the obvious now: her glossy coat and carefully clipped claws, still fresh from her owned days, made her ill-suited to the wild.
"Well, things change." The Saluki offers the Irish Setter a hopeful smile after repeating her earlier words, then slowly moves to settle easily down onto its stomach, with the intention of keeping the atmosphere casual. "But you needn't be alone, at least. It's not been mentioned yet, but we're not far from established territory, belonging to a pack of other dogs, both like us and not."
Vega keeps sitting up, seeing as she is full of some fairly bizarre beliefs: laying down - your belly on...on DIRT? As. If. Instead, she shifts her paws slightly, making them slightly more in line with eachother. "I don't know..." she begins, her gaze flicking briefly to where the mutt had gone off. "I don't know if I'd...fit."
Skylar's icy irises flick off towards the side as well when Vega glances in the direction in which Nanook had departed, though they soon return to the red female once again. "Well, I doubt the prissy attitude would get you far, no. But between the two of us..." Skye glances around briefly before shifting a bit closer in confidence, crawling forward on its belly without rising from the ground, "...those mutts aren't as grand as they think they are, either." This last bit is stage-whispered in a conspiratorial manner, though perhaps it's not so big a secret...especially to the purebreds. "But some are better than others. It's just that the prejudice goes both ways...you know, with collareds and ferals." With a shrug of the shoulders, Skylar glances off towards the west. "Regardless, I doubt Allegro, the alpha, would take much of a liking to a princess of a pooch. Just a bit of advice to keep in mind, should you decide to stick around."
Vega makes an odd noise, as if she had started to snort in irritation, but realised how unladylike the noise would be. Pretending that this had never happened, she continued to listen, floppy ears once more tilted towards the other. The setter responds to his comment about the mutts with a soft, appreciated laugh - as was appropriate, from such a dog as she. Skylar seemed to know a lot: which was curious, Vega thought, seeing as he apparently was simply enjoying the wilderness. "I don't have a choice," the setter starts, her drawling voice rolling off the tongue. "Though I don't think I could be as....as BEASTLY as that."
Skylar can't help but let out a little twittering giggle at that, head shaking back and forth so that its feathery-furred ears flap to and fro as well. "Of course not. You don't have to start rolling around in mud or sniffing at long-dead things or anything quite so feral as that.../I/ certainly don't," the purebred replies with a slightly indignant undertone. "But...it does require a bit of adapting. You're not in the city anymore, Red." Whether she likes it or not, she'll have to come to accept that fact if she wants to get along out here, much less survive.
Vega scrunches her nose, as if she'd just been forced to smell something awful: the thought of becomming a feral dog, heart and soul, was just so...disturbing. No, that was not a thought that settled well with her, as was painfully obvious. "I don't know if I can," Vega admits, tilting those ears backwards slightly, making her brown eyes seem wider, less controlled. "I want my food in a bowl, and my fur to be brushed, and to sleep inside - in a bed."
Skylar's head shakes again, though this time in a slower, tsk-tsking sort of way. "Good luck finding a bowl or a brush out here. We hunt down our meals 'round here, and grooming mostly just consists of scratching and licking." But, not wanting to have the girl feeling completely out of place, Skye considers her final request briefly before rising to all fours once again. "But...maybe I can help you find a compromise with that last one. Follow me?" It's a question rather than a statement, as the saluki obviously can't force the setter to follow, especially with her personality, unless she wants to herself. Even so, the hound starts walking off towards the northeast, regardless of whether or not Vega comes with.
Vega hesitates before slowly hoisting herself onto her long limbs, after, of course, registering that she would never again be offered a bowl of moist, meaty chow. Steal, how bad could...er...rats be? Oh, dear. Clearing her head, the setter padded off after the long-legged saluki, every stride tailored to perfection.
=== Abandoned Farmhouse ===
By the time Skylar has led Vega across the meadow and up towards the Man-dwelling that has long since been abandoned, the sun has begun to set along the horizon, illuminating the sky in a myriad of rich shades that are reminiscent of the coming autumn. Passing through the deserted barnyard, the sighthound leads the setter up to the old farmhouse before nosing open the unlatched door, then slipping inside the musty building. Turning to Vega once they're both inside, the fawn-toned canine offers a little smile. "It's not much, but maybe you'll like it better than sleeping outside...especially when it rains." It's dark, aside from the fading sunlight that filters through the dirty windows, and it's dusty, but it's still a home...at least for a dog that's got no other options.
Vega pads along after the tall hound, going a bit slower than him as she makes large movements to avoid the silliest things, like particularly muddy areas, and the like. Her nose twitched as the pair drew closer to the farmhouse, the dust making her sneeze softly, almost delicately. Everything about the setter just HAD to be ladylike, after all. Still, when she looked around, it was obvious that Vega was mildly impressed: at least there was shelter, out here in the wild. "Not exactly what I'm used to," she tells Skylar, padding around, sniffing lightly at the corners. "But, yes, it's better than living like a...a...cat."
Skylar nudges the cracked door to the bedroom open a little wider, revealing a thin, springy mattress covered with threadbare sheets atop a hand-carved wooden frame to Vega's view. It's not the thick comfy cushions the Irish setter's no doubt become accustomed to - but again, it's probably more comfortable than sleeping on the ground, at least until Vega gets used to it...if she ever does. "I don't think too many others come around the farm, since it still smells like Man. So you shouldn't be bothered too much while you're staying here." Glancing around at the dust-covered den, a sudden thought occurs to the slender hound. "Say, um, are you hungry or anything? I'm real good at hunting rabbits, if you'd like me to go catch you one." The saluki's doing quite a bit for a dog it's only just met -- though perhaps it can sympathize, given their similar upbringing. Or maybe Skye just likes her.
Vega pads over to the saluki when she hears the bedroom door creak, peering into the room. A mattress! How wonderful! Her tail even gives a bit of a wag at the sight of the undoubtedly comfortable piece of furniture, as she instantly begins to day dream of the hours of sleep she could have: even if it wouldnt be five star sleep. "It will do," she tells him, much more excited than her comment would suggest: but Skylar could probably tell. At the question of food, Vega perked up, but then droops back into her reluctant pose as soon as he mentions rabbits. "I've never had rabbit," she admits, slowly. "I like lamb."
Skylar is happy to see the other's tail start to wag, even if it's only a brief show of pleasure. At Vega's admission, however, the saluki can't help but grin. "Any sheep the farmer had were picked off by coyotes and wolves long ago, miss. But just give it a try...you don't know what you're missing." Ears perking suddenly, the sighthound seems to already be setting into hunt-mode. "Actually, it'd probably just be better to show than tell. Wait here...I'll be back." Turning on its heels, Skye darts back out the front door so quickly it bounces on its creaky hinges, leaving Vega to get settled into her new 'home away from home' until the hound returns with dinner.
Nanook, male dog
Vega, female dog
Skylar, neuter dog
=== Stand of Wisteria ===
A few more weeks had gone by since Nanook's last encounter with anything of any importance. He hadn't seen Allegro in quite some time, or the rest of the pack, for that matter. This concerned him slightly, as he knew that there was a substantial wolf population in the surrounding area. Far from the dog pack, but still. Threats were threats. Or cougars, for that matter! Or coyotes.. anything, really. Nanook wasn't paranoid by any stretch of the mind, and as soon as he thought of any of his fellow canids being devoured or simply mauled by a 'better' predator, he rolled his eyes and let out a scoff to mock himself. That moment, he did just that. Luckily, he was in one of his favored spots of the land that Allegro had claimed, and the scents that filled the air were very re-encouraging. A grin formed, and the mix's tail swayed back and forth mildly. Blue eyes glanced about, searching for the culprits of the scent, as his white fringed paws carried him in a manner that was quite fluid for a herder like himself.
Vega has clearly been seated in the purple field for quite some time, judging by the fact her scent had filled the field almost as much as the flowers own scent. At the moment, she was once more sitting, her deep red fur standing out, and clashing horribly, with the colours of the meadow, a bee buzzing by her left ear - but she didn't seem to notice. The red dog was fixed on her right paw, cleaning it over and over, obsessively. As the mixbreed wandered ever closer, however, her ears twitched and she looked up, whiskers drooping. If a dog could look disdainful, this one did.
Skylar is no stranger to disappearing for days, even weeks at a time -- though the Saluki rarely says more than a few mysteriously vague words as to why when it returns to rejoin the motley pack of dogs it's found itself a part of. The summer is reaching an end, however, and the intense heat that has been a particular reason for Skye's absence (though only a part of it) is fading into the cool of autumn. As always, the purebred's prance is a high-stepping strut as it makes its way back towards Sienna territory, sniffing at the air to find smells of other canines, both familiar and non, though it hasn't yet spotted any of the scents' owners.
Nanook's position and the way he was approaching could've been the reason for the setter's apparent hostility, right? As he sees the red dog's whiskers drop and her overall body appearance giving off a very 'do not want' type of vibe, Nanook pauses, his head carried lowly, one paw held above the ground. Of course, this could be taken as a threat, but it's not meant to be that way. It's merely his herding instinct taking over, and he unfortunately hasn't had much social interaction to tell him that that position is offending. After something knocks some sense into him however, he lifts his head, and lets his muscles relax, resting his dirty paw on the ground. "Hello?" He calls out cheerfully enough, and tilts his head to one side, offering a half smile. One ear flicks backward, and his neck turns in return. He heard something, but he couldn't see it just yet, either. Smelled familiar enough, though.
Vega lowers her lifted paw slowly, floppy ears directed slightly forward, in the general direction of the herding dog. Scanning with her deceptively warm brown eyes, the red setter notes the stance of the other: brutish, truely. Obviously, this beastly dog lacked proper breeding, and refinement. In response to the avancement, she lifts her head slightly, the better to look down at him. Ugh, so....soo...ugh! "Indeed," she winds up responding with, fairly uselessly, as her attention is dragged elsewhere, a weird smell, one she wasn't truely familiar with: her time in the showring had let her meet only males, or females; not the neutered genders.
Skylar is no stranger to being considered 'weird', either. As the purebreed trots into the wisteria grove, its feathery tail is flagged high in the air, swishing back and forth with each prancing step. With no pretense whatsoever, the fawn-toned saluki skips right up to the pair of other dogs, assuming that if one is a known member of Allegro's pack, then the other must naturally be a new recruit that joined during his absence. "Merry meet, my friends," Skye greets rather cheerily to the duo.
Hmm. Well, this one wasn't nearly as friendly as the others that he'd met. Though, in her defense, he hadn't met many other dogs aside from Allegro and Skylar. Taking in a breath, the long haired mix nodded slowly, and chuckled a bit. "Been here very long? Never seen ya around here before, is all." Nanook's way of speaking wasn't quite as slanged as Allegro's, but with the other male being the only guidance he had around here, it was understandable if he was getting a bit of an Alpha-accent. Resting his back legs, Nanook sat down and turned once more to see the oddball of the pack, Skylar. Grinning again, the only non purebred dog of the three wagged his tail contently. "Hey there, long time no see, hmm?"
Vega visibly seems to recoil, her body tilting backwards, thus lifting her self generally higher. "Not very," she began to drawl, her voice almost choked, as if it pained her to speak to the strange mutt. "Seems I have nowhere else to go," she adds, peering over at the source of the strange, strange smell: the saluki. The red dog openly stared, scanning over the fawn-furred dog for a moment, though she says nothing. Her weird look should say it all; she was confused - what was he...it?
"Indeed," Skylar answers the black-and-white canine with a slight dip of its slender head, before turning sky-blue eyes towards the less familiar female, head tilting somewhat as the Saluki admires the other pureblood's coat. "You're quite pretty, miss," comes the deadpan compliment, though it's offered with a friendly enough, if somewhat off, smile...apparently the hound doesn't take any offense to the setter's staring. "I'm Skylar, but you can call me Skye if you'd like. Who are you?"
Nanook says, "Indeed, indeed, indeed." Nanook replied with a roll of his eyes and a widened smile. The both of the purebreds seemed to be much more.. oh, civilized compared to him. All the better for the mutt anyway, as he'd never been too keen on the goody-goody act himself. Tongue falling out from between his jaws, the male didn't hesitate in all in letting himself pant to remain at least somewhat cool. Oh, how he couldn't wait for the chills of fall and the cold of winter. Those were the seasons that he thrived in. Lifting his hind end, Nanook's front paws reached out far in front of him, his claws digging into the dirt and his tail curling and wagging as he stretched out, sighing contently afterward and then flopping onto his stomach on the ground. "Where ya from, miss?""
Vega continues to watch the strange saluki, but when he complimented her appearance, well, Vega was a fan of such flattery. Her chest seemed to expand with pride and she lifted her head that little bit higher; "Of course I am," she decided to say, her arrogance as obvious as her red coat. "Skylar," she repeats his name eventually, clearly wondering whether such a name was appropriate. Deciding it was, she inclines her head slightly. "I am Vega," she announces, before her ears catch the mixbreeds words. That was a good question; one she took a while to consider. Should she tell them? Tell them she had been a showdog of mild repute, before being so gruffly thrown from her house? Or, should she dance around it? "The city," she replies eventually; it wasn't a lie.
"Vega..." The Saluki repeats the female's name as well, before his long-haired ears prick upwards alertly. "Are you one of Man's as well?" While many of the feral mutts around here look down upon 'collareds', it appears as though Skylar is potentially on his way to making a new friend. Pale blue eyes search the Irish Setter's crimson coat for signs of a collar or tag, but find none.
Watching the way that this Vega behaves around both he and Skylar, Nanook can't help but quirk a brow at her.. what was it, vanity? Of course she was? What kind of an answer was that? Chuckling a bit at the response, the male listens to the remainder of what she has to say, and yawns boredly. "The ..siddy?" He repeated, and stared at her blankly. The mix had lost his mother at a young age, and had always been a wild dog, more or less. "What's a 'siddy'?" He wondered out loud, though the last question was kind of muttered to himself so as not to seem entirely uneducated.
Vega stares at the mutt in disbelief, and only just resists tilting her head to the side (what a COMMON gesture!) Instead, the setter continues to stare, until she recovers from her shock. "Ci-tee," she enforces, firmly, her muzzle crinkling slightly. "Somewhere that you will, clearly, never set foot," she finishes, feeling slightly guilty at her sharpness - not that she showed this. Instead, she briskly moved on to the next topic: Man. Of course Skylar was one of Man's: he had their collar. "I...was," she started, slowly, obviously uncomfortable. "Things change. They do, anyway."
Skylar isn't quite so uppity as the new girl, despite being a purebred as well, when it comes to matters of differences between collareds and ferals, though of course it's not held against her -- at least by Skylar. "It's a place where hundreds of Men build their box-dens, like the farm north of here. But many more of them than just one," the Saluki explains to the collie-cross, before returning its attention to Vega, considering her choice of words. "Yes, many things change. Even the earth and sky change." It's the odd hound's version of sympathy.
Nanook was never one to show anger, nor hardly frustration. But this female was just being so difficult. Rolling his eyes once more, he stood up, shook off some dead grass from his dirtied pelt, and kind of glared at her for a moment, before he let out a scoff. "Don't wanna go there, either." That much was true. While he could remember his mother's Man vaguely, he couldn't remember ever enjoying his company or anything like that. Plus, his mother was the one who raised him, not the man. No loyalty was held to the so-called 'greater' species. "From the looks of it, doesn't seem like you'll be goin' back any time soon either. So don't be too thrown off if those pretty paws of yours get a little muddy, alright princess?" He said this all in a very calm manner, not trying to be malicious, but not wanting to sit there and be looked down on by the setter either. "'Scuse me. It's about lunch time." With a grin and a nod toward both of them, Nanook quickly trotted off, in search of a rabbit, squirrel, or some other small bit of protein that he could catch.
Vega is left once more stunned by the actions of the mutt - just so, so...rude! He would never be allowed into her Humans house with a mouth like that: mind you, he probably wouldn't have been a llowed in that particular house with a look like that, either. Despite all instinct telling the setter to jump at the mutt, instead, Vega 'huffed,' tossing her head and making her long ears cascade and ripple down the sides of her head. "Silly boy," she mutters, watching him run off, staring after him bitterly, before seeming to realise the saluki was still with her. "Yes. Especially when the sky has a little cloud child, and pushes the earth away," she adds on, completely losing the metaphor in the process, or at least, complicating it to a pointless extreme.
Skylar's gaze swivels to watch Nanook as he leaves, though no words or actions are offered in an attempt to stop the other male -- it's just not a conflict that the saluki wishes to involve itself in, on either side. Turning back to the setter as she continues speaking, Skye's head tilts at the extended metaphor, a little lost in regards to the true meaning - and so, it's taken literally. "Oh...but the sky has many cloud-children." A glance up towards the heavens, then similarly-hued eyes return to Vega. "I don't /think/ the earth has gotten further away from the sky...at least, I haven't felt any difference."
Vega settles herself down, mentally at least; still calm, collected, and perfectly poised on the outside. Idly, she listens to Skylar, trying to sort out her own metaphor and fit his back in - or something. Whatever the case was, it was way over her head. "...you're right," she says, for lack of anything better to say: and because she was completely confused, but didn't want to admit it. "So," she swiftly changes the subject, somewhat: "Howcome you're out here, if you still wear the collar?"
Skylar has always been secretive about its loyalty to Man, and not only because of the prejudices against collareds by ferals, the majority of the mutts around here. And while this Setter is (or was) one of Man's purebreeds as well, she's still a new face, and Skye is naturally hesitant to share anything beyond superficial chatter with the newly acquainted dog. However, an answer is still offered nonetheless, with a half-glance down towards the leather band in question: "I am a trained hunting dog...the wilderness is like second nature to me."
Vega switches her gaze from the collar, to the saluki's head. She didn't really recognize a secretive attitude: which was odd, since she herself was clearly keen to keep her own secrets. Nevertheless, she seemed to take this answer as the whole truth; a hunting dog who wanted to stretch his legs, perhaps coming from that farm that was previously mentioned. Fair enough; she supposed not everybody could have her life. "It isn't mine," she states the obvious now: her glossy coat and carefully clipped claws, still fresh from her owned days, made her ill-suited to the wild.
"Well, things change." The Saluki offers the Irish Setter a hopeful smile after repeating her earlier words, then slowly moves to settle easily down onto its stomach, with the intention of keeping the atmosphere casual. "But you needn't be alone, at least. It's not been mentioned yet, but we're not far from established territory, belonging to a pack of other dogs, both like us and not."
Vega keeps sitting up, seeing as she is full of some fairly bizarre beliefs: laying down - your belly on...on DIRT? As. If. Instead, she shifts her paws slightly, making them slightly more in line with eachother. "I don't know..." she begins, her gaze flicking briefly to where the mutt had gone off. "I don't know if I'd...fit."
Skylar's icy irises flick off towards the side as well when Vega glances in the direction in which Nanook had departed, though they soon return to the red female once again. "Well, I doubt the prissy attitude would get you far, no. But between the two of us..." Skye glances around briefly before shifting a bit closer in confidence, crawling forward on its belly without rising from the ground, "...those mutts aren't as grand as they think they are, either." This last bit is stage-whispered in a conspiratorial manner, though perhaps it's not so big a secret...especially to the purebreds. "But some are better than others. It's just that the prejudice goes both ways...you know, with collareds and ferals." With a shrug of the shoulders, Skylar glances off towards the west. "Regardless, I doubt Allegro, the alpha, would take much of a liking to a princess of a pooch. Just a bit of advice to keep in mind, should you decide to stick around."
Vega makes an odd noise, as if she had started to snort in irritation, but realised how unladylike the noise would be. Pretending that this had never happened, she continued to listen, floppy ears once more tilted towards the other. The setter responds to his comment about the mutts with a soft, appreciated laugh - as was appropriate, from such a dog as she. Skylar seemed to know a lot: which was curious, Vega thought, seeing as he apparently was simply enjoying the wilderness. "I don't have a choice," the setter starts, her drawling voice rolling off the tongue. "Though I don't think I could be as....as BEASTLY as that."
Skylar can't help but let out a little twittering giggle at that, head shaking back and forth so that its feathery-furred ears flap to and fro as well. "Of course not. You don't have to start rolling around in mud or sniffing at long-dead things or anything quite so feral as that.../I/ certainly don't," the purebred replies with a slightly indignant undertone. "But...it does require a bit of adapting. You're not in the city anymore, Red." Whether she likes it or not, she'll have to come to accept that fact if she wants to get along out here, much less survive.
Vega scrunches her nose, as if she'd just been forced to smell something awful: the thought of becomming a feral dog, heart and soul, was just so...disturbing. No, that was not a thought that settled well with her, as was painfully obvious. "I don't know if I can," Vega admits, tilting those ears backwards slightly, making her brown eyes seem wider, less controlled. "I want my food in a bowl, and my fur to be brushed, and to sleep inside - in a bed."
Skylar's head shakes again, though this time in a slower, tsk-tsking sort of way. "Good luck finding a bowl or a brush out here. We hunt down our meals 'round here, and grooming mostly just consists of scratching and licking." But, not wanting to have the girl feeling completely out of place, Skye considers her final request briefly before rising to all fours once again. "But...maybe I can help you find a compromise with that last one. Follow me?" It's a question rather than a statement, as the saluki obviously can't force the setter to follow, especially with her personality, unless she wants to herself. Even so, the hound starts walking off towards the northeast, regardless of whether or not Vega comes with.
Vega hesitates before slowly hoisting herself onto her long limbs, after, of course, registering that she would never again be offered a bowl of moist, meaty chow. Steal, how bad could...er...rats be? Oh, dear. Clearing her head, the setter padded off after the long-legged saluki, every stride tailored to perfection.
=== Abandoned Farmhouse ===
By the time Skylar has led Vega across the meadow and up towards the Man-dwelling that has long since been abandoned, the sun has begun to set along the horizon, illuminating the sky in a myriad of rich shades that are reminiscent of the coming autumn. Passing through the deserted barnyard, the sighthound leads the setter up to the old farmhouse before nosing open the unlatched door, then slipping inside the musty building. Turning to Vega once they're both inside, the fawn-toned canine offers a little smile. "It's not much, but maybe you'll like it better than sleeping outside...especially when it rains." It's dark, aside from the fading sunlight that filters through the dirty windows, and it's dusty, but it's still a home...at least for a dog that's got no other options.
Vega pads along after the tall hound, going a bit slower than him as she makes large movements to avoid the silliest things, like particularly muddy areas, and the like. Her nose twitched as the pair drew closer to the farmhouse, the dust making her sneeze softly, almost delicately. Everything about the setter just HAD to be ladylike, after all. Still, when she looked around, it was obvious that Vega was mildly impressed: at least there was shelter, out here in the wild. "Not exactly what I'm used to," she tells Skylar, padding around, sniffing lightly at the corners. "But, yes, it's better than living like a...a...cat."
Skylar nudges the cracked door to the bedroom open a little wider, revealing a thin, springy mattress covered with threadbare sheets atop a hand-carved wooden frame to Vega's view. It's not the thick comfy cushions the Irish setter's no doubt become accustomed to - but again, it's probably more comfortable than sleeping on the ground, at least until Vega gets used to it...if she ever does. "I don't think too many others come around the farm, since it still smells like Man. So you shouldn't be bothered too much while you're staying here." Glancing around at the dust-covered den, a sudden thought occurs to the slender hound. "Say, um, are you hungry or anything? I'm real good at hunting rabbits, if you'd like me to go catch you one." The saluki's doing quite a bit for a dog it's only just met -- though perhaps it can sympathize, given their similar upbringing. Or maybe Skye just likes her.
Vega pads over to the saluki when she hears the bedroom door creak, peering into the room. A mattress! How wonderful! Her tail even gives a bit of a wag at the sight of the undoubtedly comfortable piece of furniture, as she instantly begins to day dream of the hours of sleep she could have: even if it wouldnt be five star sleep. "It will do," she tells him, much more excited than her comment would suggest: but Skylar could probably tell. At the question of food, Vega perked up, but then droops back into her reluctant pose as soon as he mentions rabbits. "I've never had rabbit," she admits, slowly. "I like lamb."
Skylar is happy to see the other's tail start to wag, even if it's only a brief show of pleasure. At Vega's admission, however, the saluki can't help but grin. "Any sheep the farmer had were picked off by coyotes and wolves long ago, miss. But just give it a try...you don't know what you're missing." Ears perking suddenly, the sighthound seems to already be setting into hunt-mode. "Actually, it'd probably just be better to show than tell. Wait here...I'll be back." Turning on its heels, Skye darts back out the front door so quickly it bounces on its creaky hinges, leaving Vega to get settled into her new 'home away from home' until the hound returns with dinner.