Hush, Hush [Oslo]

[jayRIOT !]

The thick quiet of the floor beneath the pines swept around Roz like a blanket, the only sound interrupting the comfortable silence her paws falling on the fallen, dried pine nettles and other brush.  It was nice for Roz to be so far away from all the noise and activity of the city.  She hated all the noise, all the movements, all the feelings being conveyed.  The emotions that others put off, both human and canine, were enough to make the edgy she-dog want to vomit with anxiety.  It was sad, how a dog who used to be so loving and happy with company was now uncomfortable unless she was on her own.  Or, of course, with a close companion - not that Roz had many of those, nor did she intend to at the moment.  Letting others in was how you got hurt.  This lesson she had already learned once, no need for a repeat.

The thick scent of pine and moisture filled her nostrils and calmed the skittish mutt's nerves.  This was where she was comfortable, this was where she should be.  There were the soft flutters overhead of birds flitting from branch to branch and tree to tree, collecting twigs and materials for their nests, collecting food for their little ones, or just getting up and stretching their tiny little legs and wings from long hours incubating their eggs.  It was a beautiful thought for Rozmae, and she found herself looking up at the small critters much more often than down and ahead to where she was going.

A couple squirrels even jumped from the underbrush and scaled the prickly trees, drawing Roz's attention elsewhere.  The spunky little critters were always moving so fast, like they were in such a hurry.  It amused the young dog, and she couldn't imagine ever wanting to chase after and harm the little things just because they were there.  She'd hunted down and eaten a few squirrel in the past, but it wasn't something she liked to do.  In fact, that was why she opted to go into the city and scavenge regardless of how uncomfortable it was for her.  She just wasn't a very mean dog, didn't have a killer instinct anywhere in her body.  It wasn't something she was ashamed of, though.  She could survive on hunting if she must, but Roz didn't ever choose to harm anything or anyone if she could help it.

Finding a comfortable spot at the base of one of the large, furry trees, she sat down and made herself comfortable.  Roz dug out a small impression for her paws to rest in and lay her head upon them, watching the world from beneath a canopy of needles.  Maybe she would take a nap; the soothing quiet and rhythmic skitterings of the local creatures were certainly a lulling mixture.  It was so rare these days that Roz felt comfortable enough to relax completely; maybe instead of napping she would just enjoy the calm and watch the world go by.


word count; 504
tagged; [ Picasso ]
notes; I'm so so sorry this took ages to go up!  Life ate my focus :<
speech; 1e8fb6

[[ Picasso ]]

Oslo woke with a yell. The large animal panted for breath as he surveyed his surroundings. His heart raced within his ribcage, and he let out a low groan of pain. Fur prickled along his spine from the nightmare, and Oslo knew he had only got a couple of hours sleep before his nightmares forced him to wake. The canine scrambled to his paws, knowing there was no use trying to fall back into a distant slumber. The horror and death he saw behind his eyelids scared him too much to let him shut his eyes again. Shuddering, Oslo began to walk; his whole body ached with exhaustion. It had been many days since he had got a decent amount of sleep, and he was struggling. The sleep deprivation was making him irritable. Everything annoyed him at the moment. He glared up at the tweeting birds, who seemed to be unaware of Oslo's inner turmoil. He grumbled illegibly, before continuing his amble through the trees.

Loneliness did not come easily to Oslo, however there were days when Oslo ached for company. He knew he would not be much company to anyone in his foul mood. Oh, how he missed his brother being here. Cael would have cheered him up easily. Sighing, Oslo passed another tree. However, he was not looking at where he was going, and suddenly tripped over an object that Oslo hadn't been anticipating. Letting out a shout, Oslo fell to his stomach with a thump. He turned to see what he had collided with, and, to his surprise, a tan and white canine lay at the base of the tree Oslo had just passed. Great, well done, Oslo.

Scrabbling to his legs, Oslo cleared his throat. He had probably woken her with his unceremonious entrance. He could have hurt her! "Uh, my sincerest apologies!" He babbled quickly, "I didn't hurt you, did I? I am so sorry." He took a few steps back to keep his distance. He felt wary around the stranger. Who knew who she could be? Gulping, Oslo just hoped he hadn't angered her. His heart raced at the thought of angering someone. Oslo was tempted to turn and run out of shame and embarrassment, but that would be a coward's way out. Instead, he waited to hear what she had to say.

jayRIOT !

[jayRIOT !]

The calmness of the trees seeped into Roz's brain, fogging over her thoughts and lulling her into a comfortable doze.  Her eyelids were too heavy to keep up, so she allowed them to close.  Her breathing became slow and even, and suddenly she found herself dozing in the small dugout bed beneath the tree - nothing more than a bump on the floor of the pine forest.

A sound from the distance pulled at Rozmae's conscious.  She stirred slightly, but the rhythmic noise wasn't enough to pull her out of her sleep.  The fog continued to invade her brain, keeping her in her relaxed dream state and unconcerned about the outside world.  There was a familiarity to the sound...it was almost as if it were something she should know by heart, something that she heard regularly.  A scent also joined the sound, but Roz couldn't quite figure out why she should care about that, either.  She fought for a moment to clear the haze from her thoughts and focus, but the comfort of her nap continued to outweigh the desire to find out what was going on outside of her body.  Whatever it was, it would pass.  No need to concern herself with it.

Rozmae was only allowed a few moments to enjoy her lack of caring when something very heavy and very hard knocked against her and fell atop her body, startling Roz from her sleep with a loud yelp.  Jumping to her feet, the mutt felt her heart jump to her maw, and found she couldn't breathe through the panic.  What the heck was going on?!  What just happened?  What was that?  Where did it come from?  Was she ok?  Suddenly the rhythmic noise and scent sank in, and Roz realized that she had heard and smelled another dog coming her way.  It had been paws on the quiet earth, stepping over the fallen leaves and nettles and underbrush.

Her big eyes focused on the larger dog who had pulled himself up and was apologizing profusely.  Still much too stunned to react to the other dog, Roz found herself taking a step backward before noticing a dull throbbing in one of her front paws.  She stared at the dog, body still tense and adrenaline coursing through her veins.  She had no idea where he came from, but obviously he hadn't been any more aware of her than she had been of him.

Finally gathering her wits, Roz blinked a few times and stuttered, struggling to gain control over her tongue once more.  "I- I- no, I think I'm...I'm okay.  My paw is a little sore, but...but it's...I'm...okay.  Are you...?  Did you...?  You fell, so..."  Well now that she sounded thoroughly confused and dim-witted, Roz lowered her eyes and her head in embarrassment, feeling the skin beneath her fur blush profusely.  Why did she always sound so completely clueless?

"I hope you didn't get hurt when you fell," she said after taking a steadying breath.  Her ribs and back did feel a bit of the fall still on them, but it would pass in a few moments, she was sure she hadn't even gotten a bruise on them.  Her paw did hurt a little worse, but she figured he probably just stepped on it and that was what caused the fall, or something.  She tried not to favor it to avoid making him feel worse, but standing on it was uncomfortable and Roz found herself putting as little weight as possible on it.

word count; 588
tagged; [ Picasso ]

notes; <3
speech; 1e8fb6

[[ Picasso ]]

It looked as though both canines were in a state of shock as they tried to recall what had just happened. Oslo inwardly cursed himself for not looking where he was going. This could have been easily prevented if he had actually had his wits about him. He could have crushed her to death! Oslo watched as the groggy-looking bitch tried to regain her own wits and fathom how a lumbering old dog had just collided into her. He lowered his head in embarrassment as he waited for her to say something, anything. His chest ached from the impact, and he was caked in a layer of dirt from the forest floor. A few twigs and leaves scattered the rest of his fur as he inspected the areas he could see on himself. Well, it could've been worse - he could've broken his legs! Instead, his chest felt tight; probably winded. Nothing to worry about, as long as his breathing went back to normal in a few minutes. If anything, it looked like the canine he'd tripped over was faring far worse than he.

Finally she begun to babble, and Oslo wasn't sure whether it was an affirmative or a negative. He frowned in confusion, but said nothing. She was still surprised, and he had rudely awoken her from a deep slumber. Anyone would be disoriented if they were woken so suddenly. Finally, the female managed to compose herself and speak a concise sentence. He glanced down worriedly at the paw she claimed was hurting, but nothing looked amiss. It would hopefully heal soon enough. Oslo hoped it would affect her ability with hunting. The statement directed at him about his wellbeing made Oslo chuckle, and he shook his head, "Probably a bruised ego more than anything," He smiled. His chest was still sore, but the pain was easing away. The adrenalin that had been rushing through veins was dying down, and the realisation was soon dawning on him.

Shyness took over, and Oslo suddenly felt extremely meek. The stranger didn't seem angry with him, but the pain was replaced with embarrassment and horror. What the hell was he thinking?! He should probably get out of here, and leave the female back to the peace she had been hoping for. Oslo was exhausted as it was, and really didn't want to take out his frustration on a stranger. Who knew when his black mood would return? Oslo begun to back away slowly from the female. He cleared his throat, "I apologise again. I should've been looking at where I was going, but I was caught up in my own little world. I will leave you to your slumber." The shepherd turned to leave, face red hot with shame.

jayRIOT !

[jayRIOT !]

Witnessing her accidental assailant's embarrassment at his clumsiness made Roz herself feel even more awkward and out of place in this situation. Her heart went out to him in all his awkwardness. She completely understood how he obviously felt, and a part of her longed to say something to make him feel less out of place and comfort him somewhat, but she had no idea what she could say. Why would she, anyway? She didn't know this brute, there was no reason to offer him comfort.

Despite this thought, Roz still felt compelled to at least say something to him as he turned away. She really wasn't angry at him; he hadn't meant any harm, and her sore paw was throbbing but the she-dog could tell there was no real damage done. She was glad to hear he hadn't injured himself, either.

Too shy to offer to solace to him that she wanted to, Roz just nodded her head shortly and watched as the larger dog turned and stalked off, his shaggy pelt belying the tense muscles beneath. Rozmae lowered her golden eyes to the floor of the forest, no longer sure what to do. Her heart still pounded in her chest, though with each steadying breath the dog felt herself gain more and more calmness, returning to her state from before the male showed up. Sighing, the female let him go and turned her own back to him, looking to lay once more in her little dugout hollow beneath the tree. The shock of the moment was wearing off, and she was ready to resume her previous state of relaxation and enjoy the flow of life around her.

As Roz settled her hind haunches back in their previous resting place, the collie mix gave another look after the retreating male figure. Before she realized she was doing it, or even knew why she was doing it, Roz found herself calling out to him once more.

"I really am glad you didn't hurt yourself. Please, don't apologize. I...no harm done. Really."

word count; 344
tagged; [ Picasso ]
notes; Sorry it's a little on the short side; I'm having trouble getting in Roz mode xD
speech; 1e8fb6