wet dog-open

[rook]

Rain. Spring brought rain, lots and lots of rain. It seemed finding a good shelter in the woods was near impossible, every time she thought she found something decent, it rained and nature told her otherwise. Water would usually not bother her, and in the sunshine, rain was welcome to cool her off, but night was a different story. The temperature dropped dramatically in the evenings going from sunny and warm to dark and chilled, add in the rain and you get one cold, wet, pissed off dog. The brown, muddy dog had found several dens that could have been sufficient shelter, but she was too large to fit in them. Once more, Rook was left in the open to deal with the brunt of the weather.

The canine wandered through the forest, her footsteps anything but silent. Massive shoulders brushed against shrubs and bushes without a care, she was not hunting and attracting attention didn’t matter much to her. Who would mess with her? Wolf? She was more than a match for them. A dog? She would put them in their place. A bear? She would just intimidate it. Bears had been stumbled upon before and a lot of noise was often the trick to getting them to go away. She couldn’t out run them, she had tried, but often enough, she simply minded her own business and most predators left her alone. Perks of being something most animals hadn’t seen before.

The night was over though; the sun was beginning to rise, creating a soft warm glow on the forest. The trees were budding and leaves were growing, beginning to create a canopy, but there were still large gaping holes for sunlight to filter through. The wrinkly mastiff sighed as she wandered through a patch of light, the warmth gentle and caressing. Stopping in her tracks she looked up for a minute before moving on. This was not the right place. She continued on a little further ignoring the many sun patches she could lay in to warm up. Instead she hunted for a large rock, it would be the best place. When she did find it, she made her way to the tip before plopping down heavily with a huff. It was an elevated resting place, one that gave her a slightly better view of the place- and anything wanting to sneak up on her.

The sun was already doing its work, drying up her damp coat, causing mud to harden along her belly, legs, and chest. Rook merely lay there, reclined in a dignified way for one so ugly. Breakfast would soon be necessary, but for the time, she was content to sit and listen to the birds wake up the rest of the forest.

[{t}empest]

Lukear opened his eyes as the sunlight poured into his den. He had been awake for a while but he had just laid there listening to the rain, the birds singing, and the gentle wind brushing the tree branches. Lukear found a thicket to shelter in but with his size he had to do quite a bit of work to get it big enough for him. For a moment Lukear wondered if he should have stayed by the mountain that has a lot of caves and shelter.

The growling and empty ache of his stomach reminded him he hadn't eaten since yesterday. Lukear got to his paws and crawled out of his den. He shook his thick white coat that has branches and leaves attached to it. Some of them were tangled but he didn't bother trying to get them off. After he finds something to eat and drink he will leave the forest and go back to the mountain. He is anxious to meet up with his pack. After the meeting he has stayed here for a bit while the others left.

Lukear raised his head and sniffed the humid air for food. Although it was morning the wet cold atmosphere kept most of the prey in their dens and the singing birds were safely perched in the trees. Lukear thought maybe he should sit and wait a little while till he smelled rabbit. Sure enough he saw the rabbit sniffing at some lush bush. Lukear licked his chops and crept up to the rabbit. Under his paws a branch snapped and alerted the rabbit. Immediately he ran after it and caught it right before it turned. He slammed his wolf paws down on its back and sank his teeth down its neck. Lukear could taste the blood running along his tongue as he bit down and snapped its neck, killing it instantly.

[»KINDLE ♫]

It was quite cold under the thick canopy of trees, the sun struggling to pass it's rays through the intertwining branches. There were of course patches of light and warmth that would suffice as an area to warm the girl and yet she wandered past them all as if they were not even there. Whilst she was quite cold, being far from used to the extreme temperature change of her homeland, Ashanti was not out seeking warmth. In fact, she wasn't really seeking anything. Rather, she was wandering like she did most days she wasn't looking for a meal. Usually wandering gave way to interesting situations that would entertain her for the day or she was able to pick off another wandering soul that seemed to have lost their way. It depended on her mood, really. Today her mood was quite neutral, or as neutral is it could get with a homicidal psychopath. Depending on whom she came into contact with, she could either scare them a little or be sat surrounded by their mangled corpse. Which meant today could prove to be very interesting.

The Hyena stopped in her walking when she felt a cold splash drop onto the area directly between her shoulder-blades, causing her to jump around with a snarl and a snap at the air. Realising there was nothing there and it had simply been some dew falling from a tree above, Ashanti felt a laugh bubble up inside of her until she couldn't keep it in. She laughed, though it sounded more like a deranged cackle, at herself before dropping her expression back to stony, as if it had never even changed. Turning back in the direction she was originally walking, the sound of walking came from nearby to her position. She whipped her head around to face the sound, head twitching from side to side every few moments as she listened. The sound was moving away from her, she could tell as she listened, and so she decided to follow it. Stepping through the foliage, Ashanti paused before she came into view. Looking into the clearing ahead, the Hyena could see a big brutish dog laying on a sunny rock, presumably warming herself. The girl started to twitch again, this time more violently, as she watched. Then she felt the laugh rising again and started to cackle from her place in the bushes, watching the girl on the rock from her hidden position. When she'd finished with her cackling, she padded slowly out of the undergrowth she'd been hiding in, still twitching ever so slightly every few moments as she stood staring at the girl.

"Hello." The Hyena chuckled out, though the laugh was far from happy. It was twisted, making it sound more like poisoned sweets rather than sugar. She stared at the girl on the rock a few moments longer, her body occasionally jerking oddly as she watched. Her attention was only taken away when more noise was heard not too far off and her head whipped around so fast it looked like it would fall right off her shoulders. Ashanti stared at the bushes a few moments longer before stepping forward only slightly.

"Another comes to join the party?" She cackled, smiling though showing a bit more teeth than needed as she watched for the new arrival to appear.

[rook]

Rook had seen many dogs, but very few had been uglier than her. The few that had been were either battle scarred to the point of not being recognizable. Be it a scarred body (face included) or missing facial features, they had been given an ugly appearance in their gladiator days, she on the other hand was just breaching her prime and her fighting days were far from over. There were a few breeds that were ugly, mostly mastiff breeds where droopy jowls and wrinkly faces were a dominating feature but few drooled the way she did.

As the sun steadily rose, the warmth intensified and soon Rook found jaws parting and tongue lolling in a gentle, relaxed pant. She was enjoying the silence and the peace, but it was not to last long. A sound caught her attention and her head cocked to the side, trying to pinpoint it. It did not take long to find the noise and just as she turned to stare in the direction, its owner emerged from the bushes. An already wrinkled forehead furrowed to produce more wrinkles as she stared at the creature. She had not seen anything like this before. Large ears, partially bald face, short hind legs with comparatively massive shoulders. what the fuck is that thing? She wondered, her thoughts echoed on her expression and soon her voice. “What the fuck are you?” Her tone was bewildered, albeit more than a bit rude.

The creature seemed to have a laughing problem, something that caused the mastiff to tense slightly, leaning forward into a more readied position. This ….thing was not right, hell it didn’t even smell right. Of course, both of their attentions were drawn to another noise. A hurried rustling noise followed by what sounded like the squeak of prey and then the crunch of teeth on bone. Rook rose from her reclined position, head lifted, toes flexing against the edge of the rock. The spotted creature cackled again and spoke. The copper colored mastiff rolled a muscled shoulder, “it would appear that way, wouldn’t it?” Her tone was sharp; she didn’t care for obvious statements or those who made them. Wary, Rook kept the odd creature in her peripheral vision as the both watched the shrubs, waiting for the next intrusion to be made.

[{t}empest]

Sounds nearby could be heard. Lukear raised his head, ears pricked forward. Cautiously he sniffed the air and tasted canine scents, but one he despised. It wasn't a wolf scent but actually of those pathetic creatures known as dogs. His lips twitched and raised to show his white deadly sharp teeth. There was another scent, one that seemed canine but wasn't any he smelled before and he had come across plenty of different canines, dogs, foxes, coyotes, etc. Instinctively Lukear placed his rabbit by the bush and half buried it in dead leaves and mud.

Lukear lowered himself and crept forward in the bushes. He paused in the thick undergrowth looking through what gaps was there. On the rock there stood a large dog, almost the size of a wolf but not quite there. He thought all the dogs except for the ones that look more wolf than others were ugly, but this one was to the extreme. The female dog's body was riddled with wrinkles with a thin coat and floppy ears. Lukear shuddered with disgust.

He would have took his hare and left right then when his eyes laid down on the most unusual canine he has ever seen. The female creature has large upright ears but were shaped oddly. The fur was an odd color for any canine he has seen. Her body was riddled with spots like those white dogs with black spots but not as many. At first he would think she is some kind of dog he never seen before but the way she laughed and her eyes made him think that she isn't a dog. After all dogs don't cackle like that, nor any canine he has ever seen.

"Another comes to join us?" the odd canine chuckled, making his hackles rise as the creature's gaze fell on his direction.

The alert ugly dog glanced at where Lukear hid. "It would appear that way, wouldn’t it?" she said, looking back at the she-canine.

For a moment Lukear wondered if he should just leave. He hated the idea of socializing with a dog especially with one so ugly. Yet his curiosity got the better of him. My rabbit will be fine for a while, he told himself. With a sigh Lukear stood up and stepped out of his hiding place. The sun hit his thick perfectly white coat, making is shimmer. He was a large brute, a typical average wolf size of thirty-one inches. His silver eyes narrowed to the strange canine with his ears erect and tail raised. He appeared gracious and powerful, more so with the huge claw scars on his right flank.

"Grettings. If I may ask, what kind of canine are you?" Lukear asked the strange female canine, totally ignoring the ugly dog on the rock.

[»KINDLE ♫]

Like any other animals she'd come into contact with out here, the large female frowned at Ashanti when she emerged. Though, she thought with another laugh, it was hard to tell with all those wrinkles. If the large girl was confused by the Hyena's arrival, then Ashanti was certainly even more perplexed by all of the wrinkles that made the female's face droop and allowed drool to pool out of her maw. It almost made the girl shiver in disgust when she saw the drool, though was quite impressed by her size. The only others she'd seen before that could match the brutish female in size were wolves and they certainly hadn't been too nice to come across, especially when she got on their bad side. Whilst the Hyena could probably overpower a wolf with bite-force, she was certainly no match for their speed. Being a stocky girl, she wasn't much built for running and instead went for power, which worked up close but if her victims decided to run, it made things very difficult for her. Looking at the wrinkled female again, she wondered if she'd be able to take her down like she had others, though really none had ever been as big as she. Deciding against it for now the girl stayed where she was, still occasionally twitching as she stared.

When asked what she was- and in such an impolite way too!- Ashanti lowered her head slightly and laughed, keeping her mouth open to reply when they were interrupted by what the girl assumed to be the cause of all the noise earlier. A pure white wolf pushed his way out of the undergrowth, his eyes so focused on her that she couldn't help but laugh again. She did in fact find it so amusing that they were both trying to figure out what in fact she was when she was mostly plotting how to dispose of their bodies. Her head tilted to the side slowly as she stared at the male, ticking around like the hands of a clock. Her body continued to twitch at random intervals, though it seemed to not have as much effect on others as her laughing. The girl continued to watch him a moment longer, face once again void of any emotion before breaking out into a large grin.

"You wish to know what I am?" She asked, still showing more teeth than needed in her grin, "I am no 'canine'... I am not like you two." Her head twitched slightly to the side as she flicked her attention between the female and the wolf, eagerly watching their reactions. She could have easily told them what she was and got it over with, though toying with them was much more fun. Plus, she kind of wanted to see how far their patience would go. By the looks of both of them already, it was starting to be worn quite thin.

"I am a Hyena, obviously not from this land." Ashanti grinned, chuckling slightly under her breath. She was most certain that neither of the animals had heard of her species before, just like any other that she came across. It gave her a weird sort of thrill to be seen as something so bewildering and new, though it didn't seem to be that way to these two. Yes, she could see they were quite interested in what she was, though they weren't asking with fear in their voice, nor amazement. Really, it was just impatience, which was why Ashanti wanted to mess with them more, to get a reaction out of their seemingly hard faces.

[rook]

While wolves were more than common, she had not expected to run into one so soon, nor so close to town. Her already wrinkled brow rose and wrinkled some more when the white wolf came out of the shrubs. He was large, larger than her and no doubt weighed a bit more as well, the sight of her seemed to set him on edge. Regarding him passively as he moved forward, speaking to the strange spotted creature that continued to cackle and laugh at odd intervals, not to mention the twitch she seemed unable to control. Rook yawned softly, tongue curling in the air before she returned to panting softly, thick shoestring like drool beginning to drip from the corners of her maw, but she didn’t seem to notice.

The wolf paid her no attention, his focus was on the spotted thing, but she did not mind, Rook merely studied the wolf more. He moved graciously and powerfully, as if he owned the forest- perhaps he did but she hadn’t stumbled upon a scent border. Her nose wasn’t great, but it could certainly pick up a wolf’s border when she came across one. He seemed tense though, like a rooster puffing its feathers to appear bigger, was he intimidated? Perhaps he was simply bluffing for show. Either way, Rook took the demonstration as an exaggerated and overly glorified show- not worth her time.

The strange thing cackled some more, slowly answering the question they both had asked. She seemed to enjoy a good show as well and Rook shook her head vigorously, the thick strands of drool came loose, no doubt onto one of them below. Without an apology she turned and jumped from the rock to the ground and moved to make an obtuse triangle with them. “Least I’m not the only ugly thing around here.” She mused flatly. Rook was still probably the ugliest, but at least there were other contenders for the title. “So how did you get here?” She asked, cocking her head, the mastiff really was interested in learning about the creature. Perhaps it was the nicest thing she had said all morning, but then again, she didn’t pass off pleasantries often.

[{t}empest]

Lukear watched as the creature before him answered him slowly with a sly smile and that unsettling cackle. His hackles raised with unease; he had never seen or even heard of a hyena and what's more she looks like a canine but she isn't? And she can clearly understand the canine language so how is that possible? For the first time Lukear wondered what other creatures were out there that he had never seen before. He wondered if there were even more canine species or ones that look like them like these so called hyenas.

The big ugly dog shook her head and droplets of her saliva flew towards him. Startled Lukear stepped back, biting his tongue from yelping. Angrily Lukear looked up at the dog snarling as she stepped down off the rock. His ears twitched in annoyance as the dog ignored him. "Damn, dogs. You are worse than even coyotes," he muttered angrily. At least they know when to respect wolves.

“Least I’m not the only ugly thing around here. So how did you get here?” the ugly big brown she-dog asked. Lukear's anger faded back to curiosity as he looked back at the hyena. This new view opened his eyes and really began to appreciate the world around him. How far this hyena must be from her home he didn't know, but since he never ever heard of this creature it must be a different world. Lukear was glad he was still here in the world he was born in.