Don't rain on my parade! [North]

[jayRIOT !]

The overcast sky drew a gray and dreary picture, saturating the landscape in the Springtime chill of a pending rainstorm.  The scent of moisture was thick in the air, but the lack of electricity coursing through Roz's thick pelt lead her to think the rain wouldn't fall for a number of hours still.  Nonetheless, the thick clouds and chilly breeze gave everything a bit of a hum-drum feeling, and Roz slunk through the underbrush and kept her nose low to the ground, per usual, hoping to get a big swig of water to wash down her scavenged lunch and then find a warm and dry place to hole up for the evening.

Mocha eyes scanned the ground before her as her nose registered the number of scents belonging to other canines and other animals were growing stale - thankfully, she was nearing the pond by herself and was unlikely to run into anyone there.  It had been quite a stressful day for the Collie mix, and she wasn't feeling up to having to interact with anyone.  Not that Roz ever really felt like interaction; it basically just opened one up for disappointment and pain in the end.  If your loved ones didn't leave you, they'll still be lost to you at some point.  One thing she had learned in her short life was that nothing lasted forever, unfortunately.  Not that her sad state of mind didn't come with a nagging voice in the back of her head that encouraged her to open back up.  She'd been thinking for some time about joining a group, but her painfully shy ways had so far kept her from making that choice.

Finally, the she-dog found her front paws near the bank of the Viridian Pond, and her nose sniffed at the water to confirm it was still ok.  While lapping up the fresh, cool liquid, Rozmae took in the rippled reflection of the cloudy sky above, how the clouds seemed to connect one to the next to the next in a giant fish scale-like pattern that kept her eye entertained.  The water smelled of the moss and plants growing just beneath the surface, but Roz found it to be a relaxing scent, full of nature and her new home.  As a stray, she wasn't unaccustomed to the scent of algae and moss, of rotting plants and fungus.  She could scarcely remember the last time her long, thick fur had been properly combed or brushed, or the last time that sweet spot behind her ears had been scratched.  So lost in her thoughts was the small she-dog that she failed to notice that she was no longer alone at the pond as she drank her fill of the fresh, delicious water.


word count; 456
tagged; Allie ♥
notes; Sorry it took so long to get up!
speech; 1e8fb6

[Allie ♥]

The sky above North's head was grey with so much anger that it's electric energy coursed through anything that happened to be touching the ground. Grey clouds were slowly but surely conquering the blue sky and sun in a wave of power, so slow yet so fast the female could glance up and miss a quarter of the sun already. It was like a natural game of chess and the king was about to be captured, taken prisoner, and held until the war was over and settled. The coming scent of rain was heavy and dense on the air, clouding North's lungs with thick air that only eased her breathing rather than hardened it. Shaking her pelt and tasting the air once more for any interesting smells, North's paws dug into the soil beneath her, turning it up momentarily before she begun to walk forward once more.

The dense air made North sluggish, her hair already felt ten times heavier and she knew that once the rain started to fall it would be much worse. Her coat never really stood a chance against the weather. It didn't matter if it was rain, snow, mud, or even blood from a recent kill, her hair was so fine that it clumped and matted at the contact points everywhere except on her legs where the hair is much too short to unite together. North wasn't too fond of the idea of having to take out more knots than she already had to so she decided to make her journey quick and sweet: she would travel to the Viridian Pond, stop to make a quick kill, then seek shelter anywhere she could. It didn't matter to the mutt whether the rain was hours off or minutes off, she had no desire to have sheets of rain poured over her skull and running down her back, tickling her spine as it made it's way all the way down to her tail. Rain was honestly no better than fleas themselves which would be coming back once more with the warm seasons.

North paused momentarily to shake herself of the thought of the rain before continuing on. The little pond she had discovered wasn't too far from here. There was maybe a minute or two of walking left for the dog to do. With the building pressures in the air, the dog's hackles raised every second she felt the air growing to be more dense. She wasn't going to sit there while the rain poured over her. No, she would do something and she would do it quick. The dog eased herself into a faster pace, almost like a horse's gallop, her body shivering with anticipation for the cold water to soothe her throat. She had been aching for a sip of water for the past hour or so, but she hadn't known of any good places to get water besides the pond she was currently heading to.

Finally, North could feel the cold stain of the smell of water against her tongue. She slowed herself, carefully stepping around the bushes so she wasn't stepping on anything she couldn't see. For all she knew there could be a snake or two around here. Of course, there could also be a frog laying around: a delicacy North had grown to enjoy much like a person would grow to enjoy the bitter taste of alcohol. Maybe North just hadn't been paying attention when she had surveyed the air, but the female found herself momentarily frozen in her tracks when she say that there was already a dog in the pond. It looked to be a female: a little shorter than North but, proportionally, thicker than the Malinois cross. She slipped the unease of her aching stomach from her shoulders, continuing forward to lap up the water without a second thought as to whether it was even clean.

So as to not discover new surprises, North's ears swiveled around fiercely as her tongue reached down to grab the water, pulling it into her mouth and gulping it down like there was no other water source around. She sat there a moment, drinking her water and surveying the female further. For the most part you could say this dog looked like North, but they clearly were no where near each other in the same aspect. Her coat was a warm, chocolate brown with lighter tan points and white ripping the peace of the pattern on her chest. Her coat was long and feathered, but unlike North's it looked like hers was course and weather-proof: something the female envied to no end. If only she hadn't been born with her father's genes of his soft coat. He'd said it was a trait humans bred into him, but North couldn't see the practicality in that other than to feel something soft underneath their grabby hands. Her ears stood proud and tall on top of her head like a crown fit for a queen and she had a long, full tail unlike some of those unnatural stubby-tailed dogs North didn't quite have an attraction to.

Pulling her snout from the water so she didn't drink more than she was supposed to on an empty stomach, North considered what she should do. The female still stood there and it grew to the point where it was awkward, so she thought she could at least do something to draw attention to herself so it wasn't a huge surprise for the mutt. Thinking it was the only way to speak to the canine without really speaking to her, North stepped into the water making sure she made every noise possible. She pawed at the water as if she didn't want to see her reflection, moved her paws beneath the water just for fun, and finally walked out with every ounce of force she could when she was beginning to feel cold. Then she, ever so smoothly, looked up at her new companion and pretended she hadn't seen her either, the lies rolling off her tongue as naturally as they did for a wolf in sheep's clothing, Oh, hello! Didn't see you there, sorry."

WORDS 1,026 TAGS jayRIOT w/Rozmae OOC No problem, love c:

[jayRIOT !]

The dreary quiet let a sense of calmness seep into Roz as she drank from the Viridian Pond, her eyes still focusing on the reflections of the clouds and her ears relaxed, not searching for any sounds other than the steady, light lapping noise her tongue created on the surface of the water.  The scent of the oncoming rainfall melded with the fragrance of the water, and Roz found herself wondering about the plants beneath the surface, the ones she could see a little bit but were being primarily blocked out by the gray, cloudy mirror effect on the pond.  Pausing, the she-dog pulled her maw from the water a bit and stared, waiting until the top of the water was still once more so she could see more clearly.  Her reflection stared up at her, and Roz realized just how rough she really was looking these days.  She missed having a nightly brushing, and hands smoothing down her fur throughout the day, and as much as she would never admit it, she missed bath time too.  A little.  Those fragrant bubbles and the soothing lather of the soap...but she would never, ever have any of that back ever again.  She didn't trust anyone to give her a home now, regardless of how nice part of her thought it would be.

Before the ripples completely subsided on the pond, a sudden and loud splashing noise pulled Roz's attention and the mutt stepped back from the water as quickly as she could, startled at the noise.  For a moment, she wondered if perhaps the pond wasn't actually as safe as she'd thought.  Maybe there was something in the water!  It was hungry and just waiting for dumb saps like her to come stick their noses in the water so it could eat them!  Still stepping backward quickly, Roz's chocolaty eyes stayed glued to the spot she'd been standing at, expecting any moment to see some big head pop out of the water with a gaping maw and sharp, glaring teeth and angry eyes holding her in place.  Her fur stood on end as she waited.

Suddenly movement off to the side caught her attention, and understanding snapped to the she-mutt.  Her heart was pounding so hard in her chest that Roz was pretty sure it was about to fall out, and she might vomit.  Adrenaline made her muscles tense, and they cramped as she forced herself to relax.  There was another creature on another bank of the pond who had decided to hop in the water and play around, making all kinds of a racket.  With her heart still pumping and her body still on high alert, Roz could see everything in a kind of hyper clarity; she saw that the other creature was another dog - shaggy, sort of like her, though maybe with finer hair than she.  Roz could tell it was fine rather than coarse by the way the water sprayed from the dog's fur when they moved.  The water droplets rained backward into the sky, being flung in all directions and catching the gray, cloudy light and reflecting it.  They looked like dull, lackluster jewels until some of them just happened to catch a certain slant of light in just the right way, and a rainbow of color would momentarily dance out from them, lighting and cheering up the sad environment, before again falling out of that perfect spot and becoming dull and gray until returning to their home in the pond.  It was amazing to Roz how much of this detail she was able to pick up on as the shimmering colors vibrated through her skull.

Just as Roz realized she was staring, the other dog seemed to notice her presence and looked at her, then proceeded to head toward her.  Eyes widening even more, Roz tried to back away but was so shocked by the sudden interaction that her limbs didn't seem to want to cooperate now.  She felt embarrassed for having been caught staring, and now she was worried about what this canine might have to say about it.

She - for it was a female - approached Roz and greeted her, announcing her own surprise at the unexpected company.  Apparently she'd only come for a drink and a bath, although Roz couldn't possibly imagine why - it wasn't cold out by any means, but it was chilly and certainly not warming up any.  Plus, the rain would likely start soon enough - before nightfall certainly.  Why not just wait if you were in need of a bath?  Roz decided not to stew over the question too long; some canines were just odd, and did things however they wanted.  It wasn't her place to wonder at their reasons or judge their actions.

Still embarrassed at having been caught staring at the spectacle and shocked by the suddenness of it all, Roz tried to untie her tongue and reply to the other dog, though it took her a moment to gather her wits after the fear that had just been coursing through her system.  "I-It's ok," she stuttered.  "I didn't see you either.  I didn't mean to interrupt."  Not that she was entirely sure what she was interrupting exactly; Roz wasn't even sure which of them had gotten to the pond first.  She'd thought she had, was almost certain of it in fact.  But then, she hadn't really investigated that hard, and obviously had missed this dog's presence before she jumped into the water.  It wasn't difficult to imagine she'd arrive second.


word count; 923
tagged; Allie ♥

notes; Sorry, sorry!  Procrastination and poopy muse got the better of me yesterday :/
speech; 1e8fb6

[Allie ♥]

"I-It's ok, I didn't see you either. I didn't mean to interrupt." the female spoke, her words timid. North could read the discomfort in her muscles as they tightened slightly. In order to hopefully comfort the female, she allowed a warm smile to occupy her lips. This wasn't a sign of weakness, instead this was her trying to build up the female so she, too, could be strong like the Malinois. "It's quite alright, dear. I believe I arrived after you. I should be the one apologizing." he spoke, an even coat of honey and sugar masking her usually more gruff voice. North figured it was best to not try and tear down this girl for her display of weakness, but to rather try and build her up. Then, if they were to continue socializing with each other, she could easily scold her for weakness when she showed a greater strength in her.

Relaxing her ears against her head, North turned her attention to the water that still showed a trace of movement from North's ridiculous display. At least it had worked in slyly getting the female dog's attention without scaring her too much. It was clear she had still been caught of guard, however. "Sorry I haven't introduced myself. The name's North. It's a pleasure to meet you." she said, dipping her head slightly. It was a new habit she had formed since joining The Monarchy. She had learned early on that this wasn't a sign of submission so much as a sign of respect to whoever she happened to be speaking with and, usually, that seemed like a better option than letting someone think she was disrespectful to canines' choices.

Digging her nails into the soil as her eyes returned to the female's form, North let another smile creep onto her black lips. "What's your name, solider?" she said playfully accompanied with a sparkle in her eye.

WORDS 319 TAGS jayRIOT w/Rozmae OOC DEADLINE MET. MISSION ACCOMPLISHED.

[jayRIOT !]

This dog's mannerisms were so strange, Rozmae found herself having a hard time letting go of her panic stance and adopting a more relaxed posture. Not that she was relaxed, of course. This newcomer - North, as she tagged herself - wasn't someone that Roz knew, wasn't someone Roz trusted and there was no reason for her to relax around such a stranger. Then again, there really weren't that many canines that Roz trusted. Not truly, anyway. Her trust had been broken for so long, and she worried it was beyond repair.

Caught off guard with the way this she-dog talked, Roz found herself staring and being her typical socially awkward self. She blinked a few times at North, her deep chocolate orbs showing her uncertainty and distrust of the situation. "Rozmae," she answered slowly. "I'm Rozmae. And I'm certainly no...no soldier." It seemed silly to her, almost comical. Her, a soldier type? Certainly not! She couldn't even bring herself to kill squirrels if there was even the most remote chance of another option. She didn't have a violent bone in her body! Self preservation was one thing, sure. But even in those situations Roz was hesitant to use any kind of force, even in the smallest way. The collie mix rarely bared her teeth, much less used them.

She was sure if this other dog knew how gentle she was, she too would understand how silly it was to call Roz 'soldier.' Not that she was even sure the other dog meant it in any kind of literal way. What in the world could be the meaning of literally meaning it? There was no war; not one that Roz knew of anyway. Nor was she giving off any particularly aggressive vibes, she was sure. It must have been some kind of personal quirk of this dog's, using such terms in so silly of a way. Still, Roz was nervous by nature and this wasn't helping the feeling much. She wished the shaggier dog would just get her bath, get her drink, and be on her way to leave Rozmae in peace. She would like to be in shelter and bedded down well before the rains started; rushing wasn't something Roz was a fan of. A slower, steady pace matched the skittish mixed breed's personality much better than rushing around and getting soaked because she let someone hold her up at a pond for no reason.

Deep down inside, Rozmae was surprised at herself. Was that a feeling of...irritation? Roz never felt irritated with others. How strange...it must have been the air so thick with the pending storm that was making her act weird.

word count; 447
tagged; Allie ♥
notes; omg I'm so sorry! I completely forgot about you and North!D:
speech; 1e8fb6

[Allie ♥]

"Rozmae, I'm Rozmae. And I'm certainly no...no soldier." the female spoke sounding slightly caught off guard. North was beginning to think of this female almost as a goody-goody. Had she really never been called anything other than her name? North allowed a half smile to crawl onto her face, eyeing the dog over for a final time. "It's a pet name, sweetheart. Clearly you are no soldier, but that doesn't mean I can't call you it. It'd be like you saying 'see ya later alligator'. Understand now?" though she never meant for it to sound rude, it was possible she had a little bit of issues keeping her opinions from her tone. She didn't want to treat the dog like a child, but she certainly was like one. Had she never seen the world before?

Her ears twitched lazily as she began to speak again, "My name is North. Like the direction." Her head raised slightly, proudly boasting her pride for her name. Figuring that was a weird thing to boast about, North lowered her head back to it's former position. Glancing to the water for a second and then to the electric sky, the female figured she would invite her to find someplace to be with her. "Would you like to bed down with me? I was going to grab something to snack on then find shelter before the rain hits."

[jayRIOT !]

The sharp tone in the other canine's voice caught Roz off guard, and for a moment she felt her irritation not only flare again, but it even rose a level.  Why was this femme being such a snob to her?  Rude.

Rozmae was rather surprised at the hostility that rose in her own stomach and quickly shoved it down, out of existence.  This wasn't her.  This wasn't her at all!  The collie mix was one of the most patient and non-hostile beings around.  She must have just been edgy from the coming weather.  Yes, yes that's it.  The weather was to blame.  She could still feel the electricity in the air charging every ounce of her being, and it must be putting her off a little.  Roz lowered her eyes and looked away from the other dog - North, as she proclaimed herself to be named - and glanced at the sky behind her.  It was growing darker gray and the clouds were carrying a heavier and heavier scent of rain; maybe she had miscalculated how long it would be until the rains hit.  Maybe it would happen much sooner than she had anticipated.

North's offer startled Roz and caught her by surprise, causing her head to whip back around to look at North with a surprised look on her face.  Removing it as quickly as she could, Roz stared for a moment at the other female and thought for a moment.  Bed down together?  Really?  They didn't even know each other!  They'd just met, and Roz wasn't even sure she could grow to like this dog's company in any way.  She had trust issues as it is, but when this dog came over and spoke down to her, acting all high and mighty...No, stop thinking like that, she scolded herself.  It was just the storm setting her on edge, there was no need to think such things.

"I don't know," she muttered slowly.  "Can you really be...comfortable bedding down next to someone you don't even know?"

The moment she asked, Roz felt foolish.  Of course anyone would feel comfortable sleeping with her around.  She wasn't even remotely threatening, and her bumbling, babbling habit just showed how big of a push-over she was.  Nobody would ever see her as a potential threat.  She would never put anyone on their guard; how could she?  Even before her humans abandoned her and she developed these feelings of timidness, Roz could never threaten or hurt another living creature. She'd always been too kind-hearted, and now she knew that she would never change.  No, there was no need for this other dog to feel uncomfortable around her, and hse had no doubt that North knew that.

However, as for North, Roz wasn't so sure...

word count; 460
tagged; Allie ♥
notes; <3
speech; 1e8fb6

[Allie ♥]

North listened to Rozmae's words, rolled them around her mind a bit, then smiled a wicked smile at the female. Was this female a self-proclaimed weakling or wasn't she? She seemed to be going back on her word, but then again North still didn't see any issues of bedding down with her. It wasn't like they would be cuddling: in fact North had never liked cuddling so she would probably be sleeping a good distance away from each other. Not only that, though, the female found Rozmae in no way to be intimidating. She was bulkier than North, but that could have just been fur and North was a bit taller than her. She would at least be able to hold her own in a fit against her if that were to happen. "Well are you dangerous or are you not, Rozmae? You seem to not be able to make up your mind. Besides, there's no need for cuddling so I think we are good, right?" she spoke, her tail twisting with amusement.

Maybe it was just that she had never bunked down with anyone before, but either way Rozmae seemed new at well..... everything. And now that she thought about it, North thought she kind of had that "house-pet" look to her. She shook it off as an unreasonable suspicion, though, since she had only just met this female. Her nose turned to the sky once more, inhaling. It could start to drizzle any moment now. "Well it's now or never. Are you bunking with me or not? I need to get a move on if I'm to find food."

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[jayRIOT !]

Again the Collie mix felt a surge of irritation at this other dog.  This one shocked her somewhat less than the first; North was certainly a dog not too worried about rudeness.  Being offended and angry was a new feeling to Roz, and she didn't like it very much.  It made her wonder if she should bed down with this other female tonight.  If she was going to continue to be such a pain in the rump, it would just be a headache for Rozmae.  But then, what choice did she really have?

With a sigh, Roz shrugged off her irritation and sucked it up.  She really didn't have much choice, and so turned to follow North.  "Yeah, I guess," she mumbled.  "And I never said I was dangerous," she added with a hint of condescension, though it could have simply been mistaken for emphasis.  After all, she hadn't been trying to warn North of the folly of trusting a complete stranger; she was trying to decide herself if she was sure this would be a good idea.  North could easily overpower her, she had no doubt.  What happens if the other bitch decides that, in the middle of the night, Roz is taking up too much room, or snores, or is just not trustworthy?  She could bite out her throat before Roz could even say Hey don't do that.  But she was basically stuck.  She would have to find shelter soon anyway; a light roll of thunder sounded in the distance, and Rozmae's fur tingled again, hinting at the impending rain.


"We could probably find something over near the Shadow's Dip.  Or the pines," she added, remembering how oftentimes the trees were great shelters from the weather and often could fit more than one dog if necessary.  But if they couldn't find a good one large enough, the two could sleep separate from one another - which would certainly make Roz feel a little better.

word count; 325
tagged; Allie ♥
notes; Sorry it took ages to get up! I'm awful D:
speech; 1e8fb6