walking amongst the dead // open

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It was a misty morning as East trod into the abandoned cemetery. He had woken only an hour ago, and he was flexing his legs after his slumber. The sun was still low on the horizon, barely penetrating the thick, murky clouds above. The ground was damp and cold from the dew that had formed overnight. The air had a crisp feel as East breathed in the coolness. It was a far cry from what East had been used to in Afghanistan, with the sun streaming down on him constantly, and the parched, dry land East had used to venture out on. East sighed wistfully, knowing he would never be able to go back to the place he'd called home. Losing his humans had been a heart wrenching process, and East missed them dearly. They had fed him, loved him, cared for him. Now, it was East against the world. He loathed it.

The silence was broken by a crow fledging a branch, cawing loudly. East jumped as the crow flew through the trees, and he glanced up at the cursed bird. Once it had flown away, silence filled the gap. East gazed at the tombstones that he was weaving between. The words engraved were illegible and eroded. Moss had crept across the old stone; these graves had been long forgotten. It was an eery place to be, amongst the long-dead. Not a human ventured to visit their loved ones here. Probably all the dead's relatives had long since died themselves. No one remembered these men and women buried here. It saddened East to look at the forgotten names.

East reached a rotted bench and jumped up onto the wooden planks. It creaked uneasily, but seemed strong enough to hold his weight. Holding himself with confidence, East looked out over the large graveyard. It was mysteriously tranquil, sitting on a bench surrounded by the dead. Closing his eyes, East felt a cool breeze rustle through his fur, and he let out a deep breath he'd been holding. Peace at last.

ooc; anyone feel free to join in!

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Her eyes flashed as she crouched down in the misty shadows of a tomb stone.  A still-white hare sniffed the cold hard ground and the frosted gold grass.  Reign bunched her muscles and raised her brown elbows slightly and narrowed her eyes.  With one swift movement Reign sprang forward and snapped her deadly rottweiler jaws in the rabbit's neck.  Bones under her grip as she shook the hare viciously and slammed it to the hard ground.  Reign breathed, looking down at her kill with a satisfied grin.

After a moment's break she looked around and realized it was slowly brightening and getting a little warmer out.  She knew it was morning but it was difficult to tell with the mist and the temperature.  Usually in mornings she would hear birds singing but there was nothing here except crows cawing and flapping noisily in the air from what trees stood here.  Her stomach growled again and reminded her how hungry she was.  She was planning on eating the rabbit once she caught it but the eery atmosphere of this place made her hackles rise.

Reign picked up her catch and turned back to where she had come, but to her dismay she realized she couldn't recognize anything in all of this white and grey.  She dropped her hare to find her scent but the blood of her prey was wafted all over her nose, blocking out any other scent.  "Just dandy, Reign muttered irritably, her furry German Shepherd tail flicking to the side.  She picked the rabbit back up and decided just to carry on, thinking she would eventually get out if she just head straight.  It wasn't long until she came up to a stone path with a rotten wood bench close by.  To her surprise a brown shepherd dog stood on top of the bench.

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East lazily watched the world travel by. The sun slowly inched its way higher into the sky as more animals were beginning to wake. Sniffing in disinterest, he squinted into the distance. The mist was thick and impenetrable. East could only see for a few metres before the fog engulfed the rest of the world. It put East in unease, however he tried not to remind himself he was sat in a decrepit cemetery. His mind began to drift, wondering whether he should form an alliance with other dogs. He has heard of packs forming within the city, and East was smart enough to know being within a pack would lead to a greater chance of survival. Besides, East longed for the thrill of war again. He would give anything to be part of a team again.

The scent of blood made East's head snap up. He had not eaten yet, and the stench of a fresh kill was enticing. Out of the fog, a dark animal appeared, blood staining her muzzle. A rabbit hung loosely from her jaws, and East licked his chops. East was not one to steal a kill, so he soon turned his attention away from the prey. Instead, he focused on the bitch who stood nearby. The Malinois blinked at her, puffing out his chest with pride. She was a large dog, possibly larger than he was, but she didn't seem to be a threat.

"Good morning," East said curtly with a dip of his head. He wasn't sure how he felt about company, especially one with a meal that was making his stomach growl. He vowed to hunt as soon as the stranger had departed.

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Her heart raced when the taller dog in front of her spoke to her with his masculine voice.  She looked at the brute and admired his muscular build, his beautiful brown eyes looking straight at her.  Reign shook her head slightly to clear it and put down her catch.  She licked chops and tasted the blood plastered to her muzzle.  Again her stomach ached for the rabbit and the surprising company lessened her unease.

"Morning to you too, though I wouldn't really say its good with this mist," Reign replied with a soft smile.  She perked up one of her ears and tried to keep it up while she let the other flop down.  She wasn't certain or not but she thought the brute had been eying her catch.  However, she wasn't worried.  She may look like an easy target to steal food but many have made that mistake before and realized it the hard way.  Although she wasn't sure if she would be able to take this brute on one to one in a fair fight.  Again, she didn't worry.

Gently with her muzzle she nudged the rabbit towards the male dog and looked up at him with her wolfish amber eyes.  "You know, this rabbit is quite big and I don't think I could eat the whole thing," she spoke calmly with a small friendly grin on her face.  She cocked her head towards the rabbit, but her eyes never leaving the brute.  "If you want we can eat it together," she offered giving a slight wag of her tail.

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East's gaze dropped to the rabbit that fell to the ground as the female released it from her jaws. He watched as she licked the blood from her chops, but quickly averted his gaze. As the female spoke, he looked out at the misty world around them, and a rare smile broke onto his lips. "No," He agreed dryly, "I suppose it is quite an awful day." The malinois shrugged, hopping down from the bench he was perched on. His paws graced the ground with pride as he approached the female mutt. His body never relaxed, always tensing with the anticipation of an attack. East rarely let his guard down; the last time that had happened, his humans had died in the bomb blast. Instead, East was constantly watchful, constantly listening out for any danger. His muscles were tense and tight, almost painfully so, but he just couldn't relax. He had to be alert, in case anything were to happen to him.

The female dipped her head and rolled the corpse towards him. East watched as the lifeless eyes gazed up at him. He was hungry, but it was rude to share a kill from another. The bitch had hunted the rabbit and it was her kill; she deserved this meal. Whilst the rabbit was fat, it was still not enough for the both of them to share. They would both just be hungry a few hours later. Overrun with a sense of duty, East soon shook his head and nudged the rabbit back to her. East was not a chivalrous dog, but he knew it was wrong to take another's kill. He could easily go out to hunt for something else later.

"Don't be absurd. A large bitch like you needs the entire rabbit to keep to quenched," East replied, voice laced with authority, "Eat it yourself. I will find prey for myself later." He commanded, before taking a step back. He held his head high, showing his blatant disregard to the female's meal. He refused, and would not let the temptation of the blood lure him in. Instead, East decided to try and change the subject and find out more about the female who had taken an interest in him, "Who might you be, anyway? My name is East."

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Reign noticed the taller brute was unusually tense; looking around, muscles tight, ears pricked.  She knew most canines on their own were alert for danger but this dog was intense.  It was difficult for her to figure whether she was amused or troubled.  The brute dropped down from the bench and looked at the rabbit hungrily.  Instead of taking a bite or saying thank you the brute nudged the rabbit back to her and raised his head with ears erect, looking away from the rabbit defiantly.  "Don't be absurd. A large bitch like you needs the entire rabbit to keep to quenched," the dog replied. "Eat it yourself. I will find prey for myself later." He told her, taking a step back.

A smile crept on her face as she looked right in to his eyes with her ears erect and head up.  She wasn't going to let a complete stranger order her around.  "Alright, no need to get your tail in a knot," Reign said, giggling.  She picked up the rabbit and went by the cold earth ground and set the rabbit back down.  Although she was hungry it didn't feel right eating it in front of this dog when he was plainly hungry too.  After she dug a large enough hole she placed the rabbit in and buried it wish what unearthed dirt she had. 

"Who might you be, anyway? My name is East," the dog asked once she returned.

"East, that is an odd but nice name," Reign said, smiling.  She raised her head with a quirk smile on her face.  I'm Reign.  Pleasure to meet you East.

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East twitched when the female spoke. He wasn't getting his tail in a knot! Sniffing indignantly, he watched from afar as she chose to dig a hole and bury her kill in the dirt. His stomach rolled at the thought of the other dead bodies that lay in the soil here. Once he had finished burying the rabbit corpse, she turned back and approached him. East wondered why she had chosen not to eat her meal yet; did she feel guilty? East refrained from rolling his eyes. It was a dog-eat-dog world out there, meaning there was no use getting attached to anyone. You fend for yourself, not for others. Perhaps East had a rather warped view on this, however he knew there was no use caring about others when you needed to look after yourself. Who knew who would turn around and bite you in your back?

Reign introduced herself, and East raised a brow when she commented on his 'strange' name. East huffed. It was no stranger than Reign! However, he made no comment, and instead nodded politely. As East examined Reign, he realised that she was not a breed East had ever met before. A mongrel, probably. They were not an uncommon sight in the city with all the uncontrollable breeding. Why was everyone so obsessed with breeding? East couldn't see the appeal. As East raked his eyes over her frame, East could see the tell tale marks of a stray. Her coat was dusty and un-groomed, her paws hardened and worn from constant walking, and the lack of a collar was a large hint.

"You seem uncharacteristically optimistic for a stray," East commented, wondering whether he was overstepping a metaphorical line here, "It's a tough life out here." He gazed out at the old cemetery once again. East had struggled the first few months he was out on the streets. Meals were hard to come by, and there were constant fights for scraps in the centre of the city. East preferred the countryside, where he could hunt in the large landscape without any competition. Still, it was hard to keep warm in the bitter winter. It was a constant uphill struggle, and East never found a moment he was truly happy.

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"You seem uncharacteristically optimistic for a stray," the brute commented, looking at her strangely.  "It's a tough life out here."

Another smile crept on her face and sat down.  "Why thank you," she said, her golden wolf eyes sparkling with amusement.  After a moment her smile faded and her expression became more serious.  "But yes, it is a tough life, but it's only as tough as you want it to be," Reign explained seriously.  She made a quirk smile at East.  "It is the big picture that is difficult but if you hold on to the small good moments in your life..." Reign trailed off glancing at the gloomy cemetery around them.  "Well let's just say the bad things won't consume you."  She turned back to East.  "But I'm not alone.  Just recently I joined a pack and the better parts of life is easier to see."