Adventures Gone Awry [Open]

[Jisa]

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[style=font: 12px Calibri; text-align: justify; color: #3B5323; margin: 10px; border-bottom: 2px #567E3A dotted;] Emery’s paws slipped and sunk in the unforgiving wetland ground. She felt the familiar presence of Finch’s tight clawed grip in the fur of the scruff of her neck. Many times, she had sunk into the wetland up to her chest, leaving her legs completely soaked in thick, stagnant smelling mud. The Wetland was the one place her mother hadn’t taken her, and she had been determined to make up for it on her own. Now she knew Katrina’s reasons for avoiding the place entirely. Emery was aware of how hollow her stomach felt, and Finch had gone silent. She definitely needed to get them out of here and find them some food. Finch just got cranky when he got too hungry, which, while sometimes amusing, was just an annoyance when he started to nag.

[style=font: 12px Calibri; color: #D1D1D1;]”We’ll be out of here soon, and we’ll go hunting, alright?”

Emery spoke without turning her head, knowing that Finch would hear her.

”I told you this was a bad idea.”

Finch grumbled after a sigh.

“And I know that you have no idea where you’re going."

Emery graced that with silence. It was true, but that didn’t mean that he had to say it out loud. If they just kept trudging forward, they’d eventually get somewhere, right? Going back would be so boring and pointless. Anyway, the wetlands could hardly go on forever. Emery had thought about hunting here, but frog, turtle and heron wasn’t the type of meal she would want, even if she could catch them. In any case, her legs burned with fatigue from the constant strain of trying to stay steady on unfamiliar ground.

Emery felt Finch release his grip on her fur and sit up on his hind-legs. She hoped that he’d be able to see the end of this place, she was tired of it. This place had still air, almost as motionless as the countless puddles that riddled the ground. Suddenly, her paw slipped into a hidden hole in the ground, and Emery yelped as she sunk down to her chest once again. The weight on her back disappeared as she fought to regain balance too late. A minute squelch sounded to the right of her, accompanied by an indignant hiss. Emery gathered her haunches and leaped out of the way of the sinkhole and peered into the tall grass and mud.

Almost indiscernable from his surroundings, Finch was struggling in the mud, his fur clumped together with the foul-smelling stuff. Emery carefully picked her way around the sinkhole and grabbed Finch by the fur on the back of his neck. A comical popping sound came from the mud as he was pulled free. He struggled and hissed, and Emery had to stifle a bark of laughter.

”Now look at what you’ve done! All you had to do was keep your footing for a second and you couldn’t even do that!"

Emery sighed through his fur as he spat and muttered some more. He was like a child once he was hungry, but even Emery was tiring of this adventure.[/style]

Word Count: 513

Notes: None

Song: None

header image ©*Mithgariel-stock on dA

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[Ash]

Nebraska hadn't planned on wandering all that far away from his pack's territories. As a beta he was supposed to stay rather close, but he knew that his brother would understand if he explained it, and away from the rest of the pack, that was. He had just felt like he needed to get away, without trying to keep up all of the appearances that he was normal, and everything about him was normal. Striving to prove to himself, and the pack, that he was worthy of being a beta, that he wasn't just a beta because his brother was the alpha of the pack and was showing favoritism towards him, and he didn't really deserve this ranking. But, right now he was just here to let the wild beast out, so he could let out all of the pressure that had been building, holding back the best that demanded to be let out of it's cage.

So Brass plunged deeper into the swamps, eyes oblivious to the fact that his small bird/soul was flying after him, trying to keep up with the rapidly moving dog. So the bird only settled with only keeping Brass within his sight. The male had already caught four newts within his jaws. It hadn't been all that satisfying, but it had still helped him, barely, though. So now he was on the hunt for something a bit larger.

The Male's nose lifted as he plunged back through the brush as he caught the scent of a rabbit that had somehow made it's home among the marsh. His legs were already dark with mud already, so, in the very back of his mind he wondered how a rabbit could have survived this long in this unforgiving swamp. His legs were stretched to their limit as he caught the already exhausted rabbit, descending upon it and finishing it with a few sharp bites and a sharp shake of his head. Nebraska feasted upon his kill, feeling the blood lust receding slightly, occupied, he guessed, by this fresh kill.

Brass froze as he heard the voices approaching, not so far off. His eyes wheeling around, contemplating searching for a hiding spot, but already knowing that they very well could know that he was already right here.

"Calm down." Richie said, perching next to Brass, his voice quiet and even. "Now wipe the mud on your muzzle. You won't be able to get all of that blood off now." The bird added, eyes fixed on the dog before him. Brass obeyed, rubbing the mud carefully over his muzzle, disguising all of the blood. He carefully buried the rabbit deep in the mud, focusing on burying it and keeping himself from sinking into the mud.

"I'm ready." Nebraska murmured, and the bird fluttered up to perch on his back, carefully, the only thing that was keeping him composed at the moment. He wasn't sure if he was quite ready for this. Especially this soon after he had condemned the beast inside of him. At this moment, Brass was just hoping he could keep it locked away for long enough to put up normal appearances in this out of the reach marsh. He thought, with a sinking feeling. Out of reach no one was here to stop him other than Richie and that other dog, if he lost all of his control.

"Stop thinking and get moving." The bird called softly, prompting the uncertain Brass to began plodding through the mud. His paws placed slowly and carefully to prevent himself from sinking up to his shoulders in this disgusting mud. That would not be a very pleasant time, to spend it sinking in mud, and struggling, trying to escape the messy trap. Definitely not the way that he wanted to spend his day.

Brass pushed his way free of the brush to pop out a few feet in front of the female and her companion, which he automatically knew had to be her soul, like Richie was to him. He bit back a grin as the female pulled the ferret out of the mud with a pop, "What a predicament!" Nebraska said with a grin, just letting her grin free. He didn't care at the moment if the dog became frustrated with him. They'd just have to deal with it. He wasn't going to refrain from smiling. It was like asking someone not to breath. It was unnatural, for quite a few of the dogs he knew, himself included.

He just hoped that he could keep a handle on things. But then again, to be a beta you needed composure. He would handle it, if he had to walk away, fine, if Richie had to remind him, fine. He just wasn't going to let anything get away from him. Not anymore. That version of himself lived in the past, and he was going to keep it that way. There was no going back to the way that he had lived all the way back then. Brass wasn't willing to go through that again. Or put the ones around him through that again. It wasn't worth it.

[Jisa]

Emery & Finch

[style=font: 12px Calibri; text-align: justify; color: #3B5323; margin: 10px; border-bottom: 2px #567E3A dotted;] Emery wasn’t going to let Finch climb back up onto her back with all that mud in his fur. It was difficult enough to get off the foul smelling stuff off of the shorter fur of her legs, she didn’t want to think about trying that with the thick fur on her back. Instead, the ferret would have to be content with swinging by her jaws, unless he wanted to walk the terrain by himself. Emery couldn’t quite be bothered with asking him, as it would require a halt in progress. All of her energy was directed toward getting out of here. Other than the whisper of the wetland breeze, Emery could hear nothing.

That alone was reason to worry.

If no animal dared to make a noise, even a warning call, it meant that danger was close. Too close to jeopardize positions by calling. Emery feigned ignorance, trudging on with her soul dangling from her jaws. Sounded pretty dangerous, huh? A few moments later, she heard voices, hushed and careful. Not long after, the scent of a dog came to her on the breeze. Emery fought to keep her composure, glad that Finch was being quiet for the time being. She didn’t like that she couldn’t see anyone approaching, due to the tall weeds and constant dips in the earth.

What to do in such a potentially dangerous situation?

Pretend not to know what was going on. Hopefully appearing as a complete non-threatening dog would at least keep surprise intact, if not warning off any undue danger. Suddenly, a dog popped out of the thick vegetation, much in a state like her own: soaked in mud and left in the middle of a wetland.

Emery halted in her tracks, wondering whether to put Finch down or not. The male commented on Emery and Finch’s situation, which was, admittedly, quite ridiculous. Smiling through Finch’s scruff, Emery set him down on the ground, and he proceeded to glare at her and began to groom himself.[style=font: 12px Calibri; color: #D1D1D1;]”It’s quite hard to avoid one, whether you’re familiar with the marshes or not.”

She replied easily, throwing him a grin, gesturing slightly to his peculiarly mud slicked muzzle.

”What did you do for that to happen?”

Emery wasn’t truly looking for an answer, she was just trying to sustain conversation. She decided that her earlier unrest was ridiculous, that she had over thought the silence on the wetland plains. This dog seemed friendly enough, and had a sense of humor, even if it was at the expense of others. Emery pricked her ears up, still wary of whatever might have been prowling in the swamp, though her general interest in it had faded.

”I’m Emery and this is Finch.”

She introduced, her tail swaying steadily back and forth with her chipper announcement. Finch looked reproachfully up, thoroughly tired of the day, but managed to grumble something like a greeting. Emery shook her head at him and pushed him gently with her paw, attempting to get him to lighten up. Finch pointedly ignored her, but managed to nod lightly at the male dog in front of him.

”Don’t mind him, he’s just grumpy because he’s hungry.”

She assured her new acquaintance, settling down on her haunches to give her wired muscles a rest.

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Word Count: 535

Notes: None

header image ©*Mithgariel-stock on dA

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[Ash]

The male could feel the beast stirring in his mind as he stood before the female. But he was confident he would hold it back. There was no returning to the way that he had been while he was on his own. He hadn't been able to stop it, to hold it back during those days, not to long ago. He only stored it away because of all of the terrible things that he had done in the past. He didn't want to go through that again, tear apart all of those families just because of the beast that dwelled in the very back of his head made him want to do terrible things to whoever stood before him. No, he had put this much effort into keeping it locked away, and he wasn't going to go back on that now. That would just end up ruining all of the hard work and effort he haqd put into locking it away.

Brass nodded in agreement when the female said, in agreement, that it was hard to avoid a predicament, even if you knew the marshes well. "Yes, exactly. I've been lucky enough to have not found myself in the same situation so far today." Nebraska replied with a smile, he considered that he had made off pretty well so far today. After all, he wasn't completely coated in mud yet. Only his legs and muzzle which, to what he had been doing today, was quite an extraordinary feat. He was quite content with that, too. He didn't want to appear as if he had bathed in the mud.

Brass smiled when the female asked what had happened to make him get mud all over his muzzle, although he felt more like grimancing. The male hadn't thought that it would be all that noticeable, apparently, it was actually rather noticeable, which was what he had just noticed. He really had to come up with better plans, rather than just smearing mud on his face and thinking no one would notice. Then again, it had been Richie's idea.

"I fell, did a face plant, rather. Only a face plant, thank fully. I hate the feeling of mud." Nebraska replied evenly. He hoped that that would cover as a good enough explanation. He really didn't want to explain anything more than that. There were a lot of things that he just couldn't explain, or really wanted to explain, anyway. It would just all be a little odd, or frightening, to the majority of the dogs that he had met over the time that he had spent living and breathing. Only his siblings had ever actually understood, and that was only because they went through it, themselves.

He tilited his head in consideration when the female introduced herself as Emery, and her companion, a ferret, as Finch. They were fitting names, he supposed, of course, he wasn't all that good at names, or, at least saying how fitting names were. His opinion wasn't much, after all, he thought just about every name that he knew, or rather, had heard, had seemed ok to him. He didn't know if there was, or would be, anything more to it.

"I'm Nebraska, or Brass. And this, my buddy bird is Richmond, also known as Richie." Nebraska said politely, his voice calm, and he gave a smile to the female, Emery. "It's nice to meet you." Richie murmured, bowing, sort of, from his perch on Nebraska's back.

Nebraska nodded when Emery said that Finch was only grumpy because he was hungry. "That sounds reasonable. I'd be hungry too." Richie replied to the female, tilting his head slightly as he finished speaking in his clear tone. Of course, he wasn't hungry now, not after trailing after a hunting Brass. No, he was rather well fed, at least, at this very moment, he was, anyway. A few newts that he had managed to snag without losing track of Brass. And Nebraska was comfortable, in his mind, as well as his stomach, at least for now.

[Jisa]

Emery & Finch

[style=font: 12px Calibri; text-align: justify; color: #3B5323; margin: 10px; border-bottom: 2px #567E3A dotted;] Emery found herself deciding that the male dog in front of her was alright; he was friendly and easy to converse with. He didn’t look like he’d taken quite as many plunges in the mud as Emery and Finch had, but for her first time in the area, Emery thought that they had done quite well. Somehow, she thought that Finch might not agree with her to the same degree of optimism. The sable ferret, dryer than he had been a few minutes ago, wearily scurried up onto Emery’s back, tired from his shocking ordeal. He’d keep watch from up there, Emery knew, but he never had felt as safe on the ground as he did on her back. His presence was calming, anchoring her to the earth. As long as he was always there for her, Emery suspected that she’d be quite content in her life.

Emery laughed, quietly but didn’t try to hide it, when the male described his situation. At least she hadn’t quite face-planted in the foul smelling mud. That would be quite a different thing to experience, and Emery was planning to find her way out before something like that happened to her. As he mentioned it, the mud was quite uncomfortable to wear in and over her fur. It clung to her and stuck her thick fur together, slicking it down onto her skin.

[style=font: 12px Calibri; color: #D1D1D1;]”I know what you mean, it’s not all that pleasant."

She answered simply, quite happy with his explanation. What reason did he have to lie to her anyway? All she was, was a loner that had just met him. To her mind, lying was out of the question. Emery took in the names of both the male and his soul, attaching them to their faces in her mind. She knew that she would remember, seeing as she didn’t meet many dogs everyday. Their names were quite original, Emery thought, and she liked them. Emery returned Nebraska's polite smile, a little more enigmatically. She inclined her head at Richie’s statement.

”You too,”

Emery answered, rising to her paws again so that Finch could get a better grip. Finch rose on his hind legs, more carefully this time, and Emery had to stifle a laugh at that.

”See?”

Finch accused, glad that Richie had agreed with him.

”I’m Finch, even though Emery already told you that. Is there a reason you two are out here? You smell like pack dogs.”

Finch had a great nose, and could detect changes that even Emery sometimes couldn’t catch. Emery shrugged at Nebraska and Richie, silently apologizing for Finch and his personality.

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Word Count: 427

Notes: None

header image ©*Mithgariel-stock on dA

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[Ash]

Nebraska grinned, now quite a bit more comfrotable with the situation that he was in, when Emery laughed at the fact that he had somehow managed to face-plant in this disgusting, smelly mud. He nodded, still smiling in a relaxed manner, in agreement when Emery said that she understood what he meant, and that it was not at all pleasant. "Exactly." The male said in agreement, his tone even. It was good to be able to talk to someone without the thought of his burdens as a beta bearing down, square on his brown colored shoulders. it was nice to talk to someone who didn't hold him to any great expectations, or could possibly hold him to some standards that would very well be impossible for him to reach.

Richie bobbed his head to Emery when she replied, in simpler terms, that it was nice to meet him too. The bird grinned when Finch responded to his earlier statement that being hungry made sense. It was amusing, and comfortable, being around these two loners.

Nebraska blinked and tilted his head slightly when Finch introduced himself once again, and asked why they where out here, and saying that they smelled like pack dogs. The male considered how to reply to the ferret, letting a slight smile show on his muzzle when Emery shrugged in apology for Finch. Brass truly didn't mind saying why they were out here, as long as he wasn't pressured for details, he was still well off.

"We came out here to get away from things and to just be able to relax. It gets busy, and sometimes we just need to get away from the hustle and bustle of things." Nebraska replied to the ferret calmly, it was absolutely true, he didn't like being trapped in the busy camp, he loved it, and hated it at the same time. "Plus, we've never been around these parts before, so we thought it would be at least a little interesting to explore them." Richie tweeted in addition to Nebraska's reply. The marsh was an interesting, unforgiving place, too, as they had all found out. He would give it that much, at least.

"As for the fact that we smell like pack dogs, that would also be true. We are members of the Hlengiwe Pack, where my brother is the alpha. I'm one of his for second in commands, a beta. So that would probably explain the scent." Nebraska kept his voice even as he spoke, but finished with a grin. He didn't mind the curiosity that Finch had, it was always better to be able to talk about him, even if it was himself, over standing here in some sort of awkward silence. Usually something was always better than nothing.

[Jisa]

Emery & Finch

[style=font: 12px Calibri; text-align: justify; color: #3B5323; margin: 10px; border-bottom: 2px #567E3A dotted;] Emery was relieved when the small amount of tension in the air finally dissipated. She didn’t like having to keep alert and wary of other dogs, when they could be comfortably chatting like old friends. Encouraged, Emery kept her smile on her face and wagged her tail a little bit. She liked the pair, Nebraska and Richie. They were polite and easy to talk to, unlike some of the more aggressive, argumentative loners out there, or the hostile and haughty pack members that believed that everything was theirs. That’s the only thing Emery truly hated about being a loner. It seemed everyone had a pre-conceived notion of how loners should be treated, and that they must be anti-social if they didn’t want a pack. It was just the opposite for Emery and Finch. They were loners so that they could meet dogs from every place possible, whether from the mainland or any of the four packs. Emery detested the dogs that tried to chase her away from the area she was in, just because they had a sense of entitlement the size of a whale.

Finch placed his paws on top of Emery’s head, gripping onto the fur there just in case she lost her balance again. He was quite content now, besides the hunger pangs in his little stomach. Richie was easy to get along with, especially because he’d agreed with Finch previously. For now, he was quiet, sparing Emery the constant nagging voice that would tell her that he was hungry. [style=font: 12px Calibri; color: #D1D1D1;]”Even pack dogs need a break sometimes too, huh?”

Emery commented, glad that she could relate to something in a pack dog’s life. Solitude was a welcome thing for her, but many dogs didn’t like being alone at all. That had always puzzled her. She liked the music of silence, leaving her to her own thoughts. However, she did like company too. Finch rolled his eyes at her explanation looking down at her from his perch on her head.

”Of course they do, they’re not a whole different species entirely.”

Emery raised her eyes to look at Finch’s smug expression and fought the urge to shake him off. See how smug he’d be when he was covered in mud again. She re-directed her attention when Richie spoke again, listening to the other reason why they’d wandered out here. It sounded familiar.

”That’s why we came out here,"

Emery answered.

”My mother used to show me places all over the island, this is the only place she never took me. Well, now I know why.”

She confided, laughing lightly at the end of her explanation. Finch looked about ready to make another comment on Emery’s expense, but she shifted her weight suddenly to shut him up and instead of making a snide remark, he glared down at her.

”I guess that’s why you felt you had to get away, being a beta must add to the busyness of it all quite a bit."

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Word Count: 485

Notes: None

header image ©*Mithgariel-stock on dA

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[Ash]

Nebraska allowed a slight smile to spread across his muddy muzzle as Emery said that every pack dog needed to get away too, "Exactly." The male murmured, still smiling and allowing his tail to wag slightly in his appreciation of having someone to talk to. It was nerve wracking, having some dogs look at him as if he was a ticking time bomb, and others looking at him as if he was a pure mystery, and no one knew anything about him. They knew things about him, everyone did, otherwise they wouldn't have even known his name, or his relation to the alpha, his brother. The male kept himself closed off from a lot of the other dogs in the pack, that much was true.

But there were just somethings that the male preferred to keep to himself, and bringing himself into the middle of the pack, into all of the social circles was a good way to send this careful game to a terrible end. They would find out everything from how touchy he ended up getting with certain subjects. Nebraska knew how to protect himself from their invasive questions, just as much as the other dogs would know how to get the information out of him. It was a tricky game that they played.

Brass smiled when Emery said that her mother had brought her everywhere around the island when she had been younger, and this was the only place that her mother hadn't brought them to. The male gave a soft chuckle and nodded, "That would explain why she didn't bring you here. I wouldn't have wanted to try making my way through all of this mud while I was younger." Nebraska replied, giving a slight shake of his head as he finished speaking.

Nebraska nodded when Emery said that being a beta must add to all of the business of things. He knew it could, though he had help and such, it still got busy.

"It does, but there are going to be three more betas, other than me, so it should get easier once my brother names those other betas." Nebraska replied, giving a slight shrug of his shoulders to the female, "For now, I just do my best, with the help I have, of course." Brass added, finishing with another shrug. He was lucky to have the help that he did, it made everything just a bit easier, and a bit easier to sneak away when he needed to, and Brass was always sneaking away.