Gotta Start Somewhere

[solsticeシ]

[atrb=cellpadding,0,true][atrb=cellspacing,0,true][atrb=style,background: url(http://i49.tinypic.com/2r74k03.jpg); padding: 10px 0px 0px 35px;,true][atrb=width,500,true][atrb=height,500,true][atrb=border,0,true][style=overflow: auto; font-size: 12px; color: #515151; height: 360px; width: 178px; padding: 0px 3px 0px 0px; text-align: justify;] The rising sun was warm and refreshing. Or at least, it soon would be. There, underneath the low hanging branches of a tree, layed a large canine. She was black and brown in color, resembling a taller, lankier version of a rottweiler. She was curled up tightly, coat glimmering with the sleek liquid of morning. When some of the liquid slid down her forehead and onto her nose, the canine sneezed. The suddenness of her sneeze startled her, causing her to shoot her head up. Flopped ears perked as much as they could as chocolate eyes searched around. Once satisfied with her surrounding's, she relaxed. Shakily she rose to her paws, stretching the sleep from her limbs that ached them so. A sigh left her system as she looked around once more. This time, for breakfast. Cawing rattled her thoughts, and the woosh from wings could be heard. Then the creator of the sounds landed on the nearest branch to Rin. Beady eyes seemed almost dead as the Crow looked at Rin. It's voice was softer than it looked. "There's a rabbit, not to far ahead." Rin nodded. Probably the only thanks the Crow, Karasu would ever get. Shaking her thin coat free of the liquid, she pushed her way deeper through the forest, in hopes of finding this rabbit Karasu spoke of. It didn't take her long to come across the scent of the rabbit. Her movements slowed, became more robotic as she drew closer. She was careful not to make a sound. It was a little more difficult, being a bigger dog. But she and her sister had learned well on their own. As she got closer, she could smell the wind beginning to shift. Before she could give the rabbit time to realize she was there, she charged. Large and experienced fangs clamp down at the rabbits throat. No blood dripped from her lips as she lowered her body to the ground to enjoy her catch. It wasn't much, but it would due for awhile. Tearing away flesh and fur, she tore open the animals small stomach for the prizes inside. When finished, she left the rest for Karasu. Getting back to her paws, her tongue made itself known and brushed up against her lips. The meal was satisfying enough and now she must be on her way. She waited for Karasu to finish her fill. The presence of talons on her shoulder told her it was okay to move. And that, she did. She could see off in the distance, not to far from where she stood actually, that the forest broke off. Maybe her sister was over there? With this thought in mind, she forced her limbs into a sprint. Karasu cawed, flapper in wings to move herself from the charging canine, but she followed close behind. Coming into the clearing, Rin skidded to a stop, dirt and grass flying up beside her before settling again. What she found, was a lake. Flapping her wings, Karasu slowed her flight so she could perch on Rin's flank, guessing the canine wouldn't run off again. "Well, this is new." Rin spoke to Karasu. She had never been here before. And, after a quick look around, neither had her sister.

[QUIRKY TEA !]

Louis, a mixed breed dog, stepped through the grass. His sable coat made good camouflage in the dry, tall grass of summer. The wheat heads bobbed in the wind, each gust making a golden wave through the grasses. The grass was rather sparse, but hid him despite the lack of finesse he used. Dash, his spirit, which was a Mara, followed right behind him, long legs carrying himself behind his Lou.

"You aren't supposed to be out here," the large rodent warned. He kept up easily, looking like, essentially, a rabbit with long legs.

Lou grumbled, but didn't reply.

Dash sped up a little to move abreast with Lou. "C'mon, she isn't too mad at you. The pack doesn't hate you. Nobody is going to kick you out."

Lou glared at his soul. The Mara wasn't making this any better. "Well, I'm leaving before they kick me out." He knew that it was his fault for not doing his job as a Guard for Bohlale. And he felt that joining and running with the loner dogs for awhile might be a better place for him.

They didn't have responsibility. Or worries. And they didn't have other dogs who were expecting anything from them. And if Lou left before he was kicked out, well, then that meant that he had the dignity of self-exile. At least in his mind. And his mind wasn't really that smart.

Lou was a simple dog and made mistakes easily. He had loners run into the land and take from his pack under his watch. If they buttered him up right, they could even have him lead them to where the game was the most plentiful or where the pack's recent kill was being kept. He didn't understand sarcasm very well and was a bit of a dunce when it came to social interactions with others, if only because his dullness led him into puppyish ways of communicating.

In the end, Lou's place was not in the loner's land.

The grass was growing shorter as it neared the lakeshore. The lake was black, sediment and silt making it dark. Lou was used to a lighter colored water, with gray clay keeping it from being too dark. Dash ran to the edge of the lake and started sucking the water, drinking it steadily.

"It's good," the soul coaxed.

Lou, like a puppy being offered a new type of meat, approached cautiously to the water's edge. The small waves tickled his paws as he stepped into the lake itself. He lowered his head, his semi-pricked ears folded backwards. His gaze lowered toward the water and his nose hovered a few inches above its surface. Then, he lapped the water with his tongue. The first lick was uncertainty, but the next few grew more confident. He raised his head. "It is good," he said to Dash.

The Mara grew still and pricked his long ears. They rotated. His nose twitched. Lou followed suit and turned himself on high alert. There was a dog, a small distance around the perimeter of the lake. She was black, near the lake, it made her hard to see.

Like a fool, Lou ducked down. He was in the water, so all he did was make a splash. He then jumped out of the water, making a bigger scene, and behind a low-growing shrub which was definitely too small to make an adequate hiding place. The stories of loners his parents told him, his siblings told him, heck everyone, made him scared out of his mind. He heard that these were broken dogs that loved to play with dogs who looked stupid like he was. Then again, he was attracted to the aimless life that they had. Where there was nothing keeping them anchored to one thing. And no dog telling them what to do. But he didn't know what this dog was.

Dash kept himself brave because one of the pair had to. He whispered into Lou's ear. "Hey, you know that you have to get up and say hi now. Isn't this what you wanted?"

"No," the dog replied without looking up.

The Mara sighed. "Want to go back home?"

Lou thought long and hard on it. "Maybe?" He thought more on it. "Heeeey, I thought I wasn't supposed to be here."

Dash grumbled and head-butted Lou to his feet. "Just. Go say hi."

Numbly, Lou got to his feet. He then said, "Hi." The most awkward hi in the world.

[solsticeシ]

[atrb=cellpadding,0,true][atrb=cellspacing,0,true][atrb=style,background: url(http://i49.tinypic.com/2r74k03.jpg); padding: 10px 0px 0px 35px;,true][atrb=width,500,true][atrb=height,500,true][atrb=border,0,true][style=overflow: auto; font-size: 12px; color: #515151; height: 360px; width: 178px; padding: 0px 3px 0px 0px; text-align: justify;]- "Karasu," Rin began, turning her cranium so she could face the crow that stood on her flank. Karasu intently looked at Rin, waiting for her to tell her what she wanted. "Could you fly around, see if you find anything?" There was a semi desperate tone in her question, that Karasu didn't hesitate as she nodded and flew off. Rin felt a little ting in her heart. She hated for her soul to be to far away. But maybe Karasu could see something from up in the sky. Licking her lips, she noticed her tongue was dry. Looking over to the black water, she silently questioned it. She had never been here ... was it safe? Only one way to see for sure. She trotted over to the waters edge with grace, her slim figure moving with ease. She placed her front limbs into the liquid that swirled around her. "It's cool..." And it was. It was rather refreshing. Lowering her cranium she took in whatever scent the water would give her. Nothing out of the ordinary. So, her tongue came out and began to lap up the black water. Her lips curved up some as the water was nice. Hearing the flapping of wings, she raised her head to pear over at the now approaching Karasu. She jumped out of the water and went to her. "So?" "Nothing. If she was here, any trace is long gone." Rin sighed. She was looking for her younger sister. As usual, her younger sister had gotten into trouble, which meant Rin had to go in and save her. Hisoka had attempted to steal meat from a small pack of loners. Her sister thought she must have been big enough to take on three dogs at once. Rin had come to her rescue. The sisters fought along side each other tell Rin yelled at her to run. She did. Only problem was, she had run off somewhere, and never came back. Probably got herself lost. That night Rin collapsed, bloody and exhausted. That's when Karasu showed up. Now, she's on the hunt to find her sister. Splash. Rustle. Rins semi flopped ears perked up as there was a sudden commotion near by. Looking along the lake, she caught the glimpse of a dog, running into a bush. "What the..?" She questioned silently as she slowly began to approach. What was this other dog hiding from? Her? She snorted at the thought, not finding herself all that scary. As she approached, a sable mutt came into view with a quiet 'hi'. "Hello," Rin replied in greeting, cocking her relatively large head to the side. There was a cold deminer about Rin, but it didn't make her look aggressive. style]

[QUIRKY TEA !]

Lou mumbled something that only Dash could hear. Probably something crude by the way the Mara pinned his ears back and snorted with a mean glare in his eyes. "...and making me go and..." He seemed oblivious to the fact that the other dog was right there. But he was preoccupied with giving his soul a talking to. But Dash, about as dull as Lou was on any given day, had a bit more wits about him. He tended to give Lou a push when the dog needed it, but not when he wanted it. Unlike the rest of his family, his pack, Dash wasn't going to sit around and be an enabler only to turn around and chastise the dog for not doing things perfectly.

"Turn to her, Lou," the large rodent said, a cross expression on his face.

The dog curled his lip, throwing a subtle tantrum like a puppy before turning and facing Rin, suddenly all smiles and awkwardly floppy. "I'm, uh, Lou." He pinned his ears back as self-defeating thoughts filled his head. I'm stupid Lou. I'm stupid Lou who doesn't do his job. I'm stupid Lou who doesn't deserve his rank. The Mara kicked the dog, covertly, but enough to make him jump a little. Dash just wanted Lou to snap out of the spiral of self-destructive thoughts.

The dog continued, as if nothing had happened, though the glare he gave his soul was enough to raise suspicion. "Just Lou, please." Oh, how he hated when other dogs insisted he be called Louis. That usually meant he did something wrong or was expected to do something important.

He remained submissive, slightly standoffish. He didn't trust the female fully, but his heart was easy to win over. You either give him a steak or show him an inch of kindness, then Lou would be like an old friend with you. Such was his way. He tried to keep a brave face, but that soft heart of his quivered in his chest and as soon as his eye reached the females, saw her cold demeanor—detached almost from the world, as if she could overcome it, Lou just started bawling. He wasn't cut out for this. He would never be able to mirror this female's expression. That realization hit him like a brick wall.

The sable mutt crumbled to the ground, wet and sloppy sobs made him look like nothing more than a mess. He made a stupid decision in leaving his packland, but he felt like he couldn't go back because he didn't have the skill to live up to the expectation the rest of the pack had for him. He was the Alpha's brother and he could barely even do his own job.

Dash held his own tears in. The Mara couldn't stand it when Lou made a scene. "I told you, Lou. Didn't I tell you?"

The dog's tail tucked between his legs. "Shuddap, Dash." He sniffled a little. The Mara's habit of kicking a dog while he was down seemed to quiet Lou a little. Though, this effect was mostly because the hopelessness got replaced with the frustration that he had to be stuck with such an ornery rodent for a soul. "Sorry... I just... I can't go back and I don't think I'm able to do this." Lou shrugged. "Any of this loner stuff." He lowered his head. "And now, I've showed my weakness. You can just go ahead and eat me now." The sable mutt rolled onto his side to offer himself as a meal. Then he sighed a heavy sigh and shut his eyes.

[solsticeシ]

[atrb=cellpadding,0,true][atrb=cellspacing,0,true][atrb=style,background: url(http://i49.tinypic.com/2r74k03.jpg); padding: 10px 0px 0px 35px;,true][atrb=width,500,true][atrb=height,500,true][atrb=border,0,true][style=overflow: auto; font-size: 12px; color: #515151; height: 360px; width: 178px; padding: 0px 3px 0px 0px; text-align: justify;]- Karasu hopped over to Rin's side, looking between the mutt and Rin. He was acting ... strange. She was sure that Rin would soon be leaving. She didn't spend to much time around other canines. Actually, she spent more time around this canine, Lou, then she has done in awhile. Karasu spread her wings, flapping them just enough to land her on Rin's flank; her favorite place to perch herself. Rin shifted her weight as she felt the Crow's sharp talons dig into her fur. Though she staid silent, it didn't stop her from casting a side glance at her soul. Rin hated it when she did that. But she knew no amount of words would stop her from doing so. So she didn't even try. Semi flopped ears perked forward at the mention of his name. 'Just Lou, please.' Loud had been the only name he had given her, so what else did he expect her to call him, Fred? This mutt confused her more and more with each passing word. And it was becoming more clear that he was no loner, not with the way he was acting. Then he began bawling. "Uh...." Rin looked back at Karasu who simply shrugged. She was just as applauded as Rin was. Why, was he crying? Rin took a step forward. An instinct inside her wanted to step towards the bawling Lou, the instinct to comfort. Like she had always done with her sister. But Lou was not her sister, or family. She didn't even know him. She could not grant him such things. "I'm Rin." She spoke to Lou. That's when he went on about how he couldn't be a loner. The thought of him being in a pack made her curl her lip, muzzle wrinkling with the effort. It was a pack that attacked her sister. Maybe not a back like the surrounding ones, but a pack none the less. "Hush, Rin." Karasu eased the Beauceron. But Rin was not convinced. Karasu hopped over to Rins shoulder to speak more clearly to the canine. "Look at him. Do you honestly think he could of attacked her?" Looking Lou over, Rin knew Karasu was right. There was no way. She softened her muzzle, and her lips once again covered her fangs. Rin lowered her cranium, making her neck level with her back. She was trying to appear less threatening. If it worked, she had no idea. She wasn't good at that. "My name may mean 'cold', but that doesn't mean I'm gonna eat another Canine." Rin almost seemed disgusted with the though. Almost. "And by the looks of you, you haven't even tried to be a loner." Rin snorted softly. "Not as hard as you claim it to be." She said. Karasu watched Rin, for this is the most she spoke to another. Maybe it was because Lou reminded her of a pup? Rin always had a soft spot for pups. This made the Crow smile. Rin, you complex, and confusing creature. style]