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Post by Deleted on Apr 1, 2023 1:45:28 GMT
What had once been a common sight now seemed strange and foreign. A small group of goats munched aimlessly on the freshly watered grass that grew between the rotten and rusted train tracks. After the morning rains the stupid creatures had made their way into the open area as the afternoon sun began to warm the ground, causing a thin mist to hover at their hooves. They grazed peacefully completely unaware that they were being watched. A large, brindle dog lay underneath a nearby box car, his golden eyes following the goats dutifully. For a moment, Axel could forget about the gnawing pain in his empty stomach as he imagined himself back on the farm with his own herd. If he tried hard enough he could pretend that he could smell his human cooking a roast for dinner, something he often shared with his canine companions. Drool slipped from his jowls causing his stomach to growl viciously. The images in his mind faded away and he was brought back to his present situation.
One of the goats bleated suddenly and Axel was instantly on alert. Sniffing the air, he thought he might have detected another dog's scent, but it was hard to tell. The area around the town and railyard were crawling with strays. Was he smelling them or a new threat? With a groan, the big dog crawled out from under the box car and shook himself. The sound of his folded ears flapping about caused the goats to look at him, their alien eyes wide with unease. Axel knew they were weary of him, after all they weren't his, but he made every attempt to show them he meant them no harm. The interloper, however, was a different story.
Sniffing the air again, the shepherd determined it was coming from the thick line of trees that marked the forest. A coyote perhaps? Another dog? Whatever it was, it had picked the wrong herd to stalk. No matter how fat and dumb they were, the goats were his to watch. His to protect. The idea of eating them went against his very nature, but that didn't change the fact that there was a small voice in the back of his mind telling him to lunge at them. It would be easy just a quick bite to the throat and Axel would have a fully belly. No. No, he couldn't. Ignoring the voice, he sat on his haunches and continued to guard his precious herd. Maybe he would find some scraps to eat later, when the goats returned to the protection of the trees. For now, he would do what he's always done. Watch.
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Why'o
Owi
Played by Wrennie
5 years
25"| 77lbs
Posts: 15
Likes: 0
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Post by Likal'e Tir on Apr 1, 2023 2:44:33 GMT
Likal knew that he shouldn't be here. The rails were fiercely guarded by tiny warriors of the Rithr'Flik clan, and though he knew he could punt them to the side with nothing more than a simple swipe, he knew better than to get caught. There were small herbs that grew at the edge of the forest that were much less common on the city side, or so he told Udu'e. In reality, he just needed to get away. The quake had caused him to be needed for only his medicinal knowledge as the clan stitched itself back together. For moons, it had just been trying to convince the shempsar Hara to actually take his medicine and release himself into the care of him and his twin but alas, the strange canna preferred to whinge and moan. Not that Likal could blame him. In fact, he found himself enjoying the gruff male's company more than anyone else's.
However, he was alone in his wandering today. He was hungry, and despite his god-ordained role, he would be damned if he didn't bring home some lout for the clan. Luck seemed to be on his side today as the odd smell of livestock drifted through the spring air. His stomach grumbled in appreciation for the delicacies he was about to partake in. He caught sight of the fat little things, goats, merrily munching away. The startled bleat of one of the goats was a foolish mistake on his part. In his greed, he forgot to approach from downwind and his scent must have blown all over them. Leaping out, the collie rumbled a growl out of his chest as he started to give chase. The scent of another dog smacked him in the nose as he twisted around the fleeing flock. "Are you gonna help or what?" he barked out gruffly, spinning on his heels to try and separate one of the goats. Surely with two large dogs taking down one goat would be easy.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 1, 2023 3:19:10 GMT
The dark mutt ambled along seemingly without a care in the world. He held his head and tail high and took tall steps. He was "patrolling." A black ear flicked atop his head. What a funny thing to do - patrol. What did it even mean? Thomas had barely a clue. He had been told to walk the borders and keep an eye, ear, and nose out for intruders. But, what exactly was an intruder? His main problem was that he was not sure where exactly the borders were. The trees seemed to be a good indicator as to what belonged to the Ah'mir. But, then again, the trees were beginning to disperse the further he walked.
The scent of other canna filled his nostrils. That was another thing that was very pungent within the territory, the scent of dogs! There was a sort of odd smell to them that he couldn't quite place, though the thought that they may not also be Ah'mir never crossed the canine's mind.
His tail held high like a flag at the end of his rump and his mouth hanging open in a wide smile, the young male trotted out of the foliage to converse with his fellow canna.
All of a sudden the world fell out from under him. He could no longer grasp his reality. The blunt pain that seized his side was as good as non-existent in the moment. Everything was spinning. His mind could barely grasp what was going on until he landed on his back with a solid thud. It had all happened so quickly, the shepherd took a moment to catch his breath and compose himself. Looking off in the direction of his assailant he noted their oddly familiar shape. It was a creature he had seen before - or something similar - silhouetted on a food bag in a distant memory. Lambs? That seemed right.
Laying on his back, dumbfounded, the canine attempted to twist his body to get his feet back underneath him. "I, uh... meant for that to happen," he stated in a dazed voice. "At least... I think I did. What just happened, exactly?"
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Post by Deleted on Apr 1, 2023 5:30:51 GMT
Several things happened all at once. A wild dog came bursting out of the forest and darted towards the goats. Axel didn't hesitate as he rushed at the collie sending the dumb animals in a panic race back into the trees. The smaller dog said something, but it went ignored as the bulky shepherd barreled right into him with a vicious growl. It wasn't an attack meant to kill or really hurt but more of a warning meant to stop the assault. Just as the collie went down another dog arrived only to be trampled by the charging goats. Axel watched him tumble head over tail, but didn't wait to see if he was alright. Instead, he raced after the goats and slid to a stop just before the forest.
He stood guard, making sure no one could follow his herd as they faded from view. Turning to face the strangers, he lowered his head to protect his neck as he barked a challenge at the strays. "If you want them, you'll have to get through me first."
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Why'o
Owi
Played by Wrennie
5 years
25"| 77lbs
Posts: 15
Likes: 0
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Post by Likal'e Tir on Apr 5, 2023 21:23:59 GMT
The explosion of goats was met by two similar explosions. One was of a nearby smaller black dog getting slammed to the ground by a fleeing ungulate. The second was, quite unexpectedly, Likal himself getting boofed by the very same dog he had called out to. The other dog didn't attack him though, merely bowled him over and went to stand in between him and the goats. They were all getting away! What in the name of the gods was this dog thinking??
"If you want them, you'll have to go through me first," the stranger barked out, standing defensively between the pair of strangers on the ground. Shaking the dirt out of his pelt as he stood, Likal's trademark frown fell back onto his face. "Do you have a rara for a brain? Those could be the best lout of the season and you're on their side? What's so important about a bunch of goats to you?" he barked out, laced with a growl. This could have been his chance for Navira to open her eyes and let him actually hunt rather than him doing it in secret. Now this shempsar shepherd was ruining everything!
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Post by Deleted on Apr 5, 2023 21:49:27 GMT
Thomas shook his head as he rose to his feet, his ears flopping this way and that as he did so. His confusion at the situation was not at all helped by the chance that he might have just been concussed by the fleeing lout. His orange eyes widened and his legs stiffened at the threat coming from the brindle-ish canine. He widened his own stance and lowered his head a bit, his tail straight with his spine as the stress of the situation caused a bristling mohawk of black fur to stand on end from the base of his skull down to where his tail met his rump. His ears flattened as his head swiveled to face the opposing canna as the blue merle collie barked out his retort. What the *heck* kind of situation had he just blundered in to?
The shepherd's lips pulled back in the corners of mouth before he lowered his jaw to give an appeasing smile. His tail slowly began to wave back and forth in a small arch behind him, the medium length feathers flying like a flag of surrender. He lifted his head and took a few paces towards the anatolian, his body energized with the adrenaline produced by his bluff of confidence.
"Hey now. I can see you're a big guy," he stated before pausing briefly - adding, in a hushed tone to himself, "a very big guy..." The dark mutt stopped entirely in his tracks - so much so that he still held one paw up as if he were mid-stride - as he noticed he had caught the massive brute's attention. His tail drooped slightly and he gave an apologetic grin, turning his face away from the large male and only allowing himself brief moments of eye contact so as to not appear challenging. "But, surely you don't need both of the lambs?" His suggestion was genuine though his knowledge in prey species was lacking.
He turned towards the collie. A familiar scent lay hidden on this canna's fur, though he could not quite place it. "And I actually probably most likely don't need one," he quickly added. Although Thomas was not the brightest canine, he was able to understand the simple concepts of math in this context. If there were two goats and three canna... the division was too hard to figure out so it was simply best to subtract himself from the equation. Besides, he wasn't even sure he could bring down something that size on his own. He'd be better off chasing a squirrel - although they had the habit of treeing themselves where he couldn't reach - or pursuing a rabbit - but they liked to burrow and disappear in holes in the ground. ...maybe he was best off continuing his patrol and leaving the hunting to the dogs tasked with hunting.
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