A fine... and private place., [aw]

[Magnum]

shoot first... [out of character] No comment. ... ask questions later [back in character] It was like a symphony of hallow sadness, that danced, surrounded and engulfed the land. It sang of memories and of life and death. To a dog, who knows not higher thinking, who does not grasp the concept of the end of life as the man-creature does, it was a place of return. The humans came here, to admire stones on the ground. They came in groups, in huge masses of forms. Every day there had been at least some humans here. Such a place which draws attention, unlike any street corner or park bench, is surely a mysterious thing for an animal. The place was well landscaped with carefully thinned shrubbery and shaven grass. Was. Now that the place was abandoned, there were no more humans dressed like darkness, no more caretakers to clean the yard or remove dead flowers from the tombs. The place had fallen into somewhat of disrepair. The grass had grown and was flowing gently with the wind and each step the dog took. The sundry shrubberies had become misshapen and large, no longer sculpted by man. It suited her, and she walked across the land with confidence. She had journeyed far and this would be her home now. Yet with each step she took she could smell it... the smell of rotting flesh. It was very subtle, but she knew that beneath her paws, under the foul earth there was a legion of fetid souls. The rancid scent bothered the female slightly, but she ignored it. Instead she focused on the light breeze which rippled across the terra firma. Marching slowly and deliberately she climbed the small slope up to the stone building. It was exquisitely carved yet archaic. It was obviously past its prime. Stepping on the cold marble she entered the small building. More of the smell in here, but there was a roof and it seemed very sturdy. A weather-proof sheltered was certainly a valuable asset. Setting paw back out into the open she looked around from her vantage point. It was deserted. Saffron optics observed for a minute longer before she comfortably lowered herself onto her stomach. White fur mingled with the long grass, her cranium placed comfortably upon her crossed paws. While her eyes rested her ears remained perked and alert, her nose buzzing for any sign of another life form. There she would stay, content. She was not waiting for anything, she simple was. Being.

[Kari]

Kari walked into the graveyard, she had gotten side tracked. She looked around, it had been ages since she had been here. Now it was very depressing, she liked it. The smell of another dog hung in the air. If this one called her anything but Kari she just might kill them. She wasn't in a very good mood, hell, she barley ever was. She sat, waiting. The dog would probably come at her. Her mind wondered to when the humans where here. She actually had a family.

On Christmas, Kari had been put under a tree and a big red ribbon tied around her neck. Her mother and father where outside behind the girl's house. A small girl ran down the stairs and picked Kari up. "I'll call you Kari." She said hugging her. She ran outside and saw Kari's parents. Kari explored her new home with the girl, who's name was Lucy, ran outside and played fetch with her mother and father. Kari pulled on one of the green braches above her. "No bad dog!" Lucy's mother said wagging a finger. Kari whimpered and ran to the door and watched Lucy.

The next day Lucy played with her. Then Lucy's father stopped their play. He picked Kari up. He slipped a pink leather collar on her neck. It had a small golden tag on it. It had her name on it. She ran outside to show her mother and father. Her mother had one and so did her father. Then Lucy came out and played with all of them. Then, white flakes started falling from the sky. Lucy put her mother and father in the house and Kari followed behind them. She layed down on the rug infront of the fire. Her mother sat beside Lucy's mother, watching her knit. Her father lay at Lucy's father's feet. Kari smiled to herself. Her life was perfect.

She left me. Kari thought. Lucy had always been her best friend. Then one day, when Kari came back from her little walk be herself, Lucy and her family where gone. Then she and her parents had left. She still missed Lucy. Lucy had been her best friend, she couldn't ever forget her. Though, if Lucy ever came back, Kari would bite her hand to show how betrayed she had felt. She still felt betrayed, like someone had stabbed her in the back. She pulled herself back to what was happening now. She sat quietly, waiting for the other dog.

[Blu]

Soft paws hit the rotted earth in a rhythmic motion as black auds shifted back and forth, catching every sound within range. A cricket chirped here, a rat scurried off there, an owl hooted, a cat hissed. None of the sounds meant much to her. She was concentrating much more on the scent.

Since leave the apartment, Blu had reawakened the pain of her wounds. With cracked shoulder bone and broken ribs, it was a wonder she was still standing. But Blu had been a street dog all her life. Dodging cars, getting hit by a few, and simply living dangerous. The wounds were nothing; she had experienced worse and had to keep moving to keep her life. Now, though they weren’t fatal and she wasn’t running to continue living, Blu could walk without a limp or even a wince from the pain she felt. It was all part of life.

Scenting the air, her nose finally caught the scent she had been searching for. Magnum. A fellow city dog leader and the only ally Blu could have. This had done it. Both those dogs were marked for dead. Blu would wrap her jaws around that damned male and Night could have the female, if she wasn’t already dead. She'd need help though. There had to be more than those 2 running around the country, she didn’t plan to fight them all.

Finally, the silhouette of a dog appeared and Blu slowed her pace. Trotting easily over towards the shape until it became a solid Figure she stopped dead in her tracks. "Princess? Well, Well, why are we here? I was hoping to find Magnum, but instead I came across you, how disappointing." she barked. Indeed, she had hoped it was Magnum but apparently not. Blu gave Kari a devilish, almost taunting grin. Though she was injured, the only thing that gave it away was her nearly scabbed over muzzle, the rest of her wounds were keenly hidden. Blu wanted Kari to get mad over her name, for here, there was no truce and Blu wouldn’t hesitate to kill her just as quickly as she would speak to her "Well Princess?"

[Nighthawk]

Icy blue orbs flashed as a large black and white Border Collie followed behind his leader Blu, they had gotten in a fight yesterday with a country dog and a loner. Nightwing's fur began to bristle as he thought of that stupid Border Collie, Ember, her name still burned in him like a newly started fire, but what frustrated him was that he almost found out about the other dogs name, Ember was just about to mutter it, but she stopped herself. He growled low in his throat at the thought of her getting away, and not only that but Blu was wounded in the process. They were heading out right now to go talk to Magnum, hoping to form and alliance with the other dogs. There whole plan was to take over the city dogs territory, and to drive and kill them out of the country. He smiled at the thought of no more country dogs, they were so good and it drove him crazy to think that they could beat him and Blu.


His soft pads hit the ground as he trotted behind his noble leader, and his blue orbs darted back and forth, as he was looking to see if any of Magnum's gang was around, reasy to ambush any dog that came near their domaine. His long fur was on end as he padded through the thick mist, but then a familiar scent came to his nose and he smiled, Magnum. He followed Blu but then his attention was drawn to something else, it was a small puddle of blood, he bent down and sniffed it, he was right, it was dog blood. His dark auds twitched nervously as he raced to catch up with Blu. When he got there he saw Princess and he wrinkled his nose,"Ah Princess, what an unpleasent surprise," he remarked a disgusted look on his face,"Where is Magnum," he questioned in a rather demanding tone, his patience had run out with the fight they had the other day, and he was not ready to mingle with this pathetic pooch.

[Magnum]

shoot first... [out of character] Sorry it's crap. ... ask questions later [back in character] The day had been calm and peaceful, but then, that all came to a sudden end. Lifting her cranium gracefully, the white shepherd sniffed the air intently—her most keen sense immediately alerting her to the presence of others. Stepping confidently out into the open she revealed her position atop the hummock. Staring down the small slope she saw, much to her surprise, a small congregation of dogs on what she had recently claimed as her turf. Magnum did not have to hesitate. She began to swiftly and deliberately towards the group. She did not need to be worried or reserved. She could take them. Although she did not know who they were, she would not hesitate to be the one to ask the questions. There had been talk of a war. Of animosity between the city and the country dogs. Gangs they were called. Magnum was not so concerned with war as she was with self-preservation. She wasn’t quite sure where she stood yet... it was all so confusing. Approaching the canines she quickly absorbed their appearances. There were two females and one male. All three looked miffed and indignant at each other. Two appeared to be allied, by the way they kept together, but who could be sure. Catching the last few words of the Collie, she looked from the Princess to the bitch in the middle. Perhaps...? Parting her maw as she approached she spoke in low tones, “I am here...” she allowed a small smile to crease her features, though her eyes burned with the intensity of the sun. She was no longer worried about them as a threat, all of them looked to be hurt or at least disheartened. She could feel the pain and anger in the air. It was dark in oppressive, yet she held her head high. Turning to the canine she figured was the leader she spoke again, “You are Blu, I assume? What is it you want with me?”

[Kari]

Kari glared at Blu. She wished she could jump at her and tear her to pieces. Great, I'm surrounded by a bunch of dogs I don't know and if they each turn on me I could be in trouble. "Once again Blu, I have to remind you my name is Kari. Not Princess." Kari said calmly. She knew what Blu was trying to do. And she wasn't going to fall for it. Even though she hated being called a stupid name like Princess, she wasn't going to get herself killed over it. But what if she could beat Blu? She was a good fighter, and quite fierce when you get on her bad side, and her bad side was quite touchy. Though not a growl excaped her maw, she still wanted to tear Blu to pieces.

She decided to let these three talk, after which she would talk to the new dog, Magnum they called her, alone. She could actually stand to be within five feet of this one. Blu had gotten into a fight, she could tell. She didn't comment. Her father taught her when to keep her yap shut when the time was right and this was one of the times. She saw, out of the corner of her eye, a crow. She hid her smile. Control yourself Kari. She thought. She would like nothing better right now than to jump at the crow and tear it to shreds. It was weird how she enjoyed killing so much. She really loved killing birds.

She would also like to jump at Blu. But she did not. She controlled herself and looked at the ground. She remembered coming to this place when Lucy's grandmother died. Everyone was dressed in black and where all crying. She had just stayed at Lucy's side and stared at the ground. She nearly growled thinking of how Lucy just left her. Keep your mouth shut! She told herself angrily. Her anger grew how she thought of Lucy. The little brat just left after all that Kari did for her. Kari cheered her up, stayed with her no matter what, put up with all the stupid baby talk, stayed by her side when she was sick, and how does the little brat repay a loyal dog like Kari? Leaving her on her own. If she ever saw Lucy again she wouldn't just bite her hand, she would tear it off. She hid her anger from the other dogs, which she was very good at. And remained quiet.

[Blu]

Blu stood waiting for an answer from Kari when she heard footsteps behind her. She had no need to look, for she knew already whose they were. As night made his comment, Blu turned to glare at him with a "Keep your mouth shut" kind of look before turning back to Kari.

"Once again I have to remind you, Ill call you what I please" Blu snickered. Kari, she wasnt seen as a threat, ally, enemy, friend or anything else but another dog on the street. Sure, she wanted to fight her, she wanted to fight every dog, and would if Kari ever made a move. But as for killing her? Nah, not if she could avoid it. Like it or not they were on the same team now, war was on its way and it had no room for inside fighting.

She kept up her little smirk at the dog until another voice tore her attention away. Averting her gaze to look at the voice's owner, her crystal blue gaze fell on Magnum and her long maw twisted into a smile. "Hello Magnum"

Her gaze evenly met the white dogs. Sure, it was a challenge to stare another dog in the eyes but her own orbs did not show with need to fight. Instead, they shown with the knowledge that both were equal in equal positions with equal power. It also showed that Blu would not be taken for any sort of fool and demanded respect from magnum, regardless of the circumstances.

With that much made clear, Blu respectful moved her gaze away and made it a point to keep her head lower than Magnums but no other sort of submission could be found "Indeed, I am the one they call Blu. Excuse my torn appearance" of course, she was referring to her muzzle which was still a little open but cleaned "But, it is part of a reason to talk to you. Magnum, We have a certain need to discuss things, do you care if we speak about matters now?" she barked.

Without waiting for an answer, Blu turned back to Night and Kari "Take her over there and talk for a while. Learn a bit more about her if you can, she'll be one of our allies." she murmured to night and turned back around to wait for Magnum's reply with a "well?" expression on her face.

[Zodiac]

White paws stepped lightly on the hard ground. His icy blue eyes scanned the scene before him. There was four other dogs in front of him. Two seemed to be alphas, the other two, one apart of a gang, the other just a loner. Why would one alpha want to talk to another? Really, he was going to try and see if the alpha that belonged here would let him in to her pack. He had lived most of his life in a city, and so was looking for a place to call home. A few stupid crows talked about another dog pack out here, so he came to investigate. It seemed as if the crows were right after all. Zodiac had nothing to say really about this place. It seemed like home to him, and he didn't mind. If the alpha here would let him in he would accept this place as if it were heaven. At least it was better than the place he lived in before.

Zodiac let off a soft growl that no one could hear. His neck felt as if it were burning, as if he was carrying a heavy weight. His eyes narrowed in disgust of still having the stupid war ollar on. Every one here would know what he wore, and would probably blame him for working with humans. Not like he would care much about that either. The silver collie was strong, and was tough enough to fend off any opponent. Right now he was a loner, all he could do was listen to his own conscience. It was different for him though, by doing what he wanted. He was a bit off and need a leader. As long as the humans stayed away from him he was ok, and that was why he came here. Maybe here he will be accepted into a pack, but maybe not.

Zodiac waited for the alpha's to get through talking before going up to them and ruining there conversation. Instead he will just go talkk to the others. They couldn't blame him for being here, one was just a loner. The other brute belonged to a totally different pack, and this was not his land to boss loners around on. If that were the case the silver collie would make sure this other brute got the memo. To go onto some one elses land with and then act as if he lived here. Disrespectful, even the other alpha was being disrespectful. First calling a loner the wrong name on purpose, then to say she could do what ever she wanted. That was not some thign a dog could just do, not even the humans were that low. But then again, it was not Zodiac's place to make judgements here. All he could do was wait till the other two dogs moved away from the alphas enough where he could talk to them without having to interupt the leaders.

(OOC: just act as if he isn't there... Zodiac will come to Night and Kari and all... i do not want to disturb Blu and Magnum right now.. i just want them to post on)

[Nighthawk]

Nightwing's jaw dropped in surprise at his leader's remark of leaving her to talk to Magnum alone, he didn't want to talk to this pup, and he definatly didn't want to get to know her, but an order is an order and he put on a grim face as he trotted away from Blu. He sighed when they were out of ear shot and he looked at the dog by him,"Well, so what are we supposed to talk about," he asked, his tone of voice was not friendly at all but rather bored. His eyes narrowed as he looked at her, she wasn't an ugly dog just he wasn't a friendly dog, and the last time he got to know someone, he fell in love and she left him all alone. He wasn't about to make that kind of commitment until he got to know the dog better. His mind trailed off to his former mate, she was beautiful. Her fur was the co.or of the setting sun and her eyes were warm and welcoming, and Nightwing was not always the hatful dog that he is today, he was the same as her. When she left thats when his life turned upside down. He then turned his back on the world, because he felt that the world had turned it's back on him. He snaped out of his past trance and looked at the dog in a rather sad way.

[Kari]

Kari sighed and trotted after the other dog, leaving the two alone to talk. She sat down and galred a bit. She did not like this at all. "Well for one thing you can start with getting my name right." She said glareing. "It's Kari." She saw the saddness and in the dog's eyes and backed off. She wasn't heartless, she just wasn't exactly friendly. Since Lucy just left her behind Kari didn't trust anyone. She really hoped this male wasn't an idiot. Even though she liked males, they could be pretty stupid. Seems like every dog in this city is depressed in some way. She thought. Kari herself wanted a lover, or at least a friend. "You know... when you've been alone for a long time you heart becomes very hard... it's happened to a lot of dogs here already..." She said quietly.

Why she brought that up she didn't know. She didn't look at the dog while she spoke, she kept her eyes on the ground. Now she really didn't like this. She wasn't exactly the dog with the most friends. She was actually talking about herself along with a few other dogs here. She didn't know how long she had been alone. Though it would be nice to see her friends from so long ago. When she was at the pet store. Her mind trailed off to the last game of chase. Then she brought herself back to real life. She lost count long ago for how long she had been alone. She left her mother and father shortly after Lucy left them, which was when she was about a yearling. Once again she had to catch herself before looking like a big idiot.

Her brown eyes did not look up at the dog. They stayed locked on the ground between Kari's front paws. She did not want to make eye contact, or even look at the dog. She really began to wish she was not here. Way to go. You once again reached your life's goal to look like a moron. She told herself angrily. She hated herself, she hated how she looked, she hated how she acted, she hated how strong she was, she hated every bit of herself. She was angry, she wanted to go kill herself, there was that crow.... Nah, just make her look like even more an idiot. She dig her claws into the dirt. Her anger and hatred burned in her, she hated herself, she hated Blu, she hated all the dogs around her, she hated birds, and she hated Lucy. Espically Lucy. She tried to hide her feelings, and looked pretty convincing. Considering she had a lot of practice.

[Nighthawk]

Nightwing sighed and tears welled up in his eyes, his former owner had been abusive, and he treated Nightwing like a cardboard box, so Nightwing left his home and lived in the city. He had grown to it, and had turned his back on the humans, he got real dark and mean and he trusted nobody. Then Blu came along and asked him to join her gang and to fight against the country dogs to take their territory. He had his decision quickly and he joined her, but he found out that things were going to be different.


He turned his gaze to Kari and he saw that her head was bent to the ground, he closed his eyes and and dug his own claws into the dirt. He opened them again and they were burning with a whole new kind of fire,"Quit draging your head like that, your a beautiful dog and you coudl really make a difference in the world, if you set your heart to it," he growled low in his throat so Blu would nto hear, the last thing he needed was her hearing him to incourage another to run agaisnt them, but he had to take the risk.

[Zodiac]

Zodiac watch the two lower ranked dog back away. As soon as they were far enough away they seemed to have a conversation going on. The silver collie couldn't hear much of what they were saying, but another smell came to him. Maybe the smell of another dog, it was hard to tell. Before he knew it though the smell had left again. Must have just been the wind, he thought. His gaze turned back to the other two dogs, and before long Zodiac stepped forward. He made his way to the two lower ranked dogs and stopped only a few feet away from them. Sitting down he didn't say anything.

The only time Zodiac was going to talk here was when he met the alpha. None of these dogs belonged to this pack and he just didn't really want to be the first to talk. He looked one dog over, a fea with a black pelt. She seemed nice, but what did he know? He had seen a lot of nice creatures that only turned out to hurt him. The other dog, a large brute, seemed a bit sad. Zodiac didn't even give the slitest hint as to ask why. Even he had his own secrets only he wanted to know about. Both these dogs could be the same way. The only thing he could do right now was scratch his neck as his collar gangled with the movement. Stupid peice of human... Zodiac had to take a few deap breathes before looking back at the other two again. He would have yelled that out too, how close was that?

[Kari]

Kari smiled a bit and looked at the dog in front of her. There was another with them now, another male. Her eyes fell on his collar, looks like he had been a pet too. Kari's collar was long gone. After Lucy left her and her mother and father they went out on the streets, Kari's father was so disgusted he ripped her collar off, as well as her mother's and his own. She couldn't belive her old collar used to hang proudly around her neck. Now it was probably on the ground some where covered in mud. She yawned, she didn't get any sleep the night before. She wasn't that tired though, she barely ever was tired. Thankfully the two brutes didn't seem to be idiots.

"Quit dragging your head like that, your a beautiful dog and you could really make difference in the world, if you set your heart to it." She played that sentence over in her head. As if no one had called her beautiful before, either it was love sick brutes or her mother telling her that her beauty was a gift. Though, she had never really thought of making a difference, what the hell could she do? She was a fae with a pretty face and a good fighter? What was she suppose to do? Stop the war? Yeah right, one dog could not do that. And she didn't really think the country was the country dogs' land, or the city dogs' land. But what the hell was she suppose to do? Her mother did say everyone had a perpose... Kari just always thought her's was to be alone.

"Remember Kari, each of us came from a wolf. We may not look it now, and we may never will, but inside each of us burns the spirit of a wolf. It's just your job to keep it burning." Was what her mother told her. She never really understood her, spirit of a wolf? She was a mixed breed, born in a pet shop, lived with a human, then lived on the streets. And she had the spirit of a wolf? Sometimes she wondered if her mother was sane. She still wondered to this day what she meant. Sure she knew that a long time ago her family was in a wolf pack. But she never thought of it. Every dog sitting here before her came from a wolf. "You will understand that when you see your life's calling." Her fath had injected. Life's calling? What the hell did that mean? She was pretty much convinced she wasn't really put here to do anything. Just to live life. She looked at the brutes. Then she realized she didn't know their names. "You two got names?" She asked.

[Nighthawk]

"Yes my name is Nightwing, and yours might be," he asked and turned his head to the newly arrived dog. His icy blue orbs glowed in the setting sun and his auds were pricked in any sign of danger ro of any other dogs, especially Blu, if she found out he was just giving his name to anyone she might get a bit testy. He looked at the headstones and he narrowed his eyes, he hated the stupid things they were so depressing and sad and he just could not stand to be in their presence for very long, but he had grown used to the depressed times and lonley life in the dark city. A soft wind ruffled his fur and he closed his eyes to breath in the soft scent of the nearby trees and the forest not to far away. He sighed and looked at Kari, she seemed to be a very nice dog seeing as where she lived, and the kind of dogs she hung out with, but he couldn't object because he lived with Blu and her gang of killers.


Some times he just wanted to leave and go live in the country as a lone dog, but something always drove him back to the city, maybe it was because he was born there, or because he had not yet fufilled his purpose in the dark tall city. Whatever the reason he was just glad he could choose whatever he wanted to be, and nobody could tell him other ways. His mind trailed to Blu, she was probably the only person who could stop him, and it really scared him, she was a mean brutal dog and if he betrayed her she would surely hunt him down and he would be no more. He snapped out of his trance and stared at the two dogs, maybe all the loners could ban together and take out the the city dogs, or make them understand that the city did not belong to them and the country did not belong to the country dogs, but they belonged to all dogs and that they needed to understand that they need to settle their disputes.

[Kari]

Kari didn't know why, but she remembered something an old dog told her a long time ago, "Don't let anyone ever tie you down. You and you alone control what you can and can't do. He had said. "You know, no one can tie you down. You alone can make your own choices. You alone can control what you can and can not do." She said in a low voice so that only Nightwing could hear. "But you didn't hear it from me." She said smiling. This Nightwing, he was ok in her book, not like all the other idiot dogs she ran into. She glanced at Blu, Blu seemed like the dog who would tie someone down like that. then she understood what her mother meant, they each where put here to be wild and free, not to be tied down or put in a pet shop.

Maybe she shouldn't join a pack. Remain a loner.... It wouldn't be that bad. What if she just wasn't meant to live with other dogs? It wasn't to late to turn and go. What of this dog wanted to tie Kari down? Yeah right like she would stay then, she'd run off, never to come back again, ever. If the dog wanted to hunt her down, the heck with it, turn the beautiful beast off and turn on the fierce fighting machine she was. She wasn't afraid of anything or any body. And if she went down she was certainly going down with a fight, and taking any dog with her. She was considered nice compared to the other dogs around her. Hell, if she was a nice one, she'd hate to see a mean one.

She looked at all the tomb stones, a bit depressing really. She yawned and looked at the setting sun. If this was going to drag on through the night she was just going to go and find a place to sleep, she was tired, she didn't get a wink of sleep last night and she wasn't going to miss another night of sleep. She hid that she was tired, and just like with her feelings, it worked perfectly. She loved night as much as a vampire did. She looked at the newest dog, her brown eyes resting on him, waiting for him to state his name.