Caesar | Male | 5 y/o | Komondor Dog
Location: Amusement Park
Mentions: Directly - Ross / Indirectly - Cherokee

The instant Ross offered up the inviting welcome Caesar practically barreled forward to get a better whiff of the dogs scent. The thunderous growl that rippled through the once silent area made him slow down, stopping a few steps in front of the other canine and giving out a slight whine. Loud noises always freaked him out, and he was worried who ever was so upset might of hurt another dog. The massive overkill made the Komondor unhappy, he wanted everyone to team up and join together, they could all be happy that way! But alas, dogs never seemed to invite the open, friendly, nature of Caesar, which lead to the few patches of cords that had been bitten from his thick pelt.

Once the other broke the heavy tension with a joke, Caesar perked up quickly, closing the gap between them. His large, some what dried out nose followed the curve of Ross's spine as he took in the approximate age, gender, mood, and recent meals of the dog. There was always a long list of information that came from the scent of another, except the all important name. "Hah, ha, hi!!!" he breathed, pressing his nose on top of the dogs back, from any other canine this would be a sign of dominance, but from the corded dog it was just some weird tick he had to determine whether or not the dog was truly there. "What's your name?? Name? If you didn't have one I'd call you Ringo...You've got a zing." he stated quickly, curled tail wagging intensely, causing his cords to flick about.

East | Female | 4 Years, 5 Months | Beauceron | Loner
Location: Headquarters
Mentions: Nambia

It took her a while to get her pelt licked enough to feel dry, but once she had, East felt much better. Now that she didn't feel like she was soaked through to her skin, she felt like she should explore the area a bit. It seemed to be an old warehouse, with lots of dilapidated, disintegrating boxes, rusty old machinery, and dust. If she had to guess, she'd say they exported dust.

East stood on sturdy legs, which had stopped shaking from the chill of the rain long ago. Despite the cool air the seeped through the cracks in the walls and the front entrance, it was warmer inside, enough that she didn't need to shiver to keep warm. She passed the entrance while she went exploring and glanced out to see it was, indeed, still raining, so she turned down a corridor that led her to a large thing with wheels. It had a metal frame and a strange two pronged fork-like instrument on the front. She poked it with a paw, but it didn't move. Assuming it was safe, and boring, she moved on.

The next room held more promise. The sound of tiny clicks on the floor where pens had fallen had her padding that way, and inside the room was another dog. Hooray!

“Hi there,” she said, wagging the tiny mutilated stump that was once her tail. “Whatcha doin'? My name's East. It's nice to see another dog again. What's your name?” She spoke in a rapid fashion that betrayed her excitement. The last dogs she had seen were her parents. It had felt eerie not seeing any since then, especially in town.

NORTH | MALE | 4 YEARS, 5 MONTHS | BEAUCERON
Location: Right Outside Darkblood Camp
Mentions: Alaska, Jax, Checkers

The beauceron's face was contorted into a combination of amusement and irritation. What a terribly cheeky thing the husky was turning out to be. "Ravish in the fear of others." He clucked his tongue, his heavy paws thumping on the earth as he restlessly lifted them up and down. "That must be why I'm so thoroughly enjoying your company right now. Watch yourself, sweet girl. You might just end up somewhere you don't want to be." He motioned to the ground, using a paw to scrape at the moist soil of the earth- perhaps a rather morbid example of where dogs end up once they die. "Not like I would ever do that to you- but just because I wouldn't, doesn't mean anyone else in this land would hesitate." Halting in his pacing, he bowed his large head and extended a paw in a formal manner, looking up at Alaska with narrowed golden eyes. "My name is North, Alpha of the Darkbloods. What would be your name? Surely you aren't completely alone in these woods?" He glanced over at Jax and Checkers, barely able to keep the amusement out of his tone. North was a creature who enjoyed a good display of intimidation, whether that be through venom-laced words or a snap of fangs, but he would not turn his teeth on a lady or a child. Well, for the most part. "Regardless, I suggest you take yourself elsewhere. No room for wanderers in this part of the forest, I'm afraid. Unless you were looking for a pack to join?"

ROMAN | MALE | 4 YEARS | TAMASKAN DOG
Location: Headquarters
Mentions: Kade, East, Nambia, Checkers

He ran his tongue across his jaws, his face twisting slightly as he picked up faint traces of something iron and sharp. Their lives were filled with inconveniences, really; food was scarce to begin with and a good majority of what they could find wasn't even fit for consumption. Watching the inedible rodent scurry off into the shadows, he nodded in agreement to Kade. "Yeah, let's get out of here. Any idea of where we should go?" Forest. He predicted she'd choose the forest. He couldn't quite blame her, really. Though the warehouse was a wonderful shelter from torrential downpours there was nothing quite like the serenity of the forest; Roman couldn't help but think she slept better under the veil of leaves and foliage. As they walked, they were interrupted by the rather unwanted scent of dog, and Roman glanced into the dimness of a room to catch sight of two dogs. He found himself taking a step back, leaning moreso into Kade's side. The sight made him feel uncomfortable and on edge, curling his lip up and forcing his limbs to lock in place. Not enemies, just strangers. Don't pay them any attention. He couldn't help but inwardly think that the two females were rather lucky that he, more controlled and logical, had come across them and not his brother Checkers. The sight of two helpless dogs to torment would've likely set his sibling flying at them with snapping fangs.

VANIC | 2 YEARS | FEMALE | TURKISH BOZ SHEPHERD
Location: Softcall Forest
Mentions: Alawi

She visibly brightened when the other dog didn't advance on her aggressively, or turn away with a wrinkled nose and leave the shepherd on her own once more. She was talking to her- she was really having a conversation with her! Vanic shifted on the uneven pile of stones and fallen leaves that she had seated her rump on. "Hunting, eh? I haven't found anything in these woods for quite some time. Well, that's a lie. I just haven't found anything I'm capable of taking down! I'm quite good at scenting out rabbits though. Do you want some help? Let me help you!" Without waiting for an answer, she was jumping back to all fours, releasing the misty raindrops that had absorbed into her coat with a brisk shake. "I love the rain, the rain is cold though. Have you found a nice place to stay around here? Away from where all the crazy dogs can't get to ya? I hope you did. It's not very nice what some of the brutes around here do." Pivoting around on her hind legs, she lifted her front paws up and flopped them back down on the ground when she faced the other female once more. It was quite clear from her enthusiastic tone and actions that she was more than excited to have someone to interact with. However, at Alawi's last question, she became slightly less animated, tilting her head a little. "My name? Ah. Well. It's.. It's been quite some time since someone has called me by my real name. I was once called Vanic, though. So you can call me that."

Ross | Male | 3 Years Old | Czechoslovakian Wolfdog
Location: Amusement Park | Mentions: Directly - Caesar | Indirectly - Cherokee, Mace (NPC)

Ross forced himself to remain still as the larger male charged toward him. There was nothing about the white brute's body language to suggest he was going to attack. He merely seemed curious. Then again, looks could be deceiving, especially where Ross himself was concerned. It was simply a risk he would need to take. The unknown dog's snarling seemed to be upsetting the over-sized Komondor and Ross could only hope he wasn't the sort to suddenly snap at the first hint of violence. Mace was like that. It had only taken something as simple as the scent of blood or an aggressive bark in the distance to get her all riled up. She was a menace. A barbarian. Truthfully he was glad to be rid of her.

He couldn't help the tenseness that quickly came over his body as he felt a dry nose press into his back. Caesar's tone still remained friendly as he inquired his name however and his muscles relaxed considerably. "Well my friend, everyone has a name. Mine's Ross, but I'm not too attached to it," he replied, false amusement coloring his tone. "If you want to call me Ringo instead I can't say I'd object." A name change might actually do him some good. Ross wasn't exactly his original designation either after all. He had been called many things in his short lifetime. "What do they call you?"

------------------------------------------------

Vera | Female | 2 Years Old | Yakutian Laika
Location: Softcall Forest | Mentions: Directly - Loon

’“Not everyone out here is a monster, miss.’

She snorted at that comment, eyes visibly rolling. “Maybe, but you wouldn’t know that just from looking at a dog now would you? For all you know, I could be the worst beast this city has to offer.” She watched as his tail wagging faltered and her gaze slipped back up to his face. She kept waiting for some sort of reaction. For any kind of emotion to cross his face. It felt strange and unnatural that it remained so still and unreadable. She didn’t like it.

His eyes however seemed to light up at the mention of helping her. They seemed so friendly and warm, but there was still something very unnerving about this male she couldn’t quite put her paw on. Her ears flattened against her head and she considered snarling at him to leave her be and disappearing back into her den, yet the persistent ache in her leg reminded her she really was in desperate need of help. Vera was no medic, but even she knew this wound would kill her if it wasn’t properly tended to.

“Fine,” she finally grumbled, heaving herself outside the entrance fully. “I’ll let you help, but one wrong move and I’ll rip your throat out,” she growled, making a show of snapping her teeth in threat to match her words. The injured hind leg was held at an awkward angle beneath her, a long open gash now caked with dried blood running down it vertically. “What could you possibly do for this?” She asked skeptically.

[I have a tendency to chance formatting, so ignore my different font.]

Alawi | 3 Yrs. 7 M. | Female | Pyrenean Shepherd
Location | Softcall Forest
Mentions | Vanic

Her paws jerked as she raised her head. Alawi took a moment to straighter herself before shuffling backwards awkwardly. She had never met such a chatty dog. Then again, she had never really met many dogs. "Oh, uh sure. You can help me if you want." The shepherd couldn't move her head fast enough to catch all of the other dogs movement. "And...no, I don't have a place to stay." Turning her head away to hide her fear, Alawi continued. "Crazy dogs you say? I haven't heard about them." She stood up, and trying her best to match the larger shepherds enthusiastic tone, she yipped playfully. Bunching her muscles, she raised herself onto her hind legs and waved her paws about. Soon though, she noticed the newfound discomfort in the other dogs eyes. Alawi lowered herself back onto all fours and slowly approached Vanic. She lowered her neck and raised her head so she was staring upwards at the large canine. As if on instinct, she slightly tilted her head to the left. This time, it didn't twitch. "Hey, it's ok. You can trust me. You trust me... right? I would never do anything to hurt you." Alawi blinked and looked away, muttering half to herself, "To hurt anyone."

Loon | Male | 4 Years | Great Dane | Loner
Location: Softcall Forest
Mentions: Vera

The wind and rain around them had dissolved from his attention. Loon focused solely on this dog before him, whose name he didn't know. Try as he might to get a smile to come to his face, the nerves that worked those muscles were still dead, and not even a twitch appeared on his face. Frustrating. Communicating without facial muscles to help was a pain in the ass.

“I guess I'll just have to take a chance, miss,” he replied, shrugging. Loon was willing to bet the Yakutian Laika was mostly fur, and that he could take her on in a fight. If it didn't have to come to that, though, all the better. Battling other dogs was unnecessary in his opinion.

“Wouldn't dream of it, miss,” he murmured as she stepped out. Even from a short glance at her leg he could see how angry the cut was. The crusted blood was starting to run from the rain that dripped from the canopy above. Cautiously Loon sniffed at it, then backed up again. It didn't smell infected yet, but that wasn't a chance he wanted to take. His gaze rose to meet the Laika's as he said, “It needs to be cleaned. Lick it well while I go see if there's anything around that could be good for stopping infection. If it gets worse you could lose use of that leg entirely.”

Fear. It was a tactic he used to try to control others, but this time, he wasn't even lying. Infection could cause her to need the limb to be removed lest it poison the rest of her body, but with no veterinarians living in Chernobyl, she would be out of luck.

Loon bounded away to look for Marigold, a flower that grew low to the ground and was usually spotted by its golden color, hence the name, though orange ones were said to be better for stopping infection. He wasn't lucky enough to find that color, though, and settled for the bright yellow flowers growing around under a tree whose branches were outstretched to the sky. The Great Dane dug up about five of the flowers before picking them up in his mouth and trotting back to the lady he had met.

“Okay,” he said, putting the flowers down, 'I'm going to chew these up, and then I need to lick the juice from it into the wound. Is that alright with you?” The last thing he needed was for her to snap on him.



East | Female | 4 Years, 5 Months | Beauceron | Loner
Location: Headquarters
Mentions: Nambia, Roman, Kade

East hadn't noticed the other two dogs yet, her back still turned to them as she watched the Dalmatian in front of her climb down from the desk. Her head cocked to one side when the stranger didn't respond with words, instead having a strange yip that caused her to cough. “Are you alright?” she asked with concern, but it quickly turned to confusion as the spotted dog dug around under the wooden desk. Still, the wagging tail was a good sign, filling East with joy that she had finally found another dog, and not only that, a friendly one.

The plush rabbit that the dog pulled out was flecked with earth and dust, as if it had seen the entire city in its stuffing filled lifetime. Something was on it, though. A word. Peering closer, East tried to make out the letters. It took a few moments for the letters to click into place, since she hadn't needed to actually read anything for quite some time. As she read the letters, she spelled them out loud, “N-A-M-B-I-A… Nambia. Is that your name?”

East looked up into the eyes of the Dalmatian, waiting for some sort of response. It then dawned on her that maybe this dog couldn't speak. It would be difficult to communicate without words, but she was up to the challenge, if that was the case. Finally, she asked in a small, quiet voice, “Are you mute?”

DECEMBER | MALE | 2 YEARS | BEAUCERON X HUSKY
Location: Darkblood Camp - Amusement Park
Mentions: North, Sclera (Open for Interaction)

Drip, drip, drip..

An unwelcome sound to his senses, December shifted irritably as the silence of the room was disturbed by the constant ping of rain hitting against oily puddles at the side of the room. Left behind as usual, and as bored as could be. He was all too aware of his father's doubt in him; not to mention their differences. North was serious, and formal, and focused. Professional in his rather tainted beliefs. The world around them was not a playground, but a chance for opportunity. How could the Beauceron see the world in such black and white?

With Sclera and the small remainder of dogs left behind, he didn't find himself hesitating to excuse himself from the dilapidated ruins that was their headquarters. The slight wag in his tail as he entered the storm outside betrayed his joy, but he'd have to ensure he'd be home before his father returned. He wouldn't be happy to see December doing anything that wasn't productive or beneficial to their pack. A change in the wind and a new array of vivid scents let him know he had stepped out of Darkblood borders and was now exposed to the outside world. A terrifying place for most; intriguing to himself. The odd sight of tarnished roller coasters and broken down carts caused him to be rather unaware of his surroundings- and the scent of unfamiliar dog.

NORTH | MALE | 4 YEARS | BEAUCERON | ALPHA
Location: Outside of Darkblood Camp
Mentions: Alaska, Checkers, Jax

"What a peculiar title for someone who now roams the dark realms of Chernobyl." The tip of his tongue ran lightly over the slick surface of his teeth, looking at her with a rather unnerving glint to his gaze. Whether he was just toying with her, or his mannerisms held an unseen threat, it was difficult to determine. To the left of him, the distant chattering of his companions made his ear twitch and he could practically feel Checkers' desire to lunge at the defenceless husky and rip her limb from limb. "Alaska." His deep tone wrapped around the name smoothly, not removing his eyes from hers as he angled his head pointedly to the two other brutes who stood at his shoulder. "This is Checkers, and this is Jax. They are a few of my most trusted allies. I trust them to be quite welcoming in a circumstance of an individual joining our pack." An invitation- had he really just offered her a place with them? So easily, too. North decided it was out of immediate need- the pack required more blood, and therefore more females. Besides, she may prove to be useful in other areas. "However.." With a single swish of his tail, he pivoted around and began to walk away from the female, calling over his shoulder to her. "I'd also trust them to do what is necessary if you don't intend on offering up your services to us. We are not tolerable of trespassers." It would be up to her whether she'd follow or not. He didn't want to waste any more time standing and chatting- they had work to do at the warehouse.

VANIC | FEMALE | 2 YEARS | TURKISH BOZ SHEPHERD
Location: Softcall Forest
Mentions: Alawi

She paused in silence for another moment, her ears pricking forward with excitement. She hadn't hunted alongside another dog in quite some time- anytime, really, aside from her mother. "Wonderful! Let's get to tracking, then. What is your favourite? I'm thinking.. we'll likely have the most luck with rabbits in this area. Swift little buggers they are, though. " Lowering her large frame down, she got to work at attempting to detect any scent of prey in the area. Due to her condition, her sense of smell was not perfect, but she'd be able to pick up a bit of a trace. At Alawi's words, she halted uneasily, her forepaws awkwardly flopping over the uneven ground as she struggled to stand straight through her never ending feeling of numbness. "You.. haven't heard of them?" Tendrils of cold air whisked from the dark fur of her muzzle, "Oh, dear. Alawi.. those dogs are no good. They have teeth as sharp as razors and hearts as cold as the night. There's no way you haven't heard of them! What if you'd run into one of them and you didn't even know?" She shook her head at the thought. She'd likely end up dead. "Heh, well. Of course I trust you- you haven't given me a reason not to yet. I was just.. forgetful. I haven't been called by my real name for so long I forgot it, that's why I must've seemed so hesitant to tell you. But forget about that. Where have you come from? Have you been in Chernobyl this whole time?"