Freja | Female | 4 Years | Newfoundland | Wild Fangs Warrior
Mentions: Ashira, Dax, North, Seren, Silaluk, Vegas, Wintergreen

Freja allowed herself a few moments to calm herself. She took a long, deep breath, letting it fill her lungs to capacity before slowly exhaling. A few more of these and she felt light headed, but composed enough not to freak out anymore. She heard Ashira came back to camp—both she and Seren were hidden from their alpha's sight—and call to Dax, North, and Vegas. The way her voice sounded told the Newfoundland that something wasn't right, and she suspected that the alpha already knew what had happened to Silaluk.

In a rare moment of compassion for her, she hooked a paw around the ticked Wetterhoun pup and pulled her over to her big, fluffy chest. Freja sat down and simply held her there, and Seren, oddly enough, didn't wiggle to get away like many pups would have. It gave her some comfort to have another dog close, since Vegas was in the alpha's den with the other three dogs, and since very few of the other dogs knew her yet. She had only been with the pack a short time, so while she knew the names of all the old pack members, she still didn't know the dogs themselves.

Suddenly Dax was calling out to all the dogs, even the omega and pups. Dread clawed inside her stomach and she lowered her head silently, staring at the ground rather than the Beauceron as she nudged Seren to join her in getting closer. By the time they had reached a respectable distance, Freja had somehow found the strength to lift her gaze to what would be the new alpha male. She knew, even before they said anything, that was part of what would be said. They needed a strong dog to lead alongside Ashira. Worry gnawed her gut, though; Dax didn't particularly like her, and he could easily throw her out of the pack now that he was a higher rank. Perhaps he had forgotten the earlier back talking she did. She hoped, at least.



Seren | Female | 10 Months | Wetterhoun | Wild Fang Pup
Mentions: Ashira, Dax, Freja, North, Silaluk, Vegas

The young dog allowed herself to be pulled against the larger form of Freja, and cuddled into the soft white fur of her chest. Seren was a rather affectionate pup when she wanted to be, and this dog certainly seemed to need it. Why, she couldn't be sure, but any dog in need would get her help if she could do anything at all. While she was being held, she watched as the higher ups Ashira, Dax, North, and Vegas walked into view, only to disappear in the alpha's den.

Seren wasn't sure she liked North. He had been pretty snappy toward her when they had first met. Really, all of them had except Ashira and Silaluk. And they had both proven to be such amazing canines, especially Ashira when she had jumped on that one dog for being mean to Wintergreen. That was why the Wetterhoun pup hoped to one day be able to train under Ashira herself, and become just as great and strong.

Sometime during her thoughts dogs had started moving, and she was brought back to reality from Freja nudging her. She trotted alongside the Newfoundland until she stopped, then settled herself next to the big brown and white dog, snuggling into her side. The warrior either didn't notice or didn't mind, since she didn't make any comments or try to brush the pup off. Had the atmosphere not been so solemn, Seren would have wagged her tail at this victory. Instead, she simply waited and watched.



Adsila | Female | 3 Years | Long Haired Dalmatian
Mentions: Babael, Ryu, Snowball, Sven

Adsila whined and pulled against her owner's leash as he dragged her from the room. “No! Let me find her!” she barked at him in vain, knowing he couldn't understand her. Once the door closed to the kennels, she gave up, relenting to walk beside him silently. She knew Mingan was a kind old man and just wanted to get her out of that place, but in her heart she cried out for the release of her… were they friends? She hadn't known them long, but she felt they could be trusted. Perhaps not with everything, but with most of it. Did that make them friends, or just packmates? Regardless, they meant something to her. A lot, actually.

As they walked slowly and silently, a sudden commotion came from behind them. Both turned to see dogs rushing out of the front door of the kennels into the yard. Her tail and ears raised. The guard dog, Snowball, and two pit bulls charged the gate and had it swing open for them. The rest of the dogs swarmed out, among them Ryu and Babael. Adsila's spotted tail wagged madly at the sight, and she knew that, for now at least, they would be safe.

A tug on her leash once again made her look at Mingan, and she followed him obediently home. It had been a long day for him, so the moment that he got inside, he let her loose in the house and went to bed. She didn't wait long. The moment that bedroom door closed, she bolted out the doggy door and into the streets, reaching back in her memory to think of how to get to the metal den. It came to her after a moment, and she sprinted through the streets. Several people and dogs looked at her in a peculiar fashion, as if she had gone mad, and perhaps she had. Especially once she saw the den before her.

Skidding to a stop at the entrance, she lowered her head and called through, “Ryu? Babael?” Her heart was racing, and she hadn't noticed that Ryu was still outside or that there was the smell of two new dogs.



Rusty | Male | 4 Years | Siberian Husky Mix
Mentions: Snowball, Phoenix

“Thanks!” he barked as Snowball whacked her tail across the locking mechanism on his cage, effectively opening it as she passed. Shoving the door open he let out a loud bark at the humans that stood in the way of the swarming dogs, galloping along with the flow of them towards the startled people. He danced out of the way of one of the noose like sticks and bounced his way across the kennels and out into the yard. By the time he was there, Snowball and the two pits had already collided with the gate and had it open.

Dogs were spilling out of the pound, and he wasted no time following. He needed to find Phoenix and explain what had happened. Hopefully his dearest friend and mate hadn't been too worried for him. But what if he had forgotten Rusty altogether? That slowed his pace until the sound of a sharp whine behind him had him stumbling into a run again, ever faster until he reached the safety of the town and curled himself behind some barrels near a store.

“Where would I be if I were Phoenix?” he wondered out loud.

Ikkuma | Female | 3 Years Old | Greenland Dog | Stray
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Mentions: Ryker, Ruger, Lianna, Piper

At some point after escaping the house and seeking shelter Ikkuma must have passed out from the pain of her wounds. She woke up shoved behind a pair of the human's metal waste cans and all sounds of fighting had eased into nothing other than silence besides the persistent ringing in her ears. Her head throbbed and legs ached horribly, but Ikkuma forced herself to her paws dared to crawl back out from the safety of the alleyway. It would appear either the dogs the group had been targeting were dead and they had moved on or perhaps the attacked had managed to fight off the mongrels, though she doubted it. Mobs never ended well. She was a fine example of that, likely forever scarred from the encounter.

The black and white female slunk forward through the darkening streets. Despite her better judgment the wretched tang of blood in the air was luring her closer to the scene and her entire body stiffened when the scent mixed with the familiar ones of her friends and death. She pushed herself onward as fast as her sore body would allow and came skidding to a halt just behind Lianna. Orange eyes focused in on Piper's torn body and the world seemed to stop moving. She limped forward shakily until she was standing over the deceased Border Collie and numbness crept up her spine. She was dead... Piper was dead.

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Phoenix | Male | 2 Years Old | Silken Windhound | Stray
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Mentions: Savvy, Lucifer, Rusty

Phoenix's paws dragged as he made his way through town, loneliness washing over him in intense waves and leaving the brindled brute in despair. Any companion he made he could never seem to keep. First Rusty had disappeared without a trace and now the newest canines he had met, Lucifer and Savvy, appeared to have ditched him the first chance they got as well. His head drooped, dark nose close to the ground as he half-heartedly attempted to sniff out a meal. 'It's your own fault for being so damn pushy and unapproachable,' he reminded himself scoldingly, but part of Phoenix was afraid if he ever became close to another dog again he would rely on them too much just as he had with Rusty. He didn't want to feel that pain again once they disappeared.

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Reno | Male | 2 Years Old | Wolfdog Hybrid | Sled Dog
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Mentions: Slade, Adsila, Ryu, Aksel

Reno trailed Slade to the very edge of the woods, frowning in dismay as his gray brother paid no mind to the territory borders and vanished from his view behind the trees. Anyone with half a brain knew trespassing in Wild Fangs land meant death for the trespasser and Slade clearly had nothing but ill intent in mind by going there. Did he really think he could win against a whole pack? "Slade, come back!" He barked ruefully, but the other wolfdog did not return. Reno had not expected him to. Slade never listened, too absorbed in his own wants and the need to fulfill his violent urges. He was a buffoon and a barbarian in Reno's mind, but he was also kin. It was the only reason Reno had never turned on him yet.

Still, he refused to follow him now. Slade's fate, whatever it may be, was his own this time. Though Reno longed to plunge through the woods, to explore the home his father ruled, he would not do so without permission. It was impolite, not to mention he was in no hurry to have his throat shredded by angry teeth. The dark-furred brute padded away back into town, intent on returning to his home when a spotted female came flying past him. He stared after her for a long moment before sprinting after the Dalmatian. Why was she in such a hurry? His pace slowed to a halt when an odd metal contraption came into sight as well as the strong smell of many dogs. He crept closer more cautiously, paws gliding over the ground stealthily until he reached the trap den, peering around it in time to see a Siberian Husky confronting a smaller male carrying prey. He watched the conversation unfold quietly, ears perked forward to try and pick up what they were saying.

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Switchblade | Female | 4 Years Old | Kangal | Stray
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Mentions: None

Switchblade lumbered through the reserve aimlessly as the sky turned black, dogs scurrying out of her way wherever she passed. They feared her she knew. She was a grotesque sight with her scarred body, large size and closely cropped ears. The scent of fresh blood always clung to her due to the spiked collar around her neck cutting into her throat, creating a constant open wound of raw flesh. She had grown used to the pain as all her attempts to remove the blasted thing ended in failure. She had accepted the collar would remain until it eventually either choked the life out of her or the injury became infected. Such was fate. She would welcome death when it came without complaint. It would be her time and at least now she would die in freedom rather than locked up in a small cage or at the fangs of another dog.

((Awful intros are awful. /Flops./ Wild Fangs seem a little busy now so Switchblade can meet them later.))

Aksel / Male / 4 Years / Norwegian Elkhound
Mentions: Ryu, Snowball

Aksel looked quizzically at the Rottweiler that so kindly referred to him as a mutt, but she was gone just as soon as she came.

“Ah, good,” Aksel let out a sigh of relief. “I was afraid I had encountered the wrong kind of dog out here. Or maybe I still have?” He grinned lopsidedly at Ryu, his tone facetious, party referring to him, partly to the Rottweiler. At least he wasn’t in danger from the Wild Fangs. Ryu didn’t seem dangerous, and Aksel thought maybe he could hold his own if it came down to it, though the encounter certainly didn’t seem to be heading in that direction. “No need to apologize, I understand hesitation to trust just anyone out here.”

He pondered Ryu’s comments. Aksel was so recently left to fend for himself. He had lived just outside of the reservation with his owner, so had been spared a lot of the brutality of the Wild Fangs so far. He had heard rumors, of course, but perhaps it would be wise to accompany Ryu for the time being. Aksel suddenly had the feeling he had a lot more to learn about the Wild Fangs.

Aksel as taken aback by the dog’s offer. Such generosity he didn’t expect from many around here. “Ah-well, thank you,” he stammered, “Lead the way.” While the one of Ryu’s friends Aksel had already seen didn’t seem the most pleasant, he doubted she was as unpleasant as the Wild Fangs were sounding. He hoped.

He looked back down at his catch. The hare wasn’t much for more than maybe one and half meals, and admittedly Aksel wasn’t to the point where he absolutely needed to eat. Perhaps some of Ryu’s friends would need some of it as well.

Adsila | Female | 3 Years | Long Haired Dalmatian
Mentions: Babael, Snowball

The voice and face that popped out of the den wasn't the one she expected, and she cocked her head to the side with a single ear lifted. Her mouth opened to ask what the guard dog was doing there when Snowball moved back inside and called out to Babael, causing her head to snap back into position and her tail to wag. So her friend had gotten out! Er, packmate. Oh, who was she kidding? She liked Babael, enough to view her as a friendly acquaintance at the very least.

It was a good thing she had a sturdy stance going when Babael flew out of the den, knocking into her and nearly flattening her. Adsila laughed, a genuine sound that came from deep in her chest and heart. “My owner came and got me, but he went to sleep. I slipped out to make sure you guys got out with the others. I saw them when you all escaped.”

Her tail was wagging, and once the Newfoundland mix urged her to come into the den, she complied eagerly. Adsila waited for Babael before entering, so she could once again follow in her paw steps to make sure she didn't forget where to set foot, and once she entered the main part of the den she came face to face with not only the snowy looking Rottweiler, but a Panda Shepherd, too. “A pleasure,” she said when the two were introduced. “Where's that hard-headed Ryu gone off to?”



Rusty | Male | 4 Years | Siberian Husky Mix
Mentions: Phoenix

Rusty took deep, gulping breaths as he tried to regain his composure. He had been locked in that cage long enough that running from the pound to this part of town had winded him pretty badly. They really should have let him get out and get some exercise.

Footsteps in the snow caused his ear to twitch, and he lifted his head. He couldn't see through the barrels he was behind, so he pushed himself up on all four paws and poked his head around the side of the wide wooden barrel. A flicker of brindle pelt went by and his heart stopped. Could it be? Stumbling over his own feet to get out, he stood in amazement as he found Phoenix wandering around town. Barely able to believe it, and scared he was hallucinating, he barked softly, “Phoenix?”



Seren | Female | 10 Months | Wetterhoun | Wild Fang Pup
Mentions: Dax, Freja, Vegas

The young dog tilted her head during the speech, but it wasn't properly getting through to her. Despite being nearly a year old, this wasn't something she was used to. It was one thing to lose her mother in the snow, when she knew her mother would die from being sick. But Silaluk had not been sick. He had been strong and at least mostly healthy. And she had just seen him some number of hours ago! How could he be dead?

The memory of her mother flooded back to her, collapsing into the snow and unable to move. Seren had buried her in a shallow grave of snow to keep the scavengers from her body at least as long as it took her to get away from it. She had blocked that out, weaved lies into her mind that she was fine, and it had allowed her to act like a normal pup up until now. The black and white pup looked forlornly at Dax, but deep inside she knew that this wasn't just some sick joke.

“How can be be gone?” she asked quietly, falling against Freja.

The larger dog looked down at her and shook her head. “Because humans are cruel, little one.”

With a nudge, Freja had Seren on her feet again, shuffling her towards the doe the Newfoundland and Vegas had caught earlier that day, along with the elk the new hunters had caught and an assortment of other foods. The larger dog looked at Vegas and nodded to him, not wanting to break into Seren's mind again.

The pup tried to force some appetite into her stomach, but it had left the moment the news hit her ears. How could she eat when the first dog to be nice to her was gone? In fact, how was she even moving her paws one in front of the other? She looked for Ashira, the other one who had been nice to her, and made a move to go to her, but Freja put a large paw in the way.

“Not right now, little one,” the giant said. Seren wanted to argue, to run towards the alpha anyway, but she listened for now and continued on to the feast.

Reno | Male | 2 Years Old | Wolfdog Hybrid | Sled Dog
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Mentions: Slade, Adsila, Ryu, Aksel

Reno's ears perked, clearly surprised his brother had heeded his warning after all. "It doesn't matter that you are just looking. The Wild Fangs own the forest and they'd kill you just as soon for looking at the border as crossing it. Besides, they won't know we're Silaluk's sons just from looking at us. They'll only see trespassers," he scolded softly, eyes returning to the small group of gathered dogs. He was disappointed to find they had all disappeared into the strange metal den while his attention had been trained on Slade. "It is interesting," he replied a bit defensively. "Have you ever seen anything like this before?" He asked, nodding toward the den.

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Phoenix | Male | 2 Years Old | Silken Windhound | Stray
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Mentions: Rusty

"Phoenix?"

The Windhound nearly froze in place, a paw still raised into the air as he slowly lifted his gaze from the ground in search of the owner of whoever had just called his name. That voice...sounded so very familiar. It made his heart ache as he even considered it might belong to who he thought it did. Sapphire eyes landed on Rusty and for a long moment he just stared blankly. The world around him stopped moving. His heart pounded in his chest. This was likely just another dream, a fantasy, but it felt so real this time. His tail started in a slow wag as if uncertain the orange and white Husky standing only a few paces away was truly who he thought he was, he had made that mistake before after all. Yet,...this one knew his name. Looked and sounded just the way he remembered. The wagging increased and he suppressed a happy whine as he raced toward Rusty full force. All the anger and hurt over his disappearance forgotten in this moment of joy. He collided with the larger male with an excited bark and nuzzled against him.. If this was a dream it was the best one he'd had in a long time.

((Lame replies are lame.))