The Empty Road Home [Open]

[»Rie]

Idly the stout little creature lifted a front paw and scraped her claws against the base of the hefty door situated at the front of the house off the living room causing the portal blocking nuisance to shift in it's frame slightly. Turning her head Tipsy let her mournful gaze sweep over the room to where her human was fidgeting at the couch, the TV muted and displaying a flurry of activity: She could hear dogs yapping away on screen, and though not really make out what they were on about. Long floppy ears twitched back, and with a gusty sigh Tipsy got her legs beneath her and drifted over toward her human, uncaring of the fact that the tips of her long ears dragged against the wooden floors. Plunking her bottom down as she came up alongside the human woman's ankle Tipsy offered a low whine.

Her human jerked slightly as though coming out of a trance and looked down at her, offering the basset hound a tight smile, "Oh, Tips, do you miss him to?" She asked sadly, reaching out and rubbing a hand over the dog's head, causing her ears to flop around. Tipsy wuffed softly, tongue slipping out to dangle a bit from her mouth. Tilting her head back she lapped at her human's wrist, then stood up to todder back toward the door. Behind her, the sound of her humans laugh echoed in the room, "Oh all right, I'm coming munchkin." Her human's long legs allowed her to pass the dog by on the way back to the door, so Tipsy picked her pace up bounding forward then skittering crazily on the linoleum before the door. Her human was laughing again, and Tipsy allowed herself a doggish smile, tail wagging jauntily. The door opened allowing a wash of fresh sunlight to spill into the room. "There you go, I'll go make some more calls..."

Tipsy wandered out onto the front porch blinking her doe brown eyes against the bright morning sunshine. Well kept claws clicked mutedly against the white washed wood as she drifted over toward the front steps, stopping where the porch ended and with a low sigh she plopped her rump down. Tilting her head back Tipsy stared up at the sky above her. Fat clouds scudded across the heights, curling out further tendrils as they slowly transformed: dancing and mutating. Fascinated she watched them for several long seconds before turning her gaze the down; the faint rattle of her dog tags breaking the relative peace that surrounded her.

Her human's, and her home was one of the smaller ones in the area. She'd noticed over her time that most of the humans here lived in family packs, her human didn't. Well, unless you countered herself and Jerry, wherever the little horror was. He'd gone off before she could stop him. Groaning softly she allowed her forepaws to slid forward and flopped bonelessly down, her head resting between her stubby little legs. The tips of her forepaws jutted over the edge of the veranda, and sunlight coated her hide thickly, warming her. Letting her eyes droopy closed she let out another gusty sigh, slowly inhaling the scents of the world around her: a picture forming in her mind of the vicinity. Other dogs, humans, food stuff, it all came to her. Shifting her haunches, she splayed her hind legs to the either side of her rump and settled in for a nice lay in the sun.

Her human was worrying herself greatly lately. Ever since Jerry had gone off on his grand little adventure. She, to, was worried. Should she wait it out, and stay here; wouldn't Jerry come back soon? Should she take the chance, and go look for the wayward corgi herself? Her human's attempts hadn't been very fruitful, it seemed. If she left she'd cause her human more worry, more stress. She didn't really want that, but Jerry attracted trouble faster than a garbage can attracted rats. Rolling onto her side the basset flipped her head just right to cause one long, floppy ear to fall across her closed eyes, furthering the darkness cast over her irises. It was going to be another long day, it seemed.

[» cyanide]

The scruffy male slowly sauntered down back roads, all filled with pristine houses, on the verge of being claimed the new ‘multi-million dollar home’. His lips parted slightly as a sigh escaped his jaws. Not like he was trying to get a home by following Tipsy. He really was very hungry, though seeing his one and only companion in this town would be nice as well. If a human came out while he was visiting, he’d most likely run unless they came baring gifts.

Apollo’s medium sized frame sped up as the slight breeze blew the floppy dog’s smell his way. A large smile plastered itself on his snout as he wheeled around the corner, legs ablaze with the lust of seeing the female again. His eyes captured the sight of Tipsy lazily moving about the front porch, until finally situating herself near the stairs. Apollonios’s legs skidded to a halt. Standing there in the middle of the street he needed a reason why he came to visit her. He didn’t want to be known as a free loader or anything.

Grumbles escaped his tiny smile, still clinging to his features. He had a plan. Apollo’s legs took him off in a moderate trot, carrying his body straight down the street and up the concrete path to the stairs, where Tipsy was laying on the top one. “Morning ma’am.” He breathed, shaking off his pelt, which didn’t go too well considering he was matted, dirt crusted, and sap drizzled. Not to mention a few other things stuck in there like twigs, small pebbles, leaves. He looked very rugged for a dog of his demeanor.

“What’s the little corgi look like? I’m sorry for my abrupt visit to your home, but if one’s looking for a friend looks are the most important thing.” He fibbed softly, allowing his body to clamber up the steps and plop beside Tipsy’s relaxed pose. This was his buddy, his only pal.

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[»Rie]

The first clue that she had a visit was the quick staccato rhythm of claws on pavement, becoming increasingly easier to here as they drew closer. She didn't, however, move an inch until a low voice bid her the morning; at which point Tipsy lifted her head, and gave it a shake to move her long floppy ear from where it had fallen across her droopy eyes. Her baleful brown gaze fell upon Apollo as he came up the walkway, and her droopy features immediately broke into a gape mouthed grin, tongue poking cheerfully out from among the sagging folds of her muzzle. Her droopy eyes crinkled happily to see her recently made friend dropping by for a visit, "Good Morning, Apollo." she greeted as though this whole thing was a routine affair; her tail thumped solidly once or twice against the wood of porch creating a hallow thumph sound.

When he voiced his inquiry about Jerry she closed her mouth, head tilting to the side causing some loose folds to flatten out, and more to appear in a different place; a single long pendulous ear sliding against her stocky fore legs. She appeared to contemplate the inquiry staring blankly off toward a large yellow daisy nodding in a flower pot somewhere to the left. When the scruffy stray flopped down next to her she jerked her gaze back into focus, and turned her head to regard him with her soulful gaze, "Oh, yes, of course." She murmured almost absently dropping her head to rest on over her foreleg, gazing upward at him for several long seconds before her eyes drifted to half mast. The sunshine did feel so nice, really. "You know those big dogs, like that black male the other day? Only lighter?" She questioned, pausing only faintly before continuing. "Jerry has markings like them, but other than that he's just a corgi."

[» cyanide]

Apollonios’s worn amber pools idly watched her reaction to his question, of course he needed to know, but that wasn’t the exact reason he was here. Closing his eyes, as she seemed to daze off, he allowed his jaws to gape letting a long yawn followed by a high-pitched whine-like noise escape his jowls. His body once tense seemed to relax a bit as she reasoned his looks harmonically in his scruffy matted ears. His forepaws stretched forward as he let himself fall to his side, his cranium laying half way on the top step, forepaws pushed towards the droopy female. “That’s easy enough, a miniature Police Dog.”

[/b] He joked his pink tongue falling out of his maw and hanging in a comical smile.


Dull auburn orbs skimmed over the saggy skinned female beside him. His once comfortable position upon the porch grew stale quickly, sitting up his back paw pulled up behind his ear, itching around his neck, until his claw met the open skin and sent him whining. Apollo, startled and slightly hurt shook his head, trying to rid himself of the nasty sliced feeling. The gouge around his throat was caked with mud and other unwanted items, leaving it slightly enflamed and very achy. “God that hurts.” He growled lowly to himself pulling his head one way and letting Tipsy have a look at exactly what he was whining about.
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[»Rie]

Tipsy gave a soft chuckle; the laughter make her stout body shake slightly, and her head bobbed in agreement, "That's one way you could put it, I suppose." Was her amiable response. Her doe brown eyes stared contemplatively at a passing cloud for several moments before Apollo's quiet whine drew her attention away from the fathomless sky. Her head tipped to the side, wrinkles sliding loosely against her skin. Tipsy scrutinized the laceration with kind eyes, the huffed out a sigh, "I should take you to my human, you know." She informed him, though not unkindly, "but I'm not silly enough to think you'd allow that, at this time." She somehow suspected that the scruffy male wouldn't be overly keen on the idea just yet; then again she could be wrong. From her experience most stray's didn't take well to humans to quickly.

Hefting herself up into a sitting position she thrust her cold, damp nose against the skin and dirty fur behind Apollo's ear, careful of the tender skin, she nudged him a couple times, "Lay on your side, and let me see to it." Pulling back she looked at him with those baleful basset eyes of hers, "Unless you're interested in getting sick and rotting from within."

Then, as she waited for him to flop over so she could work at cleaning the wound up a bit she added in a conversational way, "I'm pretty sure those other dogs thought me silly, they think Jerry will've gotten himself killed by now. I figure I'd know if that boy got himself killed, he's almost like a son to me; I've been cleaning up for him that long." She grinned in that tongue showing way of hers, saggy eyes nearly disappearing into the folds of her skin. "I can't have pups of my own, so it was nice to raise Jerry, I think had I been able I wouldn't have minded a litter or two." She left it open, hoping to get the stray to talking so that, when she worked on his laceration he'd be less likely to notice the full sting of the pain.

[» cyanide]

Apollo’s soft russet eyes glanced over her as she offered taking him to her human; he wouldn’t respond to that, yet. He groaned and moved to his side as she’d requested and pushed his neck up slightly; so the gash spread causing him to wince, of course a mutt like him didn’t have many manners, but he didn’t want to ‘rot from within’. As she filled the silence with her droning voice he listened intently.

He let out a long sigh in pity; “I’m sorry to hear that, did the humans cut you… uh down there?” He questioned feeling rather silly that he wasn’t man enough to say exactly down where though he brushed it off quickly. “I hate how those pink–skinned low life’s can just get off the hook with maiming dogs. Tails are meant to be long unless you’ve grown a small tail, also ears are meant to be floppy unless of course you’re born with perking ears.” He declared feeling rather ill that those two-leggers could get away with practical murder.

The scruffy male sighed and laid down his head once more, but this time more gently so his gouge didn’t hit the porch and send him into soft whines which sounded so pitiful.

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[»Rie]

Scooting closer to the other dog's side Tipsy once more thrust her cool nose among the scraggly strands of his matted fur, her breath easing over the angry red skin of the laceration as she sniffed for the scents of infection in it. There was the distinct smell of dirt, and open wound, and other such things; but it didn't seem to be very infected; yet. That was all luck, she lifted her head, snorting and houghing lightly to expel the scents from her nostrils, "All you're luck is grave yard luck?"

Lifting a fore paw she rested it on the male's shoulder, a quick way to apply her weight if it came down to it. Nosing gently at the rough fur around the edges of the wound she let her tongue swipe out, passing over the tender flesh gently but insistently; the acrid taste of dirt, old blood, and dead skin. She gave the wound a few passes before she answered his inquiry, "Yes, when I was very young... Before my human bought me off the breeder-people." She lifted her head for a moment, and gave him a wrinkly smile. "They said I had bad genes." Turning her head back to her work she snuffled softly about the wound, lapping at the points that scent directed her to cleanse further.