Two is More Than One [Kyza]

[koraun]

It's Kez.

The water was disturbed very suddenly, the source sending ripple waves out in a circle. After several minutes, the water stilled. Her reflection glared back at her, glittering in the sunlight of the afternoon. Ever so quickly, a white paw shot out and struck the water with a sucker punch. Little silver droplets flew everywhere, soaking her face. The femme turned away, glancing at the water once more before heading out. She returned to the sheltering tree she had been sleeping at for the past few days. The large beauty turned circles swiftly, eventually plopping down in a graceful fashion. Her orange-and-white head dropped to her outstretched paws. The Akita let out a deep sigh of boredom. Nothing ever happened around here. It was a good place to be, but boring. What, with all those pampered I'm-better-than-you dogs taking up all the space with their high-and-mighty airs, it was a wonder why she wasn't sick already. Rolling her amber eyes, the dog stared out distantly at the water. As she lay, her thoughts drifted to someone very close to her, whom she had known her whole life. Shaking her head, she couldn't help but snarl at herself. Zeek was gone, with only a last word to return. Rolling on her side, the orange-and-white Akita stretched her legs out. She needed someone to talk to. Someone to fight with, just mess round with. She needed...a friend.

[geitz]

The sun shone overhead, filtering down through the trees and washing the world in light. The area was peaceful, the wind rustling the leaves of the trees to make it seem as if they were talking to each other, whispering of the past, the present, or things yet to come, all while housing the twittering birds who chattered among themselves, and shadowing the furry creatures that lived underground, hiding until the large shadow of a threat moved by. The underbrush was littered with twigs and berries, leaves both new and old, making traveling tough for the multi-colored form slinking by, flitting from tree trunk to tree trunk. She was of average height, and yet very small, she took up little space...she was so skinny from lack of food.

Kyza was terrified of wandering into human territory, she didn't know where to look for food, and those wretched humans were everywhere, just waiting to drive her out. So she came out here, finding it was just as scary. It was so open, it could hide any number of dangers. She didn't want to call much attention to herself, but she was still new two the world, she didn't know how to walk silently, she couldn't help it that she broke every twig that happened to cross her path, or crush every leaf, or stumble into a berry bush when she was looking for predators.

Finally, battered, bruised and hungry the young Kyza came to the end of the trees. She nervously looked out...there was nobody around...tentatively she revealed herself to the sunlight, prodding forward and looking around until she practically fell into the stream. She yelped loudly and spun around...she froze...and waited...nobody heard that...right? Slowly she turned to the stream, lowered her head and took a drink, her long tongue lapping up the water greedily. It was cool and refreshing, but it didn't replace the emptiness in her stomach, that basic desire for actual meat, for sustenance. Still, she drank and drank, and she eventually forgot about looking for strangers.

(I give you permission to powerplay)

[koraun]

It's Kez.

Startled beyond belief, the painted female jumped up when she heard a splash in the distance. Ears perking, she rolled herself over so she lay on her stomach once more. Her orange ears swiveled in the direction of the splash, but she heard no more. Her curled tail twitching in annoyance that she had been shaken from her light nap, the fuzzy beast groaned slightly she she pulled herself to her haunches. Stretching out like a cat, she parted her jaws to drink in any scent that might be coming toward her. Quickly, she picked a trail up, and curiously began to follow it. Her search ended nearly right as it started. On the other side of the lake, she easily spotted something in the water. Tilting her head, the Akita watched quietly. Sitting back on her haunches, she waited as what seemed to be a wild dog pulled herself from the water. By how skinny the poor thing was, it was obvious that she needed a good meal. Instinctively, she would have offered help, but all instincts were gone, away with her morals. So, she ended up watching as the skinny, no dripping wet, femme, pulled herself from the water and settled on the bank to drink. Quickly, the Akita grew bored and became curious again. Stepping lightly, she made her way so that she stood directly across from the wild dog, just on the other side of the bank. "Greetings," she snarled easily.

[Maybe ♫]

Darthyn ;;
The Hound of Blood and Rank

A warm shaft of sunshine broke through the canopy of trees above Darthyn's head and sent a tingling warmth through his entire body. Smiling, he eased himself up from his laying position by the gorge and yawned lazily. He blinked his heavily-lidded eyes rapidly, then shook his fur in an attempt to wake himself. After he had stretched and yawned a few more times, he sat his rump back on the dusty earth, commencing to giving himself a thorough grooming. But as soon as his long pink tongue made contact with his steel-gray fur, the male recoiled in disgust.

Erlack! He wrinkled his nose at the taste, letting his dejected tongue loll out from between his parted jaws, trying to air it out. How long has it been since I bathed!? He thought grumpily, hoisting his massive form up once again. He honestly didn't remember the last time he'd gone for a swim, and after a while, tongue baths were useless against such grime that had accumulated upon the brute. He rolled his shoulders in a doggy-like shrug, and began padding forward, heading south, toward the lake that covered a large expanse of the gorge.

As soon as the crystal surface of the water broke into his view, he heard a rather loud splashing noise, like someone was having a merry old time. Deciding that it was much too soon after he'd woken up to have a merry old time himself, he trotted slowly down to the riverbank, his mangy coat rippling over finely toned muscles. He paused before the shore, where the silver water gently kissed the muddy bank, then fell back into the depths, making a plethora of ripples each time. Gingerly, he smote the black surface of the lake with one giant paw, and before long, he had waded into the frigid water as far as his knees, chilled to the core.

He muttered ominously to himself, cursing the winter time, but also feeling relieved that, at least, the last of the snow had melted away. Spring had only just started, but it felt as if winter was endless. He crooned his neck and began lapping at the surface of the water, his dry, rough throat burning gratefully as the freezing substance poured down into his belly. Taking one last drink, he lifted his head slowly, water dripping from his formidable jaws. His ears pricked up. there was another splash. Looking around cynically, he spotted two dogs, and was instantly surprised that he hadn't noticed them before. They looked to be strays, so Darthyn felt it was safe to approach them. After he'd finished his bath, of course.

He waded farther into the depths and finally submerged his entire mass. He swam about for a while, but then resurfaced and padded onto the shore, his short gray coat sopping wet, but remarkably lighter in color than before. As he hoisted himself up out of the water, he padded slowly over to the two dogs, females, by the scent of it, and sat down a few tail-lengths away. As he began to lick his fur, smoothing it out, he kept his steady amber gaze on the two canines, watching for any tom-foolery or possible skull-duggery.

[geitz]

"Greetings" Kyza froze, her blood iced over colder than the lake. How could she have been so blockheaded to not notice her surroundings? She tried to reason with herself, fool herself into believing there was nobody there, that way she didn't have to look up...that was foolishness, she had to look up, a deep-throated growl like that could not be just her imagination, or the rippling of the lake. There could be so many things meant in that one word "Greetings", but the way the femme said it, it wasn't good.

As Kyza slowly lifted her gaze and saw the figure on the opposite bank. She didn't look friendly...Kyza didn't think anybody looked friendly, but her legs, her coat, her fangs...gulp...and her eyes...Kyza never got a chance to look at her eyes, she literally leapt straight into the air and scrambled over her own tail to back away to the cover of the trees, certain she would be followed. "Please don't hurt me, I'm sorry for intruding, it won't happen again I swear!" She paused behind a tree with her tail between her legs and her heart beating faster than a human car. She didn't want to get hurt, she wasn't good for anything but running. She never even saw the brute down the bank a ways.

[koraun]

Kez;
The cold female
The four year old
The Japanese Akita

For a slight moment, the female lost what she was thinking about. Lost track of the skinny dog in front of her. Her ears flicked to the side as she picked up another scent down the bank. Soon she figured out what it was. Several tail-lengths away sat a large, dark mutt. He was staring straight at them. Tilting her head, she forgot about the wild female across the stream until she began to speak. The Akita's amber eyes sparkled with laughter. You could hear how scared she was. Her voice wavered at almost every word. Turning her head back to the female, she waited until she was in the shelter of the trees to reply. "Foolish girl. These are not my parts, however much I wish they were. I'm not going to hurt you unless you provoke it child." Then she left the bank, her paws wet from standing there, and came toward the mutt. From the looks of him, she believed that he was the leader she had heard of from many passerby. Still, she couldn't be sure, and she couldn't remember the name they had said was his. She sat down as she turned, so that she was facing him directly. Hello," she greeted him with the same intense growl she had given the wild dog. Something of nature to her, to always be cautious.

[geitz]

Kyza had been so panicked that she almost missed what the other wild dog had said.She relaxed, but barely, how can she trust the words of someone she never met? But this wasn't her territory? Was she trespassing as well? Or were these lands even owned? Don't be silly, of course they were owned, everyone owned something...except Kyza. The only thing Kyza owned was her life and her body, both of which could be stolen in a moment. She looked around again, she was talking to another canine, larger and meaner looking than any she had seen before. Were these his lands? How could that female so calmly walk up to him?

She wanted to leave here as soon as possible, but there was nothing for her back the way she came, she had to move forward...and that meant past those two dogs. The thought nearly had her going back to starve to death...but something pushed her onwards. She moved through the shadows of the trees, sticking close to the trunks as much as possible. She moved slowly for she didn't want to be seen or heard, and yet she kept an ear out for any signs of hostility from anywhere. This could be a trap by the male, and he could have the whole pack up ahead. Kyza was terrified, but on she went, she had to try. 'Oh boy a slow death by hunger, or a painful death by teeth? What's worse?' She thought to herself as she whimpered.

All of a sudden she was on her back, watching stars dance around her field of vision. She yelped loudly, she had tripped over a rotting log of considerable size as she was ruminating to herself. 'Foolish, foolish me!' She waited for something, anything to happen.

[Maybe ♫]

A smile tugged at Darthyn's lips as the confident Akita-like female spoke. Hello, so simple her words were, yet brimming with charisma and confidence. She seemed quite the efficient stray. He could easily tell that was what she was, just by looking at her slightly unkempt coat and bare neck. There was also a look in her eyes that plainly showed a reluctance to trust. Impressed, Darthyn nodded to her, a respectful gesture he would rarely bestow upon a stranger.

Glancing over to the other canine, he nearly smirked, but, remembering his manners, he held his face motionless. As he remembered her words, please don't hurt me, I'm sorry for intruding, it won't happen again I swear, he pondered them for a moment, wondering why she thought this strangely alluring dog was the owner of these parts when the scent markers clearly smelled of him. Clearing his mind and remembering the less frightened of the two canines had addressed him, he spoke with a certain rugged suaveness that so few could capture.

"Hey," He breathed, looking from the first dog to the next, and speaking to them both. As his amber gaze landed upon the braver female, he could see the ponderous gaze she gave him. "I'm Darthyn." He answered her unspoken question with pride, watching for her reaction. "These are my parts." He shot a glance at the other dog, who was nearly trembling out of her own skin. Lifting a brow in amusement, he shrugged and turned back to the Akita, wondering if she had smelled his scent markers. Resolving to place fresh ones before nightfall, he stated the question that had been burning at the back of his mind since the lay eyes of the trespassers. "Why are you here?"

[koraun]

Kez;
The cold female
The four year old
The Japanese Akita

The Akita waited patiently on her haunches while the mutt took his time to look her over. Something she was very used to, wandering around all her life. Something about the way he looked at her made her skin tingle, however. Almost as if he was digging deep, but only hitting the surface. Something about the way he didn't respond touched her. She was slightly confused, but her pretty white and orange face was blank, still waiting. After several moments, she watched as the large male nodded at her, and a smile formed on her face. Satisfied that she was not being taken as a threat, and was fully acknowledged, she flicked her tail and turned her gaze to the strange female across the lake. Her dark gaze returned when he began to speak. Hey. After that simple word, the fluffy female nodded in return, in respect. She knew what was coming, and her question was answered the way she had expected. I'm Darthyn. She couldn't help but to smile. The fact that she knew this already made her eyes glitter. Well, she hadn't known all the way, but she was pretty sure it had to be him. The leader of the strays. She had heard so much about him with only being in town for several days. "I realize that this is your land, forgive me for my trespassing, please." She spoke calmly, her voice never wavering. Her voice wasn't exactly warm, but smooth as ice. "My name is Kez. I wound up here upon one of my many travels, and figured that it would be a good place to start over. If you would not mind, I would like to join you and your pack of stray dogs." Simple as that, straight to the point. After Kez spoke, she returned her gaze to the wild dog who had not moved since she had tripped over the log. Quite amusing, really.