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The starting time is 7:00pm in the evening. The weather is cloudy.

Bella Donna, (or BD as we'll call her until she gets her Wardog name) lays bored in the house. Her belly is full, as her folks had just eaten dinner and fed her her dog food. Her nose twitched as the smell of chicken still filled the room, and a few odorless, tasteless kibble pieces lay on the floor beside her. It was the same thing over and over, day in day out. Wake up in the morning, go outside on the leash, eat the same kibble everyday, nap, play, nap some more, watch the family leave, get bored and tear up some stuffed animals, pace through the house, watch the birds and the squirrels from the window, get punished when the family returns home, and do it all again. She wanted more in her young life. She missed training, and these cardboard boxes in this semi-empty house were driving her nuts. Soon her family would let her outside for the night for a while as they clean up and watch the big weird screen in the open room.

double post

The air was cool, the clouds hanging low in the sky casting a haze of grey over the colors of the oncoming sunset. In the garden behind a midsized farmhouse, a woman walked slowly and peacefully, humming softly to herself. She occasionally bent down to pick cherry tomatoes from the thriving plants on either side of the stone path she walked on, dropping them into a basket on her arm. The air was warm and hazy, cicadas creaking in the trees, the scent of humidity, dirt and leaves clouding the air. Calm and still, the evening would soothe any troubled soul.

But this sleepy, picturesque scene was utterly lost on Beni. The busy terrier trotted briskly a ways ahead of the farmer's wife, as he always did, back and forth across the little path. The jovial dog didn't take many things seriously, but his job of protecting his humans and dispatching threats was one notable exception. He circled between the plants like a hungry shark, dark eyes wide and nose twitching, assuring that the path ahead was clear of snakes, rabbits, the occasional lone fox or coyote. The garden was large enough to attract all sorts of things with its abundance of fruit and vegetables. He was not supposed to dispatch the larger threats (though the snakes were easy enough.) Leave that to the big dogs, he knew not to start a fight he couldn't win. But a sharp bark and a snarling bluff charge was usually enough to send them running.

A sharp whistle, a call of his name - time to go back inside for the night. The farmer's wife turned back to the house, beginning to head back as the sun began to set. It would be dark soon, not wise to be out here when the sun set. Beni walked besides her obediantly, ears perked sharply, head held high, his trot quick and confident. He liked being by her side, protecting her like the capable dog that he was. She was kind to him, and made sure to give him treats after every successful rat hunt. "Good boy Torito." She said kindly, leaning down to pat his head. He gave her a doggy smile, tongue flopping out of his mouth, stump tail wagging appreciatively. His human masters would be going to bed soon. Every night at 9:00, like clockwork.

So predictable - what a boring life it must be. But it gave him time to get up to his own devices...

Bravo/Shane - Male - House/guard dog - Mentions: N/A


The sky was darkening.

Gray clouds high in the sky hid the deepening blue sky and the subsequent yellows and oranges of the sunset. The air had cooled as the day progressed.

And there was a shadow laying in the short grass near the house. The cool, almost dampness of the natural carpeting didn't bother the animal that had chosen the spot to rest. Poweful head resting on his paws, form almost motionless save for the slow movements of the sides with each breath inhaled and expelled. But while seemingly lost in sleep, that was not so.

"Bravo! Here boy!"

The call of summons by the male human made the dog raise his head, eyelids opening to reveal dark brown eyes as the neck turned in order to bring the speaker into view. With a quick thump of his tail on the grass, he hefted his body upwards, proportionately long limbs aiding him in the action. Stretching out the front end by making a movement that almost looked like a bow, then leaning forward and stretching out his hind legs, he utter a small grunt of pleasure at the relieving pressure in the actions. Then, with a quick shake, he turned sharply and trotted to where the human stood.

He was rewarded with a quick baring of teeth, in the human case it was a sign of happiness or pleasure, and a gentle hand running over his head. Giving a wag of the tail in response, he walked past his human and into the den that humans called a 'house'. By this point, even if the house was different, the habits weren't. The large dog made his way to the food bowl, sniffing at the dry brown pellets before opening his mouth and starting to eat. He always got the higher-quality food, from what he could tell. Not at first though, it was only when his new human had been told by another human, probably a more experienced one; something about him needing a more protein based diet, and somehow that equated to the 'better' foods, it was changed quickly. Not that he was complaining, the higher-quality stuff tasted better than the regular food.

After eating, he wandered idly around the house, his hunger satisfied for now. Sniffing at an object here or there, he made his way around the small interior; his human's scent was everywhere, along with his own. Once finished with his ritual patrol of the area, the male returned to the larger room that when not busy or sleeping, his human was often found in.

He knew his human had a name, Michael, he liked to think of him as his human. It felt better.

This evening, the man was sitting on the loveseat, watching the box with the images moving on it. In a way, the dog got why humans seemed like to those things; he had noticed that their sensed seemed lesser than his kind's. But their day eyesight was sharper, but horrible in the dark; and so they were more driven by vision than scent or sound. He made his way to the human, jumping onto the unoccupied portion of the couch, the faux leather bending under his weight. Then, circling around so that he faced outwards, he lay down in a loose curl. A moment later, the hand starting moving over his head and back gently.

The images on the box were showing strange creatures, alongside the humans. Two-legged with long necks and tails running through a dark forest. Weird. After a moment, he turned his head and neck to the side, he placed his head down on the human's leg. His eyes closed after a few minutes, and he relaxed into the creeping feeling of sleep.

A howl erupted in the distance, it was deeper into the night now. The humans lay alseep in bed. BD was curious as to where the howl had come from. It wasnt a wolf, but it didnt sound like any particular type of dog either. Her ears perked in curiosity as she made her way quietly outside. If it had been a threat to her and her humans, normally her hackles would be rasied, her teeth would be barred, and her aggressive deep growls and barks would be echoing, but for whatver reason this time, she had a feeling that she should be quiet, and creep silently towards this sound. Ass he did, she was getting further away from home, and the woods were dark yet enticing. She wanted to be adventerous, i suppose now was her chance. BD took off into the woods, following her nose and trusting her instinct.

Benito (Toro/Torito)

The evening passed smoothly - dinner, the usual nighttime routine, Beni cooperated through it all. Even when the humans washed the dirt off of his paws and brushed his fur, which was far from his favorite part of being an inside-outside dog. His master always insisted that he got a rat terrier just for his wife - able to work around the farm, good for keeping pests at bay, but small and more than happy to be a lap dog when off-duty. Sleeping inside, curled up at the foot of the bed, was much better than sleeping outside in the cold, Beni was sure.

Beni was alert as his humans went through their usual routine. Taking baths, cleaning their teeth, changing into different, slightly different clothes, and retiring to their beds to sleep. The sun was gone by now, replaced by shimmering stars. Beni didn't go with them, chewing idly on one of his long-since broken squeaky toys. They would expect him to come to bed later - he'd gotten a bit more freedom since he was a puppy, when they knew he would get into trouble if he was left alone at night. Little did they know...

He trotted into the kitchen, brown eyes glinting with excitement. The food was carefully put away, as it always was, but that wasn't what he was after. His eyes fell on the window, the one that didn't quite latch, that was only an easy jump away - easy for him, anyway. Onto the counter, careful not to make a sound (although he could hear his master snoring even from here), and then with a nudge of his nose and a strong push - he was free!

Still priding himself on his own cleverness, Benito hopped down from the windowsill, landing quietly in the grass. They would be there soon, those dogs who ran past his home in the night. And he would be there to greet them. He started off in the direction he remembered, staying alert and quiet. He walked, head and tail held high, scanning the dark corners where coyotes and wolves may be lurking. It was all quite exciting. The cows mooed softly, settling down for the night, casting him sidelong glances as he passed them. They didn't bother to ask what he was doing out at this hour. He told them anyway, in conspiratorial tones, that he was joining a secret group. And then he left, into the dark night, unafraid of the creatures that may be lurking. He'd find them, he knew the way.

A howl carried over the empty plains, carrying to the edge of the woods where he trotted diligently forward. Ears perked and eyes wide, too jovial from his own success to even consider being frightened. That was no wolf, he'd heard wolf howls before. And no coyote, yowling and yipping wildly into the night. He plunged into the dark forest, as silent and quick as a cat, short tail wagging wildly as he neared the source of the howl.