Commander Hoffen of Foxtrot | #34 | Male | Schnauzer/Wolf cross | M: Kämpe

He had been awake for hours. The male rarely slept much anymore. Not to mention that his sensitive ears could pick up the early morning patrol of Kämpe. The metallic sounds of her paws were one of the few sounds that regularly echoed through the cell block in the mornings.

Hoffen refused to show fear in front of his commander, or so he thought.

His tensed muscles and twitchy ears betrayed him. The one thing that Hoffen was good at was maintaining eye contact. The Cull programming that seemed to suppress his emotions only worked partially, and in odd ways.

So did whatever it was that forced him to obey. Not that anyone knew about that.

Her words unsettled him, but his dark eyes were turned toward the commander. He nodded to Kämpe's words, ears flicking. The weight of his metal jaw never ceased to surprise Hoffen. He never spoke unless spoken to during these Cull briefings, as was the unspoken rule.

Skydda | Female | Dog (Mudi) | Bravo | 23 | M: Anfall, Orden

Skydda snapped her dark eyes open at the familiar sound of the wake up call. The quietness of her sleep had been shattered, a quietness and peace that would not return for hours. It was something that Skydda minded a little, the quiet meant a lot to her and didn't appreciate interruption. She needed to get up now for the day. Standing quickly, the blue merle female watched the bowls as food and water spilled into them. It tasted the same, day after day; plain, dry kibble and water that hydrated, but lacked in something Skydda couldn't think of.

She ate slowly and mechanically, barely registering as kibble was chewed and swallowed. Skydda's mind was busy on other things. Like the day's schedule. It was usually the same to a fault, something the female didn't mind. Routine was good for the most part, in her opinion. It kept order, and relative peace. Skydda lapped at the water, which moistened her mouth and satisfied her body. Mealtime was over now.

Moving down the tunnel carefully, the female noticed the biting cold that nipped at her pelt. Thankfully, Beta had let Skydda's dappled blue fur grow out a little for this reason. As she entered a large pen, she noticed two others already there: Anfall and Orden. Perhaps, if the blue merle had wanted to speak, she would've done so. But she didn't want to and besides, even if Skydda has wanted to, speaking to others was not something that came naturally to her. So instead, she moved slightly away from them and began pacing a small area to keep warm and loosen up.

(Not the best sorry, trying to get into the rhythm of this particular style/plot)

Kämpe | Female | Beta Cull | 24 | M: Hoffen, Axel

Kämpe narrowed her piercing blue eyes, seizing hold of his weakness like jaws snagged the tender flesh of prey. His body, or what was left of it, was tensed as if preparing for flight or readying for combat. His ears twitched as if searching for any sudden change that might come to harm him. It was a result of Kämpe's presence. She understood she unsettled him - good. Fear meant control. However, it was his duty to mask all emotion. "You seem... unsettled, Commander." By pressing this, she would instill greater fear in him; fear that he could never hide from her, that he was trapped. This type of fear, the cunning female knew, was paralyzing, would bend any will to obey. All aside, she needed to make sure that he, even if unnerved, could bury the emotion and proceed. Culls disabilitated by feelings would not be functional. Surely he knew this.

"Care to explain your opinions?" She continued, piercing blue eyes narrowed into suspicious slashes across her nearly all mechanical face. It would do him best to be brief and direct with his words. He could not contridict himself if this was the case; alas, if he had any hope of being left alone, direct denial would do him well. Kämpe would not have the pateince to wait for a long winded explanation.

(short, sorry)

Anfall | Female | Wolf Blood (Alaskan Husky, Doberman, Wolf) | 21 | M: Skydda, Orden

The blue merle female Skydda was the next to pad out of her respective tunnel enterance. The female didn't know too much about Skydda; she seemed to ere on the side of silence. Unlike what many assumed, this trait was not one of fault; rather, silence gave one time to watch, observe, ruminate over one's thoughts. Silence did not shut out the noise of the world, rather, it accepted the chaos, letting it fall upon open ears. Silence was a quality prized by Anfall, and most certainly crucial to Orden's very vitality.

Hence, Anfall did not bother to approach her. When Skydda deemed herself ready, she would drop her guard, allow herself to be spoken to. In this moment, Anfall would rather restrain from speaking as well. The sharp morning air shattered all falsehoods in her mind, sweeping her skull into a glittering, pristine frost of clarity.

Through this clarity, her internal clocked seemed to tick with astounding precision. The progress of the day seemed to fall at about seven and a quarter, approximately. Insepction was to commence briefly, however, the Commanders seemed to be enjoying a few additional minutes of sleep. Well; Kämpe was indeed probably snarling at them by this turn of the hour. Hence, the only choice Anfall held was to wait.

Commander Hoffen of Foxtrot | #34 | Male | Schnauzer/Wolf cross | M: Kämpe

He wondered exactly how much dog was left in Kämpe. She seemed to enjoy unnerving others. It almost angered him.

Blue eyes, cold as ice. He had been a Cull longer than the female, and vaguely remembered the Doberman before all the mechanical parts. It was almost funny how she surpassed him in rank. His lack of enthusiasm for the work must be showing.

He was getting old. The new grey hairs on the end of what was left of his muzzle betrayed him.

And so did his body, apparently. Funny how his mechanical parts were more reliable than the rest of him. He had acquired something close to eloquence in his words over time. If you can't keep up the smooth talk in the unstable politics of BETA, you didn't last long.

"Of course not, Commander. I am simply eager to begin training. My regiment has never been in such prime condition." He hoped that his words would appease Kämpe.

Of course, it didn't.

"Opinions, Commander? We are all here for the same purpose. We do our jobs and do it well."

Kämpe | Female | Chief Cull (Doberman) | 24 | M: Axel, Hoffen

Kämpe paused, tail lashing. Indeed, her tail had not been docked; a 'privilege' of a Chief Cull. Not only that, but mark of her authority. To some degree, it also provided an unlikely weapon; long as it was, the metal and plastic extension could crack someone across the jaw in a far more simple motion that a nip to the flank.

At his words, she narrowed her piercing blue yes.

Sufficent. Snarled the strange, metallic voice in her head. A sensor by her ear, nearly undedectable, flashed red. A cold grip of slight pain siezed her body, and Kämpe inhaled deeply. She despised when Beta opted to issue orders. Alas, she could do absolutely nothing to disobey - her mind could not even comprehend such a thing. It simply was a result of the horrible mind control that loomed over her life.

"Sufficent." She echoed, voice oddly stilted, devoid of emotion even for her. She blinked. "Report to your regiment out the back door of your room. Now, Thirty - Four. You have a regiment to attend to." She snapped at the older Cull. She addressed him by his I.D. in an act of a condescending manner. Commanders addressed their subordinates by number; alas, the only reason Kämpe used the title 'Commander', was out of mild respect. She understood that Beta probably disliked it; but it was a small act of rebellion that she could hold as her own with no fear of death.

"Line up and march Bravo to the drill center as well. Your fellow Commander seems to be content sleeping, so he and I will have a small... discussion. Now go."

Orden | Female | Half Blood (Border Collie cross) | Bravo | 22 | M: Zadolt

Orden, as always, was observant. She noticed the breath flow from her maw, crystalizing in the air; from this, she deduced it was far below freezing. But alas, she had known this far before she caught sight of her frozen breath. On average, winter temperatures dropped to astounding negative digits; it was something of a small miracle how dogs with lighter fur managed. She supposed that Beta could very well 'replace' the short fur; but that would involve an entire change of the composition of the skin. Curious, that those of such short fur were even permitted to be outside during the winter; perhaps they recieved some sort of treatment by the Beta?

Something to ponder.

Orden had been forever watchful. But for a moment, she let herself slip, cast her gaze slightly to the side, and felt her shoulder clash with the body of another dog. With a huff, she jerked back, whirling to face who she had struck. Zadolt. Part of the Foxtrot regiment.

Lazy fools, the lot of them. Unruly, undisciplined. Could never hold their own in combat, or drill, for that matter. He seems alright, though; not as much of a walking disaster as the rest.

Orden glared at him with dark eyes, face composed, apathetic, even. She held herself regally, gaze burning into his own eyes. She wouldn't apologize. Not until he proved himself worthy of apology.