Aadya | Female | Pembroke Corgi | #62 | Mentions: Zadolt, Orden/Pfiel (briefly)

The training room swayed and changed, warping into something that Aadya recognized. The maze. How ironic, wasn't the female that Commander Hoffen had...taken...named Maze?

She turned toward the Aussie mix who had just returned, looking upon the much larger dog with cool brown eyes. "You are Twenty-Eight, correct? I am Aadya." The female's eyes turned to the daunting maze before them, "I'm sure you can figure it out for yourself." There was, surprisingly, no sarcasm whatsoever in her tone.

"You must be unnerved by the loss of your teammate. You returned with Commander Hoffen, correct? My condolences," again, no sarcasm. Though by her rather poor choice of words her tone might be percieved as such. "We are partners for the maze, and as those two over there were saying," she flicked her ears toward the two dogs a short distance away, the sad one and the border collie. "We must find a way to backtrace our steps."

With no other explanation, Aadya dropped into a sit, and started aggressively licking a front paw. Once the hair between her toes was wet and heavy, she started on the next paw.

Hero // Male // Wolf/German Shepard // 39 // Mentions: Maze, Ginger, Tysta, Arrow

Hero flicked his tail in irritation. Ginger was mad, he could tell by her voice, she was probably mad at him for attacking without permission. So much for getting along with some dog.

It's fine. He told himself. You don't need to get along with her anyway. She's your commander, nothing more.

"This way, Maze." He said, his normal silky tone having returned. "I'll show you where to eat and get water. I'm sure you're hungry?" He didn't wait for a response, just started to walk in the direction of the eating room.

He walked silently and swiftly, he would only talk if Maze talked first.

(Sorry it's short)

"Hm." The Cull replied, drawing herself upwards in a rather disdainful posture. Her lack of words would only open a void to fill - if he was intelligent, he would remain silent. If he was nervous, hiding something, he would speak, rush to fill the blankness of words. It was a test, one that the intelligent, cunning Cull had devised years ago, when she first learned to manipulate words. It unsettled all in her presence, gave her a sort of innate power over the others.

He claimed his transmitter was the thing to blame, that he would return to a normal functioning Cull. Kämpe would ponder the viability of that statement later, when she had the time. He continued on. Kämpe remained stony faced, yet her interest was peaked. She could feel her brain flicking, ticking, analyzing.

Then his jaws snapped together, an alarming metallic echo ringing through the Cull's ears. She did not flinch. He waited a heartbeat, then apologized - Beta had shut him down.

Then it was important. Whatever he was about to say, it was relevant. Say this rebellion was beaten down - Beta would have brandished it in our faces in a show of power. Are they still out there? What does he remember?

Kämpe narrowed her eyes. Moreover, another thought had interested her. He hadn't started out from a regiment, dutifully trained, beaten, terrified into obidence. And there was something else. The Cull had slipped up - his former Chief - he had been on the verge of addressing him or her as commander. His memories weren't lost - not all of them. And there was something in him - something that allowed him to defy his programming. His brain hadn't been completely wiped, not of emotion, not of memory. He was different.

Kämpe gazed evenly at him, weighing her options. The obvious choice was to alert Beta that something was wrong with this Cull. Kämpe herself couldn't quite place it - that was near impossible for her to do. But there was another option. Remain silent. Watch, wait, observe, like a cobra evaluating her prey before striking. It wasn't a direct defiance of Beta - if she were to claim it was for the purpose of gathering information. She could tell herself that, and her programming wouldn't shut her down. But perhaps - perhaps it was something else.

Perhaps it was the outline of hope.

Perhaps, she wished to have someone - anyone - that could possibly feel something, as she had occasionally. Perhaps it was the yawning abyss in her soul, the void that could never be healed, the desperate need to not be alone, as she always had.

Logically, she had her reasons.

As Kämpe turned away for him, her eyes flashed.

I know, she seemed to say.

Not all. She had only scraped the surface - but that was enough.

"Dismissed, Commander. Stay or leave, it does not matter to me."

Tysta | Male | Kilo Dog (Siberian Retriever x Golden Retriever) | 48 | M: Arrow, Hero, Ginger

Tysta attempted valiently to keep his gaze from straying to the new Beta dog. It was impolite to stare, he had been taught, but he couldn't really help it. She was taller, bigger - although he nearly matched her in size, it was clear she had him by a full inch or two. Her movements were precise, calculated, and her posture tense, alert. The blood running down her face was also a bit alarming. He was a little wary - but not as much as he should be.

Ginger called out to Arrow and Tysta, and the male swallowed hard. He leaned down to Ari's height. "Bet you my morning meal that one of us isn't going to make it out alive." He winked. "Win-win for me. I die, I don't have to suffer through missing my meal. You get tossed off a cliff, I'll make sure to graciously apologize before eating your breakfast as well," he said, flashing a grin.

Kordelas / Male / Doberman Shepherd / Kilo / 71 / M: Hero, Maze, Ginger, Tysta, Arrow

Sabre nodded at Anfall, following her quickly. "Of course I have a good nose; I wouldn't insult me if I were you. We need to work together to get out of here." Her eyes narrowed. Of course she'd get paired with a snappy wolfblood. She wished Maze were here. Maybe they could've been paired together. She hoped her "removal" had been quick, painless. Maze deserved at least that.

Sabre watched as Anfall spoke to Zadolt. As soon as Anfall had turned, Sabre shrugged at him, her eyes apologizing for her partner's actions. Just as quickly, she masked her face, imagining how the maze they entered had sprung up. At the crossroads, she remembered seeing vague paths before the walls had solidified. "It's this way," she told Anfall confidently, swinging her muzzle to the right. "Did you watch how the maze made itself?" she asked softly. "Right before the walls became opaque, could you see the path out?" The black wolfblood gazed at the other, wondering how she'd respond.

Arrow | Female | KILO dog | Terrier cross | #47 | M: Tysta, Hoffen, Maze

Arrow's hackles stayed raised, amber eyes narrowed at the massive wolfdog. She was bigger than Tysta, who, by her standards, was absolutely massive. There was something about how the Beta dog moved, every movement was precise, perfectly calculated. Like a robot, a Cull.

She had been so caught up in her thoughts, she jumped the slightest bit when the golden-furred dog spoke to her. Arrow's brows wrinkled in amusement, and she murmured back to him, "Eat my breakfast and you'll be the one tossed off a cliff."

When her commander spoke, she froze. Ears pinned and face hot from the scolding, she snapped back at the commander, her tone filled with thinly-veiled frustration. "How do you know whatshisname anyway? You said no one remembers you back at Beta."

((Hope you don't mind her quoting Ginger. Feel free to have Arrow be wrong c:))

Hero // Male // 39 // KILO // Wolf/German Shepard // M: Tysta, Arrow, Ginger, Maze, Hoffen

Hero stopped when he reached the food room. "Here." He told Maze. "You can eat and get water if you want, I'm going back, Tysta or Arrow will probably come get you soon."

Without another word, Hero turned and trotted back to the room where Arrow, Tysta, and Ginger stood. He returned just in time to hear Arrow snap at the commander, her tone angry and desperate. "How do you know whatshisname anyway? You said no one remembers you back at Beta."

A quiet anger bubbled up in Hero, not because he felt bad for Ginger, he did, but he was more angry at Arrow for acting like she could possibly know another dogs past. Hero himself knew how painful memories could be, if Ginger had said that before it was very possible Ginger had been lying to protect herself from the pain of what had happened before, or she didn't want to tell the others, because if she did the others might not listen to her.

"Very bold of you, Arrow." He said quietly, his voice emotionless and cold. "To run off, then speak to your commander as though you know what has happened to her. To assume that the past doesn't hurt, and that Commander Ginger and whatshisname, Hoffen don't have history. Bold of you to assume that losing someone doesn't hurt, no matter how bad they are." He allowed the slightest bit of pain to taint his voice in the last sentence.

His eyes slid to Ginger's, and he dipped his head. "I apologize for attacking before given the command. I thought I had the element of surprise, obviously it didn't work that well. I let my anger take control, it was unnecessary. I won't let it happen again."