The Little Lost One[Open]

[( whisper )]

Lari sat alone in the tunnels, deep, away from most of the other Celes pack members. Though she had been in Celes for more than two weeks, no one seemed to know who she was, or try to get to know her. Maybe it was because of her reclusive personality, her shyness. And the worst part was that she had nothing to occupy her time. There were no pups in Celes, no elders for her to care for. By her understanding, a caretaker was to teach the pups the ways of th pack, of their lives as a stray, how to protect themselves and more. A caretaker would then take care of the elders, who had served their time, bringing them food and making sure they were comfortable.

By her understanding, anyway. Lari shifted her weight to her other side, her haunches growing cold against the morning chill of the tunnel floor. It was still too early for most to be awake. Lari hadn't seen anyone when she got up. Part of her wanted to be quiet and shy, but part fo her knew how lonely she was and would be, and how much that would hurt.

[Jbird]

Zeh strolled through tunnels, loosing track of time; caught up in his own thoughts. He recapped what had happened over the past few days, he had been excepted into this pack and had met a few dogs but he was content to walk around and aquaint himself with the tunnels. He liked the quiet, but his wild boy side was starting to resurface he wanted to have a little fun. He turned a sharp left and walked a little ways but then he heard a soft, quiet movement, to heavy to be a rat though. "Whose there?" he asked, he was quite far into the tunnels so he was sure it wasn't an intruder, just someone from the pack. He scented the air and did get a strong whiff of celes scent and he got the idea that this was a femme. Zeh's ear pricked and he sat down casually hoping that he'd atleast get some good conversation in.

[( whisper )]

Lari turned towards the sound and scent, pricking her ears. When the dog asked who was there, she caught his scent: Celes. She was still safe.
"Just me," she called back. "Lari." A good conversation would help her feel more at ease, she knew, but something inside of her wanted her to keep back, to stay quiet and alone, to go back to the humans. But she needed to find the strength to squish that little voice. She had no choice but to stay now.
The dog was new, newer than her at least. So he would probably be friendly, unlike that other dog coming to join the other day. Even now it made the sweet, shy fae's fur bristle.

[Jbird]

Zeh was just about to dimiss it as a trick of his ears when he heard, Just me....Lari". He figured it was someone he hadn't met yet so he approached, relaxed and happy to have someone new to meet and talk to.

He smiled when he approached a pretty blonde golden retriever, and hoped his own coat was a shiny as hers. She seemed a little quiet but Zeh was sure he could bring her out of her shell. "Oh hi.. I'm Zeh" He said huskily, sitting down a little ways away from her, not wanting to invade anybodies space. "So are you new or what?" He asked. His black and white coat standing out in the dimly lit tunnel. But mostly his blue,green eyes stood out as he looked at her, well not really at her but in that general area, he didn't want to stare, but she was kinda cute.

[( whisper )]

Zeh... she'd heard the name before, but hadn't met him yet, not really. He was very, well crude, but in a way that made the Golden feel welcome, not fragile or delicate as she usually felt and acted. He had a husky, manly voice, and, had the circumstances been different, she would have been shaking in fear. But things were different, she was safe, and the pack was a safe haven. She let out a quiet breath and answered the brute.

"Not as new as you are." Though the words were sharp, she had a sweet twang to her voice, and you couldn't remember how the words could be said: mean and spitefully. "I'm a caretaker now. and you?" she asked, wanting to be polite.And, okay, maybe to talk to this guy. I mean, she was a big girl, and even though she wasn't looking for a mate, there was no use pushing them away.

[Jbird]

Zeh smiled not quite sure what she thought of him but he didn't care much, he wasn't going to be fake for anyone. He had never, not once in his life acted like anyone other than himself. What was the point, he could only be himself and people were going to like or hate him and that was their problem.

Lari looked a little weary of him but he brushed it off, that would change soon. When Zeh wanted to he could be a really fun dog to be around, he usually was a little sarcastic, monotone around dogs he'd rather not be around. But for the dogs he did want to be around; usually the femme's, he was charming and funny. He knew he was a little egotistical, arrogant, but he was working on it...sort of.

"Touche." he said playfully. "I'm a soldier." he said smiling, cheekily. He laid down and crossed his front paws, "So what's a fae like you doing deep in these tunnels?" he asked curiously ears pricking, and green eyes bright.

[( whisper )]

Lari wasn't sure if his last comment was a compliment or an insult. If it was a compliment, it'd be tyeh first she'd gotten in a long time, and it made her mood soar.
"I haven't gotten around to meeting everyone yet, and it's kind of..." she searched for the right word. "Kind of 'sensory overload' out there. I'm hiding." She shrugged at her last comment and mirrored Zeh, laying down across from him and crossing her legs, just as he did. A soldier... He probably knew everyone, and he probably had faes drooling over- Wait... Why was she thinking this? She wasn't jealous, she didn't want a mate, or him. Or anyone.

She was a loner, a shy, quiet loner. One who would never be loud and bold as others were, never seek out the attention of brutes. Never need anyone, it was fine, she was independent. She needed no one, only asking for protection in return for her services. A sigh escaped her lips as these thoughts raced through her mind.

Solitude was good for one thing: You could never get hurt.

[Jbird]

Zeh understood what she said, but had never really experienced the feeling, he had always been good with other dogs and very social but that was how he had been raised. "Hiding huh?" He asked, "Hiding from all the guys?" He asked jokingly. He was happy when she relaxed and laid down across from him. He laid his head on his paws gazing at her, she looked like she was thinking about something but then she sorta cut off the thought or something like that, he shrugged and brushed it off as nothing..

"So your a caretaker huh?" He asked curiously he had always been a bit interested in the herbs and stuff that caretakers did, but had never really talked to one they were usually quiet, or just not interesting enough. But Lari was quiet but for some reason Zeh found her interesting, a little like a challenge to bring her out of her shell, but she was pretty and had a nice personality from what Zeh could see, there was just something about her...

He tried to shake the thoughts away, he wasn't going to mess this up, he didn't want enemies within his own pack, plus they should be friends first and then see if there was anything there. He wasn't even really looking for a mate was he?. He was a ladies man...well atleast he used to be..

[( whisper )]

Lari allowed Zeh half a smile at his comment about the guys. She wished. Well, really no, but she wished that she wished. Usually she wasn't flashy enough to attract a guy, and usually she didn't need or want to. Ever. Somethign about Zeh's personality interested her, but she wasn't about to go head over heels for him. Too much had happened for that. She rolled her eyes at Zeh, quite uncharacteristic, ubt normal for any toher dog. Probably.

"Yep," she replied to his question. "But there hasn't been anyone to care for since I've gotten here." That was a bit of a downer... In fact, it was depressing. Her job wasn't real until there was someone to care for, and she felt out of place wihtout it. That peice of sadness showed in her voice, she was sure. But with the upcoming war, there would be plenty of wounded dogs to help.

"And you're a soldier. So what does a soldier do? Other than fight, I mean."
God, I sound like an idiot, she thought.

[Jbird]

Zeh smiled at her half smile, he loved to make femme's smile, but that was just his personality he liked knowing he was funny, and likeable. She rolled her eyes at him, he winked back playfully.

She seemed a little bummed at the fact that she didn't have a dog to care for, and didn't have much to do, Zeh had never had nothing to do, he was good at entertaining himself, "hmm well you could stock up on herbs and stuff for when you are going to need them I spose, or hmm I don't know, You could always talk to me." He said smiling his teeth showing slightly, he was obviously playing with her, but he was partly serious, he wouldn't mind talking to this femme more.

He smiled she looked a little embaressed about her question, "Well I patrol the tunnels to check for intruders, sometimes I help hunt, I sometimes go on small group outings to scout out an stuff, umm punish dogs who break the laws. It sounds like alot but it's pretty dull until the war starts." He said grinning. He couldn't wait to get some action on the battlefield, he loved the adrenaline of fighting. He wasn't all for killing but he was all for teaching people whose best. He liked the running and chasing of it all, it was a dangerous, but fun game that he loved to play.

[( whisper )]

Wow. That sounded like a lot. But Zeh was completely and totally right. She shouldn't be complaining, she should be preparing for war causualties! But she had to finish her conversation with the brute. It was teh first good talk she'd had in a while.

"I can tell you're battle-hungry."

Whoah, where did that come from? She was so confident with Zeh around, it was astounding. Zeh's grinning reminded her of her old life, the life that was gone, but she didn't care right now. Somehow friendship made things a little smoother. Easier, almost. Zeh's smile was warm, welcoming; it almost made her forget she was talking to him. The thoughts all raced in her head, and there was no time for awkward silence.

"So where do you come from?" she asked pleasantly, curiously, and a bit nosily. But who really cared? She would tell him, if he wanted.

[Jbird]

Zeh laughed huskily, "Um I guess you could say that, I just like the rush you get taking someone down, and I don't it's kind of in my blood too. Yea know.. Akita." He said grinning. He noticed the fact that he kept smiling, and grinning, but what could he say, he was a flirt he knew it, but he also was just a happy dog. He felt comfortable around Lari, and she was easy to talk to, entertaining. He couldn't remember the last time he had had a 'thing' for a femme, but he wasn't sure with Lari. He guessed he'd just have to wait and see how things turned out...

"Hmm, Well I've pretty much been a street dog my whole life, I have a few siblings, but we don't talk often.. hmm, Saul left my mom before I was even born.. and I've been just wandering ever since. What about you?" He asked smiling.

A little pain clouded his eyes, it had always bothered him that his father had left his mom to fend for herself with four pups, he knew for sure that if he ever had pups he would never ever leave them, and would protect them with his life. He refused to even call Saul dad, and he disliked the brute and didn't want anything to do with him. He was shamed to have such a coward fill his blood. Zeh huffed, thinking about Saul usually got him worked up and he didn't want to let it effect him, but it did. He sighed knowing Lari had probably seen all of those emotions right on his face. "Sorry Saul's a bit of a sore subject." he said quietly.

[( whisper )]

The pale golden fae had no idea who Saul was, but he sounded like the father. The street dogs had more drama than she thought. Where she came from, once two mated, they rarely saw each other again, or needed to as the mating was arranged by the humans. But something told he things were different out here. Big surprise.

Lari was a bit sad for Zeh, but also glad he was opening up to her like that. Not many would tell you their fathers were slime-ball scum bags on a first meeting. The conversation was stretching, getting very long, but time in the tunnels seemed to slow and Lari barely noticed. "Me?" she asked, a bit lost in her thoughts. "Oh, well with me it's just the opposite. I come from a line of show dogs, for the humans. I never knew my dad, and Mom was gone..." she sighed, wondering if she needed to explain further. She did. "The humans took all the pups and took us to new places. My owner left the house after a while, and suddenly I was a stray."

She was starting to sound pathetic. Time to start a new topic. "Zeh? I know it sounds weird, but... Have you ever met a daemon?"

[Jbird]

Zeh smiled softly, he hadn't really had a good talk with anyine for a while, and he had shoved a lot of things to the back of his mind, but he felt kind of... free-er now that he got some of the things off his mind. Lari's past seemed interesting, for instance, he didn't really get the whole show dog thing, or why anyone would take pups away from their Father and their mother, but he could see humans doing something like that so he shrugged it off, saving questions for another time.

"A daemon? Well yea I've crossed a few of them when I was wandering, why?" he asked curiously. He wondered what that had to do with much, of anything, but he figured if she was a new stray she probably didn't know much about them. He'd just grown up knowing to stay out of their way, and not cross them. But around here they seemed pretty oksy, but he had no doubt that they could be dangerous if they wanted to be.

[( whisper )]

(OOC- Lari's a daemon after this thread, I made her one, but at this time she's not a daemon yet, kk?)

Zeh seemed happier now that he said those tings about Saul, and confused when Lari mentioned her past. And he'd seen daemons. Just the mention of the, sent a shiver down her spine. She was so scared of them, their unnatural abilities and attributes, the distinct chemical and stiff odor they carried. Maybe they didn't like it any more than she did, but they were dangerous.

"Oh, why? Are they as scary as everyone says?" It was a stupid question. A really stupid question.