A Shot in the Dark {OPEN}

[Jay]

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[atrb=background, i39.tinypic.com/midzx5.png] The sounds of the night echoed throughout the caverns. The only light source was from the moon, which only filtered in through the entrance and was eventually swallowed by darkness. The sounds of water dripping from the ceiling bounced off of the cold, stone walls and echoed throughout each cave in the caverns. It was hard to discern where the source of the sound was, and every little noise seemed to be closer than it really was. Darko didn't mind the darkness. In fact, he embraced it. The darkness allowed him to move unnoticed wherever he went. The caverns were a great place to go if you wanted to avoid unwanted company. The complete darkness frightened most other dogs, and so they were usually left abandoned. Darko made his home in one of the farthest caverns. He followed the path silently and swiftly, relying on his sense of touch and smell to guide him along the path. He had walked this path hundreds of times before, and he could make his way there practically without effort. Finally, he arrived to the place where he called his temporary home. He never had a permanent home, and refused to call any place as such. This was home enough for him, for now. He had been carrying a small rabbit in between his powerful jaws, his mouth watering from the scent that wafted up to his nose. He had been hunting for days, unable to catch anything. It seemed the prey was on edge lately and he didn't like that. It didn't help that his explosive anger would frighten away any prey in a five mile radius. The large male Rhodesian Ridgeback settled down on the makeshift bed of leaves and feathers, and started to gnaw at the tender meat of the rabbit. He wanted to savor every little morsel. He knew that no one would follow him, so he wasn't worried about any intruders. He was focused only on the rabbit he was about to devour. It took him awhile to finally rip into the rabbit, but once he did, it was game over. The scent of rabbit blood engulfed the tiny room of the cave, and the guttural sounds of Darko eating the flesh echoed throughout the caverns. Within minutes, the rabbit was gone. Darko, satisfied, licked the remaining blood off of his jaws and started cleaning his paws from excess flesh and blood. Once he decided that he was clean, the male curled up in his nest, ready to sleep. The meal had left him extremely full and tired, and so sleep sounded like gold to him. It was easy falling asleep in such darkness, and his eyes slowly shut, his mind drifting off into oblivion. Word Count: 459

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[• Ruffian •]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=cellPadding,20,true][atrb=width,560,true][bg=211e24] Darkness seemed to swallow him and silence gnawed at his limbs. He lingered there for a very long time until all he could hear was the beating of his own heart, thudding so profoundly against his chest. Each movement no matter how faint, seemed to echo not only in sound but in vibrations. He felt his fur bristle as he kept at a steady pace. The cave walls on either side of him were cold and moist with light precipitation. At this time of day there was no sign of light, and yet that did not hinder Silas from making his way through the labyrinth of the caverns. Indeed, it was almost like a maze if you wandered far enough, with numerous tunnels and a lack of sense of direction, it would be quite easy for one to get lost. Although he was vaguely familiar with the specific area of the caves, Silas found no hesitation as he proceeded from one tunnel over to the next. He came to forks and dead ends and big hollowed out areas inside of the caves. The precipitation had seemed to gather here, some into little bead sized droplets that clung to the cave wall, and even more so toward the roof of the den where the water would run off of hanging stalagmites and dripping overhead. Silas figured there could be a spring or some source of underground water located within the cavern, with a very limited source of fresh water, whoever discovers that would indeed be in great luck. The wolfdog huffed and shuffled his feet in a different direction. As he made his way down one corridor a scent caught his attention and he immediately diverted his path to the left, following it down another tunnel. This tunnel seemed to get wider the farther the mutt went, opening up to another open area in which he found himself with 3 options. He took the trail the farthest to the right this time, the faint smell getting stronger as the scent of rabbit and blood filled his nostrils. Silas stopped as his tunnel intersected and ran into another tunnel, heading either left or right. To the left, he could see a faint moonlight glowing in the distance, and to the right, the scent lingered, along with the scent of his own kind. Despite his curiosity, Silas remained at a dead halt, a bit cautious about running up on a stranger in such a confined space. count: 413

[Jay]

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[atrb=background, i39.tinypic.com/midzx5.png] A new scent wafted up to Darko's nose, making his entire body shudder with anger. Someone had the nerve to venture out onto his territory. A low growl escaped him as he followed the scent of the stranger. He was surrounded by darkness, yet this was no problem for the large male. He was used to the blackness. Suddenly, the scent trail stopped abruptly. His brow wrinkled in frustration, he knew this stranger had to be here somewhere! I know you're here somewhere! You can't hide from me! Darko snarled, hoping his angry growl would flush the stranger out of its hiding spot. But, no one was revealed. Darko pawed the ground with added frustration. He tried sniffing around for another scent path, but the scent was nowhere to be found. It just disappeared into thin air. Darko found himself running, chasing after a scent that would be impossible to find. He could hardly feel his legs as they moved quickly across the darkened ground. Where was he? Suddenly, the blackness seemed to blur, and he found himself fading into it's darkness. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Darko awoke suddenly, a cold sweat encasing his dark, reddish-brown pelt. The leaves and feathers that made up his makeshift bed were strewn all across the cavern floor. God, why does this always happen when I dream? he thought to himself, irritated that he had to, yet again, put together the bed. His dream was almost forgotten when the same scent from his dream, although faint, made its way into the cave. Darko's ears pricked, his hackles raised. Someone was in here, and they were definitely not welcome. Although Darko hadn't claimed the caverns as his territory, he still despised intruders. He had hoped the blackness of the cave would warn them off, but he guessed that this stranger was looking for trouble. I'll teach him Darko thought viciously, his bright amber eyes glittering. He was in no mood to be friendly, and didn't have the time nor patience to put up with anyone. Darko stood up from his nest and made his way to the entrance of the cave. He lifted his head, drawing in the scents around him. He made a left, following the path that led to an opening in the cave. However, before he could make it even a few pawsteps down the path, he spotted the glowing eyes of the intruder. Darko stopped cold in his tracks, lowering his head and let out a low growl. Who are you and what are you doing here? Darko questioned, making sure his voice sounded as off-putting as possible. He didn't want this stranger to get any ideas. He didn't want a fight, but he would if it came down to it. From the smell of it, this stranger was a male, about the size of Darko himself, if not larger. Something was off about him, however. He didn't have the usual dog scent. A sudden realization crept into Darko's mind, and his body shuddered. Wolf, maybe? Darko had never encountered a wolf, and he never really planned to. They were a lot stronger than the average dog and were extremely intelligent. It would be a good fight if the stranger decided to take that chance. Darko wouldn't back down, that was for damn sure. Word Count 577

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[iriot]

Wren sighed. There was something peaceful about the darkness and quietness about the caverns when suddenly, an angry voice rang out in the tunnels, making the fur along the red merle's spine rise. "Look whoever you are, I don't know what your issue is, but can you SHUT UP? Some people like the quietness! Geeze!" she barked as loud as she could.

Blue eyes were the only thing visible, but occasionally, her body could be seen when she passed under a hole in the ceiling, the moon illuminating her red merle fur.

She stopped she she saw two pairs of eyes ahead. One was brown and the other was amber. From the scent she had gathered, they were both male. Her blue orbs shifted from one to the other. Was this a friendly or unfriendly encounter, that she didn't know. "Hey fellas." She said casually. Hre voice was natural. It showed happiness, but not exitement. Finally, here were two other dogs to talk to and have fun with.

The water dripping off the cave roof had an odd calming effect of the Aussie, and it made her a bit drowsy. Her emotions were so out of whack right now.

WIP

[• Ruffian •]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=cellPadding,20,true][atrb=width,560,true][bg=211e24] The clicking of nails on stone caught his attention and the scent increased heavily. As his eyes adjusted more to the dark, a figure made its way into view. Silas kept his ears forward and his eyes on the approaching male. The dog stopped a decent distance away, giving them both their space but close enough to communicate. In response to the growl Silas lowered his head, not so much in submission, but enough to try to divert the idea that he was a threat. He could tell that this male was defensive and clearly did not like having Silas here, his tone was harsh and somewhat demanding. A light discomfort formed, being confined in a little area and being unaware of the other male’s motives. “Apologies, I didn’t mean to intrude,” Silas reassured. “It’s like a maze in here you know?” Not showing any acknowledgement of male’s questions, the wolfdog took just a step forward, almost unsure if he should approach the other male or simply be off in the other direction. It was not like Silas to be confrontational unless he found is absolutely necessary. In situations like this, he would usually just mind his own business, he often lives by terms such as, you don’t bother me and I don’t bother you. Silas isn't exactly what you would call, a social butterfly. He skimmed the dog over with a glance of his bright yellow eyes. The male was large and powerful looking, dark in color and very well built. The way he was standing was almost aggressive but so much to make Silas uneasy. He felt no intimidation however he knew that this dog could put up quite a fight if it ever came down to it. Without much of an option all Silas could do was stay put and hope he was friendly. He really wasn’t in the mood to deal with anything spontaneous tonight. “The name’s Silas, by the way,” he gestured toward him. “Yourself?” still standing in his place with his head at shoulder level, waiting for his reaction. On one hand, Silas would like nothing more than to be done and diverted from the situation, and on the other he was curious to see how this would pan out. Perhaps the brute would make good for a nice conversation to fill the void of loneliness for just a short measly amount of time. He relaxed more now, although his stance was still stiff and rather rigid. count: 410

[Jay]

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[atrb=background, i39.tinypic.com/midzx5.png] “The name’s Silas, by the way, yourself?” Darko lifted his head, his eyes clouding with confusion. This male seemed to have no intention of starting a fight, or even leaving. The large male Rhodesian Ridgeback tried to assess the situation and his options. He could make this male leave, possibly creating a fight and getting wounded, or he could chat with him for awhile until he eventually leaves. Being the intelligent dog that he was, Darko chose the latter option. He was in no mood to take care of any wounds. He looked at Silas slowly before replying, checking for any signs of an ulterior motive. He saw none, however, and relaxed the fur standing up on his pelt. Darko sat down, but kept his head high and ears pricked. He was still cautious about this strange wolf. My name is Darko. I wouldn't call this my territory, as I'm just a wanderer, so my apologies if I came off a little strong. I'm not used to running into others, he admitted. Apologizing wasn't usually his forte, but given the tense situation, he hoped that it would create a calmer atmosphere. He didn't want to heighten the mood by lashing out or being rude. He found from past experiences that once you made a rude remark, it was almost an invitation for a fight. He had been in numerous fights during his lifetime, so it wasn't like he wasn't experienced. But Darko had no incentive to pick a fight with this male. He didn't fight for pleasure, he knew how to pick his fights. Word Count 258 NOTE sorry for the short post xP work is unloading on me and my muse is low. Don't worry, my next one will be lengthy!

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