the shade, sun and sea

[vegas]

Mikala, a blue-merle colored Australian Shepherd/Siberian Husky sat underneath a fruit tree and was thinking way too much. She hadn't been on the island long and in mattter of fact, she had only been there for about a day. This place was so unfamiliar to her, and it seemed very strange. Where she used to live there was no ocean and the only sand was little bit on the asphalt roads.

When she woke up it was early morning and the sky was a brilliant pinkish red. Now it was late after noon, but the sun hadn't started to set at the moment. She barley moved from where she woke up which was at the edge of the ocean water. Mikala decided it could be better or safer to be along the trees if there was something she had to hide from, as she had no idea where she was or who was also on the island. She hadn't done any exploring nor take a drink.

The mixed breed began to pace around the tree thinking about what she last remembered and all she could recollect was being back amongst familiar grass nearby a human's yard. Her head began to hurt after hours of being dumbfounded and doing too much thinking. After a bit of pacing she stopped and thought,
"It is way too hot here... I wonder if there is any fresh water around?" She stood and looked about the island in various directions, one way lead to the ocean and stretched from both sides of her vision for a great distance, behind where the tree she was under lay a green-themed jungle with sunlight speckling through the trees and creating beautiful marks on the ground.

There wasn't much to explore along the beach and if she were to go on the beach, she would be able to see a figure along it which there was nothing in sight. She could have sworn though that she could hear dogs a few times in the day. Mikala made her final decision and started to venture through the woods making sure to be extra alert if needed.

[cherrycola]

King

Everything hurt.

The large male could think of nothing but the pain that laced each subtle movement. The throb of his head that had persisted since he had awaken, the stiffness of his legs from being half drenched in salty water, the burning of his paw pads from the intensity of the heat the sand maintained. The Chow mix' sight was blurry and distorted, and it seemed to slink in and out of focus for a while until it finally cleared.

Am I dead? The thought came to him briefly. He knew the shelter had been eager enough to put him down. Perhaps this was what death was like. This pain. On this strange island. Was this heaven? Was this hell? At the moment he could only think of how close it seemed to the latter. He was unsure of why he was here, or how we had gotten there in the first place, but whatever had happened had certainly not gone well.

The sun was merciless now, beating down on King's thick creamy white fur. His blue-black tongue lolled out of his mouth, dry and parched as if he had not drank anything for a while. Or maybe he hadn't. His memories were hazy from the time before his transition, and the throb of his head seemed to intensify as he tried to recall them.

He could see the birds circling overhead, their mouths agape in what he thought could be a call. He had never seen a bird like it before, so understandably he had never heard it before. He imagined it sounded like the mournful cries of the doves from his puppyhood. It just seemed to fit considering the circumstances.

King did not know where he was headed. He knew his gait was becoming slower, more of a stagger as the pain seemed to set in, weighing down his large paws like lead. He was nearing the fringes of a jungle or wood of some sort, where the vegetation grew wild and thick. He was reluctant to stray inside, wondering if he would ever get out.

He stopped at the edge, resting under the shade of one of the trees. It was quiet here. Not that he would know, considering he was deaf himself, but there just seemed to be an empty silence. No movement, No possible noise. At least, that was how his mind worked.

King knew that he could not be the only canine unlucky enough to have been gripped and placed into this disaster. As content as he was to sit there, alone, to drown in his own thoughts and superstitions, the curiosity was more than he could handle.There had to be others. He lifted his brown nose to the air, inhaling deeply, and he thought he could smell a recent scent lingering in the air not far by.

"Hello?" He called. His voice was gruff and deep, and rasped slightly from lack of use. Despite his strange change from his usual yearning for solitude, his gaze was almost baleful as he searched wearily for another shape to appear.

-----
Words: 508
Muse: Pretty good
Notes: This is King

[vegas]

Mikala slowed her pace until she came to a halt, as she could hear a noise from a creature that she could understand. It had to be a canine, even if the only word she could make out was "Hello", which was all the dog said. Once she stopped she was able to pick up his sent better, it was a dog and it smelt of the strong ocean stench which she woke up to that morning. The mixed breed swallowed and was sort of weary, but what kind of bad guy would call out 'hello' and give off his position? Certainly this dog couldn't be bad, and why would it want to start a useless fight? If she had to, Mikala would fight but she didn’t plan on to. Maybe this dog had known something more about where it was. Finally she made up her decision and decided to head over to the dog that called out.

The female dog headed over with a slow trot and it didn’t take too long before she stood in front of a wet Samoyed. She tried to hold herself up properly and not seem like a threat to him, even though she doubted such a large dog would fear her. Mikala’s bright blue eyes settled to the face of the Samoyed which looked weary and tired. “Hello, sir…” she dared to ask, “Are you alright?”. Her ears moved a little as she sort of regretted asking this question as it may anger him, but it was her caring nature that made her ask. She hadn’t wanted to bombard the dog with too many words and decided to await his reply.

Where the dogs were standing was a little bit inside the forest but not too far from where the sand just started to end at the Jungle-bordering trees. The fresh smell of fruit filled her nose, but the ocean smelt so overwhelming and sort of had a restless feeling to it.

[cherrycola]

King

The sun beat down on the stocky male like fire, seeming to singe the tips of each fragile strand of hair. The sand had given way to sparse, short shrubs and grasses, and grew into think, tangling fronds as one went deeper into the jungle-like cluster of trees. King was content to sit sprawled just at the edge, where the shade of the palm gave cover from the most unbearable bit of the heat. The creamy-white canine's voice had echoed out into the sky, a note breaking the everlasting silence. He did not see anyone else, and wondered if his voice had been to quiet to be heard. He didn't know. How could he have known?

The birds seemed to awaken after his cry, and stirred and chirped lazily in the trees. They did not seem to stray far from the thicket of vegetation, with the exception of the seagulls, which waddled lazily in the tides. King's head was cocked, his ears pricked slightly merely on instinct. King's nose was quivering, beginning to adapt to the bitter tang of the salt in the air. It took a good amount of excursion to sniff through the coating of salty sea air, but when he did he scented another canine, drawing nearer as if alerted by his call.

The mixed breed's gaze stared with intensity at this new dog, which was a female and a mix as well. She looked rather friendly, which was more than King would ever be, for even though he had been the one to call he still had a look of scorn on his face, as if he resented someone else being there.

So perhaps I'm not dead after all. Then where am I? He thought angrily.

King shook his head, scattering his train of thought and reminding himself of the throb in his head, which was gradually dulling. His eyes peered intently on the newcomer, sharp and watching her movements and watching the move of her mouth.

"Hello sir..." He could make that out easily. His gaze did not falter as he watched her, probably intimidating her. He kind of liked it that way.

"Are you alright?" This was harder. He mulled over it a moment, his eyes narrowed, concentrating. He could see the "are" and the "you" for certain, but her last word puzzled him. Damn hearing. He muttered silently.

"I'm sorry. I can't hear..." He muttered. He was unsure of whether he had pronounced it correctly, but the way it had rolled off his tongue sounded correct. His voice was cold, rough, almost bitter. He hated admitting it. It made him sound weak. Stupid. Worthless. He swallowed the snarl that bubbled in the back of his throat.

---
Words: 447
Muse: Pretty Good
Notes: N/A

[vegas]

As the two dogs stood looking at each other he could feel his heavy gaze on her and almost felt uncomfortable. For one thing, this male did not look one bit happy so she wanted to make sure not to be too annoying or get on his bad side. It almost seemed like a long time had passed waiting for his response because she awaited to hear his responses and figure out what kind of personality he had.

Luckily the warm weather hadn't bother her too much, she had long silky fur that wasn't nearly as thick as the Samoyed's. As Mikala watched King squint at her it almost seemed like he was criticizing her in a way or trying to observe her. This made her feel even more uncomfortable. Finally King spoke and gave news that if this were true for her, she wouldn’t know how to live. It would be so stressful and aggravating to get by in conversations. This dog was deaf,

She wasn’t used to using many signs with her body to express herself except for the ones she couldn’t control and were automatic like happiness she’d wag her tail or anger her ears would go straight back and her teeth would bare from under the lips. How would she communicate with this dog? She thought about talking slower since it seemed that he was reading her lips, but she didn’t want to make him feel bad or stupid.

Mikala tried to start with something like she was sorry, but figured she should say her name. “My name is Mikala. Who are you?” When she said this she made sure to pronounce each word a little slower and spaced apart than but not too slow and make each word stand apart. As she spoke she sort of brought her head back when she said her name and then looked more intensely at King as she asked for who he was at the same time, look as if she was expecting an answer.

[x. i z u m i]

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[atrb=background,http://i52.tinypic.com/9giya9.png] He was alive. Of that much he was sure. He just kept telling himself over and over, I'm alive. He hardly believed it. How, he wasn't sure. Did that even matter though? Not in his mind. The last thing he remembered was closing his eyes there at that shelter, positive that he'd never awaken. That stupid sun beat down on him as he slipped through the outskirts of the jungle. The first thing he'd noticed when he awoke there on the beach was that big, bright orb that nearly blinded him. Perhaps that was the same source of the light that would slip into the shed whenever that human would enter...he couldn't be sure. All he knew was, it made it dreadful hard for someone who'd spent they're entire life in the dark to see. Hence the reason he tried to stay here in the trees. Dogs. That was another thing. He knew he'd smelled them, he knew they were here. Where, though, he was unsure, nor did he have any desire to find out. Currently, all Jericho cared about was food. There had to be something to eat on this stupid island. Perhaps he could fill that empty feeling in his stomach he'd felt his entire life. However, this search for food was slow and pointless it seemed. Walking took so much energy, didn't it? It sure was when you'd never been anything but skin and bones. He was beginning to find he could hardly go a few yards without collapsing for a while. It was...irksome. Not annoying, oh no. Nothing annoyed him. But this stop-and-go form of traveling brought him pretty darn close. On one of these involuntary rests, he found that he could hear voices. Canine ones, naturally. He couldn't make out what they were saying, but that didn't matter. Any other day he would have headed in the opposite direction, away from his kind. But today, there was that possibility that they might know where he was and how in the world he'd managed to get here, alive. So he slowly pulled himself to his feet, ignoring the way his legs shook under his weight. Spending a lifetime in a cage did not make for very strong legs. However, he didn't quite realize that as the cause, as he'd never met a dog who wasn't as weak as he. As far as he knew, every dog had trouble walking for more than a few minutes, and looked as horribly neglected as he. Which was why he was a bit taken aback when first saw the two dogs, standing there talking. Clearly his assumptions were incorrect, as the two dogs before him were glorious creatures. In his mind at least. How come he didn't look as strong as them? It wasn't fair! A faint flare of jealousy shot through him, but as he tried to embrace it, it faded. Damn emotions. They were just a myth to him. Sometimes he thought he could feel them, but they always faded as quickly as they came. Clearly that meant they didn't exist. Jericho paused before quite reaching the canines. How exactly did one go about approaching them? Was he just supposed to walk right up and interrupt them? Social skills. Another thing he lacked. However, unlike the emotions, he really didn't have much of a desire to obtain them. So rather than just walking up to them, he stood there a bit awkwardly and said nothing. Words.x 577 Notes.x Mind if I join y'all? =) Sorry it's so long, my entrance posts always seem to be.

[cherrycola]

King

In the shade of the trees the ground was cooler, and the difference which was subtle at first became more noticeable as time drew on. The sky was a clear, robins-egg blue, that every cloud seemed to fear, for they floated as stray wisps quite a distance from the beaming sun. As King sat at the edge, he fancied that through the butter, salty stench of seawater there was the faint, sickly sweet smell of fruit. Fruit meant animals. Animals meant food. King took note of this.

The thick-furred male's mouth was contorted into a frown, his eyes slightly narrowed in an expression that could have been scornful or forlorn. He hated the admittance, the fact that he could not hear, and the words he had spoken were bitter in his mouth even long after they had left. He hated that word, deaf, so he avoided it as often as he could. But whether he said the word or not did not change the fact that he had told her. That he had admitted his weakness. He had admitted he was stupid and worthless.

As opposed to his more negative train of thought, the mixed female sitting before him did not seem phased. Sure, the expression of deep thought and the fact that he knew he needed special help was rather unnerving, but this strange dog did not seem to mind. If anything she intrigued him, for many had shied away from his cold, silent gaze. The female paused a moment, as if an idea had struck her, and she said, slowly, " My name is Mikala. Who are you?"

He knew he should be offended because he hated being treated like he was dumb, but despite himself he knew she had good intentions. He was reluctant to admit it, but she was easier to understand that time. "King." He answered. His reply was short, not hostile but edgy, which was what was expected from him.

King's gaze darted from Mikala's as he scented another canine. His initial reaction was Oh great. More company., but he was curious to see how many dogs had ended up here. Perhaps the dogs that had come fit specific requirements. He was npuzzled by why he had been sent here. He wanted to know why.

The canine he had smelled approached a few minutes later. It had taken it longer to arrive then King would have expected, but after seeing his appearance it was no longer a surprise. It was a male, with a white-ish coat and ginger speckles splattered across. He seemed malnourished to the least, and it was apparent he was not as strong as a healthy one of his breed should have been. For the slightest moment, a bit of King's own self-pity was lifted.

He could see the awkwardness that this other dog displayed as he stood, waiting to be acknowledged. King motioned his head into a stern nod, and said "My name is King. Who are you?" His voice was deep and veiled of intentions, and his eyes were narrowed. Some phrases came easily to King, such as the one he had just spoken, for some words he had said many times before he had lost his hearing, and they came easily to him. He was thankful for it at least because he knew inevitably this other dog would find out that he was deaf too. At least it would not be too soon. King's eyes were sharp, watching this newcomer, waiting for a reply.
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Words: 579
Muse: Pretty Good
Notes:

[vegas]

As King answered the question, she could tell before his response he looked slightly upset. She felt bad for her actions, but she continued to speak because it would make it easier knowing the other dogs named. From this point on she would try not to talk so much so he wouldn't feel left out of anything, she would hate to make any dog feel bad.

It seemed that King noticed the newcomer before her as she was more focused on King than anthing at this moment. Mikala did smell the new dog and walked closer towards King so that it didn't look like she was turning her back on him or ignoring him.

This new dogs looked in terrible shape and it was amazing that he was able to even walk. Despite being pretty skinny, he was a very beautiful colored dog and if he got more meat on his bones he'd look amazing. When she compared herself to the other dogs, she was probably in the best shape.

She heard King say his name to the English Setter and awaited his reply, but before Jericho could respond she gave her name "Hello, I'm Mikala." instead of just having a dull expression she tried to smile to show that she was friendly and happy to not be alone on this island. As she waited for the English setter to respond she thought about what she could do to help them.

Finding water and hunting something down, possibly was at the top of her list. Maybe she could gain more trust and comfort if she caught them something, the Setter looked like he could really eat something.

[x. i z u m i]

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[atrb=background,http://i52.tinypic.com/9giya9.png] It seemed to take only a moment for the two canines to notice his presence. Not that it really mattered to him how long it took them to notice, only that they did. However, at this point, he wasn't sure he actually wanted to be noticed. He had been though, and now he wondered if he ought to just leave. No one really wanted to talk to him, did they? He didn't leave though. That faint curiosity pulsing through him nailed him to the spot. Not to mention the ever-lingering exhaustion preventing him from getting too far. So he simply stood there a moment, staring at the others. The male seemed a bit unwelcoming. His narrowed eyes and stern nod didn't appear terribly friendly to him. Apparently this one was called King, a fitting name perhaps. At least in Jericho's mind. Anyone as strong as he was clearly fit to be a king - assuming he was as strong as he looked. Jericho was oblivious to his disability though, or perhaps he wouldn't have thought so. Moving his gaze to the female, he was a bit glad to see a friendly grin on her face. She didn't quite seem to possess the brute strength of the other, but that didn't mean she wasn't strong. It was simply a difference in breed, as far as Jericho could tell. This one went by Mikala. He stood there just a moment longer before realizing he really ought to introduce himself. After all, King had asked who he was. "Uh...Jericho," he finally replied. Yes, that was his name. He loved the way it rolled off his tongue. When was the last time he'd introduced himself to someone? He couldn't even remember. Probably the last time a dog had been moved into his cage. A very small part of him hoped he hadn't interrupted anything, but for the most part he really didn't care. At all. The only thing he really cared about was survival, and knowing where he was and why might aide that. So if these dogs happened to know anything about that, it didn't matter at all if he'd interrupted something. Ah, yes. Speaking of which, he should probably ask about that before he forgot. "Where are we?" he inquired. Good. Three words that got his point across. He made an effort to put what he wanted to say in the fewest, simplest words possible. Why? It made conversations shorter, at least in his mind. Slowly, he sank into a sitting position. He was beginning to feel like he was going to fall over, and really didn't want to do so right here in front of two dogs he didn't even know. At least sitting down he didn't feel quite so unsteady. Words.x 456 Notes.x

[cherrycola]

King

King's broad head was focused intently on the dog that had appeared. The dull throb that had cursed him as he awoke on the shoreline had faded, but the tang of salt was still heavy in his mouth, and despite his efforts to swallow it down the traces still remained. The white canine's dark brown eyes were unwelcoming to say the least. He had awoken a bit more spirited than he had intended, and now that the pain had receded his bitter, unfriendly demeanor seemed to return.

The red speckled male that had approached them seemed to almost regret the fact that he had come, and King could see it in his eyes. A dog would usually feel guilty for perhaps acting hostile toward him, but King did not feel that way. The white-furred male's gaze shifted, but the message remained the same. I am the boss. You don't challenge me.

The newcomer had hesitated longer than usual to answer King's question, and he seemed to notice this suddenly. "Uhh..Jericho" He answered warily. King's eyes had not left the canine's lips, yet still the name was unclear. Jeh-cko was all that he could pick up in the fluent motion of the name. King was hesitant to admit his deafness once again, for he had been reluctant enough to the other canine, and decided to pretend he had heard. He liked the way he held power over this other dog, and he did not want the feeling to diminish because of his disability.

There was quiet again. King could feel Mikala's welcoming gaze boring into the other dog, and if anything it slightly annoyed him. It was just the happiness she seemed to radiate that he did not possess. He didn't like it.

"Where are we?" Jericho asked amidst the noiseless moment. King recognized these words easily. The male's flopped ears twitched, and he began to once again ponder their location. None of the canines here seemed to know (at least, neither of which he had met). He thought sourly of his days in the shelter, where he had sat, aggressive and unwanted. He did not want to admit it to anyone, not even himself, but perhaps this was a good change for him. His memories worsened his mood, and he answered the other canine's question wryly "If only I knew."

King shook his head slightly, disheveling the sand that had settled between the thick white strands. "But wherever we are, it seems far away from where we started."
---------
Words: 412
Muse: Fading Away :C
Notes: N/A

[vegas]

Mikala could sense the 'I'm boss' attitude coming from King, and it slightly bothered her. She did not want to feel like she didn't have full control of a situation. She had wanted to remain polite but it was so hard for her to communicate with out speaking since she seemed to run her mouth a lot.

When Jericho answered she nodded her head just slightly, to recognize that she caught what she said. Her chest began to beat with anticipation to find some answers out but soon her questions were answered when both dogs cleared up that they didn't know where the heck the were either. The female could over think things sometime so now she tried dropping worrying about polite and wanted to get to the point and if none of these dogs knew the answer to where they were or how they ended up here, then she'd force an answer out of accomplishing something or possibly finding someone new.

The blue-merle colored dog knew it was slightly after the highest point in which the sun was in the sky and wanted to find someplace in which she felt more comfortable, or perhaps secured. Also, she had not had a drink and the heat was getting to her. She stated, and made sure to have both dogs attention before she spoke. "I will go look for water, and see if I can get anything to eat." She paused waiting for King to take time to try understanding her lips, but made sure it wasn't too long of a pause that she looked stupid. When she continued on she said "Come with me if you want, but I will return to this same spot."

Mikala knew Jericho could understand her clearly so she awaited him to answer first. However she probably knew the answer, this dog was in very bad shape for hunting. She signaled her body as to go further in the jungle.

Notes: Sorry about my lame opening, I have always failed with meetings and greetings X.X

[x. i z u m i]

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[atrb=background,http://i52.tinypic.com/9giya9.png] King's warning stare didn't scare Jericho. It was nigh on impossible to scare him. However, he also had no plans to challenge that warning, for he had no desire to 'be the boss.' Not to mention the fact he knew it was a fight he'd never win. At this point, he wasn't sure there was any battle he could win. If he didn't eat soon, he'd probably lose the battle he'd been fighting his whole life. The battle of survival. His thoughts of such things were quickly chased away though as the other male's words reached him. If there was any mispronunciation due to his lack of hearing, Jericho didn't notice. He wasn't one to notice such things. Above all though, he just didn't care, as he'd sort of zoned out as the words sunk in. So no one really knew where they were? There was little doubt in his mind that there were many more dogs here than just the ones he saw before him, but if no one knew where they were, that didn't matter. Perhaps this was where dogs went when they died. Maybe they didn't actually die, but somehow came here, to this island. He could muse about such things all he wanted, but that wouldn't help him find out the truth. You're just wasting time. And brain power, he told himself. Far away from where they'd started was right. Jericho didn't know where these dogs had been before this island, but he sure knew this wasn't anything like the big white room he'd been in. There were no humans bustling around, no whining dogs, and no metal cages. No, even if the humans had been trying to help him - which he still wasn't convinced of - this was certainly better than anything he'd ever known. He'd still like to know where "this" was though. Mikala's words reminded him that he wasn't the only one sitting here. He'd been about to wander off to continue his musings in peace, but now decided against it. Though he'd already gathered the knowledge he'd come for, if this dog was getting food, he figured he ought to stay. Part of him knew he'd never be able to catch anything to make even a halfway decent meal, and having it caught for him would certainly aide his survival. So he gave a brief nod to show he understood. He had no plans of going with her, for he had no doubt he'd just slow her down. Nor did he really have no desire to watch her hunt. It would just remind him yet again that she could do entirely too many things he couldn't at this point. Suddenly realizing she expected him to respond, he quickly answered, "Uhm...'kay." Why was it that everyone counted on a reply when they said something? That only lengthened conversations, which took up way too much valuable time. However, he sort of doubted he could change that, so he'd just have to comply with the strange habits of the world. Words.x 506 Notes.x