Land of the Domesticated - Role-Play

Shiroi - Female (she/her) - Border Collie - Hunter - Location: Camp - Mentions: Sigma

Sunrise - 6:03 am - September 22nd (Fall) - Weather: Sunny with a side of Clouds - Days since apocalypse: 61

Binx - Gender Apathetic - Husky/Wolf - Alpha - Location: Pack Camp - Mentions: Oliver (Directly)

Binx blinked as others started to wake up. Oliver was the first to approach him and he looked down at the coywolf. "I plan on snagging a few of you to take into Sirenchester for supplies. It'll be cold soon and not everyone here is equipped for a complete winter outside." Especially the shorter-furred pack members. Binx's sole focus at the moment was making sure everyone was prepared for the upcoming winter. Sirenchester winter's were definitely not know for being mild. The snow would be up to his chest and swamping some of the smaller pack mates by mid winter. If they could stock up now, he wouldn't have to worry about the cold. Which is something else he needed to talk to Fauna about. He wanted to make sure she would be prepared for the winter. If need be, he'd send a scout out with her while she was herb hunting. There were plenty of pack less canines out there that would take advantage of a pack member that had strayed too far without someone else.

"And if there happens to be any canines in need in the town, I don't want to pass them by." Looking around the camp to see who was awake and up, Binx took note of the hunters and scouts already out. "Possibly a scout and a couple hunters should come with me. I need a duo or trio to head out to hunt with a scout accompanying them. We need to store as much food as we can find. If I see any bags of kibble in the town, I'll bring those back, but the kibble would only be a last resort. We aren't owned by humans anymore so we all need to learn to take care of ourselves." Personally, Binx hated the taste of kibble and would prefer none of his pack ever eat the stuff again, but through the first winter, he would welcome anything that could be stored over the harsh months.

Kirameki - Female (she/her) - Golden Retriever - Scout - Location: Camp - Mentions: Binx

Fauna | Female (she/her) | Greyhound | Herbalist | Location: Camp

The skinny canine seated herself patiently. She didn't imagine that Binx had many orders for her, but she didn't want to be rude and wander off at the break of dawn when he appeared to have some sort of announcement to make. She imagine that it was directed mostly at the hunters and scouts, considering that winter was on its way. She feared for the cold- Fauna wasn't built for chilly weather. She had survived several years out with just her old vixen companion, but the duo were skilled at sneaking into old barns and spending the coldest nights in hay. She wasn't certain if her Alpha was keen on that idea, even if humans seemed to have gone extinct. Besides, she imagined that plenty of other lone canines would aggressively protect any barns that they had in their possession. Some simply believed that less dogs meant less competition. 

Fauna? She believed that cooperation was key, sharing was caring. While it might have meant more mouths to feed, she didn't like to see any others get left out. Everybody deserved their chance at survival, perfectly fit or not. It was why she was honored to be an herbalist. 

Trooper | Male (he/him) | Belgian Malinois | Loner | Location: Town Outskirts

He always believed in the importance of getting an early start. The keen-nosed canine had been taken up residency in an old shack in the outskirts of town, where vines and bracken were beginning to smother the old, uneven boards. Thanks to his training, the sharp Malinois was capable of opening doors and cabinets, using his claws and intelligence to his own advantage. It gave him an advantage above the rest, something he didn't intend on sharing. If they weren't capable of using their noggin, then they didn't deserve to survive. It wasn't Trooper's duty to ensure that he picked up the slack of all others, hence his decision to strike it out alone. 

That, and the sable dog still believed that his team of humans could still be out there. He refused to acknowledge their likely death, no matter how much his senses tried to convince him of such a demise. Fortunate, the shack came with a little shelter, and it appeared that the human that formerly resided their had been planning for something. An evil stick weapon that stunk of gunpowder had been kept below, along with plastic jugs and a few shiny cans that Trooper was debating on chewing.

Today, he'd investigate the town further. He wasn't particularly hungering for any breakfast, but he wouldn't hesitate to stock up on any supplies that he came upon. Lucky for him, Trooper could hide things away in the cellar and force the doors open once more, considering that most canines weren't trained to open such gates. It was a perfect safe storage place for him. He needn't worry about any thieves coming along. 

Although months had crept on by, Trooper was still adorned by his working-dog vest. He wore it with pride, and refused to ever take it off. Indeed, it was dusted and a little rough since his life outside (and from when he tore himself out of the cage at the veterinarian), but he wouldn't remove it, even if his life depended on it. 

The male stretched out his legs and exited the ragged shack, his black triangular ears perked. It was time that he did his morning rounds. 

Sigma - Male (he/him) - Pitbull - Hunter - Location: Camp - Mentions: Shiroi + Binx

Giving a small smile, the large Pitbull accepted the quill. "Thank you." At her next question, he shrugged. "I didn't exactly plan anything for today. I figured I'd go for a walk or something..." Since he had been abandoned by his humans, he didn't really know what to do with himself. All of his time beforehand had been spent fighting and training and then fighting again. Remembering this, his pointed ears pinned to his skull. A faint melody played in his mind, unknown to Shiroi or the rest of the pack. His brows furrowed and he closed his eyes, trying to stop the song from playing to him.

Binx's voice pulled him from the sound and he looked up. He looked over to Shiori, trying to figure out how to ask her to join him in his awkwardness. "Um- Do you want to go into the city with the Alpha? I'd rather do that than hunting, honestly." Sure, his mutation was helpful with hunting, but that didn't mean he enjoyed it. He was tired of fighting all the time. He gave a nervous smile.

Shiroi - Female (she/her) - Border Collie - Hunter - Location: Camp - Mentions: Sigma

Shiroi watched in interest and curiosity as the male closed his eyes and pinned his ears. Her only thoughts were that he was remembering something bad, so she kept her maw shut and let him pass.

Sure enough, after Alpha spoke, he opened his eyes and asked her a question. The smaller canine's eyes sparkled. "If you wouldn't mind a little speedster around while we're out, I'd love to come." She answered, trying to make him smile a bit more. Shiroi decided that she would tell him about her empathetic capabilities while they were searching Sirenchester.

Sigma - Male (he/him) - Pitbull - Hunter - Location: Camp - Mentions: Shiori, Binx

A lopsided, genuine grin crossed the brute's face, giving him an almost puppy-like look. "I'm sure you'll be great company," he said, nodding. He stood, his stubby little tail wagging. "We should go mention to him that we'd like to go." He waited for the smaller canine to join him before walking up to the Alpha.

With a brief but respectful bow, Sigma approached Binx. "We overheard that you were looking to explore the city," he started, his voice quiet and a bit nervous. He hadn't really had an authority figure to look up to before, and this was all very new to him. "We, um-" His voice cut off and he glanced at Shiori, trying to give her a signal to ask if they could join. Man, he was bad at this.

Mallory |:| female (any pronouns) |:| gray fox |:| loner |:| den (desc. below) |:| mentions open

The sun was rising, filling the sky with a burning orange that contrasted starkly with the blue-green pines and the plain white ranch house visible from Mallory's small den. Framing the scene were the thick, strong roots of an old fir tree that composed the top of her den and the few little clovers dotting the grass at the mouth of the cozy hole. About an hour ago Mallory had awoken to the sleepy song of an early-risen mourning dove. That bird, who had been waking the small fox up each morning for quite a while now, had made a nest in the tree above the den and was, for whatever reason, now alone. Originally there had been two, and Mallory had expected there to be eggs, and eventually the peeping and chirping of the newly hatched chicks-- but now only the adult male was left.

The house among the blue-green pines had been Mallory's destination this morning. Before the humans disappeared an old man had lived here, and he was about the only thing she missed. He had always been nice to her, especially nice for a human: she would find supper scraps near her den from him and he gave her den a wide berth when he mowed the lawn. He wouldn't even chase her out of his strawberry garden.

By now, the strawberries left were the ones who had fallen off their plants, heavy and overripe. Mallory had stopped there to forage before continuing to the house, and there were only two fruits she could find-- the rest must have been stolen by that raccoon she couldn't manage to chase out of her area.

The house's doors, front and back, were closed and locked-- that's how the old man always kept it. Mallory, however, had been convinced she could find a way in (and was hoping that someone else hadn't found an entrance already). Circling around to the little door on the side of the garage, she found it to be in a similar state as the other two, but the lock was a padlock. She had tried to pull the padlock open, then stick her claws into the keyhole as she had seen the old man do so many times with those shiny trinkets. Neither method worked, so she grudgingly moved on.

There was, however, a small hole chipped away in the corner of the huge door used by cars to get into the garage. It was just too small for Mallory to fit through, but after digging away at the exposed wet wood, she could squeeze through. There was yet another door to enter to get into the actual house, but that one was conveniently slightly ajar. Before moving on she had patrolled the garage, sniffing the tool shelves trying to see through the old man's car's windows. As far as she could tell, the only other animal visitors had been mice, chipmunks, squirrels and the like. Mallory even found a minifridge with bottled water and some garden strawberries. Once she figured out how to break into the small water-holding capsules by chewing on the caps until they were weak enough to pop off, she decided to leave them in the fridge for now. She had a good supply of clean water here if she needed it, as well as the berries that still tasted fresh.

Finally, she explored the inside and was surprised to find everything clean, save for a little dust in some places, and seemingly untouched. The cat that the old man owned was still inside somewhere too, even though the fox couldn't see him at the moment-- his scent on the floor and furniture was recent. Observing that his food and water bowls were empty and dry, she wondered if he would be unhealthily skinny and dehydrated when she did find him.

Mallory stopped and blinked a few times, shaking her head. She had been standing still, staring at the cat's bowls, reliving the past events of the morning. Recently, finding herself like this, in a trance, consumed by her immediate memories, was becoming more and more commonplace, and she disliked that immensely. Her impeccable memory was turning out to worry her more than help her-- what if she overlooked something vital while in one of her episodes? But it was so hard to avoid getting stuck on thinking. Everything that has thought had their short-term memories in mind during the present, as far as Mallory could tell, and her memories were so vivid and accurate that sometimes she lost track of the difference between present and a few moments past.

(this is longer than posts I usually write haha)

Sunrise - 6:05 am - September 22nd (Fall) - Weather: Sunny with a side of Clouds - Days since apocalypse: 61

Binx - Gender Apathetic - Husky/Wolf - Alpha - Location: Camp - Mentions: Kirameki, Sigma, Shiroi, Fauna, Oliver

"Thank-you, Kirameki." Bink looked over at the sound of talking and noticed Sigma and Shiroi headed in his direction. When Sigma stopped to talk, Binx tilted his head kindly. The pitbull stuttered over his words before looking at Shiroi, but Binx understood the message. He smiled kindly. "Both of you are welcome to join my patrol, Sigma." The hybrid spoke, his voice kind. "As that will be all I wish to take into the city with me, I would like to be leaving as soon as you three are ready."

Standing up, Binx looked over to Oliver. "I want you to get one or two of the other hunters to take with you hunting as well as one of the scouts. Whoever accompanies you on the hunting trip will be up to you." Looking over to Fauna, he quickly thought through how many pack members there were. "Whenever you feel like, Fauna, I'd like you to take one of the scouts and go foraging for herbs, but try not to stay out too late into the afternoon. Whenever I get back, there are a few things I'd like to go over with you, but it'll be in the evening when we do arrive back at camp." Partially speaking to the three accompanying him at this point. "I'd like to get as much as we can today so that we do not have to venture back into Sirenchester too many times. As the days get colder, more and more lone canines will seek the shelter of the abandoned human dens. It'll be best for us to stay in our territory as much as we can."

Rethinking all he'd said, he hoped he didn't leave anything out. "If there are no other questions for the day, I'd like to be on the move to the town as soon as possible. It takes quite a bit just to get through half of the town."

Runa | (she/her) | Maned wolf | Loner | Location: Abandoned park | Mentions: None

The maned wolf woke up from her slumber, yawning and blinking her eyes several times to get used to the sun’s light. She looked at the park around her, recording her surroundings. Runa had slept under a healthy apple tree that was providing her a pleasant shade to stay hidden in from the sun. The maned wolf felt the tempting wish to stay under the nice tree’s shade for some more time. Her stomach rumbled, remembering that she is a creature that needs nourishment to keep living.

She got up, stretched her limbs and back, and once again looked around. The park’s grass and plants were a little overgrown due the lack of humans to cut them. It was a good thing, there were no humans to hunt her and other canines that were considered “threats” by human beings. 

Runa looked at the apple tree and its green leaves. It was a good idea to sleep under it, there were fresh apples on its branches and had a sweet delicious smell. The tree looked strong, she didn’t dare to shake it to make the apples fall. She preferred to eat the ones that had already fallen to the ground, only the ones that hadn’t rotten or dirtied too much by the ground.

The maned wolf’s hunger was almost satisfied, she still felt a little hungry. She sneaked quietly through the park for some time, with her enhanced hearing she managed to find a clueless bird quickly. Runa caught the bird and ended its life with agility so it wouldn’t suffer for too long, the bird was mostly grey with red round markings on its cheeks. If her memory is correct, she may have overheard a dog referring to this type of bird as a cockatiel. With the bird’s meat she ended her hunger.

She looked around, wondering what she should do now. “Maybe explore the city? Maybe I could find water in the way!”, the maned wolf thought with enthusiasm.