Dagwood~Male~Northern Inuit dog~ Stowaway~ Mentions: the pack, critter

Time seemed to drag on as he listened to the pack dogs up above contemplate about the best decision and how many of their pack members were missing. The fear in everyone's voices confirmed what he already believed to be true and that was that they were truly stuck on this boat together. Listening quietly as all the missing members were called out he couldn't help but realize how many of these pack dogs there really were and what if all those members weren't in fact missing but down here with him? A cold chill ran down his spine at that thought and his fur stood on end, shaking the fear away Dagwood licked his chops and let out a small whine. His large white paws leaned over the edge of the bed as he lay on top, it was a small twin bed after all and he was very big dog, he couldn't help but feel like an elephant in the room as he awkwardly waited to be seen. the air felt thick and hard to breath in as he played out all the things that could go wrong in his head, "what if this was planned?" "what if they find me and all just attack me?" "what if..." his thoughts were interrupted as he heard someone approaching and a strong scent of fish overwhelmed his nose.

His eyes widened as the steps stopped and he could see a silhouette in the doorway, "whelp i officially regret waiting to be caught" he thought in his head. His ears slowly started to go back but then shot forward as he heard the dog speak. She had a nervous but sure of herself voice as she asked to hide under the bed and referred to him as sir. His muscles tensed a little as she asked to hide, "why was she trying to hide?" "what the heck is this.. a big game of hide and seek? Dagwood's voice got caught in his throat a little as spoke " uh mm... i guess you could yes but... i don't think any of us are leaving this ship anytime soon.. and my names Dagwood.." he paused for a moment, "and excuse me but may i ask why your hiding? With his gaze unwavering and his full attention on the dog standing in the doorway, Dagwood couldn't help but think that spending the night on a boat was an awful idea.

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Cosmo - Scout - Male - Bull Terrier
@Critter Dagwood

Cosmo slid a bit against the hardwood of the boat as it swayed a bit, digging his nails in as he sat down and listened to Brindle carefully. Yes Cosmo was experienced with boats and even living on them but its not a good feeling knowing you can’t willfully go back on land. He looked around at his fellow ranks, seeing most of them in a panic. Cosmo at this point realized he forgot that there were others still in the lower deck. At this point, they are no longer enemies, they are allies. Cosmo hoped that the pack or at least the alpha would realize that in this crucial time.

He stood up and took a few steps over to the opening of the stairs, listening carefully. He could hear the voices of a female and a male dog. “Hm.” Cosmo muttered to himself. Cosmo glanced around before returning back down to the lower deck, his nails clicking against the stairs as he hopped down them. He sniffed around before finding the two dogs in a bedroom, his ears perking up when he saw an unfamiliar face. Cosmo’s little nub of a tail wagged “Wow, you’re a big one ain’t ya mate?” He asked Dagwood while standing behind Critter. The male terrier didn’t see the two as threats since he was always nice to the deviants but, he had never even met the bigger male before. “I’m Cosmo, I’ve never seen you around before and I think it would be bloomin’ hard to miss ya.” He said with a wholesome chuckle.

Word Count: 262

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Rabbit | Female | Wolfdog | Trainee | Mentions: The Pack; Veira, Captain, Brindle

Rabbit was one of the last of the Innsaei pack members hanging back on the dock before everything happened.

She’d enjoyed the chase well enough, but when the time came to board the boat, Rabbit hesitated. She had never explored the docks so closely, let alone been on one of these big… Things. The way it bobbed in the water made it look alive, like some kind of big incomprehensible animal. A tight, burning ball settled in her throat, and she felt the sea breeze against her back as her hackles raised. Every fiber of her being howled at her to turn tail and run. To stay away from this “boat” thing and go home, to the forest. To her mother and brother.

Quivering, she glanced behind her. When she caught sight of Veira, she looked ahead again and took a deep breath. If even one of the older dogs caught her running away, she was going to get into trouble this time. Otter and Mother had said as much, anyway. And besides, she’d been so excited to go exploring the docks with her pack earlier that day… This was just part of that, right? There was nothing to worry about as long as Captain and the others were there.

She forced herself to hop over onto the deck, and immediately felt queasy as the ground beneath her rocked violently. The wolfdog gulped several times and kept moving forward toward the cabin, wanting her paws to make as little contact with the boat as possible. Having all but forgotten about the mission and the Deviants at this point, she focused on the sounds of claws scraping and clicking along the deck, the surf slapping against the sides of the boat, and the general roar of the sea. The boat’s creaks of complaint against its new passengers were pointedly ignored. But then…

Human laughter. An engine revving a little ways off. And a quiet snap.

That had been the boat’s tie breaking, though Rabbit was not able to identify that particular sound. She didn’t even have time to try. When the Callisto lurched in the party boat’s wake, Rabbit yelped and flew forward, tail between her legs. Her mind said “jump back off of the boat,” but thankfully, her paws beat her brain to the punch. She was propelled forward, fueled by pure instinct. Before she knew it, she was out of the fresh air, having scrabbled into the living quarters beneath the controls. She kept running, her heart pounding in her throat, her nose numbed by the stuffy stench of humans. Finally, she dived beneath a floating, round object with leaves -- the aloe plant. It was about a foot off of the ground, but she flattened herself underneath as best she could. Stuttering whines, punctuated by deep gulps, escaped her throat. Her stomach was churning badly now, and each piece of the strange human-den around her spawned ghostly afterimages in her vision. She tried to dig her claws into the ground – the floor – beneath her, to no avail. As panic and seasickness settled in, she completely missed the sound of her Alpha and the other dogs speaking outside.

[Word Count: 529]

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Rice | Hunter | White Swiss Shepherd | Mentions: [Direct]: Gizmo, Morning, Cosmo, Critter, Dagwood [Indirect]: Brindle, the pack

Panic and uncertainty lept across each dog's face as the boat drifted farther and farther out. Trying to calm his nerves, Rice walked towards the two dogs he was at least a little familiar with: Gizmo and Morning. He sat down next to the two, side-eyeing to see their expressions. The male kept quiet as Morning spoke up. For being a shy girl, Rice admired her bravery. He knew she must be going through a lot and talking before the alpha? A courageous move. However, Rice saw a small glimpse of a snout parting from Gizmo. The poor dog as well. This sea would just keep him from his previous owner even more. Turning towards the hound, Rice said quietly to Gizmo. "We'll make the most of it. We all have each other." The shepherd stayed on the dog's eyes for a brief moment before turning back to Brindle.

As the disappearing members of the pack were announced, Rice peered at everyone on that deck. How did so many dogs escape their eyesight? And we have to look for the deviants as well. This is a whole mess. Looking over the edge of the boat, the waves lapped across the side. The dog chose his words to Gizmo carefully. He didn't state if they were going to be okay because he had no idea if they were going to. The boat was drifting quickly and the humans probably wouldn't notice for a few more hours. By then, everything could fall apart. They could all be dead by then. Lost in thought, another white dog had stood up and left the pack meeting. Rice believed it had to be Cosmo? He wasn't all too good with names.

Rice stood up but crouched a little. He didn't want to be fully recognized to be leaving the meeting without permission. He just had to get past long enough to find out where Cosmo would be going to. It couldn't be too bad leaving the meeting, right? They all addressed the issue at hand already. Stalking behind the terrier, Rice heard voices. Now those were unfamiliar. The shepherd tried to be quiet on his feet as he normally does during hunting, but his nails against the deck were clicking and clacking. Fear rose in Rice. He heard Captain's statement. 'I should stay back with the pack. It's too dangerous'. But... Cosmo might need help.

As he reached the stairs, Cosmo seemed to be talking to other dogs. Two others. One was rather larger. Larger than Rice. The male was huge. He could very well overtake Cosmo himself. Not to mention, two dogs against one. Incredibly unfair fight. However, they didn't seem all too harmful yet. But Rice had to make sure. Finally, he spoke up. He had listened to Cosmo greet the dogs. "Cosmo. We aren't here to make greetings. We should go up and tell Brindle about these two." Rice bluntly spoke. He stated his intentions which may turn out bad for them both, but it was straight to the point.

Words: 511 words

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Dagwood~Male~Northern Inuit dog~ Stowaway~ Mentions: Cosmo, Rice, Critter

Dagwood was so focused on the female dog and what her response would be that he hadn't noticed another dog was standing at the bottom of the stairs until it was too late and he heard him surprised by his size. His nose twitched in nervousness as he suddenly sat up and pointed his ears forward, eyes glued on cosmo as he spoke. The male introduced himself and seemed friendly but Dagwood remained suspicious. Looking over at the female with an apologetic look, he sighed "doesn't look like hidings an option anymore, sure hope you can swim." There were so many things going on around him all at once and his acute hearing picked up every sound and voice, it made it very hard to tell when someone was coming or going so when he heard yet another voice come from the bottom of the stairs.. it made him on edge.

The new face was a white Shepherd dog and he didn't seem as friendly as cosmo had, Dagwood's weight suddenly shifted off the twin bed, it made a loud POP as the springs went back into their normal place. He stood perfectly still and looked at the three dogs in front of him, the hair along his spine stood on end and creases in his muzzle became visible as a small snarl of frustration formed a less than friendly smile on his face. His eyes darted up the stairs as he contemplated barreling through them and out of the stuffy small space he began to feel trapped in. He hadn't interacted with other dogs in a long time and often avoided interactions all together, he was a loner and he knew it all too well. "look i don't want trouble, but i WILL fight you if i have to."

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Veira | Beta | Gazehound Cross | Female
Mentions: The Pack, Deviants (Indirectly) Brindle, Captain (Directly)

Veira's tarnished ears flicked ever so slightly as she heard her name muttered from her alpha's muzzle. She took one last longing gaze at the disappearing land and tore away from the side of the boat, her long legs carrying her towards the smaller dog. Her gate was a bit stiff as she attempted to steady herself against the rocking of the waves. She could feel her stomach turning a bit at the odd sensation but chose to ignore it for the moment. There were more important things to worry over.

She faltered a bit as she neared the two other canines, pausing for a moment so that her damaged hearing could catch up to their discussion. "It would be wise to search the boat immediately," Her voice chimed in to agree with the Schnauzer. She lingered at a distance momentarily before finally approaching the pair. She hadn't seen hide nor hair of any dogs in the water. If everyone had made it onto the boat they were most likely in the rooms below deck. Whether they were there of their own accord or being held back by a strange dog, she didn't know. The thought made the hair on her back rise. "We don't know who is on here with us so it's best to be cautious."

Though the assuredness in the tone of her voice never faltered, she stood motionless as she awaited the okay from her fair-statured leader. Her slender face turned downwards to gaze at the papillon but her mind wandered. She wouldn't be settled until everyone in the pack was safe and accounted for. But could they really be safe floating out here in the ocean?

Word #: 283

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Nadia | Deviant | Duck Tolling Retriever | Female | She/Her
Mentions: No one in particular

Nadia was just readjusting her position on top of the cabinets when the boat suddenly tilted sideways. It made her slide back into the wall and when the boat rocked the other way, it took all her might to catch on the lip of the top of the cabinet not slide right out onto the floor. She'd let out a small determined growl to keep from falling as the boat rocked. The undulations became less, but still quite different from a boat that was tied to a dock. She'd never been on a boat that wasn't tied to a dock, but she definitely noticed the different. She did hear a suspiciously loud sneeze, her ears perking up and then heard some pawsteps as dogs began to come into the living room to head down the stairs. That was until she could hear a sharp voice calling order to the pack overhead, watching the dogs go back out and listened to the pack talk about not being docked anymore. This wasn't a particularly good situation at all now. Drifting out to sea? Sure her swimming skills were alright, but if a riptide got her, there would be no coming back to anywhere. She wasn't in the greatest of positions, but being with Critter lessened their chances of getting out. At least apart they'd have a chance to sneak out while they found one. She'd make sure her brother got fed if things went south and they couldn't both make it out.

She'd noticed a quiet sound in the bedroom, Nadia softly cursing that the pack might have heard that or her growl to stay put to herself. Atop the cabinets was quite precarious, but at least she had some advantage to see who would be coming into the living room and kitchen and going down the stairs. She'd more than likely see a pack member before they ever saw her, she'd just need to make sure she didn't draw attention to herself. Her ears perked as she noticed voices in the same bedroom, one was Critter's. Her brow furrowed at the sound of male's voice, and she quickly thought back to if she and Critter had truly been the first on the boat. Listening a bit more, it didn't sound like the male was pack. At least, she assumed a pack member wouldn't be questioning why Critter would need to hide. It wasn't too soon after that pawsteps came into the living room space and the bright white of Cosmo's coat came into the kitchen. He didn't seem to notice her but went straight to the stairs where she'd assumed Critter had gone. She knew Cosmo, at the very least he wouldn't attack Critter but it made her the ever more nervous as another larger white dog went down the steps. The fur on the nape of her neck raised, going through her option. But her ears didn't lie as the other dog spoke and didn't sound particularly threatening.

The option to stay on the cabinets or go help Critter weighed quickly out in her mind. She couldn't, well wouldn't, attack Cosmo, but even then she couldn't take on two dogs at once. Cosmo certainly wouldn't tolerate it, she'd force him to have to act and protect pack. She could get down, but pack was upstairs, and if they only thought those two were there, then she had a chance to move to a better spot. She waited for Cosmo and his pack member to speak or move to make a final decision.
Words: 592

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Morning | Innsaei scout | Doberman/Greyhound cross | female (she/her) | mentions: Rabbit

Morning slunk deeper into the shadows, all confidence gone. Being acknowledged in front of the whole pack, not to mention the two Deviants lurking somewhere on the boat, was just… too much. Not to mention the fact that Rabbit, one of the few dogs she considered a friend, was missing, as were a few others in the pack. She whimpered a bit in the corner, trying to listen to Brindle and Veira while keeping herself steady. The boat was beginning to rock less, but Morning was still acutely aware of the fact that they were untethered, floating unchecked on the vast Atlantic.

She shook her head a bit to clear it, and moved down the deck to the stairs leading below. Her thin pelt provided no help against the cold wind beginning to blow, and she had a vague thought about trying to find Rabbit. Morning stumbled down the steps, tripping over her paws, trying to ignore the confusing layers of scent - stale human, many different dogs, the fishy, salty scent of the sea mixing with it all, overwhelming the smell of - Rabbit?

In her haste to follow the scent, Morning tripped, fell on her stomach, and skidded into the kitchen - almost straight into Rabbit, cowering under the aloe plant. Morning gaped at the wolfdog, unable to articulate words at first. "Where were you?" she finally said, awaiting Rabbit's response.

{233 words}

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Rabbit | Female | Wolfdog | Trainee | Mentions: Morning, Nadia

With her head swimming as it was, Rabbit nearly missed the sound of a growl coming from the kitchen. She opened her eyes, her ears popping one after the other out from under the aloe plant. They swiveled in the direction of the kitchen, but in that moment, Rabbit didn't dare move another muscle. The knowledge of the Deviants lurking on this boat trickled back into her mind, and with it, another flavor of panic added to the hot bile stinging her throat with every swallow.

And then, as if out of nowhere, Morning came tumbling -- and then sliding -- into view. Rabbit's tail immediately shot up and started to wag furiously, whacking against the wall with a rapid thwack, thwack, thwack. She inched over to Morning, ears laid back, and reached out to give the doberman cross a few licks.

"Morning!" She whined, gulped, and continued shakily, "I don't know. The ground started moving, and I just ran! And there was this plant, so I hid, and I don't feel so good, and-"

She whimpered a few more times while catching her breath, cutting a pleading look at Morning before shifting her snout toward the further corners of the kitchen.

"A-and I think I heard someone else in here!" Rabbit made no attempt to lower her voice at this comment, but kept her eyes open as wide as she could in spite of her discomfort. Admittedly, this was not all that wide. A memory flickered by, of being sick and watching her legs flail out from under her as she lost control of them. That had been in the alleyway behind the meat-smelling place, after she'd eaten all of those beef trimmings. She wasn't shaking in quite the same way as she was that day, but that was of little consolation to her now.

[305 Words]

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Morning | Innsaei scout | Doberman/Greyhound cross | female (she/her) | mentions: Rabbit, Veira

Morning leapt to her paws with a yelp, feeling slighted. "I just found Rabbit," she said haltingly. Her tail, which had been wagging fiercely at the sight of Rabbit, drooped back downwards. Before she could say anything more, though, she heard voices - some unfamiliar, some that sounded like Innsaei dogs. Her ears pricked towards the sound, but Veira's stony expression pulled her back to focus.

"Rabbit's sick or something!" she blurted out, hoping to defend the younger dog. "She was scared, so she hid, and she just heard some other dog," Morning continued, hoping to see Veira's expression soften. The gazehound frightened her, to be honest. She'd been known to snap at other dogs, and Morning, being slightly very skittish, did not appreciate that at all. And Captain? While the Sentinel could be brave - she'd seen that in her time with the pack - was a little frightening. She got the sense that the Schnauzer had lived through the unimaginable and come back, and being told by Brindle to avoid coming up behind him was a bit worrying.

Coming back to focus, she continued, "I think I smelled them, as well, but I-I haven't seen anybody." Worried that this might be the wrong answer, she slunk back into the shadows again, toying with the chain on her leg.

{219 words}

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Rabbit | Female | Wolfdog | Trainee | Mentions: Morning, Veira, Captain (direct); Nadia (indirect)

Rabbit's squint widened into a whale eye when Veira crept up on them. She stifled her yelp, and then looked directly up at the Beta for just a moment. Her nose pointed to the floor just in time for her to hear Captain scolding her. That was for the best. Meeting his eyes would probably be hard, given the tone. In a trembling voice barely more than breath, she began to respond to him directly.

"I know, I'm..."

Then, Morning spoke up. Rabbit's tail was curling around her hind leg now, and there was little in her body language that suggested relief. And yet, a little heat pulled back from Rabbit's face when she heard the doberman mix attempting to explain what was happening with her, and with the strange human den around them. Rabbit gripped at the floor again, but made no effort to crawl back out from under the aloe plant. A few swallows and backward sneezes later, she plucked up the courage to pick up where Morning left off.

"I-I'm sorry," she said, not sure who to address first out of the two higher ranking, older dogs. "M... Ugh. Morning's right. I don't know how I got here, or where we are. The ground was moving, and I..." Rabbit stopped herself as her train of thought caught up to Veira's last two questions. Even she could tell that these were the more pressing matters, made even more so by Veira's movement toward the kitchen.

"I think I heard someone growling in there." She tipped her snout toward the kitchen again, gulped, and gave a few hopeless sniffs. Her chin plopped against the ground with a gentle thump, and the mismatched tips of her ears met the back of her neck. "I can't smell anyone though." Eyes watering from nausea, she cast her gaze up, between Captain and Veira. Morning had evidently tucked herself away somewhere, maybe even out of sight. Rabbit wished she could do the same. This bush hadn't turned out to be a good hiding spot, like large ones in the wood could sometimes be.

[351 Words]

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Brindle||Female||Papillion||Alpha||Mentions: The Pack, Morning, Veira, Captain, Rabbit, Nadia

Brindle finally snapped out of her trance. The boat rocking mixed with the nausea of all of her missing pack mates had sent her mid spiraling. She nodded her head slightly, still a bit dazed from her mental trip. When reality finally hit her again she realized her Sentinel and Beta were gone. She knew exactly what they were doing and was glad they took lead in her moment of weakness. She was still angry that at least one of them hadn't stayed behind just in case.

She always managed to find something to be angry about. Turning her nose to the remaining dogs on the deck she spoke, "We need to search this whole boat. For both Deviants and pack mates. If you run into any pack mates bring them up here. If you find any Deviants take caution and do NOT try and attack alone. We do not want to kill them, but we do want to capture them. Do a thorough search and have at least one partner with you at all times. Look for supplies while you are at it too. Once you have searched we will reconvene here." she said and dipped her head at them before turning.

She lowered her pink nose to the ground and began to follow the scents of her two higher ups. Oh man was she about to get on them. She hopped down the stairs one at a time, so that her small body didn't go tumbling downwards. She paused on the last step and stared into the dark, getting adjusted to the light. Finally she spotted 4 of her dogs all standing around a...plant? "What the hell are you guys doing?", she started. Blinking at them she turned her head to look around the area. This was quite a nice boat, she wouldn't lie. There would be plenty of room for the dogs to sleep, but unfortunately that doesn't fix the food or water or deviant problem.

Her gaze swept around and she could've sworn she saw someone or something in one of the other rooms, but she dismissed it for the moment, ready to tear into her higher ups. That's when she finally noticed Rabbit. She yipped in happiness. "Oh Rabbit thank the gods!!! There you are! You are okay!!!" she said and quickly wove through the legs of the taller canines to reach the wolfdog. She pressed her nose to the females lowered head in an attempt to comfort her and thank her for being okay. Still she waited for the other three dogs replies.

Word Count: 429

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