Carried You Home

[Artemis]

A pale muzzle was raised off two crossed paws. The padded seats of the old Number Fourteen bus were few and far between, but if you knew which were which, you could sneak into one for the night. The dog occuping one of these more comfortable seats hadn't been asleep that night. No, he's been waitful, listening to the sounds around him. Every now and then had been a scuffle of two or more dogs near by. His acute hearing had picked them up before they went out of range. Artemis took a lesuirely streth, his long tail flicking out slightly as he leapt lightly off the chair. His clawed paws clicked gently across the floor of the bus. He took the stairs cleanly in one swift movement, landing first with his front paws, his back curling up behind.

The area in front of him was littered with scrap. He'd lift a paw every so often to dislodge a piece of light scrap that lay in his path. The floor was also coated with a thin layer of grease, one that he could easily rectify. Not that this mattered. Learning to walk over hard surfaces gave you surefootedness. The ability to scale buildings or hard destinations. His tail was lifted out of the grime, sifted softly through the silent air. He scaled the stairs with no trouble, each paw using the grip on the metal. From here he could servay what he was leader of. The pale moonlight reflected off the sides of the bus, throwing it out onto the floor. The regal looking dog bent back his haunches. He didn't need an army. He didn't knwo what he needed. It would come along soon enough if he did need it desperately.

His dark eyes took in the work floor, a good trap for anyone coming in. The grease left pawprints, so he could see who came in and out. Like a camera of smells and looks. So far no-one had ventured in since he'd taken up residence. He curled his long tail around his paws, his spine straight and proud. Pride, he had enough of this. In droves. His ears twitched, listening out infront and behind him. This was his pride and joy. His calling to leadership. He knew how to lead, how to protect. How to go. He lifted his head high, looking over the building he was currantly operating, using all senses in a quiet and unobtrusive way. One no-one saw coming.

[»Cyanide]

CLICK FOR PICTURE^

Infiniti's paws moved silently as they made their way over the asphalt. Above the sun was peering out from behind a grey cloud. The temperature was rather chilly, but it was typical for an autumn day. The sky was colored a battleship grey and the clouds were just as white as they always were. Her merle pelt blew softly in the gentle breeze that whipped over her back. Blades and pelvis rolling easily with each step. Jaws clenched tightly, chocolate orbs wide and looking around. She knew she was tresspassing on another packs lands, but she hoped that the leader was kind hearted and not a dark.

While she wasn't actually 'tresspassing' , Infiniti was more so looking for a home to belong to. Ears lifted on either side of her head, picking up the faint noises. The place was rather eerie now, no humans thriving in the city, no cars moving nothing. The place looked more like a ghost town than anything else. Though the only thing that was different was the fact that there were loads of dogs ruling around and wandering. She spied the garage, and froze. She stopped and sniffed the air. The scent of a brute was nearby. Her heart began racing in her chest, but for some reason, she pressed on ward. Perhaps it was the will to believe this dog would give her a home.

She wormed her way around old cars and overturned trash cans. As she neared, she spied the brute lying down. Panic was yelling at her to stop, but she pressed on. Keeping her body low to the ground she stopped in front of him, forelegs keeping her upper body erect as she kept her head low and her ears raised on either side of her head. She began speaking to him softly.

"H-hello. I-I'm Infiniti. I'm looking f-for a home," she stammered out, hoping he wouldn't bite her head off for coming onto hsi lands. Though the darks were more noted for that kind of behavior. She didn't think she was on a dark territory but still her guard was up. Her docked tail slowly moved from side to side, showing him that she wasn't here as a threat, but was more so friendly. She kept her chocoalte pools on him and waited.

[Artemis]

Where Artemis was lying, his paws over the edge of the inclimb. It gave him a vantage point. He could see whatever was coming in and out of the garage, but could also see the first few metres of the street outside. Not many dogs were passing at this time of night, but theones that did come passed were watched by Artemis' two dark eyes. Each inspected. Not as a threat, most weren't a threat to him. He couldn't care much about them. Each left their distinctive smell, showing where in the city they had been. He could tell that a few of the darker inclined dogs were passing, since the smell of Cambridge was all over them, leaving trails in the night air like lasting fireworks. Artemis let them pass without much question or bother. They could go where and when they liked as long as they didn't come here without invitation or reason.

The first sign of a new dog coming up the street was the smell. Light and fresh against the duller smells of the male dogs. He waited, watching the street. The first to come into view were her paws. She was across the other side of the street, so he could not see the rest of her. Four paws, which stopped before his door. He waited, paws crossed, tail flicking rhythmically. Next to appear was her legs, moving upwards as she moved closer. He watched impassively as she came into view, not even moving his head. She she entered the dull glow of the moonlight he noticed the absence of her natural tail. Shorter...docked. He hadn't had his docked when he joined the force, but that didn't matter.

H-hello. I-I'm Infiniti. I'm looking f-for a home,"

Stuttering, was she nervous or intimidated by him. Possibly not, and it had no matter for him. Infiniti. Infinite what. Infinite time or just Infiniti from all, the number, the place. Infiniti: the concept. He pushed himself to his full height, looking down at her from his vantage point on the ledge that still stood, jutting out over the working floor.
"You are looking for a home and you have chosen here. For what reason?" He questioned, walking down the steps, each paw clicking with unretractable claws. He leapt from the third step onto the floor, padding in front of her. He seated himself in front of her, dark eyes fixing her with a piercing gaze with dark twin eyes.

[»Cyanide]

Infiniti watched him leap down and come and stand before her. Slipping her haunches into a sitting position, she let her forelegs come around to the front of her chest, keeping her upper body erect. Chocolate eyes were locked on the brute before her. She was wondering why he questioned her about choosing this pack. Wouldn't he be grateful that someone had wanted to become a part of his pack? she wondered but then responded to him. Finding that she felt a bit more bolder, Infiniti kept her tone placid and calm.

"Well why not? I'm not a dark nor light, so I'm in between," she said keeping her ears lifted on either side of her head.

Lower jaw dropped, salmon pink tongue lolling out and resting over her bottom two canines as she panted slightly. Her body posture was still kept in a friendly way, so that he didn't think she was a kind of threat. But he definitely was very rigid and by the book almost. Still it didn't undaunt Infiniti the least. She was only nervous because she wasn't sure if he was dark or what, but now by his body language, she could see that he was like her...neutral.

Above the sun vanished again behind the clouds, leaving them in brief darkness. The temperature was definitely chilly now. She felt the breeze whip her fur in several directions. She was able to brave the slight nip in the air. But once the winter came, she only hoped that shelter wouldn't be hard to find. This place looked like it had a good amount of places to hide and live in. Her nose twitched, picking up the brutes scent but she remained sitting there, watching him very closely for his reaction to her statement.

[Artemis]

"Well why not? I'm not a dark nor light, so I'm in between,"

Artemis watched the female for a few seconds before replying to her statement. Neither dark, nor light. Yes, that was what Artemis would describe himself as being, not that he was one for true self assessment. He detested being assessed and therefore would not do it to himself, or others. He prefered to analyse those he came into contact of. See where they had spent time by the looks they had, the stance, the smell, they way they talked. Artemis didn't take any care for what others thought of him, and he tended not to let on what he thought of others, unless it gave some signifigant effect. Most got the impression that he didn't care, and this was frequently the case. Sometimes he did. He liked to know what motives drove people, why they came, why they left, what they were doing. It wasn't exactly curiosity, since he could live without it, it was mild interest.

He dropped his head slightly as he rose from his sitting position, standing tall on all four paws.
"An answer I shall accept. You may stay as long as you do not break any rules that may or may not be given to you." He finished. He turned tail on her, padding off, head on a slight tilt, one ear moved slickly back to listen.
"Feel free to look around you, or I can show you if you cannot find your way." His tone was not meant to be sarcastic, but it tended to come out that way. It was the way his voice was...sculpted. Calculating and chilly. He knew he had compertition from the packs around the Ridge. Most noticable the Cambridge Pack that tended to make known their prescence wherever possible. No-one could escape a day without running into one or two of them haunting the streets like ghosts of the prowl.

The breeze ruffled his long, silky fur. Living in colder areas of the world than Canine Ridge, Artemis could do perfectly well in the cold. His coat was thicker than a general setters, the collie coat coming through. The black of his coat also tended to insulate him as well. His paws clipped on the steps, leading him up onto the ledge. From the ledge you could easily get to the roof and the other buildings that surrounding the garage. He'd made sure there was a rooftop entrance to each building, a good stratigical point for entrances or fast exits. Each roof sloped downwards and could be jumped from onto the concrete outside. He stopped on the crumbling ledge, standing just by the edge, dark eyes looking down at Infiniti. She could follow him if she wanted, or go her own path. He had his own pack growing and she was bound to run into a few of them on her travels if she went alone. He waited for her to make up her own mind. He didn't force discipline, he promoted free will.

[»Cyanide]

Infiniti raised a furry eyebrow but said nothing more. She nodded at him and began following him. Her paws delicately touched the ground as she moved beside him, matching each stride perfectly as though a living shadow beside him. Ears were lifted on either side of her pretty merle head, chocolate orbs glanced at Artemis. Her body posture was fairly low, almost sulking, but she wasn't feeling that way. Well she was feeling a bit rather low, as she figured the chances of ever finding a mate was now being flushed down the toilet. A soft sigh escaped her maw as she walked beside him, just taking in the overall appearance of the lands.

It was a nice place though she had to admit that. She slowly looked around. The garage was large, enough for a good sized pack to lie in during the cold harsh winter months that was coming up. The only thing that concerned her a bit was food, but Infiniti didn't think talking to Artemis about the packs status was good. She was fearing that he would remain chilly and rigid. It was all fine and good but Infiniti was the type to show affection and like to get closer to her pack mates. With Artemis that wasnt' an option.

"May I ask about yourself or is that not appropriate?" She asked, keeping her tone light, but also rigid as though she was a computer printing out a piece of paper. Two can play this game. If he's going to be standoffish, so can I Infiniti thought to herself as she glanced at Artemis before moving her eyes back onto the path before her as she walked alongside him. A chilly breeze whipped matches of her merle pelt in several directions, but she ignored it and walked on waiting for him to talk.

[Artemis]

Artemis gave her a rare glance when she starting matching his strides. He didn't have a long stride when he was walking, so it wans't suprsing that she could match with him, but it was just that no-one actually had ever matched with him before. He did have a much, much longer stride when running, it came from the Setter in him, he had a long stretch through his long limbs. The balance in his tail allowing him to turn corners easily at full speed. He might not be as fast as some sogs out there, because of he had a stronger build. He found that he didn't particually mind it, She could follow him and he wouldn't mind, yet she wasn't following, she was just...walking. Well, this was a change. He couldn't decide whether it was a nice change or an indifferent one. Well, he guessed it didn't really matter.

"May I ask about yourself or is that not appropriate?"

Artemis gave her another, longer glance. He thought about this. Again, no-one had ever asked about himself before. And, so he'd never had to answer. With no answer stored in his intelligent mind, he'd have to adlib, something he generally didn't do. His world worked in the circular. Things happened and then they happened again. You learn from your own and other experiences. So, he did. Whatever happened to someone else in his presence, he remembered and stored. It had gotten him out of nameless situations. He had to consider her question befoer answering. This was something he was familiar with. He considered a lot, It was a way of sorting out your world, considering risks and what could go wrong or right. All was simple mathmatics to him. Or would be if he knew any mathmatics. It was simple canine senses.

"You may ask what you wish, it is perfectly appropriate to ask your leader questions of himself." He replied steadily. Carefully he jumped up onto an empty crate and then out onto the roof, which had a large hole in the iron roof. He waited for her to come up after him so he could nose the over plate into place so no-one could enter afterwards unless they knew how to move the plates back and forth. It wasn't hard to learn, but some dogs just found it confusing.