Charming the dog...

[dukeduke]

Sakura sat silently in front of the mansion. She was underneath a cherry tree. In spring it blossomed with dozens of beautiful pink flowers. But now, it was full of orange and red leaves. These same colored leaves blanketed the grass in front of the old mansion. She listened for another dog and she heard the sounds of it. She hoped it was the beautiful Artemis, the brown and black dog struck her fancy for some reason and she wouldn't let him slip through her paws this time. She licked her paw quietly as she waited to see the face of the approaching dog. She wrapped her large fluffy tail around her as well and smiled seductivly as the scent grew stronger.

[Artemis]

Artemis had a long stride that easily took him around his terrain. He didn't spend much time around the mansion, prefering to stay around the practise ground and the plant. With a flick of his white tipped tail, the border collie cross Irish Setter walked through the low bushes of the mansion's gardens. His long stride took him over the grass in an easy walk. He was following the scent of a new female, one who was not in his pack. He recognised the smell, had smelt it before, yet it had been in a crowd. He had not yet seen the owner of the smell. His dark eyes were impassive, as were his expression. His tail flicked lightly from side to side as he walked. He wasn't in a hurry, hardly ever was. This was just a daylight excersion, something to do to pass the time.

The sunlight was dappled on his black back as he walked around the edge of the house. The windows were open on the top floor, having opened them himself the day before. Most of his dogs didn't sleep here, they slept either in the plant or the bus, it was much warmer and could be more comfortable. It was then that he saw the female. No, he hadn't seen her before, not obviously. He didn't look much around for new recruits. He seated himself on the springy grass, tail curling around his paws in the regal fashion.
"Care to tell me why you have come?" He asked, his voice as emotionless as ever.

[dukeduke]

Sakura smiled at him sweetly. "I've come to join you." she told him blinking her ice blue eyes at him. She flicked her tail and stood up padding over to him and circling him barely brushing her pelt against his as she did so. She stopped in front of him and sat down wrapping her bushy tail around her again.

[Artemis]

Artemis watched the femme with mild interest in his dark eyes. It was certainly...different. Dogs didn't tend to act this way around him. He seemed to bring respect or silence when he came into a room, which was how he liked it. The response of close bodily contact was one that was strangely. Well it was just odd. He was still sitting in his regal pose, backbone straight, head held up high. His tail was curled around perfectly, only the tip moving silently over the grass. Come to join him. Well that was all well and dandy. Sure enough. She could if she wanted to, but he had a feeling it was something more than this. He moved his head only slightly, tipping it onto one side.
"Why?" Was the one word he uttered as a question to her quietly replied comment.

[dukeduke]

Sakura smiled at him again. She could tell he was confused by her actions. "I've been watching you, and I'd like to join your pack and help you." she said sweetly blinking again and flicking her tail. She lifted her paw and licked at it and then set it down again. Her ears turned behind her as she heard the chattering of a squirrel nearby. "Are you hungry?" she asked him standing up.

[Artemis]

Watching him. Well, that could be considered creepy or just down right wierd. Artemis found that he didn't really mind. There was nothing she could find out about him from watching. Maybe his habits every now and then, but he didn't seem to have any. He prowled his lands day or night, stopping off when the will took him. His pack was growing quickly, and he was just deciding which commanders and Ulos would be most effective. He had four dogs now under survaillance, and now it seemed he had five. Dusty was the best chance of getting up to Ulos or even Commander, the rest hadn't shown their faces enough yet. Taboo seemed a strong enough type, but he needed the persona to go with it.
"You are welcome to stay." He replied, again his voice impassive. His ears also followed the noise of the tree rodent.
"No, thank-you. I am not, but be my guest." He said, offering her the floor to catch whatever would quench her hunger.

[dukeduke]

Sakura smiled at him and she tried hard to resist the urge to brush her pelt against his. She turned and loped off towards the squirrel her tail flowing out behind her. As she neared the prey she slowed down and dropped into a crouch. The squirrel sat eating a nut unknowing of the dog a few feet away. With a yip, Sakura pounced snapping the squirrel's neck ending it's life. She grabbed it and then pranced back towards Artemis with it in her mouth. She set it down and smiled at him again.

[Artemis]

Artemis watched her leave her position, bounding off towards the unsuspecting tree rat. He didn't particually like the taste of squirrel, prefering rabbit of deer. He prefered game, like birds and something you could hunt. You didn't generally hunt squirrels. He hadn't moved by the time she came back. He didn't move a lot when he didn't need to. This was a conversation and only his head was following her course, dark eyes staying fixed upon her. His expression was impassive, as per usual for him. Emotions were...well they weren't exactly hard, they were just...rusty. He never used them because they got in the way of business, of his job. His job was his life, and no-one took it away from him. He fought like a rottweiller and yet could be as impassive and unthreatening as a puppy. He was a mixture of the bouncy border collie and the sedate Setter. Ofcourse the Setters attitude had come through but the Collie looks.
"Impressive." He commented, not looking down at the rodent.
"Now what do you intend to do with it?" He asked, his stare unfaultering.

[dukeduke]

"Well." she began batting her eyelashes at him. "I was going to offer you some again, and if you said yes,Id let you eat what you wanted then I'd take some, but if not, I'd eat it." she smiled at him. "Buut..." she smiled. "If i join your pack, I'd more than likely give it to your nursing mothers, or your older dogs." She sat down and smiled at him with her tounge hanging out of one side. Her tail curled up to her back and gently brushed her back softly. She looked up at the sky for no apparent reason.

[Artemis]

Artemis listened to her, flicking an ear in her direction. He wasn't watching her at that point, he was watching a large Red Kite circling high above but miles away in the distance. The curve of the bird's wings let him turn in a tight circle whilst he was looking for his lunch. Some poor rodent was in for it that morning. As he was watching, the bird's wings snapped back to his body, plummetting towards the earth and out of sight beyond the trees. This was when Artemis returned his gaze back to Sakura. He had been listening to her.
"As I have said, I am not hungry, thank-you." He replied with his expressionless politeness. Something inherrited from working with the right policemen.
"I thought you had joined my pack, but you have not given me your name." He replied, his head moving milimetres to the side, hardly any movement at all, but a tilt none the less.

[dukeduke]

"My name is Sakura." she said sweetly. She was no longer able to contain herself. She steped toward him delicately brushing her tail underneath his chin and circling around him slightly touching his fur. Her paws tingled as she remembered charming Kyoshire in this same exact way. It always worked, the brutes could never resist her. As she came back around to face him her eyes gazed quietly into his as she crouched down licking at his jaw like a puppy would do to make the adults give them food. As she sat there silently her tail brushed the grass quietly.

[Artemis]

She didn't mind talking did she, or giving away infomation. If anyone ever asked him his name, he flatly refused, easily diverting the subject. It didn't always work, and he was pestered about his name, but he was determined not to give away his name. Your name held your power. Sakura. Not a name he had heard before, but he obviously hadn't heard all the names in the world. As her tail whipped under his chin, he quickly raised his head, rising to his four paws and taking a step back before seating himself again. He did not like physical contact, never had. It was weird. He'd never liked being stroked or petted either. He was a private dog, much more private than most. His dark eyes watched her with their smouldering interlect, no expression readable on his features. Alert he was of everything, but this he did not enjoy. He turned his tail tightly around his paws, the tension evident in his back and muscles as they were easily visible under the silken fur.
"What are you attempting to achieve by your actions." He asked, his flowing articulation never faultering.

[dukeduke]

"Oh, nothing out of the ordinary." she replied. "It's not my fault you are a very attractive brute Artemis." she added holding her head high in the air. She had a feeling he would ask how she knew his name. It was all part of her plan. Little did the dog know, he had been watched very closely for the past couple months. She had learned his likes and dislikes, and now, she planned to use them all to her advantage to get where she wanted. True, everyone would think she was a weasel for attempting to weasel her way to Alphess, but it wasn't her fault she was pretty, and it also wasn't her fault if she truly liked Artemis.

[Artemis]

"Oh, nothing out of the ordinary. It's not my fault you are a very attractive brute Artemis."

Artemis kept his head up, eyes impassive, expression unreadable. If he had an expression that was. In most times he didn't, that was just his mask. His features were used to not doing anything, not reacting. His neck muscles lifted his head lower or higher. He rarely growled or showed any anger. He was civility incarnated. Polite in every respect. Polite and genteel. Except, he saw himself as the pack leader, but didn't spend a great deal of time around others. They tended to keep their distance in any case.
"I believe this is my own fault, and I will apologise for any inconvinience this has caused you." He replied in his polite, clipped tone. He wasn't one to play games, but he would use them. He had it in his mind that she was playing a game, the end result one he didn't particually like. It could be incredibly hard to sway Artemis from anything he had set his mind on, this included. This female could be a problem to him. His shoulder blades moved against the muscles surrounding them as he moved his spine into a more convininet position, his eyes no longer lingering on her, but looking off beyond her.

[dukeduke]

Sakura gazed at him quietly. "If that is truly the weay you feel." she told him. "Then, I'll just be heading towards the camp." She stood up and gazed up at the sky. Then, with a flick of her curling fluffy tail, she trotted towards the entrance of the manision's yard gate. As she left, many tbhoughts ran through her head. Would Artemis fall for her? Would she be welcomed into the pack? Would she meet any friends? She smiled at the thought of friends as she bounced along the concrete just in front of the mansion toward the Taurus pack camp.