Post by Siekta on Apr 18, 2018 0:11:03 GMT
? ? ?
Appearance
- Male American Akita (Not to be confused with the Japanese variety)
- Height: About 28 inches at the shoulder (~71 cm)
- Weight: About 140 lbs (~63.5 kg)
- Coat: Very thick and plush, soft to the touch and waterproof unless saturated.
- Eyes: Deep purple, small in relation to his head size.
- Other: Very large, heavy-set head and chest, very top heavy as is standard with his breed. He has fairly large jowls that hang a bit when he pants, and his tongue is very wide. Drools excessively when he is excited, eating, or when feeling strong emotions (anger, happiness, etc)
History
(Beware, long. Lol)
? ? ? was born in a kennel that bred Akitas for human companions. His birth and life up until young adulthood was unremarkable, and he was well on his way to living a healthy, happy life as someone's pet until the day he died. Unknown to his breeders, ? ? ?, named 'Thunder' (full title: 'Thunder Over the Valley') at the time, had a neurological disorder that affected his ability to form long term memories. As long as he was interacting with something, or someone, daily, there was no problem, but after prolonged periods without seeing someone he should know, he would actually forget them. The damage was so deep, that once he forgot someone, he would not even remember them upon seeing them again, it was as if they had never interacted at all. As a pet, this was really not an issue, as he was with the other dogs and his handlers at all times, so his disorder never had a chance to manifest. One day, however, disaster struck, and the facility was hit by a massive storm. A tree, yanked down by the extreme winds, had destroyed part of the fencing at the kennel, and being a young adult just now reaching sexual maturity, Thunder seized the opportunity to leave the usually-fenced kennel, and explore the nearby area.
Thunder fully intended to simply explore, mark some of the outside area, and return, not really having a reason to leave for good. But he ended up wandering so far that he quickly got turned around in the maze of the town, especially with debris from the storm everywhere. He was stuck on the streets for far longer than he had meant to be, and as hours turned to days, he found himself confused, lost, and frightened. His mind was a haze, and trapped in the fog of his faulty brain, he was slowly forgetting the facility, his parents, his humans handlers, all of it. An underlying urge to find something was all he had left, and he found himself running day and night, searching for something he could never hope to find. Even when he passed by the facility later on, he had no recollection of it, and he continued on, an uncomfortable urge to find what he was missing driving him ever forward.
? ? ? traveled for more than a year, meeting and promptly forgetting many canines along the way. His drive kept him moving ever forward, and most of the canines who he came across were wolves, a violent species who hated him more often than not, his domestic appearance making him stand out amongst his feral cousins. It wasn't until he found a pack of feral dogs, that he was not met with bared fangs and snapping jaws. The pack was headed by a large dog of mixed breed, who towered over his subordinates, and led mostly by strength and fear. He saw ? ? ? as an opportunity, and welcomed him eagerly, giving him a proposition in exchange for safety and comradarie. He explained to ? ? ? that his daughter had been born weak, and he needed a guardian for her, to protect her and to make sure she didn't over exert herself. She had a skeletal deformity that made her bones brittle and thin, and her life was cursed to remain in a den, constantly held prisoner to make sure she was not harmed. ? ? ? accepted, promising to keep watch over her, so that she would actually be allowed to live life, helping her when she got tired, sometimes even carrying her back if need be. The leader's daughter was named Songbird, but ? ? ? called her 'Lily', as she reminded him of a flower, delicate, yet beautiful.
The pack quickly discovered ? ? ?'s memory problems, as he couldn't hold names that he had not given himself, and scouting packmates were met with bared fangs after returning for many weeks away. He was a good guardian, however, so the leader allowed him to stay, keeping him with Songbird at all times so that she could tell him what dogs were allies or strangers. He had to guard her at all times anyway, so it was a good compromise. Over time, the female gave him the name 'Springer', because of the way his curled tail would 'spring about' whenever he ran.
Springer happily stayed with the pack for many months, and on his second year with them, the leader made a shocking announcement; He was old, past his prime, and was stepping down. His daughter was to take his place, and he was appointing Springer as her consort to aide in her leadership and to give her pups who would be raised as the next in line. Being her consort was little more than a title as far as power in the pack went, but having to breed with her bothered Springer. He had been with her so long, since she was a teen, and he saw her as more of a daughter than a lover. But as he voiced his complaints, he was reassured that it was simply a necessity for the pack, and it was a great honor, not shameful. Lily agreed, stating the need for strong heirs was important, and she wouldn't trust any other male to service her without hurting her, nor to strengthen her father's blood like he could. Springer eventually agreed with much reassuring, and they begun to take over the old leader's duties, as well as trying to conceive the next generation whenever she went into heat. But as more and more attempts failed, it quickly became clear that her deformity had more effects than just a weakened skeleton; she appeared to be completely barren. The old leader thought for a long time, before finally ordering that Springer sire a litter with a different female that would be raised in place of direct descendants, for he saw the male as much as a son as Songbird was his daughter. Again, Springer objected, but again, Lily agreed with her father, promising to raise whatever young he sired as her own once they were weaned, for the good of the pack. At first he refused, until a compromise was reached; Lily would decide which females he would take, would accompany him to every breeding, and he would not share a den with any female he bred, only meeting them for the mating and then returning to the den he shared with Lily. And so it was decided that any willing, unpaired, female who went into heat was visited each day by Springer until her heat subsided. Even after litters were confirmed, some unpaired females continued to seek him out as a 'stud', the only condition being these "bastard" children would not be able to be heirs, they would only be for the female's benefit.
Things went like this for many moons. Springer would accompany Lily to dealings with other packs as a bodyguard, intimidating smaller leaders into agreeing to Lily's terms, usually requiring a food offering on every new moon in return for protection since Lily's pack was the largest in the area. Things were tense sometimes, but fights were very rare. This was due in part by Lily's father, who, prior to stepping down, had actually sent out many dogs to spread rumors to the surrounding packs that Springer had previously been a dog-fighting champion with the humans, and so, unknown to him, most dogs were terrified to even oppose him, let alone actually fight him. This rumor spread even further when a beagle mix tried to attack Lily, only to be quickly slain by Springer who snapped his neck on accident as he yanked him away from her. Although he hadn't even meant to, to all spectating eyes it looked like one of the cleanest, quickest kills they had witnessed, and Lily's pack flourished as other packs made every effort to be on their good side. Life was enjoyable and easy, and Springer's past of being a lost wanderer was long since forgotten.
But life is never that simple, and the memory problems that plagued him his whole life were about to uproot Springer's life yet again. It was more than a year since Springer had been appointed as Lily's consort, one of his puppies was being groomed to be the next in line, and all was well. He and Lily were out enjoying a simple walk when a loud crack split the air, shattering the peace and echoing over the forest. Being the pack leader, Lily was obligated to investigate, and Springer followed her dutifully. What they found was a strange creature that walked upright and had arms made of a shiny, metallic material. They would raise their strange arms, and a few seconds after a horrid concussive noise would follow, making the hair on the dog's backs stand up. As one of the creatures turned, they spotted the two dogs, and began to gesture to them while making a strange sound. Springer, feeling as if something was wrong with the weird hairless creatures, pushed against Lily, and the two quickly turned to leave, to tell the old leader what they found. Suddenly, a whipping sound rang out and Lily found herself yanked into the air by her leg, a rope noose tight around her ankle. Her disease combined with her weight and the abruptness of the snare jerking her snapped her leg, and she cried out, struggling wildly to free herself. Springer immediately moved to assist, but a sound behind him made him turn and he realized the creatures were descending upon them. He growled and cornered one, not noticing the others that had slipped by him towards Lily. If only he had, maybe things would have gone better, for they were actually untying the noose around her leg. But while they were doing that, he crept towards the one he cornered, growling and then leaping at him, fangs bared. The creature waved it's weird arm at him and a flash went off, followed by a searing pain across Springer's shoulder. The creature lost it's balance and went down, Springer atop it, mauling it's vulnerable flesh. The creature's skin was thin and tore easily, and as it stopped moving, he whipped around to return to Lily, relieved to find that she was down from the snare, but surrounded by the dangerous creatures. He bolted over to them, grabbing one by the leg and dragging it away from her, snarling and watching as Lily limped off into the brush. As she escaped, he released the creature and followed her, a cacophony of shouts echoing behind him as they fled.
They didn't stop until they arrived in camp, Springer bleeding badly from a long jagged slice over his shoulders and Lily limping harshly on her shattered leg. The pack instantly swarmed them, awash with concern, but they waved them away, eager to tell Lily's father what they had found so he could hopefully tell them what they had seen. As they recounted the story, the male grew angry, first at the creatures that he claimed were called 'humans' for hurting Lily, and then at Springer for killing one of them. He explained that they were wickedly violent and vengeful, and would likely not rest until they had avenged their fallen comrade. Springer apologized profusely, sorry for failing in his task to protect Lily, and for endangering the pack. He offered to return, to sacrifice himself so the pack would not be prosecuted, but the older male refused to hear it, instead demanding that they round up their followers quickly, for they would have to leave the territory or perish. Springer left to do so while the older male did what he could for Lily's leg, and before the sun set the next day, the entire pack was on the move, doing their best to put as much distance as possible between them and the dreaded humans.
The old male's prediction was true, and they quickly found the woods positively flooded with the creatures, and snares like the one that caught Lily were spread far and wide like a virus, capturing many dogs who were slaughtered mercilessly when found. Rescues missions were sent out nightly in an attempt to free ensnared canines, even those not from the pack, and Springer, plagued with guilt and against Lily's initial wishes, began to go out with the nightly groups, eager to correct his errors and help the canines suffering for his mistake. Over time, he actually became quite skilled at breaking the traps, and packmates began to joke that he was named 'Springer' because he could 'spring' so many traps in a single night.
The humans, enraged at finding their traps sprung, but empty, began to bait the center of the snares, so that the captured canines would be hung by their neck rather than their leg and would hopefully suffocate before they could be rescued. It was the first night after this change, that Springer's life was changed forever. As he went out with the nightly raids, the first trap they found held a horrific sight; a yearling pup who had barely begun to live, hanging dead from the tree, a beacon of despair to the canines who openly wept at such a tragedy. Springer was absolutely stunned at such cruelty, and he quickly set to cutting down the poor pup, apologizing over and over to the cold corpse, beside himself with remorse. He commanded the other dogs to split up and run to find the snares, to go as fast as they could to hopefully save as many dogs as possible before they strangled. He was going to stay behind to bury the pup, a final apology for his sacrifice.
As if nature herself were feeling the dogs' sorrow, it began to rain heavily as Springer dug, and before he even had the body covered, the rain quickly turned into a massive storm front, with winds shredding the trees and sharp rain driving into his pelt. He quickly finished his task, squinting against the torrential downfall to try and regroup with the other canines who were hopefully saving those who were snared. Scents were muddied, tracks were washed away, and, fearing stepping into a snare himself in the blinding conditions, Springer was forced to give up for the night, and he quickly tried to find shelter to weather out the storm. By the time morning came, Springer emerged from his drowned shelter to see a landscape that had been massacred by the weather; trees were down, water flooded the land, and the entire area was eerily silent. Fearing the worst, the male quickly picked through the destroyed terrain, trying his best to get back to the pack to see if his group from the night before had returned yet.
A shout to his left made Springer turn with a terrified expression, and his eyes fell upon what he feared the most; humans, and not just a few, many, many humans, all atop what looked like almost like deer, but with no antlers. At first he panicked and charged forward, but as they began to pursue him, he quickly realized he would lead them back to the pack, and he hastily changed directions, running in a random pattern away from his family, the angry creatures hot on his tail. He ran and ran, not paying attention to direction, only trying to lead the damned creatures away. As time went on, he found himself growing tired, sloppy, he began to trip and stumble as he went, and the creatures were still coming after him, their mounts seemingly never tiring. As they began to gain on him, he considered stopping, letting them catch him, and maybe then they would be satisfied and leave his pack alone. A final sacrifice, for his family. Before he could act however, the decision was made for him, as the soggy terrain gave way underneath him, and he tumbled with a yelp of pain down a muddy slope, unable to stop his descent. He tumbled and rolled, his view confused, unsure if the humans had followed him down the hill or not, until finally he skid straight of the edge of a small cliff, falling into the gorge below, being knocked unconscious as he hit the river below and swept away before he could even blink.
Springer awoke hours later, the river having carried him miles away, and only luck keeping him alive. He shook his head, standing shakily, body bruised all over from the cascading waters. He stood for a moment, trying to make sense of what happened. I need to get home. I need to tell that pup's family what happened. He thought to himself, before realizing with horror that he couldn't remember what the pup looked like, and the more he fought to remember, the more the memory slipped away from him. The experience terrified him and he quickly took off up river to find his way home before anymore vital information slipped from his mind. But no matter how far he ran, the river just stretched in front of him, endless, and much to his dismay he found the light dwindling and despite his best attempts to march onward, exhaustion eventually forced him to seek cover for the night.
When he awoke in the morning, he was confused again. Where was he? Why wasn't he at home? And... where was home? He stepped into the sunlight, anxiety gripping at him as he looked around. Which way had he been running? Upriver? Downriver? He needed to get home, now. But why? He fought with himself, unable to remember what he was doing before he had gotten lost. Something bad. Something unpleasant.Was he in trouble? Was the leader mad at him? With horror he realized he couldn't even remember the leader's face now, and panic began to set in as he paced back and forth until finally he sat down, determination on his face as he tried to focus. Lily. He couldn't forget her, could he? No.. never.. right? He focused on her, on her face, pulling the image to his mind and trying to use it to calm his nerves. She needed him, now more than ever with her injured leg. But why was it injured? He couldn't remember now. He tried not to dwell on that, instead just focusing on her face, her laugh, her markings, anything he could grasp at. He needed to follow the river. He stood and walked over to it, and seeing paw prints heading upriver, determined that must be the way he needed to go, and set off as fast as his paws could carry him.
He fought with himself the rest of the day, angrily trying to force himself to remember, but as the sun traveled over the sky, it got harder and harder. He could no longer remember any of the other canines, how many there were, or who they were, the only memory that carried him was Lily's. Such was his focus, that he didn't even notice when across the bank, the terrain sloped upwards into a cliff, and without even realizing he should be looking up, he ran past where he had fallen two nights ago, forever traveling upriver, struggling with a mind that was slowly failing him.
As the days slipped into weeks, his goal slowly deteriorated. First, he was no longer looking for a home or a pack, just Lily. Then, he was looking for a female, but one whose name he could not recall. Then, slowly, like a candle dying, her face faded from his memory, again he could only remember that he was looking for something. But what? Would he ever know? How would he know if he found it if he had no idea what he was looking for?? Slowly, he stopped looking for something specific, and began to just look for something worthwhile. Something out there that he needed, even if he didn't understand what it was. As such, his travels continued; daily he would walk for miles, stopping for nothing but to eat and sleep, walking until his paws bled and his legs ached. Walking until exhaustion made him collapse, and starting over, day by day, until he was so profoundly lost, he didn't even realize he was lost at all. His behaviours led him to have a habit of chewing on his paws at night, making them crack and bleed even more, which made them itch more, in a vicious cycle. Even when it hurt, he didn't stop, and some pessimistic part of him almost felt like he deserved the pain, though he couldn't remember why.
This is where his life had led him, until he he found himself in a wild territory, unclaimed by man or beast, where he stumbled upon a strange female with a penchant for violence, and a timid female who said little, but seemed to be running from her own demons. While at first he remained distant to both of them, he found himself warming up to their presence after traveling together for some time, and now has even come to enjoy their company, even if they are really strange at times. There is still an urge to roam within him, but the closer he gets to the dames, the more comfortable he is with moving less and less each day. Especially with the scents of a pack nearby keeping the trio ever vigilant for the potential of attack or capture. Whether they will be the attacked or the attackers is yet to be seen...
Thunder fully intended to simply explore, mark some of the outside area, and return, not really having a reason to leave for good. But he ended up wandering so far that he quickly got turned around in the maze of the town, especially with debris from the storm everywhere. He was stuck on the streets for far longer than he had meant to be, and as hours turned to days, he found himself confused, lost, and frightened. His mind was a haze, and trapped in the fog of his faulty brain, he was slowly forgetting the facility, his parents, his humans handlers, all of it. An underlying urge to find something was all he had left, and he found himself running day and night, searching for something he could never hope to find. Even when he passed by the facility later on, he had no recollection of it, and he continued on, an uncomfortable urge to find what he was missing driving him ever forward.
? ? ? traveled for more than a year, meeting and promptly forgetting many canines along the way. His drive kept him moving ever forward, and most of the canines who he came across were wolves, a violent species who hated him more often than not, his domestic appearance making him stand out amongst his feral cousins. It wasn't until he found a pack of feral dogs, that he was not met with bared fangs and snapping jaws. The pack was headed by a large dog of mixed breed, who towered over his subordinates, and led mostly by strength and fear. He saw ? ? ? as an opportunity, and welcomed him eagerly, giving him a proposition in exchange for safety and comradarie. He explained to ? ? ? that his daughter had been born weak, and he needed a guardian for her, to protect her and to make sure she didn't over exert herself. She had a skeletal deformity that made her bones brittle and thin, and her life was cursed to remain in a den, constantly held prisoner to make sure she was not harmed. ? ? ? accepted, promising to keep watch over her, so that she would actually be allowed to live life, helping her when she got tired, sometimes even carrying her back if need be. The leader's daughter was named Songbird, but ? ? ? called her 'Lily', as she reminded him of a flower, delicate, yet beautiful.
The pack quickly discovered ? ? ?'s memory problems, as he couldn't hold names that he had not given himself, and scouting packmates were met with bared fangs after returning for many weeks away. He was a good guardian, however, so the leader allowed him to stay, keeping him with Songbird at all times so that she could tell him what dogs were allies or strangers. He had to guard her at all times anyway, so it was a good compromise. Over time, the female gave him the name 'Springer', because of the way his curled tail would 'spring about' whenever he ran.
Springer happily stayed with the pack for many months, and on his second year with them, the leader made a shocking announcement; He was old, past his prime, and was stepping down. His daughter was to take his place, and he was appointing Springer as her consort to aide in her leadership and to give her pups who would be raised as the next in line. Being her consort was little more than a title as far as power in the pack went, but having to breed with her bothered Springer. He had been with her so long, since she was a teen, and he saw her as more of a daughter than a lover. But as he voiced his complaints, he was reassured that it was simply a necessity for the pack, and it was a great honor, not shameful. Lily agreed, stating the need for strong heirs was important, and she wouldn't trust any other male to service her without hurting her, nor to strengthen her father's blood like he could. Springer eventually agreed with much reassuring, and they begun to take over the old leader's duties, as well as trying to conceive the next generation whenever she went into heat. But as more and more attempts failed, it quickly became clear that her deformity had more effects than just a weakened skeleton; she appeared to be completely barren. The old leader thought for a long time, before finally ordering that Springer sire a litter with a different female that would be raised in place of direct descendants, for he saw the male as much as a son as Songbird was his daughter. Again, Springer objected, but again, Lily agreed with her father, promising to raise whatever young he sired as her own once they were weaned, for the good of the pack. At first he refused, until a compromise was reached; Lily would decide which females he would take, would accompany him to every breeding, and he would not share a den with any female he bred, only meeting them for the mating and then returning to the den he shared with Lily. And so it was decided that any willing, unpaired, female who went into heat was visited each day by Springer until her heat subsided. Even after litters were confirmed, some unpaired females continued to seek him out as a 'stud', the only condition being these "bastard" children would not be able to be heirs, they would only be for the female's benefit.
Things went like this for many moons. Springer would accompany Lily to dealings with other packs as a bodyguard, intimidating smaller leaders into agreeing to Lily's terms, usually requiring a food offering on every new moon in return for protection since Lily's pack was the largest in the area. Things were tense sometimes, but fights were very rare. This was due in part by Lily's father, who, prior to stepping down, had actually sent out many dogs to spread rumors to the surrounding packs that Springer had previously been a dog-fighting champion with the humans, and so, unknown to him, most dogs were terrified to even oppose him, let alone actually fight him. This rumor spread even further when a beagle mix tried to attack Lily, only to be quickly slain by Springer who snapped his neck on accident as he yanked him away from her. Although he hadn't even meant to, to all spectating eyes it looked like one of the cleanest, quickest kills they had witnessed, and Lily's pack flourished as other packs made every effort to be on their good side. Life was enjoyable and easy, and Springer's past of being a lost wanderer was long since forgotten.
But life is never that simple, and the memory problems that plagued him his whole life were about to uproot Springer's life yet again. It was more than a year since Springer had been appointed as Lily's consort, one of his puppies was being groomed to be the next in line, and all was well. He and Lily were out enjoying a simple walk when a loud crack split the air, shattering the peace and echoing over the forest. Being the pack leader, Lily was obligated to investigate, and Springer followed her dutifully. What they found was a strange creature that walked upright and had arms made of a shiny, metallic material. They would raise their strange arms, and a few seconds after a horrid concussive noise would follow, making the hair on the dog's backs stand up. As one of the creatures turned, they spotted the two dogs, and began to gesture to them while making a strange sound. Springer, feeling as if something was wrong with the weird hairless creatures, pushed against Lily, and the two quickly turned to leave, to tell the old leader what they found. Suddenly, a whipping sound rang out and Lily found herself yanked into the air by her leg, a rope noose tight around her ankle. Her disease combined with her weight and the abruptness of the snare jerking her snapped her leg, and she cried out, struggling wildly to free herself. Springer immediately moved to assist, but a sound behind him made him turn and he realized the creatures were descending upon them. He growled and cornered one, not noticing the others that had slipped by him towards Lily. If only he had, maybe things would have gone better, for they were actually untying the noose around her leg. But while they were doing that, he crept towards the one he cornered, growling and then leaping at him, fangs bared. The creature waved it's weird arm at him and a flash went off, followed by a searing pain across Springer's shoulder. The creature lost it's balance and went down, Springer atop it, mauling it's vulnerable flesh. The creature's skin was thin and tore easily, and as it stopped moving, he whipped around to return to Lily, relieved to find that she was down from the snare, but surrounded by the dangerous creatures. He bolted over to them, grabbing one by the leg and dragging it away from her, snarling and watching as Lily limped off into the brush. As she escaped, he released the creature and followed her, a cacophony of shouts echoing behind him as they fled.
They didn't stop until they arrived in camp, Springer bleeding badly from a long jagged slice over his shoulders and Lily limping harshly on her shattered leg. The pack instantly swarmed them, awash with concern, but they waved them away, eager to tell Lily's father what they had found so he could hopefully tell them what they had seen. As they recounted the story, the male grew angry, first at the creatures that he claimed were called 'humans' for hurting Lily, and then at Springer for killing one of them. He explained that they were wickedly violent and vengeful, and would likely not rest until they had avenged their fallen comrade. Springer apologized profusely, sorry for failing in his task to protect Lily, and for endangering the pack. He offered to return, to sacrifice himself so the pack would not be prosecuted, but the older male refused to hear it, instead demanding that they round up their followers quickly, for they would have to leave the territory or perish. Springer left to do so while the older male did what he could for Lily's leg, and before the sun set the next day, the entire pack was on the move, doing their best to put as much distance as possible between them and the dreaded humans.
The old male's prediction was true, and they quickly found the woods positively flooded with the creatures, and snares like the one that caught Lily were spread far and wide like a virus, capturing many dogs who were slaughtered mercilessly when found. Rescues missions were sent out nightly in an attempt to free ensnared canines, even those not from the pack, and Springer, plagued with guilt and against Lily's initial wishes, began to go out with the nightly groups, eager to correct his errors and help the canines suffering for his mistake. Over time, he actually became quite skilled at breaking the traps, and packmates began to joke that he was named 'Springer' because he could 'spring' so many traps in a single night.
The humans, enraged at finding their traps sprung, but empty, began to bait the center of the snares, so that the captured canines would be hung by their neck rather than their leg and would hopefully suffocate before they could be rescued. It was the first night after this change, that Springer's life was changed forever. As he went out with the nightly raids, the first trap they found held a horrific sight; a yearling pup who had barely begun to live, hanging dead from the tree, a beacon of despair to the canines who openly wept at such a tragedy. Springer was absolutely stunned at such cruelty, and he quickly set to cutting down the poor pup, apologizing over and over to the cold corpse, beside himself with remorse. He commanded the other dogs to split up and run to find the snares, to go as fast as they could to hopefully save as many dogs as possible before they strangled. He was going to stay behind to bury the pup, a final apology for his sacrifice.
As if nature herself were feeling the dogs' sorrow, it began to rain heavily as Springer dug, and before he even had the body covered, the rain quickly turned into a massive storm front, with winds shredding the trees and sharp rain driving into his pelt. He quickly finished his task, squinting against the torrential downfall to try and regroup with the other canines who were hopefully saving those who were snared. Scents were muddied, tracks were washed away, and, fearing stepping into a snare himself in the blinding conditions, Springer was forced to give up for the night, and he quickly tried to find shelter to weather out the storm. By the time morning came, Springer emerged from his drowned shelter to see a landscape that had been massacred by the weather; trees were down, water flooded the land, and the entire area was eerily silent. Fearing the worst, the male quickly picked through the destroyed terrain, trying his best to get back to the pack to see if his group from the night before had returned yet.
A shout to his left made Springer turn with a terrified expression, and his eyes fell upon what he feared the most; humans, and not just a few, many, many humans, all atop what looked like almost like deer, but with no antlers. At first he panicked and charged forward, but as they began to pursue him, he quickly realized he would lead them back to the pack, and he hastily changed directions, running in a random pattern away from his family, the angry creatures hot on his tail. He ran and ran, not paying attention to direction, only trying to lead the damned creatures away. As time went on, he found himself growing tired, sloppy, he began to trip and stumble as he went, and the creatures were still coming after him, their mounts seemingly never tiring. As they began to gain on him, he considered stopping, letting them catch him, and maybe then they would be satisfied and leave his pack alone. A final sacrifice, for his family. Before he could act however, the decision was made for him, as the soggy terrain gave way underneath him, and he tumbled with a yelp of pain down a muddy slope, unable to stop his descent. He tumbled and rolled, his view confused, unsure if the humans had followed him down the hill or not, until finally he skid straight of the edge of a small cliff, falling into the gorge below, being knocked unconscious as he hit the river below and swept away before he could even blink.
Springer awoke hours later, the river having carried him miles away, and only luck keeping him alive. He shook his head, standing shakily, body bruised all over from the cascading waters. He stood for a moment, trying to make sense of what happened. I need to get home. I need to tell that pup's family what happened. He thought to himself, before realizing with horror that he couldn't remember what the pup looked like, and the more he fought to remember, the more the memory slipped away from him. The experience terrified him and he quickly took off up river to find his way home before anymore vital information slipped from his mind. But no matter how far he ran, the river just stretched in front of him, endless, and much to his dismay he found the light dwindling and despite his best attempts to march onward, exhaustion eventually forced him to seek cover for the night.
When he awoke in the morning, he was confused again. Where was he? Why wasn't he at home? And... where was home? He stepped into the sunlight, anxiety gripping at him as he looked around. Which way had he been running? Upriver? Downriver? He needed to get home, now. But why? He fought with himself, unable to remember what he was doing before he had gotten lost. Something bad. Something unpleasant.Was he in trouble? Was the leader mad at him? With horror he realized he couldn't even remember the leader's face now, and panic began to set in as he paced back and forth until finally he sat down, determination on his face as he tried to focus. Lily. He couldn't forget her, could he? No.. never.. right? He focused on her, on her face, pulling the image to his mind and trying to use it to calm his nerves. She needed him, now more than ever with her injured leg. But why was it injured? He couldn't remember now. He tried not to dwell on that, instead just focusing on her face, her laugh, her markings, anything he could grasp at. He needed to follow the river. He stood and walked over to it, and seeing paw prints heading upriver, determined that must be the way he needed to go, and set off as fast as his paws could carry him.
He fought with himself the rest of the day, angrily trying to force himself to remember, but as the sun traveled over the sky, it got harder and harder. He could no longer remember any of the other canines, how many there were, or who they were, the only memory that carried him was Lily's. Such was his focus, that he didn't even notice when across the bank, the terrain sloped upwards into a cliff, and without even realizing he should be looking up, he ran past where he had fallen two nights ago, forever traveling upriver, struggling with a mind that was slowly failing him.
As the days slipped into weeks, his goal slowly deteriorated. First, he was no longer looking for a home or a pack, just Lily. Then, he was looking for a female, but one whose name he could not recall. Then, slowly, like a candle dying, her face faded from his memory, again he could only remember that he was looking for something. But what? Would he ever know? How would he know if he found it if he had no idea what he was looking for?? Slowly, he stopped looking for something specific, and began to just look for something worthwhile. Something out there that he needed, even if he didn't understand what it was. As such, his travels continued; daily he would walk for miles, stopping for nothing but to eat and sleep, walking until his paws bled and his legs ached. Walking until exhaustion made him collapse, and starting over, day by day, until he was so profoundly lost, he didn't even realize he was lost at all. His behaviours led him to have a habit of chewing on his paws at night, making them crack and bleed even more, which made them itch more, in a vicious cycle. Even when it hurt, he didn't stop, and some pessimistic part of him almost felt like he deserved the pain, though he couldn't remember why.
This is where his life had led him, until he he found himself in a wild territory, unclaimed by man or beast, where he stumbled upon a strange female with a penchant for violence, and a timid female who said little, but seemed to be running from her own demons. While at first he remained distant to both of them, he found himself warming up to their presence after traveling together for some time, and now has even come to enjoy their company, even if they are really strange at times. There is still an urge to roam within him, but the closer he gets to the dames, the more comfortable he is with moving less and less each day. Especially with the scents of a pack nearby keeping the trio ever vigilant for the potential of attack or capture. Whether they will be the attacked or the attackers is yet to be seen...
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