i just gotta get there

[RED]

Walking for so long.
Running for so long.
He couldn't remember how he got there. So close to the city. 
He was tired. The young mutt, Roman, was close to giving up, as he was so hungry and felt so weak. His bones were hardly showing but the lack of food that he had ingested over the past week or so still affected him greatly. His body was starting to feed off of whatever fat he had remaining on him. 

A young mixed breed. German Shepherd and Kangal Dog.
He had left his pack over a month ago and he was hardly capable of hunting. He was used to working in a group, with a team, and working alone to hunt was simply not something he was used to or even that great at. He messed up a lot, tripped over himself, made too much noise, and there was no one there to help him and cut off any running prey for him that he may have startled. 
He got frustrated with himself and deemed himself unfit for survival on his own. Roman was not quite sure why he hadn't thought ahead before getting up and leaving his pack, the only family he had ever known. But he had seen his mother do it so easily and even a few siblings do it, and even saw other members do it.. So why couldn't he do it too? Why couldn't he be just as brave to be on his own or as capable of surviving on his own? The pack was falling apart anyway too. It was time to leave, or so he told himself it was.

Roman felt like a defenseless pup. Although he wanted to eat he still felt so bad whenever he did manage to actually catch and kill something. But he always told himself he needed to do it to survive and it was either going to be him or it was going to be them.
Only the fittest survived.

The young dog made his way in the direction of what sounded like water rushing. All this time he had been traversing through a forest, occasionally finding a water source here and there but never anything too extravagant. 
Water wasn't his most favorite to deal with due to his poor swimming capability but it was only ideal that he follow the sound of a river so he could keep himself hydrated. 
His tongue lolled out of his mouth constantly, he panted hard, his paw pads were sore, his legs were tired, his joints ached, and his stomach growled. His body wanted food and some rest but his mind was determined to keep going until he reached the source of the running water he heard.
And there it was. A river. 
His dark brown eyes settled on the sight of a river and he wagged his tail gently before making his way towards it, immediately dipping his large paws in the shallow edges of it and dropping his head down low so he could start lapping up as much water as he could bare to take in in one sitting.
When the mutt was done hydrating himself he decided now was the time to lay down and he chose a decent spot a few feet away from the edge of the river. He stretched his front legs out before him and curled his hind legs up underneath him as he laid down. He stared at the water, watching the current, debating on if it'd be a good idea to cross it.. Maybe find a shallow spot where he could more easily get across. After debating for what seemed like forever Roman eventually sighed and turned his dark brown gaze away from the river and he observed the rest of his surroundings before resting his large dark head on his large front white paws. 
He was alone and he didn't like it.
_____

653 words
Roman//German Shepherd x Kangal Dog

[DingoMutt]

Lady //

The calm of the forest was something that Lady always appreciated. As a young dog, and now as one in her twilight years, the soft rustling of a breeze through the trees and squirrels chuckling in the distances soothed her soul. She moved easily through the woods, still in good shape despite her age. The mild weather of the area agreed with her, and while she did struggle on some of the cold days, those were few and far between. She had been raised by man, and that good start and a lean, active life meant she was in good shape for 7 years old. Many pets were crippled and fat by her age, but she was in fighting condition, if a little ribby. Since her pack had fallen apart and she'd left not only her packmates but her children, she had been on her own. Her encounters with other dogs had been short and snappy, as the pain of that day was still fresh in her mind.

In her jaws she carried a fat white rabbit, obviously descended from someone's pets that had gotten loose or been set free in their final days. If she was glad of anything in this damned end of the world thing, it was that all manner of tasty creatures were being released into the world. The other day she'd found a house with a few goats in the yard, and she'd made a mental note to return on a day she was feeling good and drop one of them. There was a bit of a skip in her step, the thrill of the hunt bright in her chest. She felt alive and open, and at great peace with the world as she moved through the park. She was searching for a nice place to settle down and devour her prize.

As the sound of the river grew louder, she paused in her tracks at the scent on the air. It was difficult to smell much with her mouth full of rabbit, but she couldn't miss that scent. It clicked instantly, the smell of her son Roman. Of all her children, he was one of the few to stick with the pack. She loved them all dearly of course, but to encounter one of them so suddenly... her heart began to race, her tail wagging quickly as she took a few more deep breaths to hone in the scent. Now the was running through the woods, her grip on the rabbit nearly tight enough to snap it in half. She broke from the trees across the river from him, his large tri-colored form unmistakable from here. Her heart soared, and she dropped her meal so she could call to him.

"Roman!" she called, her voice high pitched with delight. She gave a few whimpers and picked up her rabbit, jumping into the river to cross. The current wasn't strong, and she was a decent swimmer, so it wasn't long before she was across. He had been laying with his head on his paws, so she once again dropped her rabbit and descended upon him. She touched his cheeks and ears with her nose, wiping a bit of blood from her kill upon him. She whined gently, so pleased to see her son. He was a bit thin, but in otherwise good condition. He wasn't torn up or dead, and for that she was so happy.

"Roman. My son," she breathed. "I was wondering where you went. When you didn't leave the pack with me, I didn't know what to think..." she said. She pushed down her emotions and was quickly back to her calm and collected usual self. Still, it was fun sometimes to get a bit rowdy and act like a pup again. She spun and grabbed the white rabbit, dropping it in front of her son. "Are you hungry? You look thin. Please eat." she said. Despite the world around them crumbling, memories of her packmates murdering one another in the back of her mind, she was above all a doting mother. She wondered briefly if he knew the whereabouts of any of the other dogs from their pack. It had been an ugly thing, for such a family to break apart, but she pushed those thoughts away and eagerly waited for her son to speak.

german shepherd // 24 in // 80 lbs
loner // 724 words // RED
momma bear!

[RED]

Roman had just began to doze off when he suddenly heard his name being called. If he had not been so tired from constantly being on the move he maybe would have been more alert and had heard movement before he heard his own name.
He recognized that voice though. He was sure of it but before he could react he felt something a bit wet touching his face and heard a gentle whine. 
Lady.
It was Lady, his mother.

Romans eyes fluttered open and he saw her. There she was, standing before him. Blood on her muzzle. His dark brown eyes widened for only a moment before he noticed the rabbit. It was blood from the rabbit.. He calmed down. He thought it was from something or someone else and just the mere thought of it made he remember the scene he had seen unfold before his very eyes back when he was still with the pack. The pack he considered family. The pack he was born and raised in. And he saw two of them kill each other.. He tried his best to keep it far from his mind but every time he grew hungry and knew he had to possibly kill something so he could eat he always felt sick when the idea of blood hit him. He didn't like the sight of the blood at this point. 
Killing his prey for food made him feel so bad. But he had to survive somehow.

When Roman managed to swallow down the bad memory of his pack he started to wag his tail. Hard. He wasn't much of a talker but to make up for his he was very expressive through his body language.
His tail thumped the ground as he turned on his side, submissively, to his mother. He couldn't believe it was her. Where had she been? Where was she going? He had questions but he didn't feel the need to ask her since she was here now. She was alive and well. 

Roman listened to her, taking in the sound of her voice. He had stayed with the pack for different reasons. One was because it was all he ever had known. He didn't know what life was like outside of a pack, outside of a family and group setting. Being a loner was something that didn't suit him even if he didn't know it yet. Another reason for not leaving was he didn't want to leave without a sibling or his father.. Of all individuals, he actually thought of not leaving his father. The one dog he never established a relationship with and yet there was some kind of strange hope within his heart that maybe his father was worth waiting for. 
But, Roman left on his own in the end.
The pack fell further and further and Roman became filled with more fear with every day that passed after two of the members killed each other. 
His young and sensitive soul could no longer handle the packs situation and he left, hoping to find his mother, a brother or sister, or maybe another pack. 

Now here he was. Almost a month later after leaving his pack. A bit thin, more than just a bit hungry, more than just a little tired, and more than just a little scared.
He needed someone. He needed his mom. 

The large tri color mutt stared at the rabbit that was dropped in front of him. Did he really want it? Or did he want his mother to eat it?
He rolled back over onto his stomach and stared at it. His ear nubs, the poor excuse for ears that he had on his head, moved slightly. If his ears had still been there on his head then his ears would have been back in a submissive and unsure manner. 
"No, mother, you eat. It's yours." Roman said, his voice deep and raspy as he looked up at his mother from where he laid. 
It felt only right to ensure she kept the rabbit for herself. It was her kill after all. He needed to feed himself anyway and learn how to hunt for himself instead of scavenging and looking for handouts. 
"Mom.. Where have you been? Are you alright? Are you getting enough rest?" He suddenly asked, worry in his dark eyes before he glanced around, looking at the trees and then the river before looking back at Lady. Where were they anyway? He didn't realize he was anywhere near the city. He hadn't been in the city ever but he had heard of the city before when he was a pup.
_________

775 words
Roman//German Shepherd x Kangal Dog
mommas boy 

[DingoMutt]

Lady //

Lady had gained control over herself, but her heart raced with delight when her child's tail wagged hard and he submitted to her. None of her children had been especially problematic, but she was always worried they'd grow to resent her. That perhaps she hadn't taught them well enough, or given them enough attention, and that they would hate her and turn their teeth against her. But her sweet Roman, her beautiful, giant child was pleased to see her too. Her tail wagged slowly, her ears perked as she waited for him to speak. He had always been a quiet boy, but right now she wanted nothing more than to hear his voice. The excitement of being with him again was almost too much, but she managed to ease to her haunches and sit. His little nubs for ears shrank back as much as they could, and her own ears flicked back. She hadn't approved of his father's barbaric nature and practice removing ears, and she had nearly killed him when he did the same to Roman, but she tried to respect the boy and his wishes. He stared at her rabbit for a moment, then politely declined it.

"No," she said, rising to her paws just as quickly as she had sat. She picked up the rabbit and pressed it onto his forelegs, right in front of his face as he was still laying before her. A soft growl rumbled in her throat. "Listen to your mother. Eat," she said. She turned and sat down a few feet away, her tail curling to cover her paws. "How can I possibly eat in front of my son?" she murmured, quietly. It was hard not to worry about her children all the time, but with Roman sitting right in front of her, surely hungry himself, she would never be able to eat. She usually didn't give a single damn about strangers, but her family was something else. The pack had been that way too, once, selfless and looking after others, but eventually it had changed. Her ears swiveled, taking in the sounds of the forest. With the sound of the stream beside her she didn't hear much, but she could at least feel safe with the water at her back. She hunched a bit to lick at a damp foreleg for a few moments, giving up quickly. It was a decently warm day, so she'd certainly be dry before the sun set and the temperature dropped.

"I've just been... around, I suppose. I'm doing fine. Just wandering and living," she said. It was the truth. Life on her own was fairly simple, and that was a nice change of pace after the life she had lived. She woke in the morning, sunbathed until she was awake, spent the middle of the day traveling and finding a new place to sleep, and tried to catch something in the evening. It was a decent routine, one she had perfected over the past few weeks. It was a bit lonely at times, and any dogs she came across she immediately went on the defensive to keep them away from her. She didn't want to risk a fight, so it was easier to just go nuts and snap at strangers or avoid them. "And you, Roman? You seem to be alright, if not a little rough around the ages." she said, looking him over. He looked about as good as a young feral dog would. His parents taught him what they could when he was young, and then the rest was up to him. They helped him along the way, but eventually it was up to him to figure out how to survive. The rabbit at his paws was a gift from a worried mother to a tired-looking son.

She was sure he would figure things out, but perhaps now that they were together again, she could help refine some of his skills. She thought back to the goats in the city, and how that would be a good bit of prey for him to go after. She licked her lips at the thought, tasting the rabbit's blood. She'd nearly forgotten her white face was marked with his blood, so she took a few more licks and even rubbed a paw against her muzzle like a cat. She didn't like to be dirty, but she wasn't about to hop into the river again.

german shepherd // 24 in // 80 lbs
loner // 738 words // RED
aaa Roman is so cute <3