Timestamp: 32, Spring 512 AV
Location: Sanctuary
Purpose: 3rd and 4th ones in the April seasonal challenge and the usual Sanctuary stuff.
An angry Akalak stormed into Sanctuary with a trembling Silkena on a thick chain. The slim dog sagged under the heavy weight of the wrist-thick chain around his neck and kept a chin tucked to his chest as he crouched timidly.
"This stupid beast won't listen to me! It's a dumb dog! I should just shoot it instead of spending money on training I can do myself. It's worthless off leash! What's the use of having a Silkena if they don't obey off leash?"
Kadrath nodded as the man spoke in angry, indignant tones of disgust for the shivering dog beside him. With cool turquoise eyes, they scanned the creature, taking in both his physical and mental state. There was clearly something wrong with the dog. A Silkena was a happy, hyper, outgoing dog that normally had a hard time staying still. This sad, thin creature seemed to avoid the morning sun and was reluctant to move even a single step.
"One gold miza for training, another for the exam, and two silvers for boarding with food." He replied coolly, knowing that the only thing this type was concerned with was profit.
"What?! That many mizas for a messed up worthless dog! No way! One gold, one silver."
"You don't offer any papers of insured health or pedigree and you expect indefinite boarding while training, so the fee of two gold just went up to three and needs paying up front." 'And your type won't even come back for the dog,' he mentally finished the sentence.
"But, but....he can go a day or two without food; maybe it'll make him hunt better. You can take off a silver for that at least." The man's voice stuttered and wheedled, his tone involuntarily admitting he was paying someone to 'get rid of' the dog.
"If you add one more word to bring the price down, I'm reporting your unofficial sales like -this one- to the Council." Rath and Uruk's eyes blazed with barely restrained temper and they stared down the Akalak before them. They held out a web-fingered hand, flashing the gleaming scales along the forearm. Intimidation worked just fine for them when it was the right time and place.
The Akalak looked fearfully at the rare and distinctive marks of an Akontak and he took a step back, dropping the chain. The metal clanked as it hit the hard earth and the man threw down three gold mizas as he quickly stalked away.
"Petchin' freak thief!" he muttered.
The Silkena flinched when the chain hit the ground and tucked his tail tightly beneath him. The quick movement was just enough for Uruk to see a badly sunburned nose and a total hair loss along the dog's spine. Color dilution alopecia.
He swiftly pocketed the gold, knowing that Sanctuary was counting every copper. Uruk knelt in front of the dog with slow, careful movements so as not to frighten him. This Silkena was a work of bad breeding at its worst. When amateurs bred only for coat color, then hair loss along diluted color lines usually resulted. This leaves the dog open to skin infections, total hair loss along the color pattern and sensitivity to burns. There was no cure for it, and therein lay the real reason the man had given away the dog.
There was no name or age given for the dog so it looked like Sanctuary had another addition to the shelter now.
Rath took the huge chain off the slim dog and replaced it with a light, thin length of woven cattail reeds instead. He normally used it as a cat lead for Chain, but the featherweight looked to be a good fit for the dog. He stood slowly, intending to lead the dog to the kennels for a better look indoors.
The dog hunched his back and rigidly braced his forefeet against moving. The Akontak paused and watched the dog's reaction. He gave the leash full slack and the dog went back to a normal sitting position. Moments like this had Uruk diving deep within, not wanting to deal with the behavioral issues of a disobedient animal.
Fortunately Fidens chose that moment to come out of the stables and greet the new dog. At times like this, his help was inestimable and Rath was grateful for it. The enormous dog had a natural affinity for circling and seeing the potential, the large blue man had turned it to useful purposes like this one. The buff colored dog first spun right in a tight circle, then abruptly left. It was dog language equivalent to an 'everything's fine, nothing to worry about here.'
The white and steel blue Silkena briefly touched noses with Fidens and followed him into Sanctuary without looking back. Rath followed the pair and smiled. Tag Along would be a good name for the dog; or maybe Tag. And so began another dog training adventure for Rath; and he wouldn't have it any other way.
Location: Sanctuary
Purpose: 3rd and 4th ones in the April seasonal challenge and the usual Sanctuary stuff.
An angry Akalak stormed into Sanctuary with a trembling Silkena on a thick chain. The slim dog sagged under the heavy weight of the wrist-thick chain around his neck and kept a chin tucked to his chest as he crouched timidly.
"This stupid beast won't listen to me! It's a dumb dog! I should just shoot it instead of spending money on training I can do myself. It's worthless off leash! What's the use of having a Silkena if they don't obey off leash?"
Kadrath nodded as the man spoke in angry, indignant tones of disgust for the shivering dog beside him. With cool turquoise eyes, they scanned the creature, taking in both his physical and mental state. There was clearly something wrong with the dog. A Silkena was a happy, hyper, outgoing dog that normally had a hard time staying still. This sad, thin creature seemed to avoid the morning sun and was reluctant to move even a single step.
"One gold miza for training, another for the exam, and two silvers for boarding with food." He replied coolly, knowing that the only thing this type was concerned with was profit.
"What?! That many mizas for a messed up worthless dog! No way! One gold, one silver."
"You don't offer any papers of insured health or pedigree and you expect indefinite boarding while training, so the fee of two gold just went up to three and needs paying up front." 'And your type won't even come back for the dog,' he mentally finished the sentence.
"But, but....he can go a day or two without food; maybe it'll make him hunt better. You can take off a silver for that at least." The man's voice stuttered and wheedled, his tone involuntarily admitting he was paying someone to 'get rid of' the dog.
"If you add one more word to bring the price down, I'm reporting your unofficial sales like -this one- to the Council." Rath and Uruk's eyes blazed with barely restrained temper and they stared down the Akalak before them. They held out a web-fingered hand, flashing the gleaming scales along the forearm. Intimidation worked just fine for them when it was the right time and place.
The Akalak looked fearfully at the rare and distinctive marks of an Akontak and he took a step back, dropping the chain. The metal clanked as it hit the hard earth and the man threw down three gold mizas as he quickly stalked away.
"Petchin' freak thief!" he muttered.
The Silkena flinched when the chain hit the ground and tucked his tail tightly beneath him. The quick movement was just enough for Uruk to see a badly sunburned nose and a total hair loss along the dog's spine. Color dilution alopecia.
He swiftly pocketed the gold, knowing that Sanctuary was counting every copper. Uruk knelt in front of the dog with slow, careful movements so as not to frighten him. This Silkena was a work of bad breeding at its worst. When amateurs bred only for coat color, then hair loss along diluted color lines usually resulted. This leaves the dog open to skin infections, total hair loss along the color pattern and sensitivity to burns. There was no cure for it, and therein lay the real reason the man had given away the dog.
There was no name or age given for the dog so it looked like Sanctuary had another addition to the shelter now.
Rath took the huge chain off the slim dog and replaced it with a light, thin length of woven cattail reeds instead. He normally used it as a cat lead for Chain, but the featherweight looked to be a good fit for the dog. He stood slowly, intending to lead the dog to the kennels for a better look indoors.
The dog hunched his back and rigidly braced his forefeet against moving. The Akontak paused and watched the dog's reaction. He gave the leash full slack and the dog went back to a normal sitting position. Moments like this had Uruk diving deep within, not wanting to deal with the behavioral issues of a disobedient animal.
Fortunately Fidens chose that moment to come out of the stables and greet the new dog. At times like this, his help was inestimable and Rath was grateful for it. The enormous dog had a natural affinity for circling and seeing the potential, the large blue man had turned it to useful purposes like this one. The buff colored dog first spun right in a tight circle, then abruptly left. It was dog language equivalent to an 'everything's fine, nothing to worry about here.'
The white and steel blue Silkena briefly touched noses with Fidens and followed him into Sanctuary without looking back. Rath followed the pair and smiled. Tag Along would be a good name for the dog; or maybe Tag. And so began another dog training adventure for Rath; and he wouldn't have it any other way.
(When Rath speaks and when Uruk speaks.)
