[Sanctuary] Interrupted (Open)

[Rhy]

46 Spring 512

“But maybe-”
“No.”
“Just a tiny little-”
“NO.”
“How about that-”
“NO!”

Rhy’s demanding bark had the wiry little dog’s already nervous tick blow into an all-out seizer of spazzing muscles. The small silver fish between her forepaws stared at the two dogs with the petrified and glazed bug eyes all dead fish had, and this annoyed her. All she wanted was a quiet corner in which to devour her find in relative peace.
She takes a deep breath and speaks in an controlled voice, digging up deep reserves of reason and compassion.

“Shoo, you little rat.”

---------------

An hour later (after the crafty little bugger nipped away at her patience and she bribed him with a sizable fillet, just to leave her alone) Rhy is crossing the Riverfall land gate. Why? Because fish are small and everyones hungry. So she’s going hunting. Proper hunting. The kind with open spaces and crafty prey. She wont be traveling far beyond Riverfall. Close enough to keep the city in sight, anyway.
With the Sanctuary close by, and not being very far from the main road, she could easily be interrupted by a loud wagon or even someone out for an open walk. But the deep tiredness in her bones had her opt for convenience and safety at the sacrifice of privacy.

The wind is dry and flowing from the sea, so she carves a wide arc to make sure she is downwind before she attempts any sort of tracking. And she takes her time tracing lines to burrows and tracks.
Nearly an thirty chimes later has her barking down the burrow of a weasel. The creatures have a strong odour and are fairly easy to track and run down, except for the fact they are never farther then a leap and a bound from their nests.
Not long after that she has treed a large and rather vicious looking raccoon. It sang and cripped at her from the top of a slender birch at the edge of the Cyphers tree line, while she barked insults from below. She briefly considered laying siege and waiting it out, but these bastards can stay treed for days and she was loath to stay out after dark.
Her third escapee was another weasel. She was close, but it dodged her increasingly frustrated attempts to bag it and disappeared down a hole with a terrified chirp. This time Rhy goes as far as to dig the furry dinner out herself, despite the danger of close facial proximity to rabid, cornered rodents. And then she finds out that this, in fact, was not the weasels home. In its panic the critter dived not for its own hole, but that of a large, bloated and very agitated snake.
Ten chimes later, Rhy is calm enough to try hunting again.

It takes another half an hour to have successfully stalked a possible victim. A sizable fowl. Some sort of pheasant, perhaps. She lies belly deep in a patch of long golden grass, and watches this ugly dirt-colored chicken as it digs at the ground with horned feet.
Running, she can do. Hunting is all very natural. But stalking is not a strong suit. The black and gold fur helps with camouflage in a landscape dominated by tall grass, but there really are no places to actually hide in the sea of grass. So hope to god your a good runner. But this bird might be able to fly, so if she could just get a little bit closer...

[Tamilin]

It was a pleasant enough day, enough so that it warranted a foray outside the city to go for a walk isolated from the busy noises of city life. Sure, Riverfall was a nice place and nowhere near as chaotic in that department as Syliras, but it had nothing against the quiet of the countryside. So that's where the day found Tamilin, walking along without any real direction, merely following the white-tipped tail of her little sykanis, Tiva.

Tiva was much more active in her expedition out into the grass, casting about to the left and right for the scent of anything fresh enough to hunt, only to bound back to her mistress' side and then out again, impatient with the slow pace that the young woman set on foot instead of on horseback which was how these 'walks' usually went, as far as the little dog was concerned.

But Tam was content to lead Savash, the gildling gelding that was her other boon companion, instead of sit astride. There was no rush, for her. It was nice to take things easy for once, without having to be somewhere because someone was expecting you to be there at a certain time to go do this or that instead. But the quiet, relatively uneventful walk she'd hoped for was doomed to not go interrupted. Just then, Tiva froze with head high and ears angled forward, then uttered a soft warning bark which had Savash promptly dancing sideways, the silly fool that he was.

"Easy, Savash." Tamilin murmured as she stroked his white blazed face until those prancing hooves came to a standstill, then looked to see what Tiva had alerted her to. That wasn't her reaction to small and furry creatures to hunt, but instead an unknown. The little brown and white dog was walking cautiously toward something... green eyes scanned the grass ahead of Tiva's path, and thought she saw something rather much larger than her own dog. "Tiva..." She called, hoping that whatever it was didn't include small dog on its menu.

[Rhy]

Apparently fat dirt coloured chickens do fly. Fancy that.

The soft bark from the Sykanis tipped off the bird, and Rhy sits in stunned silence as she glimpses the back of the tail feathers she should be devouring right now. The bird disappears in a western direction, straight to the thin coastal forest, and well out of reach. As it disappears it utters a long stuttering call that sounds suspiciously like laughter to Rhys bemused mind.

Rhy comes back to herself and spots the intruder. She stands to her full hight and steps out of the grass while glaring daggers at the offending dog. It was a thin wippet of a Sykanis, a natural trait of their race, and smaller then herself. Rhy raises her hackles to appear even larger.

"That. Was. MINE!" she roars with enough force as she can muster. All of the frustration of her failed hunts bubbling to the surface and directed at the dog with a dead-mouth accuracy that would put a slaver to shame.

"All day! ALL DAY! Mine! Blind dog! Dumb pet! MINE!"

Even as she says this, Rhy was not pacing or sweeping as if she was going to attack. On the contrary, her head was high and her feet planted as she gave the dog a divine ass chewing. And with all of her misplaced anger directed at the dog, she failed to acknowledge the young girl and colt the animal was standing in front of. Was she guarding them from her? Probably. Did she care? Not yet.

"You! Not hunter! Lap pet! You heavy-footed PUPPY!"

The sun was just cresting past the third quarter and shone directly on the group. Bright green eyes are what finally pulled Rhys attention away from the cowering Sykanis. His Mistress? She was beautiful. Bright green eyes and skin almost as dark as hers when she is human. She smells of road dust, skin and warm horses.

All of her energy drains from her body in an instant and she suddenly feels deflated and dejected. She's tired, hungry and mad. This day has been awful and what she could really use was a ear scratch.
She skirts around the other dog with her tail low and head down, obviously apologizing to the girl and not the dog. To make it perfectly clear the the Sykanis is still in her mental inventory of grudges, she makes an effort to stomp on its tail as she passes. But when she gets to the girl she creeps up slowly, and presses the flat of her head against the girls stomach. Her tail is suddenly up and wagging in the universal dog position that means 'love me'.

[Tamilin]

Flushed by the warning bark of Tiva, a bird flung itself into the sky and away to the west, its flight drawing Tamilin's attention briefly before she was forced to calm Savash's antics again. The Gildling would use any excuse to fidget and fool around, and what was a better excuse than the unexpected appearance of a fast moving, noisy creature?

Tiva meanwhile had gone still, muzzle lifted to eye the bird in mild interest before looking back toward what she'd scented, just in time to see a larger, less than pleased dog step from the grass and stand tense and upright in an attempt to tower over the Sykanis. Ears swept back against the anger that radiated from the other dog, but she stood her ground. "Dumb for hunting birds without someone to shoot them. Should dig out rodents instead." So said the young dog who was knowledgeable in hunting rodents in horseyards or flushing birds for the humans from her mistress' previous moving home.

But Tiva was shortly left ignored when the strange dog spotted Tamilin, who stood watching uncertainly. Waiting to see what would happen between her own dog and this brindled beauty that had evidently had its hunting interrupted. A small amused smile crossed her features as the dog abandoned Tiva to pace toward her, posture submissive even if those steps were treacherously close to stepping on the smaller Sykanis.

"Hello pretty one." The young woman murmured as the brindled one walked right up and pressed against her. So friendly, but so lean... One hand was spared from the job of keeping the golden gelding from dancing off to stroke along the wiry coat that covered the dog's shoulders and back. For once Savash was more interested in investigating the stranger than acting up, and leaned his muzzle in to sniff curiously at the strange dog. Neither was aware of the jealous look Tiva was sending their way, so the little dog chose instead to disappear into the grass to further investigate the scent of potential prey instead. What was couldn't be helped, and she knew that she had a place on the foot of Tamilin's bedroll regardless of what else happened.

[Rhy]

Back scratches and pettings are one of the most extraordinary simple pleasures of life. And Rhy is adamant that everyone should indulge in this pleasure: Akalaks, Humans, Zith, and all the other races. Wouldn't everyone get along better if we all gave each other ear scratches?

Rhy was deeply enjoying her own rub right now. Even the sniffing of the horses velvet nose ruffling her fur sent a soft tickling sensation down her back. She liked horses. They are either placid and calm, in which case they just let Rhy on her way, or they are flighty and nervous. And the nervous ones are always up for a good chase, even if they usually end up kicking above her head in the end. This one seems nice. Maybe it will play with her later.

Changing her position, Rhy takes her head off of the girls abdomen and sits on her feet instead, and leans back. Just in case she plans to leave, as so many of them do, she will find it very hard with large dog settled on her boots.
She looks up with her tongue lolling as she pants. She can't seem to catch her breath after the tirade she subjected the silky bitch to. And she's so tired. Shifting to human seems like an exponential amount of energy to spend right now. If she did she will be hungrier then ever, and probably fall asleep right here in the open. Even the walk back will take too long.

A flash of heat seems to radiate from her tail and move up her spine. It was warm today, is it getting warmer? If she could switch back to human she could ask the lady for something to eat. Maybe catch a nap before night set in, if she can find somewhere safe quickly enough.
The heat pulsates to her head and gathers in front of her eyes in tiny black dots. She shakes her head to clear them, but they are still there. Thirsty, thats what she is, thirsty. She bets the green-eyed lady would have water too. If only she could ask her. Maybe she should try to shift anyway. But she rejects the thought as it makes her gut twist. No, too tired. Just tired....

The dots grow and connect in front of her vision and she passes out.

[Tamilin]

Watching a dog thoroughly enjoying the attention given to it brought an irrepressible smile to Tamilin's face. Even when the brindle plopped down on her feet and leaned against her legs, nearly taking out the petite young woman, she didn't lose that smile. It was always a joy to share the simple pleasure of companionship with an animal, even if that animal wasn't the best behaved or in the best of condition. And speaking of..

Seemingly out of nowhere the brindled hound swayed, eyes out of focus, and collapsed. It brought a startled squeak out of Tamilin, and sent Savash skittering out as far as his reins would allow, snorting anxiously with twitching ears. "Oh dear..." Tamilin lured Savash back in and dropped the reins when he seemed likely to not shy away again, trusting the gelding to listen to the ground tie cue. (Which she hadn't taught him, that little trick was courtesy to Uncle Eldin's training skills.) Crouching, she checked over the unconscious dog, and frowned in concern. She needed a healer. With some effort she lifted the too light hound up onto Savash's saddle and swung up behind.

As she gathered up the reins she gave a sharp whistle, summoning Tiva from her hunting. The little brown dog came running, abandoning the stalking of the field rat she'd been tracking, and followed willingly as Tam turned Savash at a trot for Sanctuary. She knew of the complex from an earlier visit to Riverfall with her father's caravan as a place to bring sick animals to be treated, and it was much closer than the city itself to start with.

Not soon enough for her liking Tamilin rode up into the complex, slowing Savash even as she called out, worry evident in her voice. "Hello! I need help for a sick dog I found! Can anybody help us?" She didn't slide off quite yet, too busy casting her green gaze around hopefully for the approach of anyone who'd heard her cry. Savash pranced in place, feeding off her anxiety and getting fidgety himself while Tiva paced near but not too near those dancing hooves.

[Kadrath Onktaka]

A seven foot tall, 220 lb indigo Akontak strode from the newly made doors of Sanctuary, looking around for the source of the noise. His green eyes coolly took in the woman and animals. Auristics came naturally to him as Uruk saw waves of unhealthy heat coming from a prone canine.

"That had better be a stray dog or you've got some explaining to do for that neglected beast." He said with a cold voice. he paused for a brief chime, allowing her to answer. As a veterinarian, he loathed neglect of a normally healthy animal and wasn't afraid to confront an abuser.

His stride was enormous and he reached Tamlin's side quickly, his eyes raking the dog's unconscious form. It looked to be a Luvanor Grassland Hunter which was better suited to Endrykas than Riverfall. They had a constant breeze going on to keep the dogs cool. This kind of breed overheated quickly because of the thick coat.

Uruk placed a confident hand on the horse's neck to still him and let him know he was reaching over him. With surprising gentleness from one so large, he carefully scooped up the dog in his arms.

"This bitch is way too thin and hot to be healthy. She's not too bright to be hunting in the hot daytime instead of the cooler nights. She must be a desperate stray wanting food."

As large as the dog was, it was dwarfed by his sheer size.

"Groom!" Uruk raised his voice to get someone's attention in the stable. "Bring in the horse, rub it down, feet pick and water it."

The large, green eyed man waited impatiently for Tamilin to dismount, his gaze roaming to the dog beside her.

'Hm, that one's in good condition, clean and alert. Good looking little Sykanis too. The horse is fit and looks well-bred.' He thought absently.

"I'm Uruk the Veterinarian here at Sanctuary and my brother Rath is Kennel Master." He started walking briskly inside, still cradling the sick dog to his chest as if carrying a child.

"Let's get her inside and look her over. You did well to bring her in; she looks on the edge of death."

(When Rath speaks and when Uruk speaks.)

[Rhy]

Rhy wrestles herself out of her unconscious state with what could only be described as a furious effort of will. And just long enough to identify the rocking motion as the canter of the horse, and that she was bouncing along in front of the green-eyed girl. She was feeling awful, and her neck and joints are tight, reminding her of an infection she had as a puppy. But more then that she was amazed that the girl actually stopped and helped her out. She realizes that it takes an amazing amount of gall to help out anyone, especially if its an animal. This girl was either very tender hearted, or she is simply better then the rest of them.

Everything will be alright once she takes me back to Riverfall, she tells herself. She can slink off and nurse her sickness in private. Ill or not she is still one of the larger dogs in the city, she can take care of herself. And when she gets back her health she can show her appreciation to the girl.

While a traditional appreciation face-lick might be out of the question at the moment, since her muzzle is around knee level. She still manages a nudge and a dry, raspy lick on her leg. She will pay her back properly later, a sign of acknowledgement will have to do.
Then a particularly violent drop on the horses part brings another wave of dizziness and she slips back under, mentally kicking and screaming the whole way.

------------

The next time her mind stampedes its way into reality she is being cradled in the arms of a man. And he is massive. One arm folds her legs under her shoulders while the other supports her rump with ease. The fact that she is in such a venerable position did alarm her to a degree. But the girl is still here, she can smell her, and she wouldn't dump her somewhere thats not safe, would she?

She doesn't finish her thought before the heat comes back. Her body temperature rockets and the mans chest becomes something akin to an open brick oven. The suddenness of the wave prompts her to buck in an effort to get away from the man on fire, and forces her to vomit a line of foam and bile over his arm with a horrible retching sound.
She might not be the nervous or panicy type, but the dog in her was demanding that she be given a hole somewhere to drain her body and wait this out. Away from public display.

[Serrif Von Chatlyn]

Was Rath talking to him? Serrif’s mind blared at him as he was somewhat puzzled by Rath’s statement in his direction…what?

He wasn’t sure how to respond. Yes, Serrif was in the stable just there really looking over the horses seeing if any of them needed any medications or the like…but in his mind he was far from a groomer. A mere laugh passed his lips thinking about him being a groomer. No, he was a man of medicine; not a groomer. Although he had picked up a few things about horsemanship while he was here. It was impossible not to. He shrugged off Rath’s statement and decided he would help the man with the dog the woman had brought in. He was after all a man of medicine, and anything Rath asked for he could more than make.

Serrif motioned toward the woman to bring him the horse. He would tend to the horse later but for now he would stable it and give it some water and a small bit of hay. The rub down and hoof picking would come after the bitch that was brought in was stabilized some. Until then it was important to focus on what was important here. So he would do what was needed quickly and then follow the large Akalak man.

“If you need any medicines prepared let me know so I can set to work.” It was important to get such things moving quickly. Being that the dog was indeed not in good condition or so Rath seemed to believe.

And Rath seemed to know more about dogs than anyone else here. But Serrif knew starvation when he saw it, even in animals. He had suffered it himself for many years, and he also knew bad conditions when he saw them as well…and this dog was indeed in a somewhat fragile state. They would need to act fast and efficiently if they were to make a big difference. But he was confident in Rath’s skills as well as his own.

“If you wouldn’t mind I would like to see what difference I can make quickly.” Serrif rolled up his right sleeve indicating the opalescent Rak’keli mark. He knew what little he could do would only help to stabilize until maybe Kavala got here or he could make some more potent medicine to aid after Rath made a more pointed prognosis than just hungry, starved and near death.

[Tamilin]

Within short order her plea for aid was answered, and by an enormous, dark-skinned fellow. Tamilin barely had the time to take in his appearance and not even the chance to suppose if he was Akalak or Akontak, before he spoke. And his words were cold and almost accusatory. Brows rose at his response. Hadn't he heard her say she'd found the dog? But she bit down a smart retort, and answered him as cooly and calmly as she could manage. "I ran across her between here and Riverfall. My own dog interrupted her hunting but she seemed happy to see me. I meant to offer her some food and water but she collapsed just about as quickly as she relaxed. I brought her here because I'd heard about Sanctuary."

Her voice had barely fallen silent before he walked right up to where she sat astride Savash and placed a hand on the gelding's neck. That earned a low snort before the Gildling settled, an ear tilted toward the stranger just as his rider watched the man gather up the brindled dog from the front of her saddle. Silently she listened to what he had to say, then twitched slightly as his voice rose, summoning someone to tend to her mount. It occurred to Tam to protest, to insist she could tend her own horse, but just as swiftly it occurred to her that she didn't know where to take Savash or where anything else here was. So she swung down from Savash's saddle and, after giving his shoulder a firm pat, handed him over to the man who'd come at the first man's call before hurrying after the dark-skinned fellow, Uruk he called himself.

A brief glance back told Tamilin that Tiva followed her instead of Savash, which she was glad of. No need for the Sykanis to get herself into mischief tracking a rat or mouse somewhere neither the dog nor her mistress really knew. But then her attention was all for Uruk and his brindled bundle, not even sparing an extra look around when she followed him inside though she did keep an ear out for the patter of Tiva's paws. "I hope I brought her here in time..." Soon though the second fellow who'd taken Savash was back, and taking up a supporting role to Uruk. It was with interest that Tamilin watched the two men, sticking close but not too close. She didn't want to interfere.