Roleplaying

I opened my eyes; another day at the Kennel. I wondered what the point of my life was. Nobody would buy me, I was not allowed to meet other dogs, and I almost couldn't remeber what the Outside looked like; it had been so long. I felt old. I had tried to talk to the other dogs before, but they just barked at me to shut up. No dog had stayed here as long as I. I was lonely and sad, but at least I was strong enough to not give up hope. I would escape one day. Maybe through the food slot. I got bored, too. My ears often drooped, and I felt as though I had forgotten how to wag my tail. I would get out one day. I would stay strong and not give up hope.

It was a new day. A good shipment of dogs and foxes had just came in. I wasn't sold- Again. A fox was placed in the cage beside me. Never, however long I had been here, had a fox been placed beside me. I looked up, the fox was black with purple eyes and tiger stripes. I had never met such an interesting canine. His cage was labled "Swift," so I knew it was his name. I was going to try with communication again, he looked pretty freindly. "hello" I boomed, my voice echoing around the hollow area. A couple of dogs barked nearbye. "My name's Oplen, I've been here almost as long as I can remember. Where did you get captured?" I sat down, listening politely in hope that the fox would reply.

Swift didn't fight back against the hunters. He knows what had happened. He jumped a little when he heard Oplen scream Hello. When he heard Oplen's question, he sat on his stomach and tucked his paws. He looked over at Oplen. "Sydney" Swift answered. "I was captured in Sydney". A loud slot noise was heard and Swift's food came in. Swift stood and went to the food. Swift gagged at the look of the food and walked away from it. Swift returned to his position on his stomach with paws tucked. I just got here and I'm pretty sure I know a way out now Swift thought.

"Sydney, hey? you might want to eat that food- whatever you think, you don't know how long you'll be here- and you might need energy." I added, noticing how Swift was looking sceptikly at the food slot. I looked around for any food coming to me, but the humans had forgotten. I sighed and lay down, putting my head between my paws. My bad paw was sqaushed into a corner uncomfortably, so I shifted my postion. Just then, I noticed something silver caught between my toes. I turned my neck around, and saw that it was a key. Just the key that fit my lock! I started panting, excited. I grabbed the small key with my teeth, and brought it in front of me. What an amazing little shape it was. How humans could make such delicate things- I did not know. But the only thought right now, going through my head was the thrill of escape. Freedom!!! It tasted wonderful on my tongue.

Vito hops on a rock hopefully, is Sari back yet, he asks hopefully. No, my mother replies, Sari is not back yet, she very busy at the moment, dear Vito. When can she visit, calls Vito, When she can, mother answers. She looks worried. Her ribs show easily against her golden pelt. I am here! I call from the stars. Answer me, dear mother!

I open my eyes and find tears leaking out of them, and a lump in my throat. No point to stand up. I cannot, the cage is too small. I have been here for 10 months. Who wants an ugly hyena, the humans ask. To my mother, everyone is beautiful, only those who have hearts of rock are ugly. The humans are ugly. I have to get back to my mother! I cry as I have tried to escape. Why keep me in their clutches if the humans will not buy me. It does not make any sense, nothing does anymore. Does anyone care, will anyone talk or look. I am beautiful, too! as beautiful as any of you! I cry to the purebreds, they call as a chorus: Those who look ugly are ugly! No! I struggle, but they close ranks, overwhelm me. Leave me alone! I hiss, go away, you tell lies, you are cruel! I open my eyes to find myself howling at the top of my lungs. The dogs are barking at me to be quiet. I am silent instantly, too scared to move. I am scared.

Swift sat in wait, ignoring Oplen's excitement over his key. The food slot opened again. Swift dashed to it, stuck his paw in, keeping it open. Swift grabbed the humans foot with his paw and brought him down. Swift took the key necklace and opened the door. Swift walked slowly down the corridor, avoiding human contact. Something caught his attention. A cell labeled "Sari". Swift had the keys to unlock the entire corridor, he obviously wouldn't. He stood on his back paws and looked through the bars of Sari's cell. He pulled the key for the cell off the brace and put it through the bars. "Free yourself" He quietly squeaked. He waited beside the door incase Humans came.

I stared at the small fox in amazement. Just after I had quieted, the small canine had came trotting down the cages with a pair of keys in his mouth. Maybe luck favored me for once! Well, I was not going to miss my chance.

"Thank you" I whispered, then nimbly, I grabbed the key in my teeth and hooked my paws around it. Then, I stuck my paw through the food slot and turned it towards the keyhole and shoved it in, it was the perfect fit, and my paw pads were caught in it, so I just twisted my paw a bit, and the cage door burst open. I could suddenly here humans shouting, their voices coming closer. I jumped out of the cage and started running as fast as I could, skidding around corners. "Come On!" I yelled to the fox, turning my head while sprinting down a long hallway of cages. "I think I know the way out!!" I raced through the corridoors, away from the humans, and I caught a quick glimpse of the fox. "What's your name, anyway" I called to the canine as I reached the end of the hall and stopped at a door. Just then, I felt a hand grab my scruff, and I growled the most vicously I had in my life.

Swift sprinted along with Sari down the corridor. He was heavily breathing when he heard a viscous growl. He looked up. A large broad-shouldered human was holding her by he scruff. For whatever reason, Swift lost it and jumped over Sari and righti nto the mans face. Clws dug into his face, killing him instantly. "Swift, my names swift" he said back to the Hyena. "Hurry up, the exit is in the L3 corridor, were in L4" He said. There was a sign labeled "L3" at the end of the corridor. Swift was ready to return to freedom. It was time.

I raced along, skidding at the corners. I saw Swift turn to a hallway suddenly, and followed, seeing the exit pop out of nowhere. It was as though our minds became joined, and I felt as though Swift was whispering in my ear: It is time. Yes, yes it was time. Time for freedom, time for escape, time for me to finally stretch my legs into the outdoors. I pounced on to the handle, and hooked my paws around it, it turned easily, and we burst outside. I felt powerful and fearless as the warm air brushed playfully along the tips of my fur. "To Freedom!!" I yell to the wind, and I run like I never have run before, through the plains, through the trees, to the heavens. My paws burn fire along the hot sand, and then I find myself scrabbling at the dirt, my ears wet in my own spit. "Oh no, heat madness." I whisper, knowing that this deadly illusion/disease can inflict itelf and kill even the strongest canine. It was too hot, and I knew what was coming before it hit me, no water. It only meant one thing: drought. "We have to get to the Uppers!" I cry, and stand up shakily, but we must get to water. Left foot, Right foot, com'on, you can do this! I think to myself, and I manage to start plodding along.

Finally the freedom I was longing for.

I broke through my cage and tore through the kennel, past the bloody carnage left behind by Swift. I must find my family pack and I was willing to do anything to reach them.

As I raced across the desolate terrain of gum trees and scrub bush I began feeling the baking heat of the outback sun. My strength began to flag as I tried to keep up with Swift and Sari who were far ahead of me.

At this point I was willing to forgo their companionship in order to find my pack because they served their purpose to me. But suddenly I noticed Sari faltering in the shimmering landscape and she began to stumble.

What should I do?

When Swift entered the outside, his eyelids suddenly narrowed from the sun. "This isn't anything like the outside I remembered!" He screamed, staggering across the sand. When he heard Sari say "The Uppers" he thought she was crazy. He didn't remember any uppers. He noticed her having illusions. "Hop on my back, I'll carry you to these 'Uppers', just tell me where to go" He said, showing his back to her. Even though she may be hallucinating, he knew that she had known more of the landscape then he will ever know. Another thing surprised him, no humans were coming, what did this mean?

"No!" I cried, "you wouldn't suppoort my weight! I can do this!" Just then, I heard footsteps, coming behind us... fast. I turned my head to see a scruffy reddish dingo trying to catch up with us. "Swift," I whispered, keeping the pace up better now, "there's a dingo behind us..." I stumbled again, but caught myself in time, determined to keep going... I saw a cactus nearby erupt into a waterfall... Some pebbles became a chirping flock of birds... The trees were tall, tall humans with guns... "NO!" I shook my head so hard, that I thought I felt my brain rattle. The illusions vanished like a snap. I forced my stiff, tired legs to go faster, keep uup with Swift... yet,... too tired... can't do it...  must make it!... no~ falling... nothing... black............

Swift saw Sari hallucinating. "No more refusing, you're getting on my back, you won't be able to make it anyway else" Swift said stern. He kicked her up with his hind legs and she landed on his back before he could refuse.

He went into a huge sprint, picking up the pace faster than ever. He wanted to test the Dingo mainly though. If the Dingo couldn't keep up, it would make an amazing catch fro the humans.

Swift didnt' even mind Sari on his back, she felt like a feather, but his legs didn't feel the same. He ignored all pain in his legs and kept running, and running, and running.

I wanted freedom. It had been so long since I had felt the playful breeze, the warm sand-even the baking heat. Now, I felt hollow more than anything else. Swift was gone, a dingo had escaped, and a hyena I heard barking had all ran out the door. How had they done it? I scartched the bars of my cage longingly. The key? they hadn't opened my door in so long, I didn't know how to use it. Would I even be able to run? my legs were always crammed and stiff I wondered if they would be stuck in that postion for ever. My paw hurt, but it suddenly gave a stroke of inspiration, and even an emotion I had hardly felt before; bitter, harsh anger. I was angry at those dogs for escaping and leaving me behind, I was angry at the cages for holding me down, but most of all, I was furious at the humans for inprisoning me for so long; keeping me in their greedy clutches for their own entertainment. "I'M NOT YOUR DOG!" I roared, and all therude dogs quieted, scared. I felt like I could do anything, to avenge my broken and wasted life to those humans. A dog sqealed. I snarled viciously. The humans came around the corner. I crouched there, looking at them. Snarling. One pointed at me. I growled. Threatening. They put their ugly, thick yellow gloves on and advanced. Threatening with a looming silence of danger. Me, threatened. One pulled a rifle out, pointing at me. I whimpered. Scared. They laughed at my whine. Angered. I growled, long and low. Scary. They shot. A bad shoot; it hit the lock. The cage door burst open. I came out like a whirlwind. The human's eyes widened. scared. They ran. this provoked me, but I needed freedom. The door burst to a cloud of sand when I leaped into the desert- yet why-was there-baking-heat? Every step the words echoed. This only meant one thing: drought. my skinny body shook.

Swift's sides heaved as he carried Sari through the sunlight. He could see a fair-sized burrow just in the side of a dune. "Sari, we're gonna get some rest in a dune" he said and trotted to the burrow.

He set her down by the entrance. He nudged her with all his strength, and rolled her into the burrow. He sank inside. There was barely any room. He curled up, licked his sore legs, then closes his eyed and went into a deep sleep.

The sun set 5 minutes later and the desert was plunged into darkness. If any dog were to come and join him and Sari, they would need to sleep outside, due to lack of room in the small burrow.

Kennels:

Billions of rock hard cages with cold metal bars in front. Each cage is locked with a key. There is one slot where a bowl of gross food is shoved in twice a day. Not every dog is fed, because there are so many, so the cages are quite small. Most of the dogs are sold, and more are captured each month.

Woods:

The woods are eucalyptus trees just outside the Kennels. Here, most of the dogs are captured by food-baiting traps. This is Austrilia. There are walabies and lizards, and some gophers, it is a tough life, so some try to get food from the nearest human settlement, but are captured instead.

Plains:

Most dogs don't like the heated open, but some dogs, such as hyenas live out here. If you are captured here, you are shoved in grimy metal cage in the back of a truck with a tranquilizer. It is also a very good spot to run away, because everything is clear, then there is cover with an oasis in the uppers.

Uppers:

Just an add-on to the Woods, but much lusher and higher, so it is very hard to get to because there is no water on the long journey there. only a couple hardy hyenas and stray dogs roam this spoiled place. The large oasis in the middle of this forest attracts a lot of animals, for example the fruit bat, yet prey is cautious, so it can be hard to catch.

 

Settlements:

 

From roadsides to Sydney, this is where almost all dog, fox and hyena civilization is. Fortunenately, the Kennels are quite far away from all human settlements, so only every once in a while is a huge shipment of canines taken from Sydney to fill up the Kennels. If you are captured in a settlement, you are rather bated by a garbage can trap, or ambussed and roughly shoved into a cage of your own kind by camlflouged humans with a tranquilizer sticking out of your neck.

You are a wild dog, you have just been taken into a horrible kennel, where you try to escape. Once all characters escape or not- let's just see where it goes. It is an adventure of chaos, freindship, horror, sacrifice and bravery. Well, good luck!

The history will go along with the story, but recently there has been a drought, so you might try to reach the Uppers.

No cussing or controling other peoples characters. Remember, you might be captured more than once, no abuse either. And this is not Africa, no monkeys or anything ridicoulously stupid it is Austrilia. But you can use substitudes for curses such as "Koala poop" or something like that. Also, nothing too inapropriate or disgusting, but mild romance can be involved, and your character may have offspring, but just don't get too into the details... Your character age will be put in dog years, so 1 is from puppy to very young. 2 is ready to breed, but still quite young. 3 is young, but with more experience and knowledge. 4 is still young, but more fully grown with knowledge, experience, and power to be a leader. 5 is an elder.

You are also allowed to create a small pack, but make sure every character agrees if you wish to be leader. Also, your name can't be something like "Poopy" or anything close to that, but it can be something like "Heartfire" or even "Poppy wing"

And the most important rule: Have fun!!!