Safety First-- [Open]

[ROSIE--]

<sub>"Well damn, this is a scary place.” Hawthorne growled, lowering her head as she stepped lightly. Old, worn wooden planks creaked under paw and with each cautious step; the dog knew she was only drawing more attention toward her.

The lithe form of a dog padded along the docks, her short brown and black fur stood up from neck to tail. Floppy ears were pressed airtight against her skull, tail down low. The last desire that the dog had was to bring notice to herself. This was unknown territory belonging to the Skeleton Pack. She had only heard the horror stories but from those she was able to draw one conclusion. If she wanted protection, this was the best place to find it.

These dogs weren’t afraid to get dirty and controlled a majority of the lands. Why not align with the strongest? There was only gain in the small amount of loyalty that she had to give to these scum. Hawthorne understood that these dogs were killers, ruthless and not the most moral crowd, but there wasn’t much choice. The other packs in the area didn’t compare to the Skeleton Pack, there was less of a guarantee of her surviving until the next morning. Here, she could expect to wake up the next morning. Well, if she didn’t get on the foul side of any of her new pack mates.

Hawthorne snorted at her own thinking. “Well, I’m screwed either way.” She laughed at her own stupidity. Really, she wasn’t a friendly dog was going to quickly get on the wrong sides of many others in the Skeleton Pack. She was going to have to watch her back just as carefully as she would on her own.

Picking her head up in the slightest, Hawthorne glanced around the docks. The murky water loomed only inches away underneath the ancient wood, the dog kept picking up her paws to assure that it didn’t crack underneath her weight. Bright eyes scanned the area, searching for signs of life. She needed to speak to a dog about joining the pack. She wasn’t out of the dangerous waters yet. She had to be accepted into this band of villains and killers before she could be certain of her safety.</sub>

[»Dangle The Deviant]

Dangle headed out onto the docks. His twin harks were lifted on either side of his head, acoustics cupping any faint noise that might come to them. His ice blue eyes were locked a head of him, scanning for any signs of movement. His shoulders and pelvis rolled easily with each step, paws carefully placed on the planks. Below the water bobbed gently against the support beams of the dock.

His nose picked up the scent of a female. Ears lifted a little more as he followed the scent to a female not too far off on the dock. He approached her and planted his rump down on the ground, forelegs coming to the front of his chest, keeping it upright.

"Hello there miss. I am Dangle, Ruler and owner of the Skeleton pack. Why have you come onto my lands?" His tone was business like and straight to the point.

Generally, tresspassers become slaves, but he wanted to hear what this female had to say first. if she proved worthy enough, he would allow her into his pack, not like that wimp of a wolf Blue. She made a fine slave and he wouldn't hesitate to add to that, but he wanted to see what this female had to say for herself first.

[ROSIE--]

<sub>Hawthorne understood that this was the boss from the moment she spotted him. He walked with dignity, his tail and head high, he was confident with each step. This massive creature of a dog knew that was not going to be challenged. Definite sign of power, the leader was a shot in the dark.

He was Dangle, her conclusion that he was the ruler was correct, as she usually was. His tone showed that he wasn’t in the mood for games. Shame, Hawthorne always enjoyed a good game. Though, there was something behind that businesslike manner. There was something he wasn’t saying, and Hawthorne understood that this was her only shot. She proved herself unworthy to this brute, it was all over.

In response to this doubt, Hawthorne picked her head up higher and picked up her ears. Rolling her shoulders back, the young dog attempted to make her seem bigger, despite her slightly meager size. “I’ve come seeking acceptance into your pack.” Her words were forced through her teeth. She forced a respectful tone, one that she hated using. Hawthorne hated submitting to other dogs, especially to powerful brutes such as this one. He may have strength and size on her but Hawthorne was confident that she was faster and smarter. Brains beat brawns any day.

“My name would be Hawthorne, and I have a feeling I have much to offer to the Skeleton Pack.” What did she have to offer? Being one of the smartest dogs among a pack of brutes? It was hardly a position she wanted but it was the best she could get. Most packs would turn her away because of her antisocial behavior and her hot-temper but the dog was sure that it was common here. Despite the lust to kill and maim, these dogs were probably the closest Hawthorne was going to find that were similar to her.</sub>

[»Dangle The Deviant]

Dangle smirked at the female. He inhaled loudly and then exhaled.

"Very well. Let me explain to you about this pack. We have a lot of females and a few males on hand. You might think you're smart, but honey let me make something clear to you. I am smarter. I have allies and I do not tolerate insubordination. When I give a request I expect it to be carried out. For now I will give you the rank of Military. Their job is to go out and kill those that are a threat to me and my pack. You are to listen to me and my alphess if she requests something of you.

If anyone dares to disobey me, they are exiled out of the pack. I expect my pack members to be social and respectful toward me and other pack members. Can you accept these terms?" Dangle said watching her appear to be bigger than what she was. Dangle however, had tricks up his sleeves. They might think they're smarter, but Dangle knew a lot of deadly tricks to ensure that their ego was shot to pieces. He watched her curiously, waiting to see if she would accept.

[ROSIE--]

<sub>That smirk, oh how she already hated it. The ego on this dog was astronomical. Hawthorne was starting to regret her decision to search out the Skeleton Pack. There wasn’t much she could do now though. Take the offer and she was stuck here. Reject the offer and she was stuck anyways. She knew these dogs didn’t take kindly to trespassers. Those dogs usually were found dead, or worse.

The bigger dog listed off rules. Rules were the bane of Hawthorne’s existence, binding her to other dogs that she wanted nothing to do with. Her refusal sat on the tip of her tongue, waiting to be released. Fear kept it in place. Hawthorne was typically a brave dog but as this leader looked down upon her, she wasn’t too confident.

Her fur did bristle though when he took a crack at her intelligence. She was a hell of a lot smarter than this brute could ever imagine. ‘If you stick around, then you can prove him wrong.’ The dog tried to convince herself to stay. Petty reasons there were, mostly for protection that Hawthorne could not provide for her own being. Instead, she was relying on these monsters for safety. What a twisted place this world had become.

The last bit of the dog speech interested her though. She was to be part of the military, which would mean plenty of fighting. She wasn’t strong but she was fast. “I accept these terms.” She barked, trying to seem confident in her answer. Normally, Hawthorne was a good liar but even she heard the uncertainty in her own voice. “You won’t regret your decision.” Hawthorne quickly added, trying her best to smile and failing. She was never the smiling type.</sub>

[»Dangle The Deviant]

Dangle nodded and took a few steps.

"Very well. But if you make even one mistake, you won't live to see the next day mark my words. I know you think I have a large ego, but missy I am not to be messed with period. Don't take my words lightly becuase you wont live." Dangle said meaningfully as he glared at the female named Hawthorne.

"Now, I shall show you around the lands. Do you have any family nearby or around?" Dangle asked her as he began padding away, stopping and turning to watch for Hawthorne to follow him.

He would show her around and get her acquainted with teh rest of the pack. He didn't take things lightly. She might think she was the smartest dog in the world, but he was smarter, plus he had the whole pack behind him. So things would not turn out well for this new bitch if she decided to go against him.

"The Military are a tough group. They are designed for spying, killing and the packs safety." Dangle explained to Hawthorne. "There is a military leader, which you must go see to get your rank and spot."

Dangle's blue eyes landed on Hawthorne and patiently waited for her to respond.

[ROSIE--]

<sub>More insulting of her intelligence. Oh how she hated that. His words were starting to become less fearsome though. He was repeating the same threats again and again. She understood, she couldn’t mess with him. She wouldn’t want to in the first place. He was big and even if she was fast and smart, she always knew that size trumped all. He was the leader; he had his pack behind him. Hawthorne couldn’t even begin to image taking him down. Now if she had some friends…

She was not serious about it though. Hawthorne was only joining this pack in search of protection and confidence that at night, no one was going to kill her. She wasn’t so sure that was going to happen here but it was her best shot.

He offered a tour around the lands. “That would be a good idea.” She agreed, bowing her head and padding to stand next to the other dog. “And no family.” She finished, not elaborating on the subject. Family wasn’t her strongest suit. Her confidence did grow just a touch though as Dangle explained the military in full.

“Those are my three areas of expertise.” She smirked, closing her eyes in mock pride. In truth, she was really only good at the spying part. Watching and observing, those were her two most prized abilities. Every movement, every word, and every action said something about a dog. It was her job to interpret those. As she spoke, she was watching Dangle. She didn’t have the ability to completely analyze him. No, she was too busy making sure he didn’t threaten her. The second he showed any signs of aggression, she was gone.</sub>

[»Dangle The Deviant]

Dangle nodded.

"Good. Your skills will be most useful in the pack" Dangle said to her softly. his tail waved behind him, showing her that he wasn't going to be aggressive toward her. Unless she snapped at him, Dangle wasn't generally aggressive towards females. Males were another story, being he felt that they could threaten him.

His ears were lifted on both sides of his skull as he studied her.

"Did you come here for a specific reason? Or is there another underlying rule why you decided to join?" he asked her curiously.

Some mostly came to his pack for security and safety. Hell any member of his pack were probably one of the most safest dogs on the planet. he made sure that his pack thrived and no one dared to threaten him or his members. They were his family, and being Nova was pregnant with his pups, extra precautions were going to be taken care of and made essential.

"The alphess is pregnant with my pups, so extra security and measures are going to have to be made. I allow all my members to mate within my pack, but the pups must stay witihin the pack. For your first assignment, after going to the military leader, would be to make sure that the lands are patrolled. You and another military may patrol the pack perimeters" Dangle said to her softly and continued to wave his tail. He watched for her reaction.

[ROSIE--]

<sub>Hawthorne could tell that Dangle was doing what he could to make the young female feel comfortable. He wasn’t going to attack her but there was no way in hell that Hawthorne was going to let her guard down. Instead of relaxing, she only picked her head up higher and matched the massive leader’s gaze. Her paws shifted uncomfortably across the wood, the dog still paranoid that at any moment she would fall through. Quite frankly, Hawthorne wasn’t sure she could swim. Anyway, she wasn’t in the mood to find out now.

The dog’s floppy ears pricked up at the question. Hawthorne was surprised by it, but then she guessed that there were probably many dogs in a similar situation to her. “It’s hard to live on the streets in these days. Dogs can only find protection in packs.” She admitted grudgingly, averting her gaze in defeat. Hawthorne hated the fact that she was forced to join this pack in the first place and on such pathetic terms. “I’m not a coward. It is just more beneficial than to be out on my own.” She grumbled the last bit, shuffling her paws.

Hawthorne was taken surprise yet again. The massive dog already trusted her on a patrol. ‘This is simpler than I thought.’ She concluded, raising her brow. If she was a leader, the new recruits would stay inside the center of the pack, not to run off to the enemy. Only after bonds were formed would she let them out. Instead, the first day she was taking the perimeter. ‘Now only to find a dog with some brains.’ Hawthorne had already figured that in a powerful pack such as this, the Military was probably filled with meatheads that used their muscles instead of their brains. She would need to find a dog that she could stand, one that would think.</sub>

[/sub]

[»Dangle The Deviant]

Dangle smiled at Hawthorne and nodded.

"I never thought you were a coward. Basically, this perimeter scouting is a trial run. If you prove yourself worthy, you will get the spot full time and I will assign you a second job." he said softly to her.

he listened to her speaking about being on her own. He nodded in understanding.

"I understand. I used to be by myself on the streets until I founded the pack. But rest assured the pack here is very tight. We run tight and thick. So try not to worry" Dangle said to her softly.

he showed her the church, the radio station and the other lands that fell under his pack juristiction. he turned to her.

"Do you have any questions so far?" He asked her warmly his ice blue eyes locked on her own dark amber ones. His tail remained waving slowly behind him.

"If not I will leave you to it to get acquainted with the rest of the pack. They're generally around here somewhere" he said softly and lightly. Both ears were turned toward Hawthorne as he waited for her to respond