Racing Hearts (still open)

[wingfeather]

You're a dog in a rookie sled dog team in Nome, Alaska. The first race is coming up at the end of the week and lately you've been training like crazy. Whether you win or lose... that is to be found out. But the story doesn't end there. A few days after the race the team was on an exercise run when a storm suddenly comes up from out of nowhere, you're lost with no idea where home is. When the storm finally breaks you look back and see you master is gone. Hungry. Cold. And attached to an empty sleigh. Will you and your pack mates make it home. And if you do what will you find there?

Characters:

Bear: wingfeather

Katjuk: Canadian Sunfeather

Echo: Mainehorse

Sierra: brooke0518

Skoren: tenebria

Iris: Abbster

Frodr: tenebria

[wingfeather]

Bear was panting hard, his chest heaved in and out as he gulped down short breaths of the early morning air. The dogs had just been driven on a training run in preparation for the upcoming race this Saturday. He stood and waited with growing impatience for his master to walk down the line of harnessed dogs and unstrap him. He barked loudly a couple of times to try and get the message across, and pulled at the harness causing some of the dogs behind him to be jostled too. He heard the sound his master made when he wanted quiet, but Bear ignored it and barked all the more and even louder. He wined with annoyance and started jumping which caused his straps to tangle a little. Finally his turn came and he tried to sit as still as possible while his master undid the buckles, but he could not help but wriggle a little. Finally he felt himself be completely unrestrained and, after a word from the man, bolted away with a relieved bark. He ran to where the water trough was a began lapping furiously.

[mainehorse]

Echo curls her tail around her paws, watching as Bear bolted away from the sled to get a drink of water. He was young at only about two and a half years so such impatience was to be expected she mused. She was still working to get to know the dogs she was leading on this team since they were undoubtedly different from the team she had led with her old master Liam. She missed him after his sudden an unexpected passing. But she had a job to do here and while he was not Liam... her new master seemed alright. She rises to her paws, shaking she snow from her dark brown coat as she made her way over to the water trough at a much more leisurely pace. Stopping nearby where Bear was lapping furiously at the water. It had been a good run, but she wasn't sure what other teams they would be up against in the actual race. Only time would tell she supposed. In the meantime they would to well to keep working at it. Practice was important. It always would be.

[tenebria]

Skoren was not impatient. He did not like to call it impatience. It was called thrumming energy that could not be displaced except by movement. And especially after such an ADRENALINE filled training run, he had quite of lot of the energy thrumming through him at that exact moment. But still, as the master dug the snow hook into the cold ground and turned towards them to begin unharnessing, he tried to stay still. After all, pleasing the master was the top of the list of wonderful things in his life! Something behind him refused to stick to that mentality though. His long black splotched tail was whirling like a propeller behind him, gearing up for a take off, and throwing the powdery snow into his teammates face. The dog gave him a glare, or rather his tail a glare, but it wasn't like he could control it! With a shrug he turned back to the master and grinned at him, panting happily and waiting for the harness to be removed. The second it was and the master spoke the word, he bolted forwards, paws churning the snow... only to be slammed chest first into the ground, and almost did a somersault. A yelp escaped his mouth before he turned to glare at the offending nail, stuck in the harness. With a pull he catapulted it out, sending himself flying nose first into the snow. With a spring and a snort to recover, he grinned over at the team, half of which had already been unharnessed at this point and were eyeing him with disconsolate looks of dismay, and gallumphed after the younger pup who had made a beeline for the water trough. Not a bad idea in his opinion! Skidding to a stop, and slightly misjudging his spacing, he slammed into something warm and fuzzy. With an effort he managed to back up to avoid an entanglement, then grinned cheerfully at the Alpha. "No rabbits today! More's the pity, but a faster run" he said conversationally as he dunked his nose into the trough.

[mainehorse]

Echo lifts her head up from the cool clear water in the trough, as something slams into her side. She remains rooted to her spot by the through as Skoren backs up, not really all that phased by the sudden impact. On her old team, all of the dogs had been around the same age as her. But now on this team, some of the dogs were a little over half her age as was the case with Skoren from what she knew. And then there was Bear who was even younger. But she could be extremely patient, thankfully. Given how much energy both Skoren and Bear seemed to always have, even after practice runs, that patience would likely serve her well. "The practice will certainly serve us well... we'll need to be fast if we're to do well in the upcoming race. But seeing some rabbits certainly could have benefitted us as well. Have to be prepared for wildlife of all sorts out there. And rabbits are good practice for staying calm in such situations. Makes it easier to stay calm when more dangerous wildlife shows up" she says.

[wingfeather]

Bear soon finished vigorously gulping down the water, he was THIRSTY for the run had been longer than the one they had taken the day before. He could not help but give a half smile as snow spattered all over the two dogs in a miniature snowstorm when collision was made, it gave them both a rather whimsical appearance. He walked over and joined the conversation, ''I have to an agree Skoren, that was an excellent run,'' he said with eager agreement. He did not exactly understand what the Alpha was meaning by staying calm while chasing rabbits, to him speed and an equally quick mind was all that was needed in such times, same for if a bear showed itself, though on those occasions the tables would be turned and hunter would become hunted, ''that is true I suppose,'' he said nodding.

[tenebria]

Skoren wasn't really listening at that point, his head in the trough as he lapped the water noisily. He only ended up catching the last few words and gave her an askance look. The younger dog on the other side of the Alpha seemed to give almost the same look to the female, then ended up agreeing with her. Skoren on the other paw, did not see the point at all. Rabbits were fun and for food, so who cared if they ended up chasing them now and then? Speed and instincts were the only thing necessary to avoid danger. And he was sure they all had plenty of that somewhere in them when needed. He opened his mouth, somehow able to keep his mind on the subject for once in his life. The idea of her being Alpha didn't rattle his opinions at all, in fact nothing really ever did. If he wanted to say something he'd say it. "Instincts are what makes us able to keep cool and run fast when there's predators, so I don't think rabbits have much to do with that, besides being amusing and delicious" he said with a snort, his odd wiser side showing, then disappearing just as fast. His grin widened "Unless of course, you're scared of those hoppers yourself" he said, his tail beginning to whirl in amusement. And then just like that his mind completely switched topics. "Did we get a new patch of wiring on the fence?!" he queried in a suddenly much over excited tone, his paws already beginning to wander off in that direction. New patches were the best for starting a climb, and he was always so thankful when the master had new ones put in!

[mainehorse]

"That wasn't quite the point I was trying to make. Alas, I suppose that falls on me. I should have been more clear. The rabbits themselves have nothing to do with it. I'm merely stating that seeing some would be good practice for keeping your mind on the task at hand instead of other stimuli. Chasing rabbits is all well and good but your focus needs to remain on staying on the trail regardless of what wildlife is around. You cannot veer off the trail to chase rabbits no matter how amusing or delicious they may be. Doing so could be dangerous, there's a lot worst than rabbits out there in the wilderness that you do not want to run into." Echo says, curling her tail around her paws as she watches the younger dog wandering off in the direction of the fence. When she had been a pup, she had had that same curiosity towards things that he seemed to have. Though she had outgrown it after growing out of the puppy stage. But it was nice to see that some could hold onto that curiosity and wonder for the World. She had just gotten caught up in training and her focus had shifted almost entirely to remaining focused on her work as lead dog rather than simply enjoying running like she used to.

[wingfeather]

Bear cocked his head as he listened to what Echo was saying but his attention was, even then, slipping. Although the idea of rabbit did sound good to him. He knew that it was still going to be a few hours until the dogs were fed for the night, though the master sometimes rewarded the dogs after a long run with a piece of dried bear or fish, but Bear wanted something more and the thought of fresh blood whet his appetite considerably. He trotted efficiently towards the fence, which was more for keeping wild animals out rather than the dogs in, and dipped beneath it pulling himself up on the other side. This was quite a favorite pastime of his. The formidable forest loomed closer. His ear twitched when he heard his name sternly called by his master but he didn't even deign to look back, he quickened his pace in fact. He would come back later, it wasn't as if his master needed him right then and there anyway.

[tenebria]

Frodr padded away from the sled once the master unharnessed him, a slight smile on his face as Bear dashed off to the water trough like he'd been running through a desert. The smile wavered as a commotion sounded down the line, the older eurohound thrashing about and plunging into the snow multiple times before finding his gangly legs and charging towards the water. Even as he leapt up from his fall, Frodr could see precisely where his actions would take him. He sighed slightly, then headed through the snow towards a patch of sunshine. A thud confirmed his predictions and he couldn't help but snort softly as he heard the completely off topic mention of rabbits. With a relaxing sigh he pawed at the snow slightly, creating a nice indentation, then laid down, curling his tail over his nose. But rest was not easy in coming as the conversation on the topic of rabbits continued, Skoren suddenly beginning to make sense, while the Alpha was taking it very seriously and trying to educate the crazy brained one and the pup on how to run past distractions apparently. He snorted again. No way was Bear going to have enough patience to listen to such talk. Skoren either. His suspicions were confirmed when Skoren padded past him, heading for a new patch in the fence, apparently about to satiate his ever growing need for climbing. A few seconds later Bears pawsteps trotted lightly past. Frodr's ears flicked slightly, and he opened his eyes, following the young pup to the fence line. Bear did not seem about to slow down at all. Frodr lifted his head, fully knowing where that pup was going. He opened his mouth to stop the pup, then snapped it shut just as quickly, feeling guilty. It was peaceful, the forest was. He had learned much from spending time there. The pup would not come to any harm, he could well take care of himself at this age. But he himself was now prepared to get no sleep whatsoever. He let out a soft sigh, laying his head down on his paws, eyes on the swiftly disappearing figure headed for the trees. It had been a long while since he'd cared this much about another being going out of his sight. It was good to care again. 

[tenebria]

Skoren had stopped listening to the Alpha at the point when she had said "Alas". His mind began wandering, and he forgot where he'd been headed as he suddenly sat down to ponder. Alas.... a..lasss. What was that anyway? Alas. Why did it mean what it did? A Lass was completely different from Alas, he knew that, but it really sounded the same. So therefore why did they say Alas when they were regretting something? Sadly, now that, that made sense... but alas? Suddenly his eyes seemed to focus on the fence again, and he grinned happily to himself. THAT was where he'd been headed! Completely forgetting there had ever been a conversation on the subject of rabbits or distractions, he began sniffing the patch of fence. It was new! He pawed it testingly, then heard a rattle along the fence, and looked over to see the youngest of the team slip under the fence (Oh to be so small!) and dash into the forest, heedless of the master's call. Skoren gave a low whine. Rabbits were in that forest. Wonderful, juicy, tasty, bouncy rabbits. It was such a pity they hadn't seen any that day, he ruminated sadly, completely forgetting he'd already thought about that. With reluctance he turned back to the fence. At least something fun could be done today, even if it wasn't rabbits. Almost as good anyway. Getting a front paw into the new fence patch, he heaved himself up, and began the task of climbing.

[mainehorse]

Echo snorts softly, almost amused as Skoren began to climb up the fence. As much as she did enjoy fresh rabbit, she didn't have any real desire to run off right now. They would be fed eventually, so she figured that she would conserve her energy for when she was hitched to the sled. Moving away from the water trough, she finds a spot nearby in the snow and digs out a little divot in the snow. She had always preferred to sleep in the snow rather a doghouse when possible. Turning in circles a few times, she lays down in the divot she had made in the snow with a quiet sigh. The snow felt pleasantly cool against her thick brown fur. She wasn't going to sleep quite yet, but after a run it would be nice to relax until it was time to eat she mused.

[Abbster]

Iris gazed around the area. She sighed slightly. All she wanted was food, but she wasn’t about to get in trouble by escaping, so she deciding to just give herself a good grooming before racing around the fenced yard to stretch her legs. The wind ruffled her fur and it felt amazing as it whipped through her fur. After a little, Iris trotted back to her little resting area and she lay down, curling her up her tail and yawning as the sun warmed her coat.

[wingfeather]

Bear was in his element, bounding through snow mounds, leaping half frozen streams, and weaving through the densely clustered firs. Unfortunately the beauty of the place was lost to the young dog as he kicked up snow behind his fast moving paws. The joy of moving freely and fast was all that he cared about at the moment. He passed by a small group of moose but he had learned very young not to mess around with them so he passed being sure to give a wide berth. He scented wolf, a lot of it, but it was stale, probably from the night before. Suddenly a grouse was flushed from where it was hiding in the undergrowth. Bear grinned and picked up his speed. But unfortunately he was not the best and conserving energy, especially if he were alone and not controlled by a harness full of dogs, the grouse escaped him and Bear was exhausted, left behind with lolling tongue.

[tenebria]

Frodr flicked an ear slightly as he a set of familiar paw steps heading nearer to him, then digging, then a soft thud as Echo lay down. Smart choice. Not only conserving energy, but allowing the muscles some rest. The younger dogs of course knew little of rest, or rather simply the dogs that assumed their abundant energy would get them through anything. As if his thoughts had sparked the need to run, the young female Team Dog suddenly went dashing by, zooming around the edges of the fence with wild speed. He couldn't help but smile slightly to himself. Energy was a good thing to have, as long as you knew when to keep it in check. Apparently, however, she did, as she settled down nearby as well. Leaving the two to their rest, he turned his focus once more to the forest far beyond the fence, and his mind roved after what that rambunctious young pup might be doing out there. He wasn't worried... no... but his protective nature was too strong to be easily pushed away completely.