{will you be my firework?} open

[Sasha]

Reno

THE park was noisy, but it was almost every weekend. Little T]human pups were climbing all over the playground, running between trees, shouting, laughing and giggling to their little hearts' content. Sunlight filtered through the boughs of mossy oak trees, dappling the cool shade. A pleasant breeze wafted through the area. It was a peaceful day, not too hot and not to cold with nothing sinister to disrupt it. That was why, even with humans around, Reno was sprawled in the shade dozing like an old fat cat. His intensely red fur stood out against the light green of the grass all around him, white dipped paws ending each powerfully muscled leg. A handsome vivid red head was pillowed in the grass, icy blue eyes lidded as the canine snoozed. As far as he was concerned, all was right with the world.

JUST that previous night, he'd run through this park when it was empty of humans. He'd chased a few frogs by the little pond, sniffed around and followed a few stale scents and he'd even found somebodys forgotten lunch. It had promptly become his supper. Okay so maybe it had tasted funny with all the weird things humans put on their food, but beggers couldn't be choosers. Especially in the past few years. Reno clearly remembered his mother telling him stories of when things had been easier for strays, when humans actually put food out especially for strays. He was pretty sure she was kidding or had just woven the story so he'd go to sleep without thinking about his empty belly, but it was a nice dream. He wished it would be like that again. Since striking out on his own, he'd found more than a few starved puppies and young dogs, dogs that didn't know the tricks of the trade and didn't have time to learn.

HUFFING a soft sigh in his sleep, the mostly red husky twitched his feet, as if running. Before he could catch his dream rabbit however, a little hand, slightly sticky, jerked him out of his sleep. Blue eyes snapped open and his head shot up, almost catching a little girl with pigtails right in the chin. Thankfully he missed. The little girl, no more than three, giggled and grabbed his fur. Reno stared at her but then relaxed. She was just a little human. The big ones were what worried Reno. Little ones, they might pull your fur but they didn't do it on purpose. They didn't know how to be mean yet. So, Reno leaned forward and licked her cheek amd wagged his curly fluffy tail.

"GET away from that dog!"

THE shrill screamed command made Reno jerk away from the little girl and scramble to his feet. His quick retreat made the little girl topple and after a heartbeat's puase, she started to cry. A woman came running toward them. Reno's eyes widened and he did the one thing he was best at, he turned tail and ran. Behind him, the woman scooped up her daughter and yelled something about mangy strays. Reno didn't hang around long enough to hear it. He simply booked it for the other side of the park, dodging housepets with their humans and bikers and whoever else got in his way.

[Punktestern]

Stern

Stern lay under the shade of an elm tree, drowsing in the sunlight. She could hear the voices of humans in the park, but ignored them. They weren’t doing anything that she should be concerned about. At least, not yet. A bee raced in front of her nose, and she made a halfhearted snap at it. The bee zummed away. Stern sighed and rested her head on her paws. Her ears relaxed. The sunlight dappled her long fur, casting a net of shadows over her black markings.
A small human approached her, sticky hands outstretched. Stern growled and raised the hair on her neck, scaring the little one away. She didn’t like people, any of them. Why would they do anything like torturing dogs, if not for fun? And anyone that did that sort of thing for fun, they were not right. Yes, Stern sometimes chased cats for the fun of it, but she didn’t hurt the cats, even if she overtook them. They were just things to stretch her legs with. She remembered chasing one tom in particular, in her childhood, before the lab. He had run so fast at first, but she had always been able to catch him after a while, unless he hid in his house.
She thought a lot of things. But it was not only her thoughts racing through her mind. She could hear the thoughts of everyone in the vicinity. She could sense housepets, out for a stroll with their owners. A child was petting a lone dog, the picture of peace. A loud shout woke her out of her thoughts. Her head snapped up. An adult human was shouting at the girl she had sensed, “Get away from that dog!” Stern looked at the human, slowly rising to her feet.

She watched a russet husky break away from a little human, who promptly began to cry. Stern’s eyes followed the husky. She had seen him around here before, but had never tried to talk to him. She stretched and watched the husky, who had started running towards her tree. Her ears pricked up, and she watched the husky approaching.

[Sasha]

WITH the yelling human still shouting after him, Reno's icy blue eyes flicked around the park for a place to lay low for a bit until the angry human left. Angry humans were no fun, especially big angry humans. Little angry humans could be funny if observed from a distance but Reno had no love of big humans period so why would he like them when they were angry? He considered himself quite lucky that this particular human hadn't had anything to throw at him like others had. Luckily though, the red male's eyes fell on an elm tree, fully mature with lots of promising shade for the thick-furred husky. As he swerved toward it, strides slowing to a steady jog, however he also noticed the tree's shade was occupied.

BY a lady.

TRIANGULAR auds perked up with interest as he smoothly slowed his strides until he stood still at the edge of the elm's shade pool. Eyes of pale blue observed the she-dog as his head angled slightly to one side in a cutely curious fashion. She looked to be a purebred German Shepherd, complete with classic black and tan markings. The only difference was that she had longer fur than any German Shepherd he had ever seen. Oh well. He had a thing for redheads but hey, beggers weren't choosers. At least, Reno wasn't. Never in his life had he been picky about the company of the fairer sex.

SHOOTING her a playful innocent grin that would have been seen on a pup but looked right at home on his muzzle, the solid red male darted around the tree and laid down behind the trunk. He crept up combat-crawl style and poked his head around the side, just enough to see the black and tan femme. Grinning again he laid his ears flat to his skull and peered out at the park.

"WHATEVER they say, I was never here," Reno mock whispered to her, eyes lit with mischief. Of course, he knew the female human wasn't going to chase him but he needed some way to break the ice didn't he? From the look in her eye, this she-dog didn't quite know what a good time was or what it was like to be playful, but that was just him assuming things. Mother always said it would get him in trouble, so he just went with it, whatever she would say.

[Punktestern]

Stern watched as the husky ran from the still-yelling human. She thought she caught a glimpse of a smile as he ran past her, behind her tree. She thought of it as her tree, although it wasn’t anyone’s, really. As he slid behind the elm, she angled one of her ears back toward him, but kept her eyes on the humans. She monitored the thoughts around her, but couldn’t find any of evil intent, so she turned slowly to look at the russet dog. Her ears moved backward, listening for more shouts, but as none were forthcoming, she let her attention rest fully on the canine.
As she turned around to finally look at the tree, and so, in turn, at the husky. She smiled as he crept from behind the tree. She laughed at his statement, “Of course you weren’t.” She sat back down and watched him, carefully taking mental notes in case she needed to report on him later. This was an exercise she had learned early, as a young pup. She found herself taking notes on everyone, now. “Who might you be? And where are you to be found, I don’t think you are here?” A sarcastic smile showed she was joking about the last bit. Contrary to what canines thought when they first met her, Stern actually did have a sense of humor, it was just hidden underneath all of the layers she had built up. Sometimes, like now, it shone through.
Stern shook her long fur away from her ears with a quick sweep of her head, “My name is Stern, but you can call me Stern.” She had once had a longer name, one that had been given to her before the nightmare of cages and needles, but that one was part of a different life. Thinking back, Stern wasn’t even too sure it had been her life. It seemed more like someone else’s, a story that had been told to her as a pup. However much she wished that to be true, it just wasn’t, and there was no use in wishing for things that would never be.

[Sasha]

RENO grinned as the she-dog talked to him. She had a nice smile, he'd give her that. Usually shepherds didn't do it for him but any smiling she-dog was a beauty in his eyes. And it turned out she had a sense of humor! Score! Wagging his red curl of a tail, the husky chuckled and wriggled a little bit further into view. She couldn't see all of him but what she saw was his shoulders, front legs and head. That was more or less all there was to him. Deep russet red fur, icy blue eyes, a white splotch on his chest and white paws. All four of his paws were white, something that humans seemed to think adorable. One human that he used to snag food from called him Socks but he hadn't seen that old human for a long time. Sometimes he missed the human when winter was deep and food was rare. Still, add on the mischief gleam in his eyes and easy grin and you had Reno in a nutshell.

"WELL pretty lady, name's Reno and you can find me here and there in this dirt poor city. I prefer wandering around in people's dreams." A coy smile and sly wink, no real harm just his normal charm. He never meant to offend a lady, he preferred charming their fur off and the occasional fling but in the end, hurting or heartbreaking wasn't his goal. He liked making friends, especially friends that could understand, tolerate and embrace him for the harmless flirt that he was. The problem was, the second they asked for help that would endanger his person, he was gone. They'd get mad and leave him in turn. He deserved it but nobody was worth dying for. Nobody. Reno was firmly rooted in that particular philosophy.

WHEN the German Shepherd gave him her name, the husky angled his head to the side in a cutely curious way. For a moment, his ice blue eyes contemplated her before he promptly rolled onto his side and then onto his back. White-socked feet in the air, a narrow strip of white underbelly exposed and a sloppy upside down grin on his long muzzle, tongue lulling out for a moment. Anyone that saw him would say he looked like a brainless housepet performing for stale treats and a tummy rub. Reno didn't care much, he liked having fun and making others laugh, even if it was at his expense. He did prefer others laughing with him, but hey, it wasn't a perfect world so he would take what he could get.

"STERN? Nah. You look more like a Fluffy or..hmm...yeah...Fluffly." Upside down, Reno's curled tail wagged in the grass and he laughed. "Hope you don't mind. I don't remember names well unless it's something simple or...I don't know, descriptive I guess would be a way to put it." Rolling back onto his belly, the husky grinned innocently at Stern.

IN truth, he had no such problem with remembering names. In fact, he may look like a gooftball idiot, but he was really actually quite smart. You had to be to survive on the streets from birth. Reno knew at least one of his brothers had failed to survive. He was sharp as a knife. In fact, if he didn't see Stern for a year and then ran into her, he'd remember her with perfect clarity. The thing was though, it was easier when people underestimated him. If they didn't expect greatness, bravery or steady companionship from him, they wouldn't be so disappointed when he let them down. After all, at some point he always let someone down because he was just a failure like that. He was a coward, saving his own skin before anyone else. Ya he'd share what was left over or show a newbie the ropes, but if it came to bodily harm, he'd stay as far away as possible. So, he had no hero complex and he had the brains to know when he was going to get hurt and how to get out of tricky situations without pain. Still, it was easier for someone to just think he was a forgetful idiot.

[Punktestern]

Stern returned the husky’s smile with one of her own. She wasn’t interested in looking for any companions yet, but if she liked his easy personality. Too many male dogs she knew could only think about one thing around her nowadays. She looked over his color, admiring the deep red fur and white markings. She looked at the blue eyes shortly, then averted her eyes, not wanting to ruin the moment with misunderstood tension.

She smiled at his name. The name was somewhat familiar to her, one of the scientists had spoken of a vacation to a place to Reno once. “I hope you don’t wander into my dreams. They would scare you.” She shivered as she remembered her latest nightmare. Her nights were when she relived the torture at the lab, and so she had learned to function on little sleep to avoid the chance of seeing that place again. His smile and wink, and was somewhat taken aback. She had hoped that he would be different. She needed a friend that was just to talk to, nothing else.

She smiled as he turned onto his back. He looked so much like a puppy that she had to laugh. She tried to stifle it, but only partially succeeded. She shook her long fur back again, “Funny.” Her sarcastic tone made her opinion clear. “It’s all right. A lot of dogs have a problem with my name, because it is of a different origin than around here.”

She yawned and looked around the park, trying to hide how exhausted she was. She hadn’t slept for over forty eight hours, trying to avoid the nightmares that made her sleeping hours seem more like a terrible torture than a time of rest. She sat and blinked her eyes sleepily, “Please excuse me, I haven’t had the chance to get much rest in the last few days.” She remembered how easy it had once been to fall asleep. Nowadays, she had to force herself to stay awake, only to fall into an unconscious state after a week of no rest. Well, at least that had no dreams.

[Sasha]

BLUE eyes, smothered by a falsely obtuse persona, observed the black and tan she-dog. She looked tired and not just physically. Anyone that saw her, dog wise at least, would have to be stupid not to miss that she'd probably escaped the rumored labs. Humans might not see it, and maybe some really dumb dogs might not, but Reno could and it made him sad, not that he'd let her see that. He wasn't about to bust in and spring some dogs, but he had his fair share of sympathy for the poor dogs in there. He'd heard the rumors. Even without her comment about her dreams, he could assume she hadn't had an easy life. If nothing else, the smell probably would have given her away. It wasn't massive, it probably had been when she'd been freshly escaped, but he could catch just a ghost of it. At first he'd thought he'd been mistaken but now, close up, he knew he wasn't wrong.

HER eyes were tired, that had to be the first thing he noticed. They had a hard edge to them. For all her lighthearted sarcasm, she was alert, ready to hurt him if he tried to hurt her. That was why, laying in a sphinx-like pose, he kept his posture loose and friendly, an easy smile on his russet maw and friendly ease in his eyes. It came naturally. Even if he was a selfish bastard in the end, he could make a friend out of anybody because he showed them what they wanted to see. Whether anyone would admit it or not, they all liked an easy-going, charismatic, seemingly without a care friend. He'd seen other dogs like that and been molded by them. It was easy to make connections and contacts, get information and stay safe if you were well liked. He might shatter those contacts when he turned tail and vanished, but they were nice while they lasted.

SO, let them see the easy smile, friendly eyes and carefree attitude. Let them enjoy the jokes, the laughing and the smooth transition from stranger to companion. In the end, that was Reno, or at least half of him. Hopefully Stern, tired lady that she was, wouldn't have to be tried by the dishonest him, the one that lied and told people what they wanted to hear just to save his own skin. Hopefully she wouldn't know the coward.

"WELL you should get some rest then," Reno advised easily, his russet tail curling to rest over his back before wagging lazily from side to side. "If you ask nice, I'll hang around and chase off the nightmares." With that he winked, grinning in a cheeky but harmless way just so she'd know he was kidding and wasn't actually making a jab at her. He didn't know what she could do, if anything, and he in all honesty had no desire to find out. It probably wasn't pleasant, whatever it was. Best to make sure that she thought he was a jokester that couldn't take anything seriously. "I might be friendly to the pups and ladies like yourself but the big bad nightmare boogey men run at the mere sight of me." He nodded as though completely serious, though the joking light sparkled in his ice blue eyes, a friendly and sincere smile curling his lips.

[Punktestern]

Stern watched Reno, her brown eyes calculating, measuring the husky. She let her shoulders slump a little more than strictly necessary, conveying a weaker appearance, just in case this dog did decide to fight. She could feel some pity coming off of him. As if she needed his pity, she thought scornfully. Then her heart ripped as she remembered the time where it had meant something to her when another dog acted nicely to her. For all of her cheerful demeanor, she was very sad. The cheerful dog was a mask that she showed most of the world, trying to hide the strength that she kept to herself.

She felt some misgivings about this dog, but his manner put her to some ease. She let herself slump some more, then lay down, acting as if she had little strength left. She smiled politely at Reno, “I don’t know whether you could scare off my nightmares. But please do try; I would enjoy your company for a while, at least.” She knew she wouldn’t sleep, not with any dog next to her. She could hear him thinking that he hoped that she would never see his other side. She must have missed him thinking about what that was while she was busy thinking about other things. Stern resolved not to put too much trust in this dog, not until she got to know him.

She laughed at his boast, “I don’t doubt they do. What do you do, wag them away with your tail?” She didn’t notice how harsh her voice sounded until she had said it. She smiled and wagged her own plume to show she meant no offense.

A soft crunching of twigs alerted her to another dog’s arrival. She stood and whirled around, facing the newcomer with a snarl ready on her face.



Ilmatar padded up to the two dogs, some trepidation in her normally confident gait. She shrank back as the long haired black and tan dog turned on her, then straightened. She had to try one last time, “Hello there. May I rest here? All of the other trees are occupied by humans.” She looked at the red husky, who seemed to be somewhat of a jokester, and then back to the tall black and tan canine. She could tell that this female was in charge around here, at least she thought so. The other dog looked at the husky, and Ilmatar heard her ask, “What do you think, Reno?”

[Sasha]

RENO twitched his triangular ears as Stern seemed to bristle a little at his comments. He tucked that little observation away for later, letting his face stay friendly so she would hopefully relax a little. She didn't seem too happy about something, though what it was Reno wasn't sure. Maybe he had made a bad remark, trying to say he could chase off her bad dreams? Okay so maybe he wasn't a dream walker or something else fancy and he might not be a knight in shining armor but hey, he'd just been trying to help. Still he didn't want to get her riled up when they'd just gotten at list a tiny bit comfortable with each other so he just grinned and wagged his plume of a red tail when she did as if to demonstrate how he would sweep away the nightmares. His concentration broke when suddenly Stern leaped to her feet and whirled around. He caught a glimpse of a snarl curling on her muzzle before she was facing away from him. Again his ears twitched and he shifted a bit and craned his neck, peering around the German Shepherd to see what had her in such a fit.

TO his surprise, it was another lady. A husky. Reno's ears shot straight up. Sure, he was partial to redheads but he was bias. Still, if you batted baby blues at him, you had his attention at least and this new lady was a looker if he didn't say so himself.

A classy looking number, she sported traditional husky markings such as a white face paired with elegant black. Traditional, clean and simple. Baby blue eyes, a prettily crafted face and perhaps a touch of alternative bloodlines making her pelt just a touch longer than normal and a bit more bushy. On a normal basis, Reno was an entertainer. He loved to charm the ladies and sometimes he got lucky but he never pushed the idea on anybody, he simply enjoyed the company of the fairer sex unlilke most brutes that just wanted to get laid and move on. In his opinion, the gentler persona, unexpected fire and keen intelligence found in femmes was far better than the rash brutality of males. So what if he had a fine eye for lady's? He just loved the variety in the finer sort, their refined and clear selves that could turn on a dime and become mysterious and alluring. This lovely number, just like Stern, were no exception. Today, in the company of two fine ladies, Reno considered himself lucky.

"I'M not opposed to a little more company," Reno barked, wagging his tail in a friendly manner to the new lady. "Name's Reno, and this is...she says its Stern but I just don't see it," Reno said, nodding to Stern, making sure she knew he was kidding with an easy smile and his customary eye-sparkle. No need to cause a catfight or something. Looking between the two, Reno gave them his cheeky but harmless grin and promptly rolled onto his side, stretching luxuriously and lazily in the blissful shade of the elm. One blue eye peered through the grass at his companions, a lazy little smile on his lips as he waited to see what would happen next.

[Punktestern]

STERN

Stern inclined her head to Reno, “If he says you are welcome, then feel free to join us.” She didn’t like the idea of having another dog join them, but it would seem weird if she sent away the other female, almost as if she had personal interests in him. Of course, that was the opposite of what really plagued her. She settled back down, “But my name really is Stern, no matter what Reno here says.” Her tone of voice was clear; there would be no more discussion on the subject. She sighed to herself, thinking there was no way she would rest now.

She smiled a little at Reno’s renewed antics. He seemed to be a ladies’ man, but she wasn’t particularly interested in huskies. The new black and white stranger could have him all to herself, if she so wished. Stern retreated into herself somewhat to monitor the thoughts around her.


ILMATAR

Ilmatar dipped her head to the red husky, “Thank you, sir.” She settled on the furthest reaches of the shade, comfortably shielded from the sunlight but not too close to the other dogs. She listened to their introductions, remembering their names easily. “My name is Ilmatar.” The name sounded smooth when she said it, graceful and soft. “It’s my mother’s fault.” She grinned for a second, to show a little bit of her humor.

She thought to herself, berating her mind for betraying her so early in the game. Don’t lose yourself, Ily. Remember Schnee. That started this good as well. She shifted restlessly, her blue eyes hard and calculating. The brown sliver in her left eye seemed almost black in the shadow, giving her a crude, angry look.

Ilmatar inched closer to the other two, unable to contain her interest. These two were somehow different than the other primitive canines she had met. These two, or at least that Stern dog, seemed to understand pain and sorrow. Her scent carried a hint of the lab, bringing back bad memories of cages and needles. She had often wished that she could heal such minds, but her power was only over the physical hurts.

[Sasha]

IT didn't take a genius to know that not one but both females had written Reno off. Stern, she tolerated him, but the tolerance was clear in her dark eyes and her less than welcoming posture. She wasn't happy about the newcomer and because of it, drawing herself in. She might have bantered and been playful with Reno but now that there was another canine on the scene, she was capsizing. It troubled him, seeing a dog do that. He wore masks twenty four hours a day, seven days a week. Anyone that knew the real Reno, would hate him. They would hate the coward, the genius, the weakling that had no desire to save anybody. He was selfish and had a cruel streak, he had walked away from more than one promising relationship and broken his fair share of hearts without batting an eye. No one liked a dog like that. He could understand masks and could begrudge no one for wearing them, it just made him sad to see dogs that did. The russet husky didn't like the idea of there being more dogs like him. Maybe Stern wasn't exactly the same, she was no doubt a fair share braver than he was, but in many respects they were alike. She'd just never know it.

AS for the new little lady, she was all ice and shadow. Laying down near them but not too close, she was guarded and stiff. On her fur, Reno could smell faint chemicals and heaven knew what else. It seemed that today, he was attracting lab dogs. Whether that was a good thing or not, had yet to be seen. So far they hadn't shown any signs of the renowned bloodlust or uncontrolled mania that was common in escaped lab dogs, but he'd only known them a few minutes max. He kept his guard up without looking like that's what he was doing. Instead, he made it look like he was examining them with openly curious eyes. After all, the best way to be subtle was to be blatantly obvious. If they thought he was dimwitted enough to be openly curious and seem to not guard himself, they'd never guess there was a whole other dog waiting under the friendliness, easy smiles and goofy grins.

"YOU know, there are a lot of dogs that'd kill for the company of not one but two lovely ladies but I should tell you, it kills the appeal when all you do is frown and stare," Reno commented idly, flashing his own silly grin at Ilmatar. "A smile goes a long way." Crossing his white socked front paws and laying his head atop them, Reno's baby blues flicked between one femme and the other, a subtle little smile on his maw. Turning his head to look at a couple of human pups that ran by, he wagged his tail lazily at their passing. He was no trained housepet but he had no grudge toward humans as long as they were small.

WATCHING them go, a glint of something passed through his eyes as his mind began to wander. "Every mushroom cloud has a silver lining..." The phrase, murmured more to himself than to anyone else as he watched the human pups. He couldn't help but think that if things had been a little different, he'd be one of those dogs on a leash. He wouldn't have to worry about being a coward because it was normal for housepets. Then again, for all the hell he endured on the streets, he had to admit his life was pretty awesome. For every winter night he went to sleep hungry, there was always a summer night that invovled nothing but chasing fireflies. For every fight he got dragged into, there was always a pretty little lady with a smile and kind eyes walking next to him at some point later that day. It wasn't all bad. Maybe that was why he could smile, even though he knew how disgusting he really was and could convince others so easily that he was bolder, nobler, kinder, braver, than the cowering pup inside him that didn't know what to do and just wanted to live.

[Punktestern]

Ilmatar


Ilmatar considered the scene before her. The russet husky seemed to be nice, if a bit slow. But that was okay with her, dogs that weren’t that smart didn’t plan to hurt others. She thought about it, but felt that she had already lost her heart to the canine. She couldn’t understand why, but something about him had made her ticker fly to him immediately.

She smiled politely at the husky and then laughed at his silly comment, “You might be right with that one, Reno.” She didn’t know which of his statements she was agreeing with. She could sense the other dog’s eyes on her, appraising her every move and word. She wagged her tail slightly, showing no aggression, but displaying a hint of playful carelessness in her forced movement. It had taken some time to make her façade seem natural, but it payed off in times like these.

She could still feel the other femme’s somewhat territorial stare on her, and made her ears stand up and her ruff lay straight. Then she whispered to herself, “Aequam memento rebus in arduis servare mentem.” This was the phrase that an old loner had once taught her, and it had since become her motto, of sorts. She knew what it meant, but never told anyone else.

Stern


Stern forced a smile onto her face. It looked somewhat real, but her eyes still had their hard edge that betrayed her real feelings. She knew she was too easy to read, was just like an open book to humans. It was just a part of her.

She watched the other dog, obviously a husky. She had said her name was … Some long, convoluted thing. Something like Ilvatar or Ilmarat. No, Ilmatar, that was it. She didn’t like the femme. Something about her, the personality or something. She studied the dog. When the other dog noticed that she was being watched, she started wagging her tail. Stern sneered at this, and then remembered her other way of scrutinizing the dog. She retreated farther into herself, letting her inner sense take over. Soon she came back out of her shell, just in time to hear what seemed to be a muttered curse. Her ears pricked up.

(It’s not a curse.)

[Sasha]

LAYING between the two femmes, Reno couldn't help but feel like something of a wall keeping them apart. Stern was firmly planted on one side and Ily on the other. He was never going to use the new she-dog's long name, he might remember it but it was just too long for average use. Stern, he wouldn't subject her to his nickname of Fluffy just because she might kill him if he did, but at least her name was short. Anyway, Reno's light baby blues flicked from she-dog to she-dog and he felt a part of himself die on the inside. So many masks. He knew that he wore them twenty-four-seven, it was impossible for him to get by without it. The problem was, he hated seeing that so many dogs were like him, cowards hiding behind masks and shells and walls that in the end were no good. They worked for him because nobody paid attention to him. He was the dim, simple minded husky in the back. He was charismatic, yes, but not outstanding in anyway. He was Reno, nothing more, nothing less. These two she-dogs, he saw potential in them but he also could almost see the radiating red aura of Stern's dislike.

ANY other conceted male would think that she was mad because another female had barged in on 'her' territory which at this moment in time could be expanded to technically include Reno. Reno, however, thankfully, wasn't that dense. He might act like it, but he wasn't. He knew Stern didn't like him that much. Yes, she had bantered with him but there wasn't any other interest there. What it was about the other she-dog that was setting her off, Reno had no clue and that slightly bothered him. Females were so odd. Settling on it being plain old feminine oddities, Reno sighed and sat up. Rising to stand, the russet male shook imaginary grass and dust from his pelt even though it shone when the sun hit it with stunning flickers of red.

"FLIFFY," Reno yipped with a grin at the shepherd, "you need to relax, I swear, you're suffocating me!" Swinging his head he aimed to bump his muzzle against her head in a friendly fashion.

WITH a little laugh, the husky lurched forward away from the two femmes, hoping to break whatever imaginary wall Stern was putting up between them. Whatever the shepherd was doing, it couldn't be good for her health. If she glared any harder, she'd burn some innocent bystander. Tail swinging up to curl over his back, Reno's white-socked feet flicked through the grass as he hopped-pranced-jumped a few strides away from the elm's shade and looked back at the two ladies he'd left there. A playful gleam was in his baby blues and his tail was wagging left and right in an inviting manner. Wheeling to face them completely, he dropped his front end so his forelegs were flat against the earth and his rump in the air, tail still wagging.

"COME on, relax a little, it won't kill you," Reno encouraged brightly, jaws parting and pink tongue lulling out. In short, he looked like an overgrown puppy with an easy grin and a serious need for some playtime.

[Punktestern]

Stern

Stern looked at Reno, a spark appearing in her eyes. She allowed her body to relax somewhat. As he bumped his muzzle against her, she swatted at him playfully. As he hopped away, she stayed sitting, not wanting the other femme to think she wanted to stake a claim on him. She liked his easy-going manner, yes, but he wasn’t her type. For one thing, what was up with the silly nickname?

“Why do you call me Fluffy, Reno?” She decided to be direct, and if they thought her blunt, so be it. It was all a play anyway, she had to play her part convincing enough to make the others think this was her, but keep enough of her real self so that she didn’t forget herself. “Would you rather I called you,” She looked him up and down, trying to think of a good nickname for him, “Red?” She translated it into her first language without consciously thinking about it. Rot, the color of blood, the color of a morning forewarning a storm, the color of… a friend? Maybe he would be a good friend, someday. If he proved himself to her, she might consider him that.


Ilmatar

Ilmatar laughed at the silly nickname that Reno had given the other female. Somehow, he seemed to be at ease with the less than warm feeling around. Or maybe he was trying to dissipate them? She stood up as he bounced around, asking to play. A little unsure of herself, she watched him, trying to decide what to do. She hadn’t played around in a long time, and didn’t want to seem threatening.

She grinned at the sound of Reno’s new nickname. Flashing a grin at the other she-dog, she giggled, “Good idea! Red, it suits you.” She wagged her tail as the other dog replied her smile, a little tentatively, as if she wasn’t sure either. Ily decided that she might like this group. They seemed to be as unsure about this whole concept as she was. Well, Stern, at least. Reno seemed to be happy to just be around other dogs.

[Sasha]

STERN didn't seem mad when Reno openly called her fluffy, just exasperated which was understand able. Snorting quietly, the husky straightened and cocked his head to the side in an adorable manner when she dubbed him Red. Looking left over his shoulder, he took a moment to observe his indeed quite red pelt before turning his head to the right and doing the same. He knew he probably looked like a dunce, checking his coat color, but that was the game he played, the village genius hiding in the body of a village idiot. Picking each paw up off the ground he examined each white-furred appendage before putting it back on the firm earth. After a moment, his head swung back to look at the two ladies still lounging in the shade. His eyes crinkled in a pleasant manner as his maw split in a grin and a full-belly laugh rose from the husky. These two ladies sure were pieces of work. Swishing his tail, the husky pranced in a high-stepping manner back toward his companions. He pranced a circle around Stern and then a circle around the black and white femme, then between them again to his previous spot in the sun where his red coat rippled with each muscle's motion.

"YOU'D think the pair of you would be a bit more original," Reno teased, a laugh still in his voice. "But at least it's not Socks. A human used to call me that." Reno's nose wrinkled slightly. "Nice enough guy but not the brightest."

LOOKING at the black and white lady, he wagged his tail and peered at her with a mischevious light in his baby blues. "You need a nickname though, your name is way too long." Nodding decisively, Reno jogged back toward her and again circled her. This time he moved slower, skimming his eyes carefully over her as a sculpter would look at a model before beginning to carve. Finally he came face to face with her, standing so close he was almost nose to nose. He leaned in a touch and sniffed in an almost delicate fashion before leaning back and peering at the femme husky again. After a moment, he nodded decisively again. "Birdy."

BETWEEN the two of them, their nicknames seemed simple and unimpressive, even irrelevant. In Reno's mind, they made perfect sense. Stern was Fluffy, not only because her pelt was long, but because of her persona. Her persona was all fluff, just like his. There probably wasn't a real bone in Stern's body, or at the very least the way she acted now wouldn't be the same as how she acted when no one was looking. Her mask, like his, was all fluff. As for the other she-dog, well, her name was too long. It had to go. He'd remember it for years, but hey, nicknames were fun, an inside joke of sorts amongst friends. He hoped that's what would come of this hodge-podge group, friendship. How long had it been since he'd had real friends? Anyway, Birdy, well, Ilmatar acted kind of like a bird. When Reno had given an invite to play, she'd been attentive but tentitive, interested but shy. It was like a bird perched on a fence, willing to relax but ready to fly as soon as it caught wind of a cat.

WHIRLING away from the two, Reno turned a complete 180 degrees and trotted a few paces before toppling over as if he'd been shot. Rolling from his side onto his back, the male wriggled a little to itch a spot between his shoulders. White-socked feet were in the air, a narrow strip of white fur on his underbelly exposed before he rolled onto his opposite side and went limp. Paws of white and limbs of red were sprawled in the grass, handsome head cushioned in the stuff. To an outsider, even to the ladies under the elm, he must have looked insane or at least completely at ease with the company he had.

THE sound of giggling made Reno open an eye in time to see a little girl of about four or five coming toward him giggling and hands outstretched. Reno thumped his tail on the ground, let his tongue lull from his parted jaws and panted happily as the little girl's hands caressed his sides and head. He loved little humans. The big ones were bad news, but little ones were okay and if he made a scene, she'd scream. If she screamed, big humans would come and he'd be in even bigger trouble. So, he licked her hand and made her giggle before she turned and went back toward her friends or whoever she was with. Reno laid his head back down as if it wasn't out of the ordinary.