APOLLO - @Shootingstar [Oh my gosh a whole story is already building in my mindd]


The large Cane Corso opened his eyes, muscles pulsed and maw opened as he licked his muzzle. He was outside, laying on the sidewalk of a rather abandoned neighborhood, at least he thought so. No one, neither human nor animal, wished to interact with him. With all the chaos he'd cause it wasn't a wonder to him as to why he never saw anyone come out of their large wooden dens when he was prowling about. He was a stray, and a pretty happy one, as well. With all the peace and quiet he got now compared to before was incredible to him.

But... he wanted to escape. He wanted to find a few other dogs, ready to fight by his side, and go out into the wilderness. Fearless, an old dog/wolf mix he met awhile ago, intrigued him since he was one of the only dogs that wasn't scared of him when he snarled at the old mutt. After that he became short-term friends with the wolf-dog, and he'd tell Apollo stories of why he wasn't scared of him; wolves, real ones. Huge, fangs sharper than needle, howls so loud they frightened any enemy within hearing distance. Apollo was determined to find out what was so good about those wolves, make his own...what did Fearless say... 'pack'? Yeah, that. Make his own pack and show those wolves who's boss! He sneered happily at his idea, getting up and stretching.

Maybe today was the day he'd build his force and get out of this old place. Especially now that Fearless had died peacefully of age, there was nothing fun here.

APOLLO - @Shootingstar

Apollo pricked his folded ears, leaving them simply to nudge a bit, as he heard the squirrel's pathetic squeal before it vanished. He looked around, then stopped caring to see what had made the animal shriek as he began padding around.

Then he felt eyes on him. Flickering his red-orange eyes from right to left his head lifted a bit instinctively as another dog caught his eyes, a female. What was anyone doing near here, especially in a place he could see when? Were they begging to die? Maybe she was.

Or maybe she wasn't.

He took a few steps forward, giving his usual baring teeth, hostile gaze and readying his throat for a threatening snarl, yet as he got closer he noticed her eyes were unbothered. Emotionless. He found that very odd. Who even is that?

"Aye!" He barked after he figured he had been staring long enough. "Who're yuh? What'cha want 'ere in my part o' this neighborhood? Go back to yuh pretty little house with yuh pretty little princess cage!" He sneered. She definitely looked like she was pampered, maybe besides the blood on her. He thought back to the squirrel. Did she kill that thing? Naww.... or did she?

APOLLO - @Shootingstar


Audrey, eh? What a name. Looks like it suits her! Ha! He maneuvered his way from walking in front of her to circling her. His muscles bunched and his eyes low as he viewed the Collie he interacted with. She definitely didn't look scared. He thought back to his idea, Fearless, the wolves he spoke of. He raised his head, seeming to look down on her, yet he knew at this point it was just for show and not to intimidate any longer. Stalking around her still, he growled to her finally. "Name's Apollo. Aye, what'chu know 'bout wolves, little thing? Yuh think yuh got what it takes to take one on?" He bellowed, his eyes now challenging. She could talk and look as uninterested as she wanted, but from what he heard from ol' Fearless wolves didn't talk to dogs, not as if they were equal species, at least, and they weren't. Dogs were definitely smaller than the broad, tall-legged wolves, and they often tore dogs even of Apollo's species to bits without saying a word to them beforehand. No 'Any last words?', no 'I'm going to kill you.'. Just ripping and tearing.

He bet the dog before him had never seen a wolf in her life, and he hadn't either, but by the looks of her she'd never heard of one, either. He could be wrong, but he had a feeling if the female did see one she'd act just as she was now, maybe put up a bit of a fight after, but she'd be gone. He wouldn't be talking to her if she'd seen one before, so his question felt as if he'd answered it for her before she even got to respond. But her bravery. She seemed capable of proving to anyone she wasn't going to put up with arrogance. She definitely was able to calm his aggression a bit with a simple look and some questions. Or it was her eyes. Yeah, her gaze along with whoever's blood that was on her? Proved she had some fighting or hunting skills under her paws. Apollo looked to the side, his brows making his eyes almost impossible to see as he thought, then he brought his head back up to face her, now listening in for her response.

APOLLO - @Shootingstar [It's fine It's fine!]


He looked over at the other dog as she spoke, his ears twisting a bit. Ripping human legs off? Killing wolves? Delicious blood? Apollo, even with his time of scaring others, he'd never done all that before. Sure, he killed other animals, but that was when he was hungry and needed something to eat. This one just sounded like a menace altogether. Perfect.

'Even the government's afraid of me.' Well damn.

"I see. That's exactly what I'm lookin' for, little thing. Yuh ever thought 'bout makin' a pack before? I wanna get outta this dump and go into the woods, kill prey that's five times bigger than me, eat like kings. Yuh ever wanted to know what deer blood tasted like?" He smirked. If she had such a thing for blood this would be perfect for her. He thought back to what Fearless told him about it; 'Them forests' over the'uh got some nasty creatures, ya'hear me boy? Got sum big ol' long-legged thangs, call'em deer. They got no babies and they just run 'way from ya. But if they got them babies ya gotta take them risks. Deer mama's protective of them babies. I 'member once I was chasin' one of they little one's, had that thang by the leg, and its mama stomped my tail so hard I let go and almost screamed for mercy! Them mama's don' play now, boy. You got's to be careful if you wannuh eat out there.

APOLLO - @Shootingstar [Took me awhile to respond. Apologies, I'll make up for it with a bigger response]


The Cane Corso looked over at the Collie, wondering if he should take into following her or going to find somewhere else to go. She'll think about it? Well she can think about it on her own! Either she's coming or she's not. He turned and stalked in the opposite direction. He had a feeling he'd find her later, but right now he had to find dogs willing to come adventure into the forest with him now. He looked over and thought about it a bit. Who else would be willing to... King. Apollo's eyes widened at the name. The large Newfoundland mutt that was more aggressive than Apollo himself. But then he wondered if he'd actually be able to convince the massive dog to join him. He picked up speed and turned into King's neighborhood. He had to take a chance. Plus it wouldn't be that bad if he did die by King's paws, since strays around the neighborhood always gave praise to dogs that were able to last more than five seconds fighting the canine.

He trudged over, one street to the next, sniffing around. King was usually padding around near a mansion that held a group of humans and... felines. Grugh. Disgusting, annoying little creatures. He'd never gotten the chance to kill one, since they were so quick in slicing with claws and then darting away. Sometimes it didn't even look like they were hitting the ground when they ran off. He growled at the thought of the small demons, then heard a deeper growl nearby. Darting his head around, lifting it to let his ears fall back and let in noise better, he saw the black and white Newfoundland crawling up from a spot under a house he probably dug up himself, his eyes looking closed yet when he turned to face Apollo he was able to spot him as if they were open. Wide open.

"Apollo, Apollo, Apollo." King bellowed under a bulldogish snout. "What're you doing so far away from your part of the neighborhood? Aren't you supposed to be staying away from here? Away from me?" He sneered. Apollo could already tell he was having too much fun making the Corso nervous. Not too nervous, but definitely worried he was irritated from his growl and wanted to attack him.

Apollo finally spoke after eyeing the Newfoundland's stance as he crept out of his underground den. "I'on want no trouble, King. I just wanna see if you willin' to join a Pack-"

"A Pack?!" King cackled, lifting his head to let out a few blasting laughs before he stopped, pricking his flopped ears. "Ehh? You serious, boy? You think I'd want to join you? In a Pack? Boy I've got better things to do!" The canine snarled before giving a huge bark, sending Apollo into a heartbeat's worth of shock before turning to go back into his den. The Cane, defeated, began to do the same before King barked again,lighter this time; "You sure you got what it takes to take them wolves on boy? Did that Fearless, crazy dog he was, tell you about them?"

Hope sparked in the dog as he nodded. "Yeah, he told me 'bout 'em-"

"Quit that weird talk. You know I don't understand you when you talk like that." King snapped.

Apollo stood straight and coughed a bit. "S..sorry. Yeah, he told me about them when he used to be alive. I wanna make my own Pack and experience it myself. He talked about wolf packs a lot, and having his own. We should make our own."

"Mmm. Listen to me and listen to me well, boy. I heard about those Packs, too. I'm curious about them, as well." King turned and eyed him. "I'll take you up on your offer, boy, but I know about how you wanna take charge so much, Apollo. You know when we make this Pack neither of us are going to allow anyone to call us the Alpha until we get something agreed on. Got it, boy?"

Apollo nodded. "Got it."

APOLLO, KING - @Shootingstar

The two large canine males continued to talk to one another, then King stopped and sniffed a bit, then he looked directly at the Collie before him, blood-red eyes looking her over until Apollo also recognized her. They then met eyes with each other and King bared his teeth in a snarl, yet Apollo stopped him with a headbutt to his side and the Newfoundland mutt jumped back, now baring his teeth at the Corso. "WATCH it, boy!"

"Sorry, sorry! But that's just a Border Collie I met earlier." Apollo backed up, and King once again looked the female over, his teeth dissolving in his large muzzle as he relaxed. "I see. Know her name?"

"Audrey."

"Audrey?! Awww, a name for poodles, yeah!" King cackled, yet when no one laughed with him he stopped and huffed, his voice booming with assertiveness once again as he spoke to Apollo again, "So what does little miss Audrey want? Did you hear about us wanting a Pack? Of course we need more members than just us two..." He looked over at Apollo and whispered something to him, the Cane Corso responding loudly; "No, I talked to her about wanting to join but she didn't seem interested. Since I first locked eyes with her she hasn't looked interested in... anything."

King nodded, then looked back at Audrey. "You come back to join or are you just gonna keep following after him?" He titled his head a bit in genuine curiosity.

APOLLO, KING - @Shootingstar

King eyed them as they had their small conversation, his eyes met the other, larger Collie and huffed. "Audrey? If you're up for it you can join. That..Orin, you said his name was? He can join, too, I guess..." King looked the brother of Audrey up and down, as he did for her, and gave an uninterested look to Apollo, who shrugged, as if attempting to look uninterested as well, yet a sparkle of excitement hid in his eyes. King grinned and looked at the other two. "Alright, well we can't just sit here and talk. If you want this Pack so bad we can either find more members or get out of this neighborhood and start living like Packs do." His eyes flickered, a glaze of confidence filling both his eyes and his voice, and Apollo simply nodded, giving the small Collie a wary glance before contributing; "We can go into the forest right now, if-"

"KING, YOU IDIOT!"

The two looked over at the sudden howl of rage from, what sounded like, a female. King, even with his face staying stiff and bored, he seemed to hold his breath as paws rustled in the distance and a small growl raised in volume, proving someone was coming closer until a Chow Chow jumped out of a bush nearby and rushed over to the way larger mutt, headbutting the male before barking wildly. King looked embarrassed. "What's the matter, Marshmallow?"

"Mama's looking all over for you!" The small pup growled, and King shifted his paws before he sighed, about to respond when another pup, a German Shepherd, and another Newfoundland dog came out of the same bush the white Chow Chow came out of. The black Newfoundland female looked furious.

"Heyyy Mama...." King bellowed, almost nervously. Yet the female simply shook her head. "What are you doing back here, when you've got our adopted babies to look after?! Are you not thinking about their futures?" She snarled, yet King shook his head, embarrassed to continue speaking. The female Newfoundland looked over at Apollo, Audrey and Orin then back at King. "What are you doing with these kids?"

"Uhh... making a Pack?"

"A Pack? Like Fearless talked about from time to time?"

"Yeah.."

"Well you didn't tell me about this? Were you trying to convince these poor dogs to join some Pack so you could get away from Marshmallow and Moon?-"

"No! No, love, never! I was going to talk to you about it after.."

"I don't wanna hear it!" She dramatically tossed her head to the side in defiance, yet an eye opened a moment later and she gave a look around at the others once more before adding, "If you're going to do something as life-changing as making a Pack you know all I'll do is follow you. Pack or not you hunt better than me, I know that as a fact, so it'll be better for me to come with."

"Sure, M. If that's what'll keep you from ripping my ears off." King chuckled weakly, and the pups, that were now huddled around King, giggled alongside him. Apollo butted in awkwardly, "Soo... is this enough members for us to start off with?"

"Yeah, yeah."

APOLLO, KING, MAMA, MARSHMALLOW, MOON - @Shootingstar

The large Newfoundland male looked at the wolf-looking creature and raised his large brows. "And then there was another. Hello, Lira." He bellowed, the two pups waving their tails as well, and Apollo seemed excited, and finally barked with joy. "This is perfect! This is just the amount of dogs and," He gave a glance towards Lira. "A wolf..? Maybe the other wolves will see her and back off!"

"Why would we need them to back off? We can fight them off all on our own!" King growled, and Apollo opened his maw to protest, yet with another glance to Audrey, Orin and Lira, he stopped himself. It'd be better if they got a move on and didn't argue all the rest of the day. Glancing up he noticed the sun was low; a sunset was beginning to glow in the neighborhood's distance. "We don't have time for this, King. Let's just go before it gets too dark and we can't see where we should settle!"

King grunted, but didn't continue. He turned and took place in front, walking off to the more damaged part of the street, trees hinting to the forests' entrance. The others made their way behind. Apollo slowed down and turned to the two Collie's and the female wolf; he wanted to talk with someone as they were making their way over to the forest.

APOLLO - @Shootingstar

The Cane Corso looked at the three and gave a quick smile, then it dissolved into a look of mild discomfort, and he gave a huff before he stoke in return, "Hello, you three. This is so exciting, isn't it? Being able to finally make a home for myself- I mea... I mean ourselves, haha!" He looked off for a moment, then gave himself a quick shake all over before he continued. "Once we make a home for ourselves I'd love to try and catch a deer. Run around without having to worry about running around any sharp corners on homes." He lifted his head as a sudden sharp wind caught up and blew against them for a moment, then, with a sudden energy he dashed forward, long legs moving him along the other dogs until he took a wrong step in an attempt to avoid King and instead crashed with fullforce against Mama.

The female Newfoundland erupted into a rage; barking and kicking at Apollo as he attempted to get off her. "I'm sorry, I'm- ow!-"

"Have you lost YOUR MIND?!" The female screeched, finally escaping the Corso's futile attempts at moving away from her on his own. She took a moment to breathe before yelling at him more, "Do you have any idea how long I've been grooming myself for, you moron?! You got me all dirty! UGH!" She raised a paw to strike at him, but she hesitated as he dipped his head, seeming to be completely willing to take any hits she gave him. Pity filled her and she scoffed before putting her paw down, turning around and kicking dirt on him. "Now we're even. But you're going to help me clean all this grass off me." She put her head up stubbornly as he looked up and opened his maw to protest, bringing it back down as she heard a reluctant sigh and he came over and stood shoulder-to-shoulder with her and began carefully picking at her fur, removing all he could. She began to move and he jolted before walking with her. "We've got some speedwalking to do; King and the pups kept walking awhile you did your stupid little stunt."

APOLLO, MAMA - @Shootingstar


The two turned as the scent of another came up on them, Apollo a few seconds before Mama scented it as well, a hatred in her eyes as she heard the Collie speak. "Oh, I am so sorry I actually enjoy keeping up with my appearance, then! While all of you can play in mud and have leaves stuck on your fur, wondering where your diseases came from, I'll be sick-free and CLEAN!"

Apollo, on the other hand, simply plucked the last bit of grass from her and then looked over at Sparky. "Whoa, you're pretty popular, Audrey! I don't know any of these dogs except King, haha!" He gave the golden retriever a dip of his head, and then turned to follow them as they picked up their speed to make it to the others.

King was sniffing around a flat portion of the beginning of the forest, trees spotted around him, and he looked up to sight the distance in front of him, then he bounded forward, beginning to rush ahead. Apollo pricked his flopped ears and barked. "I think he sees somewhere we can stay! Come on!" He darted after the massive dog, and Mama gave an irritated sneer before she ran after, picking up the two pups in the process.