summertime and the living is easy (open)

[Elliot]

This was familiar.

Varnani had been roaming the streets for a while, lost amid rows of houses and shops, when the scent of water in the air hit her. Sniffing, she followed it a block over and found the town square's fountain ahead of her. Despite the humans being gone, the fountain was as elegant of a cascade as ever, gushing water in huge white arcs. It was a comforting sight in its familiarity to the Saluki. Before the illness spread, she had spent a few summer afternoons in a leisurely stroll around it with her owners, enjoying the mist that blew off cooling her fur.

As she got closer, the scent of other dogs wafted towards her and she wrinkled her nose. Someone had been marking around here... several someones, actually. Since dog owners weren't allowed to let their pets relieve themselves around here in the past, that must mean that a pack was roaming about. The female circled the main basin a couple times cautiously, ears pricked. Whoever marked the territory might not take kindly to a stranger wandering about and she was in no condition to take on a single foe, let alone a whole pack. But she didn't see anyone else around at the moment. Varnani allowed herself to relax. She wouldn't stay here long, and the roaring water was calling her name.

The weather being sunny and swelteringly hot, having the fountain to herself was a very lucky find. In her excitement, she gave a happy bark and trotted up to it, hanging her paws over the edge and plunging her muzzle into the water to drink greedily. Though normally she would be more civilized in her behavior, she'd been walking for a while and the heat was getting to her. Besides, there was no one around to see, so no one would be commenting on her sloppy manners or the water now dripping off her ears and snout.

[Darkseeker]

Ela padded down the streets, her tail waging furiously behind her. The Alpha had sent her on scouting duty around town. Mostly just to see if there were any threatening intruders around. She was suppose to be finding a guardian to accompany her, but she felt like her time would be much better spent on break. I'm sure the Alpha will understand. She gleamed happily as she headed towards the center of town, he favorite spot to be. The day had been hot and she knew that the fountain there was still working and it would be a perfect spot to cool off.

As she neared the fountain the sight of water began to fill her with even more joy. The water level looked a little low, probably because of the heat, but there was still water there. She walked up to the side of it and put her paws on the stone, only to notice that another dog was drinking out of the water. Wonder who that is. She sniffed the air, ignoring the markers that a few of the Guardians had placed. It was hard to tell over the water but she couldn't smell what pack the other dog belonged to.

Excited, she bounced over into the fountain and began sploshing over to the other dog. The water felt so cool, surprising in this heat, and she was very grateful for it. She jumped in and out of the water, sending waves sloshing up to the edges of the stone circle. Completely soaked, she stopped abruptly in front of the other dog sending another wave in her direction, Ela's tongue lolling out of her mouth and her tail wagging all the while. "Hello there! Who are you? My name is Eleanor, but most just call me Ela, or Elie." It was so nice to meet someone new, though she knew she should probably ask what pack she was from, "I don't recognize your scent, what pack do you belong to?" Her tone was sweet instead of demanding.

[Elliot]

Varnani was so engaged in positively glutting herself on water that she didn't realize she wasn't alone until she heard something splash into the fountain on the other side. The resulting waves sent water right up her nose. Snorting and coughing, the female whipped her head back to look around so fast, droplets flung into the air. The source of the disturbance was immediately apparent. There was another dog splashing about in the water now. In her water.

A quick succession of emotions flashed across her face, going from shocked to pained to angry as images of where the undoubtedly filthy canine's paws could've been before tromping through the pool. Even though the water wasn't exactly pristine before the intruder came, she couldn't bear to drink any more with some outsider getting who knows what kind of foul grime in it. With another snort, this one of disgust, she pulled her own paws out of the water, just resting them on the stone lip of the basin to give the stranger a glare.

Wait. A stranger? Nani's ears went back and some of the anger faded from her expression. She stared at the other as they approached. Water masked her scent and she didn't look like anyone she knew. Not that she knew many other dogs living on the island, her owners had been very discerning about who she associated with. Her dappled coat would've stood out in her memory if she'd seen her before. That meant she was probably from the pack and that meant she was treading in her territory. The other female was smaller than her, she could probably take her in a fight if she was aggressive, but as full and slow as she felt from all the water, Varnani really didn't want to test it. The saluki's dark eyes flicked around, looking for an easy escape route but found none before the other canine was right in front of her.

"Hello there! Who are you? My name is Eleanor, but most just call me Ela, or Elie. "

Her tail was wagging and her voice cheerful. Varnani relaxed. So they weren't angry at her stealing their water.

"Varnani," she replied, terse. Her head was held high, expression haughty as she scoped Eleanor out. She couldn't see anything remarkable about her, probably just a pet of one of the citizens of the island, who wandered into the pack when the illness broke out. If she wasn't someone of the upper class or the alpha, she saw no real need to be polite. "You belong to the pack that owns this fountain?"

"I don't recognize your scent, what pack do you belong to?"

Varnani laughed.

"Pack? Oh, that's cute. I'm not with any of those savage strays. It's just me, myself, and I, the way it should be."

There was pride evident in her voice. When she spoke it aloud like that, it had a nice sound to it. She was Alpha of a pack of one. The thought make her smirk, just a bit.

Before even getting an answer from the collie, she took her paws off the lip of the fountain and looked around her with disinterest. Besides the fountain, she couldn't recall there being much in the area worth seeing. What she really needed now was food. She had a bellyful of water keeping her from feeling hungry now, but that would only last for so long. She hadn't had a decent meal that was more than scrap in a few days now. Soon she might have to resort to knocking over trash cans for rotten bits the humans left behind. A small shudder ran through her at the thought. She sniffed the air but couldn't smell anything that stood out, so she turned around and slowly started walking away.

[Darkseeker]

Ela was so happy that she had found someone to talk to. She seemed like a nice enough dog, though she seemed a little upset that Ela had gotten water on her. Well she probably shouldn't have been splashing around like that, but it was just to fun and she figured that a little water wouldn't hurt anyone. Her tail wagged as she listened to the dog's name, Varani. What a nice name, it's so pretty. Wonder if I've met her old owners before. The thought of the owners was still bitter for Ela to think of, though she knew that most of them had gotten away before catching the illness. Her owners though... It was better to remember them for who they were.

She looked the dog over quickly, taking note of her long legs and her lanky structure. From what Ela could tell she looked like a running dog. How exciting! She told her self, and she wasn't surprised when she heard that Varani wasn't part of a pack. Savage strays? She told herself repeating the words in her mind, Well she's a stray too, but she must not be talking about me. She beamed with happiness that she had a new friend.

Ela watched as Varani started walking away. She tipped her head to the side and closed her maw, wondering if she was going to tell her what she was doing. Once she realized that Varani wasn't going to walk back, she leaped out of the fountain in a thrusting motion. Droplets of water poured off of her fur as she landed on the street, completely by passing the stone lip. She shook herself sending a spray of water around her, then trotted down the street towards where Varani had started walking off to.

“I've met loners before, but never one as nice as you.” She piped up by the other dog's side, hoping that she hadn't startled her. “Are you looking for food? We could probably go hunting for some mice or rabbits or something. They wander into the city some times.” She plodded along, treading over some plants that were growing out of the cracks in the street. Her eyes looked up at the dog, still just as excited as ever.