put your arms around me and I'm home [open]

[PittieGirl]

Christian watched patiently as Niamh gingerly placed the large branch over the opening where the car door used to be. He stepped forward once, the foliage looked heavy, but she didn't notice. She looked at him, and he let his tongue loll out to the side.

Even though the area was unfamiliar to him, he was able to keep pace with Niamh easily. He remained a few steps behind, letting her lead even though he could smell her frequent path. He would have been able to follow the route just fine without a guide. As he trotted over the tops of the cars, he closed his eyes, letting his nose follow her, he opened his eyes after almost tripping over an old pipe. Still, he focused on the scents around him. He was about to point out the doe, when she spoke. She sounded focused and uncompromising. He would follow her lead on this hunt. He would wait to show her his strategies until she trusted him more. He was still cautious about her motives, but far less then he had been when they had first met.

"What do you have in mind?" He whispered back, cocking his head to the side. He could smell the doe walking closer to them, unsuspecting.

[Chestnut]

Niamh drew her muzzle close to his ear so she could whisper without scarring away the doe, "You hide behind that car," She pointed with her nose to the small red car, that had lost all of it's doors and windows and the only indication is was ever red was some small chips here and there that brought some pop of color against the rusty brown, "I'll flush the doe to your direction, when she jumps over the car or anywhere near it, you strike and try to get at her throat, but be careful... she might through a fit or tumble while in the air." Such actions caused by the doe could seriously injure Christian, he could break his jaw or one of his legs trying to capture the doe midflight.

Niamh nodded to him one last time, giving him an encouraging smirk as she stalked quietly towards the junction of cars, out of the sight of the doe. She posed herself carefully, beginning to build power in her haunches, being able to sit back and pounce quickly, hopefully frightening the doe towards Christian. Niamh wasn't sure how effective this way going to be- but she had faith and determination driving her, not to mention the hungry mouths she'd had to feed.

Niamh glanced towards the red car from under one of the cars she hide behind, waiting to see Christian's paws under them. She prayed he'd be quiet as he walked towards his hideout, he was a heavy dog and his paws pounding on the ground would be enough to scare the doe away. She also hoped he had the stamina and strength to push himself off the ground to interject the doe while she tried to escape her ultimate doom.

[PittieGirl]

Christian nodded his large square head calmly. He'd done this before. He could see the worry in Niamh's big brown eyes. He winked at her, attempting to lighten the mood.

As she walked to her position, he turned and looked over the red car, finding th best place to wait for Niamh to scare the doe his way. He calmly and silently slipped over the hard ground in-between himself and the car. He paused by the back of the car, and listened. He couldn't hear anything but the doe's slow footfalls. He got into position, and he could smell Niamh a few yards away, breathing softly. He began to contemplate strategy as he waited. He would leap up from under the doe as she passed, he decided. He would drag her to the ground, it would be over swiftly. His strong jaws and well muscled body ensured an easy kill. He'd taken a mountain lion down before, and that had gone down without a hitch.

[Chestnut]

Niamh looked away bashfully when he winked at her, she wasn't an expert with males nor was she an amateur, but subtle signs made her blush like a mad man. Shaking her mind of useless thoughts, Niamh crouched, keeping the doe locked on target. The doe had her head in the air and large, round ears perked. Although deers weren't the smartest, they were some of the most vigilant creatures she's ever come across. They missed nothing.

Niamh took in a deep breath, preparing herself to lunge. She pushed hard on her lags, springing herself into the air and jumping over the small intersection of two cars touching bumper to bumper. She let a series of harsh barks, snapping at the doe's heels to make her jump. The doe let out a startled noise and turned, jumping toward Christian.

When Niamh thought she had it in the bag, the doe began to turn right, but Niamh was quick. She intersected the doe and turned her left, still running her toward the car. Niamh often used her cattle driving tactics with prey, even if they were wild, they were still 'stock' animals.

Niamh came to a harsh stop in front of the car, nearly running into it. The doe leapt high in the air, seemingly flying over the car.

[PittieGirl]

Christian looked away and down bashfully when she blushed, her nose turning a rosy pink colour.  He hadn't meant it suggestively, but in hindsight, it had seemed that way. He lowered his head further, even though she was gone.

He saw the large doe soaring over the hood of his hiding place. He saw the soft white underbelly of the doe and leapt for his target. He felt his jaws connect with the warm flesh of the doe's neck. His razor like teeth cut into the tough sinew like butter, and the hot red liquid spurted into his mouth and around his muzzle. He heard the doe let out a strangled cry, cut off by the gurgling of blood in it's throat. His eyes glinted as the adrenaline surged through his veins, giving him an extra burst of strength. He and the doe fell to the earth slowly, and Christian twisted to that he landed on top of the doe as they his the hard ground. He shook his head, tearing out the flesh around the jugular. It made another half wailing half croaking sound as it lost consciousness. He didn't want the creature to be in pain. He quickly stepped on the creatures neck, and he felt the last of the warm breath burst from the bloody mouth of the doe, exhaled with a wispy gushing sound as the animal gave into death. He let his jaws dig further into the soft muscle, securing a hold. He began to drag it in the direction of Niamh's hiding place, he stopped after a few steps, to pull the doe on top of his broad shoulders, the still warm carcass resting atop him like a sack of potatoes. The blood around his muzzle had begun to dry, and the cracking of the brown crust was an uncomfortable sensation. He licked his lips, letting his blood tinted tongue sweep away the remnants of the flaking maroon crust. He began lumbering forward once more, looking for Niamh amongst the rusted and dilapidated cars...

[Chestnut]

Niamh smiled, her tail wagging when Christian had caught the deer, she sighed a breath of relief, glad that she didn't have to through a night hungry, like she had so many times. Also, that she didn't have to track down another one. Letting out a small howl, one of joy, but also quiet as to not alert any other canines of a fresh kill, she didn't want to have to fight off another starving dog. Niamh came to his side and seized the doe's snout between her jaws, slightly dragging it off of him. She wasn't going to let him do all the work.

Niamh paced forward, walking near his belly where the body of the doe was splayed across, blood running down it's neck and staining the ground and Christian's fur.
When they arrived back to her car, Niamh dropped the doe, signaling to Christian that he could set it anywhere. Moving the branch out of the way, Niamh inspected her pups. They were all bundled together like they were when she left them, but her sudden presence alerted them that she's returned.

The pups began to squirm, whimpering for her. She licked their heads softly, shushing and whispering sweet nothings to them to soothe their whims. One of the boys, the big splotched one, lifted his tiny white head to her. His eyes, like his siblings, were beginning to open. And even though they were mere slits at this point, she could guess what they would be. This one, one she was thinking of naming Hugh, was no doubt sporting a pair of blue, lighter then his fathers she assumed. It wouldn't be long till they started walking and exploring, and Niamh knew she would have to move. The junkyard wasn't safe for curious pups, not with all the sharp metal carrying all kinds of diseases laying around.

Turning back to Christian, she smiled and went to the doe, beginning to skin her belly to access the juicy meat inside. Although Nicolae had taught her how to skin it properly, it wasn't any easier then the first time. But the promise of warm meat to fill her belly was too tempting to worry about the skin that use to adorn the deer's build.

[PittieGirl]

Christian grinned at her as she pulled the doe's upper half off of his shoulders. He knew he would have to find a creek later, wash off. His white and ginger coat was caked with red blood and light brown dirt. They walked back to the car in quiet celebration. As his stomach growled urgently, he realized that he hadn't eaten in-what was it? Three days? Four? Even longer since it was fresh. It didn't matter now, he just needed to eat. She stepped away, and he walked toward the cool shade of a close by tree, leaning the cooling carcass against the wide trunk. He wanted to let his jaws slash into the juicy pink flesh, but he made himself wait for her.

He watched in silence as Niamh cared for her pups, so loving and tender. She turned back to him and he wagged his stumpy tail and beamed. She approached the kill and began to skin it. He settled next to her, but didn't eat. He would wait for her to finish, after all, she had pups to feed. He knew that he could finish the entire thing off, and still be hungry. His empty belly rumbled in agreement. He wanted to show this kind mother his respect. He licked his lips and rubbed his face on his paws attempting to remove some more of the dried blood that flaked around his face. The aroma of the fresh venison was mouthwatering, he felt his jowls fill with saliva as he stared at the warm red meat. But he would wait. He was determined to prove himself a civil dog, capable of self control.

[Chestnut]

As Niamh devoured the meat, wolfing down what she could, she stopped. Lifting her head, the lower half of her white muzzle turned blood red, she inspected Christian, "What's wrong? Why aren't you eating?" She asked, cocking her head to the side. Perhaps he was embarrassed about his eating habits? Maybe he was a messy eater and wanting to be the gentleman, not wanting her to see him act like a savage? But Niamh had her speculations. She doubted that was the reason. Heaven knows what Niamh was like after days without eating and stumbling across a carcass or even getting a small catch like a rabbit or squirrel. It was gone in seconds flat.

Niamh ran a thousand reasons through her mind, and then it hit her. He wanted her to have enough for her pups. Niamh shook her head, "There's enough here for the six of us, Christian. You helped me catch this, you deserve to have the meat while its still warm." Niamh knew he had to be starving, and from the look in his eye, he was holding a very tight rein on his hunger.

Niamh was only half the reason this prey was caught, the other half deserved just as much as her. Granted she had more mouths to fed, but she and her pups survived on less. Niamh knew, even if they wouldn't remember it, that in their state of mind, they would be grateful for the extra supply of milk Niamh would bring them. Perhaps it was an odd thought, but Niamh had to suffer watching her pups go to bed hungry more than once, and she swore she'd always try harder for them. Sometimes she did, and sometimes life was unforgiving towards her. She'd travel all day long, not once resting to find kill. Only to return home disappointed, and she could feel her pup's nonexistent disappointment in her, or maybe that was what she told herself.

[PittieGirl]

Christian didn't need to be told twice. He would only quench his hunger, he decided. Eat slowly, let her take whatever she could want, and then he would eat the rest. If he was still hungry, he would go and hunt for himself. Besides, it would be a considerate thing to do to build up a pile of prey for Niamh and the pups.

As he thought, he ate. He dug his teeth into the succulent meat, letting the blood re-soak the white fur surrounding his muzzle. He closed his golden eyes, letting himself savor the sweet taste of the fresh kill. He licked his lips happily, and opened his eyes once more. He took another bite, chewing the tender meat that rested between the ribs.

During his slow, thoughtful chewing, an idea occurred to him. It would be a sensitive topic for her, and he didn't want to push it or overdo his welcome, but Christian really did want to meet the pups that lay sleeping in the car close by. He let his eyes flicker to the opening where the pups rested, but he quickly turned his gaze back to the ever so desirable carcass that lay before him. He also looked at Niamh. The female ate quickly, but not messily, and there was a certain elegance in the way she held herself, even with her muzzle covered in scarlet. He hadn't thought of it earlier, but she was pretty, her long and shiny fur clean and fluffy. He averted his eyes, and took another bite of the doe. He swallowed the flavorful meat, and cleared his throat.

"Thank you. For letting me stay, I mean. I really appreciate it." He stated simply. His words were calm, but beneath that burned a fervent joy and gratitude. He was still in shock about being allowed to stay.

[Chestnut]

Niamh raised her head when she got her fill, almost half of the deer's entrails and stomach where gone, undigested grass spilled from the stomach's contents. Although it was a health benefit to eat the grass for the extra nutrition of veggies, Niamh would not get used to such a... 'delicacy'. Maybe she needed time, or maybe she would never do it. Either way, it was disgusting in her eyes. Sitting back on her haunches, making way for Christian to finish of the rest, Niamh licked at her jowls, hoping to remove some of the blood. She glanced over to the pit, not missing the look he gave towards the car. Although Niamh picked up on the meaning behind the look, she wasn't sure about letting him get such easy access to her puppies. She contemplated, finally deciding on a choice. She stood and trotted behind the tree, a few paces away lay a small 'pond'. It wasn't the cleanest or most satisfying water, but it was enough to keep her going. Dipping her muzzle into the pond, the blood began to fade.

Taking her muzzle out, Niamh's muzzle only had a few traces of pink where the blood stained most. She wagged her tail behind her, turning her head to Christian, Thank you. For letting my stay, I meanNiamh smiled, "It's not a problem Christian." She replied, turning back towards the car, "Would you like to see them?" Although it may be crazy, Niamh had a plan. She wouldn't let him get close. She would put them the furthest seat away, still visible, but not in easy reach. Jumping into the car, she picked them up and placed them at her desired sea. Jumping back out of the car, Niamh stood outside the door. If he thought about lunging, Niamh might have easier access to his neck- so she could get him in control, not to mention his spinal cord. Although she couldn't break at a first go, it would be a distraction from her pups. She had a feeling that she should trust him, but her maternal instincts we at war with her brain.

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