A Bit of Competition {Tazo, Xarkla, and Wonder}

[tazo]

Tazo was walking along slowly through the trees of Puzzlewood Forest, absolutely giddy with excitement. He was meeting Astrid again, and he'd found a beautiful place to take her to. He only hoped she hadn't been there before. If she had it wouldn't be the end of the world, but it wouldn't make the night quite as special. It was a few hours before sunset and Tazo finally came to a stop in their agreed upon meeting place. He was in a distinctive clearing now, an unusual and nearly perfect circle of clear space in the midst of all the trees. The only thing marring the grassy surface of the clearing was a single weeping willow sapling, situated just off-center in the circle. Tazo had picked this location due to the uniqueness of it. It was certainly hard to miss, and Astrid would walk right into it if she'd followed his exact directions in getting there.

If everything worked out for the best, tonight would finally be the night when Tazo would ask Astrid to be his. True, they hadn't met many times and it was very hard for them to see each other on a regular basis given their separate loyalties, but despite all that, Astrid already meant quite a lot to Tazo. After all, she'd taught him an effective way for him to hunt (he's never been better fed), she'd almost completely banished his quiet, frightened side, and most importantly she made him happy. The male was no longer so dependent on his sister Tanya. In fact, he hadn't seen her in nearly a week at this point. This was a big step for Tazo given that he was used to seeing her every single day for the past few years. And it was all thanks to Astrid. He felt things for her that he'd never felt for any other dog, and his instincts were screaming at him to make her his.

From the clearing in which Tazo was now relaxing, the powerful pounding of water could be heard. There was a waterfall near here, Tazo knew, and it was huge. It emptied into the nearby lake, which is where he intended to take Astrid this evening. When she arrived, he would lead her to the lake and they would sit there together, watching the sun go down behind the majestic stone castle on the opposite bank of the lake. It would be perfect. Now he simply had to wait. In his eagerness he'd arrived far too early and would be waiting for Astrid to arrive for quite a while still. Tazo laid down beneath the weeping willow sapling and began to doze as he waited for his intended.

[xarkla]

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[atrb=background,http://i56.tinypic.com/e9gmz6.jpg] "Speech!" He had told her to meet him at the Castle which had been found in Hexasol with some exploring. It was a few hours before sunset as Astrid felt as if she were walking on clouds. Butterflies were already in her stomach as she thought about the evening she would spend with Tazo. Heart fluttering in her chest as she tried to think about the directions she was given. Tazo said to make a right....then walk straight to that big tree over there...then was it left? Or another right? She couldn't think straight as she was so nervous and excited. Deciding to use her nose as the directions seemed all jumbled up in her thoughts, she took a deep breath as she stuck her nose up into the air. Birds...Flowers...Squirrels...Rabbit....Tazo! Letting out a bark of excitement, she sprang forward as her tongue lolled out the side of her mouth. Paws took her faster as she broke through the trees and was the clearing he had talked about. There it was! Her paws took her faster and faster before she let out a squeal of shock as she tripped. Right over...Tazo! Her tongue went to immediately lick his face several times. First of all to say how happy she was to see him and the second was to say if he was alright and she was sorry for tripping over his sleeping form. Tail lashing against the earth, she rolled over onto her stomach off of him. Boy she was glad to be here. Spring had made this the perfect season to visit him.

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[wonder]

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[atrb=background,http://img851.imageshack.us/img851/773/194064255010742881.gif] Dakota walks. Dakota talks. Dakota's thoughts. The black hound held his snout low to the ground, ready to pick up any interesting scents that came his way. He didn't come to the castle often but today he felt like exploring, maybe find a new place to hunt. Dakota had been searching for a while now but he hadn't really scented anything he considered worthy to be investigated. His sleek black fur appeared glossy as the light hit him as he continued to make his way through the castle grounds. He had found the source to the water he had heard not too long ago and he saw two figures not too far ahead. As he inched closer, he could tell they were both canines and that one of them was a female. A grin immediately tugged at the hound's features as he edged closer. His smile instantly faded however when he saw the female licking the other male with her tail wagging frantically behind her. Jealousy filled his emotions as she slowed his pace. He wished he had a female do that when ever she saw him. The only female he really knew was Glass but nothing like that was going on between them two, not yet anyway. It was still worth a try, maybe they weren't mates, maybe they were just really close friends, or maybe they were even related. Dakota knew he was probably wrong but it was worth a try. The elk hound lifted his head high and approached the two canines. As he got even closer, he recognized the male. It was Tazo. He had never really spoke with Tazo but he knew his name. The female he didn't recognize but as he got closer, he identified she was quite a pretty female. Her fur was black, much like his own and she was of a similar size. The female scented of Tempest, the arch rivals of the Iris pride. Tazo wasn't afraid of getting close to a Tempest dog so why should he? Dakota took a deep breath and approached the two canines. "Hey there, Tazo. Who's your friend?" He barked with enthusiasm as he got closer to the dogs. His eyes were focused on the black female. He hoped Tazo had recognized him, after all, they were in the same pack but then again, they had never really had a conversation. Dakota's tail wagged at a steady pace behind him with a playful expression on his face. He wasn't intending on flirting with the female so much, he just wanted to expand his friendship circle. If she was to flirt with him, then that would be a whole other story. Words;; 438. Muse;; It's okay. Other;; Hope this is okay, I didn't really know how to reply. Also, hope it's okay if Dakota knows who Tazo is even though they've never had a thread. I just thought it would be easier. ^^

[tazo]

Tazo fell asleep deeply enough that he dreamed. He dreamed of a moonlit beach with waves rolling gently up the sands. He and Astrid were walking parallel to the water, side by side and just enjoying each other's company. Their flanks were touching, they were closer than most dogs were ever comfortable with being to each other. They were in a state of pure bliss. The tide began to come in, lapping at their paws as the waves got a little bit stronger. Suddenly Astrid pushed him into the water and jumped after him and they were tumbling over...and over...and over....

And then Tazo awoke, tumbling a bit with Astrid having tripped over him! Once he woke up enough to realize what was happening, the Wild Dog was ecstatic. "Astrid!" He yipped, standing up and returning her exuberant licks. "I'm glad you're here. Sorry I was sleeping. I've been here a long time. I couldn't wait to see you." Tazo nuzzled her and licked her cheek, positively beaming with pleasure. "I hope you didn't have any trouble finding this place. It's one of my favorites, and I wanted to bring you here because you're the only creature I've seen who is more beautiful than what I'm going to show you today." He grinned at the black female, his tail wagging slowly. He hoped his compliments would please her.

Tazo was so involved with Astrid's presence, he didn't notice anyone else nearby. It didn't help that he was upwind of their unexpected visitor, but nevertheless, the male hated being caught unawares. In fact, he jumped a bit when Dakota came trotting out of the brush. Damn it.... I wanted this to be just Astrid and I...Why is he here? The wild dog sighed and put on a cordial face. "Oh, hi Dakota...I didn't think anyone else was in this area today." Tazo knew of the male before him, but he wouldn't exactly say they were friends. Not even acquaintances really. He knew of Dakota because they were in the same tribe. And that was it really. One thing he did know about Dakota though was that the male could be quite flirtatious in the presence of females. Tazo wanted to trust him, but he would have his guard up nevertheless.

Then Tazo had a dreadful thought. Would Dakota run and tell Streiter that Tazo was running around with a Tempest female? This could be very bad for both Astrid and Tazo. All the Wild Dog could do was wait and see what happened while hiding as much information about Astrid as possible. Unfortunately, the smell of Tempest on Astrid's fur might give them away. "Dakota, this is Astrid. Astrid, this is my tribe-mate Dakota." The poor conflicted Wild Dog didn't know what more to say. Hopefully everything would turn out alright. He didn't want to cause a fight, but if Dakota made a move on Astrid or decided to go tell Streiter, Tazo would be forced to do something.

**Sorry this took so long. Trying to get my muse to come back, but it's been kinda difficult. Things should pick up soon though. I promise. And it's no problem for Tazo and Dakota to already know each other. It's all good =)

[xarkla]

Astrid felt a flash of heat rush to her cheeks from Tazo's compliments. "Oh stop Tazo!" She giggled, pushing his face away with a paw as she grinned softly. "You're making me blush!" She exclaimed as he returned the sea of licks he had received earlier from her. The ebony shepherd mix perked her folded ears at the male who appeared and greeted them with joyful barks. Her tongue slipped out between her jaws as her tail thumped against the earth. "Hello." She greeted, her tone ending on a slight purr as she stood up and sniffed at Dakota's nose.

It was true he smelled of Lexis and Astrid gave a nod at Tazo's words. This Dakota fellow seemed quite friendly and was for sure handsome. Though her eyes had more of an appeal to Tazo's mixture of colors to his pelt. "What brings you to these parts of the woods?" She asked, brow raised as her position moved to a more suggestive one as her tail wagged slowly. The mix didn't see much harm to her flirting. It wasn't as if her and the wild dog were that serious anyways.

The ebony shepherd mix moved to go stand by Tazo again. Her brown eyes glanced over his pelt in curiosity. Why was the male so tense? Surely he shouldn't be worried about his pack mate right? Deciding to shrug it off she knew it was best not to ask in front of Dakota. If the stranger left then perhaps she could ask her friend about it.

[wonder]

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[atrb=background,http://img836.imageshack.us/img836/923/194064362933975862.gif] Dakota walks. Dakota talks. Dakota's thoughts. The black hound had his curled tail wagging at a steady pace behind him. His head was held up high and he had a pup-like grin on his face. He usually smiled when he was excited and eager, and this was one of those occasions. He could tell instantly that his fellow pack mate was tense. Even tho Tazo's fur was a variety of browns and whites, you could easily tell that he wasn't relaxed at all. Dakota didn't spend his time watching the male though, his eyes were focused on the female, who he now knew went by the name of Astrid. It was a nice name, a pretty name. He couldn't get over his ebony fur though. It was much like his own. He hadn't seen a solid black dog often and it was nice to finally greet one. "Nice to meet you, Astrid." The elkhound lowered his head while he spoke in a charming and gentleman-ly manner. Hmm, what did bring him to these parts of the woods? He wasn't sure as it happens. He was just exploring really, not really searching for anything particular. He noticed Astrid's suggestive expression and he couldn't help but beat his tail faster."Ehh, nothing really, I couldn't get to sleep so I thought, why not do a bit of strolling. I'm not really heading any place special." He spoke in a polite and charming tone. He couldn't help but flash a cheeky grin at the jet black female. There was no harm in some flirting, especially when he didn't mean anything by it. Dakota was naturally a flirt and most would think of it as being bad to flirt with a friend's interest right in front of him. Wasn't it obvious though that he was only having some fun? He didn't hint at anything long-term at all, just a bit of teasing. "So what are you two doing out here so late at night?" It was clear by Tazo's insecurity that he had feelings for Astrid. But there was a problem with their potential relationship. Tazo was a Lexis dog, and Astrid was of the Tempest pack. It was against the rules to be in a relationship of any sort with a dog of a different pack. Dakota didn't want to jeopardize anything though so he didn't feel like saying anything. What would be the point? He would only get two canines who liked each other split up and for what? He wouldn't gain anything from it. Words;; 413. Muse;; Okay. Other;; N/A.

[tazo]

Tazo inwardly grinned when his compliments to Astrid had their intended effect. He liked making her happy more than anything in this life, and as long as she was happy he would be happy too. Well, for the most part. She was a bit too happy to meet the handsome Dakota for Tazo's liking, and the Wild Dog began to worry. Would Dakota's handsome and normal outward appearance be enough to win Astrid over? Tazo's paranoia was inching forward again from where Astrid had banished it, and the male was becoming incredibly tense.

What if Astrid decides that she prefers Dakota? He's more normal looking after all. I look like a freak. Look at how beautiful their puppies would be, Tazo. Your puppies would be silly looking. Astrid doesn't want your puppies. You never should've even thought it. Maybe....No. Tazo, Astrid is yours. She likes you. She doesn't even know the smooth-talker. Don't be scared. Make it clear that you won't back down. Despite the fact that he was obviously falling apart on the inside, Tazo, aside from his tense shoulders, was surprisingly composed outwardly. He even managed to smile at both Astrid and Dakota.

"Well Dakota, I've brought Astrid here this evening for a bit of alone time. You see, we don't get to spend very much time together, understandably so, and pretty soon we'll be heading to the lake to watch the sun set." He hated to ruin the surprise he had in store, but if it would get the hint across to Dakota then he would just have to deal with it. Besides, the surprise of where they were going was nothing compared to what he wanted to ask his sweet Astrid later. Tazo strode over to Astrid and stood close beside her, pelts almost touching, a hint of protectiveness displayed in his stance.

[xarkla]

"Cool." She replied, nodding her skull at Dakota. She would of probably been out hunting for Tempest except for the fact that Tazo had asked her to meet him here. At the words of what had been planned, Astrid pricked her ears forward as she could tell it would be around 15 minutes or so before the sunset started. Yipping with excitement, she jumped up and started to run off in one direction. "Come on then, Tazo!" Giggles rolled from her tongue as her paws took her forward at a speedy pace.

She forgot about everything at that moment. Tazo. Dakota. Tempest. Everything. All Astrid could focus on was the idea of being able to sit down, relax, and enjoy the streaks of pink, blue, orange, and purple that was at a usual sunset. The ebony bitch had always heard of them from her siblings as a young puppy but being born in winter, she never went out in the freezing temperatures.

Now was her chance to finally see it! With her duty as a hunter for her pack and having to hunt she never had time. Besides the fact that the night, with her dark coat was the best time to find unsuspecting prey. Astrid had placed the worrying thoughts of her pack with the war that had happened with Iris Pride in the back of her mind. She was just so happy right now!

Astrid slowed down as she remembered about Tazo. Panting a bit she trotted back the distance she had traveled. "Tazo!" She called as she tilted her skull, standing twenty feet away. "You coming?" She called before glancing at Dakota. "Nice to meet you!" She spoke before waiting for her Tazo.

[wonder]

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[atrb=background,http://img836.imageshack.us/img836/923/194064362933975862.gif] Dakota walks. Dakota talks. Dakota's thoughts. The large hound's eyes followed the ebony female in front of him. She really was quite the specimen. Her coat was incredibly similar to his own. Nothing would happen between the two though, and Dakota knew that. The only female he had eyes for, he hated to admit it, was Glass. She didn't know how he felt but there was still plenty of time. A bit of harmless flirting wouldn't hurt though, it was just a bit of fun. The black male glanced back at Tazo as he took a few eager steps towards the female he was joining. The two's pelts were almost touching, a clear sign of protection and defense from the male. When the painted dog mentioned the two canines were planning on being here alone, it didn't take Dakota long to get the idea. Now the elk hound was sure that something was going on between the two. Astrid wasn't part of the tribe though, she was Tempest. A cruel thought crept in to the male's head. Should he tell someone? No, that would be heartless. Why should he be the one to split two canine's up? You can't help who you fall in love with. "I'm sure that's going to be lovely for you both. You two run along and have fun. And don't worry Tazo, I know how to keep my jaw shut." He threw a quick wink at the male, knowing that Tazo would worry about what would happen in the future. Turning back to look at the Tempest female, Dakota nodded his large skull and flashed a quick smile. "And it was a pleasure to meet you too, sweetheart." He spoke softly, his tail wagging contently behind him. Hopefully Tazo wouldn't get offended that he said 'sweetheart'. Dakota called most female's sweetheart. He certainly didn't mean anything by it. He glanced back at Tazo, waiting anxiously for the young couple to make their move. Words;; 319. Muse;; Okay. Other;; Nothing.