When I Grow Up [Open]

[jax;]

For the time being, the pounding rain had slowed to a drizzle. Had the clouds not darkened the sky to a slate gray, it would have been midday. Being in the heart of the cemetery, tall grasses swallowing broken tombstones, the weather was perfect. Creeping and crawling, her belly to the ground and her half flopped ears twitching in the light rain, Harper was on the prowl. It was a rare moment to herself; usually her mother, her siblings, or someone or something was carefully watching over her. Constantly under surveillance, Harper had already begun to feel smothered. She loved her family, yes. But they never let her stray far enough to where she could experience the more thrilling side of life.

Not that the cemetery was particularly exhilarating, but she could pretend. Working so hard to not make a sound, the pup caught a glimpse of her 'prey' just ahead. The plump little mouse was as soaked through to the bone as she was. Stifling a growl, Harper tensed her body, ready to pounce on the unsuspecting rodent. Yet just as she took a leap of faith, the mouse vanished, and a half broken tombstone rose up before her. With a dull, wet thump, Harper flew head on into the obstacle, landing in a soggy heap at the base of it. She whimpered slightly, her eyes struggling to focus as the vague metallic tang of blood was evident in her mouth. Ow... She mumbled, struggling to get to her feet. The second her thoughts were collected, however, she was all business once more. Snapping to attention, the creamy white pup growled as she looked about, her green eyes soaking in all that they could. The mouse was long gone.

Not again! She yapped, her voice shrill with anger. Her mother and family made it all look so easy. The kills her pack brought in were quick and clean, just enough for everyone to eat but not so much as to deplete the prey that still lived for later. If they could do it, why couldn't she? Plopping her butt down, she glared at her front paws. She was wet and covered in mud almost head to toe, and for what? A fat lip and wounded pride. Harper pouted, huffing from time to time as the cool drizzle eased off her anger. It was eerily quiet here; if she came out here by herself when she was younger, she might be terrified. Her mind drifted towards her siblings for a moment, a pang of loneliness tugging at her heart. As long as she had her mother and her father and her brother and her sisters, everything would be okay.

Lifting her head up, her ears still could not decide if they would be prick or not. One was almost straight, while the other was slacking behind. Standing and shaking, Harper felt her usual self returning, her curiosity getting the best of her. There was so much to explore out here. She wondered how far she could get before anyone noticed. Looking around, a mischievous grin plastered on her face, she made sure the coast was clear before charging head on through the grasses. Bobbing and weaving between dead trees and tombstones, all that remained of the world for a moment was the dull rain in the air and the wet earth beneath her paws. Taking a deep breath, Harper imagined herself flying, jumping as far as she could off a toppled headstone. Wouldn't that be something to scare her mother? She snorted at the thought. Her days were filled with finding ways to wreak havoc and otherwise terrorize those who tried to take care of her, but she usually meant well. Usually.

Running around and around, Harper almost dared someone to stop her.

[630!]

[Hunter]

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[atrb=background,http://i47.tinypic.com/2ldyrer.png] Where’d that little white rat now gone off to? Antigone had gone to play with her nieces earlier, but Harper had been gone. In the beginning she hadn’t thought much of it, but after a while, the little hairball still hadn’t returned. She’d therefore chosen to search for her niece, Harper, in the Asylum, but she was nowhere to be seen – a fact which nerved her. She didn’t like when the little ones were running too far away, and even though she wasn’t their parents, the black and white youngster still liked knowing the puppies were safe. And after her sisters’s disappearances and her mother’s death, Antigone had come to really know how important her family was to her. She had been overwhelmed with joy when Hueso had returned with her bigsister Estelle who’d been held hostage for a year in the Iris Pride. Estelle had always been but a silhouette in her mind, a family member whom she didn’t know what looked like. Getting to finally know her felt incredible, and when Zara had returned with her stomach full of puppies, Antigone had felt – despite the heavy loss from her mother’s death - like everything would be all right again. She pricked up her ears as she recognized Harper’s scent. The little one had clearly went out in the drizzle outside, and Antigone wondered where the little, adventurous puppy now had gone to. The grey clouds hung heavy in the sky and the mud soon clung to her feet when she went out of the Asylum. The amount of mud and water made her wonder if her niece even was able to walk around outside. Perhaps she’s just stuck in a hole somewhere. Would be fitting… If anything it’ll at least be a lesson to stop running around, she thought with a grin, knowing she never had been much better than Harper – both of them had never been good at listening to authorities. And Antigone still wasn’t… she was still the unpopular one who never did what she was told, always got bullied and of course also mauled by the other dogs because she neither could shut up or stand down from a challenge. What an idol she was to her nieces. Coming to the cemetery, Antigone soon found a creamy frame dancing over the tombstones and tall grasses as a little, dancing hare. What a sight, she thought with a laugh, for a moment enjoying the sight of Harper all caught up in her own world, dashing toward freedom. It was remarkable how little they actually looked alike while still coming from the same family… Well, unfortunately for her, I guess it’s time for me to stop her - with fun of course. She crouched in the tall grass, letting it tower above her so she wasn’t to be seen for little Harper. The black and white dog then silently started to stalk toward the white puppy. Her legs were much longer than Harper’s, so it didn’t take long for her to emerge on the smaller dog. Tensing her muscles, Antigone suddenly made a huge leap for Harper, a malicious growl ripping in the air, her curled lips showing her white, shiny teeth. Mud splattered everywhere as her weight collided with the ground and she started to bark furiously, hoping to scare the piss out of her niece. All for the sake of fun of course. What a great aunt she was.

[jax;]

Having such a great time, the pup almost lost track of herself. But thank goodness for the flash of teeth that came snarling up out of no where to bring her back down to earth. Flying around the graveyard, Harper had no time to hit the breaks as a vaguely familiar black and white monster crashed in the mud, barking and snapping suddenly. Unable to stop, the young mutt scrabbled to instead change the direction her short legs rocketed her off towards. In a heart beat, she went from fearless and in the mood for adventure to racing for her mother, her tail between her legs. Harper's shrill yelps could be heard echoing through the misty expanse,

Feeling her tiny world come crashing down around her, Harper ran like her life depended on it. Her heart drummed in her ears, and a shrill voice in her head told her to not look back, to never look back. But, like she always was, the pup turned her head, ever so slightly, to glance behind her. Her attacker was quickly proven to be her a familiar face. Harper's jaw slacked, just in time for her to grab a large mouthful of twigs as she ran straight through a bush. To say the least, she had inherited her father's grace.

Shooting out the other side, the young dog came to a skidding halt in the mud; if she wasn't filthy before, her mother would have a conniption now. Twigs and chunks of mud stuck to her body, her fur jutting out in every which direction. Spluttering, she spit out what she hadn't already inhaled, scratching at her nose and face as she tried to clear off some of the mud. Auntie Antigone! She groaned, sneezing pitifully. Sometimes having such a big family was a real pain. Any alone time you got wasn't long; and there was always the chance that something like this might happen. Not that Harper often complained about it. She looked up to Antigone in a way, taking note of her antics and getting ideas for her own little games from her aunt. Shaking her fur out, Harper already began to plan out her revenge.

What was that for?! She yapped, straightening herself out a bit as she trotted over to where the older female was. The plush puppy fur on the very top of her head stuck straight up, forming a stunted mohawk. I was having so much fun till you showed up. She pouted, taking a seat in the mud. Stinky. If she wanted to be a pain, Harper could play the same game. Most of what she had learned thus far had been from her regardless.