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Description
Thanks to the lovely =Pooz18 for help with the background. I haven't been in a forest in ages. xD

Just about 1100 words. :3

~~~~~

Rabbit moved through the city quietly and carefully, doing her best not to attract any attention. It wasn't hard for a dog of her size, especially at midday, but the last thing she needed to do was catch the attention of animal control again. She remained in alleyways and out of sight whenever she could, but the nature of her errand demanded she be out in the open and on the alert. She'd been told to steal food, but her mind wondered if she could attempt to hunt instead. Aside from the occasional cat and rodent, she didn't see much to kill in the concrete jungle. She still wasn't comfortable here – the concrete sidewalks and glass buildings and chrome all felt wrong, and the smell of exhaust and hot machinery fogged her mind. Shaking her head, she forced her mind to focus on her eyes and ignore the constant feedback from her nose. The dog trotted carefully, quietly, down the sidewalk and lunged at a small group of pigeons, but she decided the birds would be too much work without the help of another dog.

In the months since she'd been freed from her hellish prison, she'd learned to scavenge and hunt quite well in the country. Fat rabbits, squirrels, and quail had littered the miles of open space between the small town she'd been near and this metropolis. Nothing had been more thrilling than racing through a field after a hare, bolting under fences and finally crushing it with all her strength. Her trot quickened as she remembered the thrill of the hunt and longed to be free again, but the safety in numbers and shelter in the city was too good to pass up. The dog wondered if she could find better prey in the outskirts of town, where the lines between man and nature were blurred, but she decided it would be better to ask permission from her superiors before doing so.

The collie mix lurched into an alley as a group of humans approached, and she hid in the shadows until they had passed. Their voices were loud and high-pitched and full of excitement, making the dog bare her fangs with annoyance. The people that had owned her when she was a pup had been loving and pleasant, but she'd long since forgotten the kindness of humanity. She returned to the sidewalk with a snort, unsure where to go next in her hunt for food. She had to be careful not to go too far from the Di Trieste pack's headquarters, but she'd explored enough recently that she was confident in her ability to find her way back.

Tilting her head back, Rabbit took a deep whiff of the air and fought back a cringe. Beneath the acrid smells of the city was the smell of food, and a lot of it. Licking her lips quickly, the dog broke into a gallop towards the scent of food and grass and water. Excitement sprouted in her chest and spread to her toes, giving her plenty of speed. She kept her eyes open and ears perked for humans on foot and easily ignored the vehicles that drove past. She'd learned that if they could help it, the people in this town did all that they could to avoid stray dogs, especially bigger ones like her.

Rabbit had only been running for a few minutes when she found what she'd been searching for. A large park stretched out before her, green and lovely and inviting. She slowed to a walk once the cool grass was beneath her paws, and she succumbed to the urge to drop and roll in the grass. She tossed and turned dramatically and growled with pleasure, her tail wagging with delight. She finally came to rest laying on her side, glancing dreamily up at the blue sky. The sun glared hot and bright in the center of the sky, reminding her she had an errand to complete before the day was over, lest she face the wrath of the higher ranking dogs in the pack.

Rising to her paws, she let out a yawn and stretched down into a bow. She flexed her paws and dug her nails into the dirt before standing and shaking out her coat to rid it of stray blades of grass. Lowering her body, she crept forward to continue her hunt for food. Her eyes widened when she spotted a long yellow bus and a mass of children sitting near it. They were at the park for the day for a field trip, and the food that had captured her attention was all the lunch boxes sitting on the bus, waiting for lunch time, waiting for the dog to take them.

Picking up a quick trot, the mongrel made a wide arc around the humans on her way to the bus. They were screaming and chatting and playing all sorts of games on the park's jungle gyms and in the sand and grass and they were simply everywhere. Rabbit moved carefully to avoid detection, but most of the children were so busy that they hadn't an ounce of attention to spare. The dog couldn't believe her luck when she approached the bus and saw that it was completely empty aside from the lunchboxes and occasional backpack.

Making her way carefully down the aisle, Rabbit grabbed as many lunchboxes as she possibly could. To her dismay, she could only carry find room in her jaws for three boxes without compromising her movement too much. She moved down the aisle several times to find the three fattest ones she could find, then she made her way to the door. Instead of walking down the stairs she leaped into the air and landed delicately on the grass. Her legs quivered with desire to sink down and roll again, but she fought the urge and began to move at a steady walk towards her pack's home.

A cry of “PUPPY!” rose in the air, and Rabbit froze and perked her ears towards the sound. A little girl had paused in her playing and pointed eagerly at the mutt. At her shout, several other children stopped playing and also raised the alarm. The dog's heart dropped to her paws when twenty small children began to charge at her, squealing with delight.

“Ahh hell naw.” Rabbit grumbled around the lunchboxes, turning tail and booking it across the street, narrowly avoiding being hit by a truck. She ran full speed all the way back to the asylum.

~~~~~

Rabbit's ref: [link]
Task: cannon fodder - gathering food

art & character & story (c) ~DingoMutt

Description
Thanks to the lovely =Pooz18 for help with the background. I haven't been in a forest in ages. xD

Just about 1100 words. :3

~~~~~

Rabbit moved through the city quietly and carefully, doing her best not to attract any attention. It wasn't hard for a dog of her size, especially at midday, but the last thing she needed to do was catch the attention of animal control again. She remained in alleyways and out of sight whenever she could, but the nature of her errand demanded she be out in the open and on the alert. She'd been told to steal food, but her mind wondered if she could attempt to hunt instead. Aside from the occasional cat and rodent, she didn't see much to kill in the concrete jungle. She still wasn't comfortable here – the concrete sidewalks and glass buildings and chrome all felt wrong, and the smell of exhaust and hot machinery fogged her mind. Shaking her head, she forced her mind to focus on her eyes and ignore the constant feedback from her nose. The dog trotted carefully, quietly, down the sidewalk and lunged at a small group of pigeons, but she decided the birds would be too much work without the help of another dog.

In the months since she'd been freed from her hellish prison, she'd learned to scavenge and hunt quite well in the country. Fat rabbits, squirrels, and quail had littered the miles of open space between the small town she'd been near and this metropolis. Nothing had been more thrilling than racing through a field after a hare, bolting under fences and finally crushing it with all her strength. Her trot quickened as she remembered the thrill of the hunt and longed to be free again, but the safety in numbers and shelter in the city was too good to pass up. The dog wondered if she could find better prey in the outskirts of town, where the lines between man and nature were blurred, but she decided it would be better to ask permission from her superiors before doing so.

The collie mix lurched into an alley as a group of humans approached, and she hid in the shadows until they had passed. Their voices were loud and high-pitched and full of excitement, making the dog bare her fangs with annoyance. The people that had owned her when she was a pup had been loving and pleasant, but she'd long since forgotten the kindness of humanity. She returned to the sidewalk with a snort, unsure where to go next in her hunt for food. She had to be careful not to go too far from the Di Trieste pack's headquarters, but she'd explored enough recently that she was confident in her ability to find her way back.

Tilting her head back, Rabbit took a deep whiff of the air and fought back a cringe. Beneath the acrid smells of the city was the smell of food, and a lot of it. Licking her lips quickly, the dog broke into a gallop towards the scent of food and grass and water. Excitement sprouted in her chest and spread to her toes, giving her plenty of speed. She kept her eyes open and ears perked for humans on foot and easily ignored the vehicles that drove past. She'd learned that if they could help it, the people in this town did all that they could to avoid stray dogs, especially bigger ones like her.

Rabbit had only been running for a few minutes when she found what she'd been searching for. A large park stretched out before her, green and lovely and inviting. She slowed to a walk once the cool grass was beneath her paws, and she succumbed to the urge to drop and roll in the grass. She tossed and turned dramatically and growled with pleasure, her tail wagging with delight. She finally came to rest laying on her side, glancing dreamily up at the blue sky. The sun glared hot and bright in the center of the sky, reminding her she had an errand to complete before the day was over, lest she face the wrath of the higher ranking dogs in the pack.

Rising to her paws, she let out a yawn and stretched down into a bow. She flexed her paws and dug her nails into the dirt before standing and shaking out her coat to rid it of stray blades of grass. Lowering her body, she crept forward to continue her hunt for food. Her eyes widened when she spotted a long yellow bus and a mass of children sitting near it. They were at the park for the day for a field trip, and the food that had captured her attention was all the lunch boxes sitting on the bus, waiting for lunch time, waiting for the dog to take them.

Picking up a quick trot, the mongrel made a wide arc around the humans on her way to the bus. They were screaming and chatting and playing all sorts of games on the park's jungle gyms and in the sand and grass and they were simply everywhere. Rabbit moved carefully to avoid detection, but most of the children were so busy that they hadn't an ounce of attention to spare. The dog couldn't believe her luck when she approached the bus and saw that it was completely empty aside from the lunchboxes and occasional backpack.

Making her way carefully down the aisle, Rabbit grabbed as many lunchboxes as she possibly could. To her dismay, she could only carry find room in her jaws for three boxes without compromising her movement too much. She moved down the aisle several times to find the three fattest ones she could find, then she made her way to the door. Instead of walking down the stairs she leaped into the air and landed delicately on the grass. Her legs quivered with desire to sink down and roll again, but she fought the urge and began to move at a steady walk towards her pack's home.

A cry of “PUPPY!” rose in the air, and Rabbit froze and perked her ears towards the sound. A little girl had paused in her playing and pointed eagerly at the mutt. At her shout, several other children stopped playing and also raised the alarm. The dog's heart dropped to her paws when twenty small children began to charge at her, squealing with delight.

“Ahh hell naw.” Rabbit grumbled around the lunchboxes, turning tail and booking it across the street, narrowly avoiding being hit by a truck. She ran full speed all the way back to the asylum.

~~~~~

Rabbit's ref: [link]
Task: cannon fodder - gathering food

art & character & story (c) ~DingoMutt