Who will be S-T-R-O-N-G and stand with me? (open)

[Oddity]

I used to rule the world
Seas would rise when I gave the word
Now in the morning I sleep alone
Sweep the streets I used to own

I used to roll the dice
Feel the fear in my enemy's eyes
Listen as the crowd would sing
"Now the old king is dead! Long live the king!"

The warm rain poured down in sheets, soaking the cobblestone streets of the city, hissing over the hot pavement until steam rose in billowing clouds from it's surface.

Blood.
It washed with the rain, down to the gutter in rosy tides, a trail of swirling, thinning blood that began at the torn, gasping throat of a dog.
She had once been pretty, a soft-eyed beagle mix with tawny, golden fur, but now she lay in debilitating pain, the life sapping from her bloodshot eyes, her fur dirtied and stained with mud, legs kicking as her death throes set in.
A soft blue leather collar lay around her throat, the diamond name tag- "Roxy"- nestled in her bloody fur. It's surface was marred with toothmarks, and it was twisted viciously in half where the final blow had struck. Roxy arched her back against the wet ground, whimpered, and died, the blood still weeping from her throat. The rain fell on her unseeing eyes.

Over her, eyes shining with dark triumph, stood the dog Jupiter.
She watched with detached curiosity as the she-dog's last whimper escaped her blooded lips, wrinkling her nose in dissatisfaction.

"Dead, whore?" She demanded, shoving the corpse's muzzle with her paw. Her voice was sharp and commanding, an octave below that of a typical female. Roxy didn't answer, her limp mouth falling open loosely under the pressure, sightless eyes still staring as Jupiter spat on her corpse and trotted away.

Her crime was an inexcusable one. She had to be killed.
Jupiter had considered, in the instant before she sunk her teeth into the quivering bitch's throat, giving her the gift of life, tearing the collar from her warm neck instead of opening the soft skin. She might have followed willingly in the royal warlord's footsteps, given the chance. But she had smelled of them, they had touched and stroked her fur and fed her and treated her with condescending kindness and she had let them. Filthy, disgusting whore. She deserved to be eaten by maggots and scavengers, to have worms burrow in he pretty eyes.[/font]

One minute I held the key
Next the walls were closed on me
And I discovered that my castles stand
Upon pillars of salt and pillars of sand

Humans. Humans had done this, not her. She didn't enjoy killing her own kind- too easy, too monotonous. The humans, with their filthy, violent hands and their chains, had forced her onto her bloody crusade. She devoured the life and souls of them and those they touched; she burned the disease from them so that it might not spread and infect the other strays. "Think for yourself. You do not belong on a chain."
The wolfhound-dane mix turned and trotted away, hug paws throwing ripples and splashing in her bloody wake. The red ran down her chin and throat, mixing with rain and staining her chest with rusty dye.

She was a crusader against the evil that was humans, striking them down in silence, with such a passionate hate for them that the most disgusting acts of torture and carnage were easy for her. Always follow up on your threats.
She believed in her cause, and she knew that she must go to painful extremes that disgusted and offended others, but such was the path her life had offered her. Chained in that place for so long, doomed to a life filled with quiet, pained suffering, she could not step down now that she was free.

I always swore I'd get my revenge. And I will, if it takes my life, if it takes the life of every dog in this damned city. Gladly.

The rain fell. Sirens blared. Jupiter watched from the shadows.[/font]

I hear Jerusalem bells a ringing
Roman Cavalry choirs are singing
Be my mirror, my sword and shield
My missionaries in a foreign field

For some reason I can't explain
Once you go there was never
Never an honest word
And that was when I ruled the world

[`AKANEH]

{{ Shake down on a Saturday
Sit back
Gotta catch my breath
'Cause every time I see her
I know she's gonna take it back somehow

A dark rain cloud draped over the city of Citagazze. Small droplets of rain weaved between the small cracks of cobblestone lining the sidewalk that made up the heart of the city. Main Street. On a typical summer day, mobs of people would crowd in complicated lines surrounding the many varieties of art galleries, food courts, and coffee carts. The streets seemed dead today though. It wasn't the only thing that seemed dead. Drops of blood tainted the water as it made its way into the sewage drain.

Carefully placing one paw in front of the other, the ivory male went closer toward the location of the body. Death was not a new thing to this adolescent. Oh no. Fiasco had layed eyes on many lifeless bodies. He wasn't exactly the murdering type but he didn't automatically label everyone who ever took a life. Many times he felt like killing but restrained for his own sake. He couldn't afford to be labeled a killer this early on in life. It hasn't even been his second birthday. Reaching the source of the crimson puddle, a small female sprawled out on the sidewalk with her mouth ajar stared at him with lifeless eyes.

Fiasco rolled his eyes. Yawn. This wasn't the first time he'd seen an innocent house pet become a victim. In a way, these canines deserved their fate. They were domestic. These animals who claimed to come from the same ancestors that he did were not canines to him. These purebred, spoiled sick pets were a disgrace to canine society. Suddenly he remembered why the female was dead. There was a killer on the loose. If this one was the same as every other, he or she was near by this location. Most like to keep an eye on their prey. They see it as a trophy of some sort.

This canine at one point was probably cynosure. A common everyday beloved pet. This morning before stepping foot onto the streets the canine probably got a mixed serving of dry food and half a can of wet food. Ever heard of raw meat? Apparently not. If the little lady knew her fate she would have never dared to leave her air conditioned home. Living beside a warm, crackling fire and living on the cold streets taught you a different set of lessons. Both house pets and strays had different values then each other. The two came from two different worlds.

Bending down to read the name plastered on the female's sparkling name tag, a dark shadow in the distance caught his attention. ROXY. There was a small drop of blood on the silver tag. Hesitantly rising, he stepped closer to get a better look at the character. The rain rapidly picked up to a down pour. Fiasco's pace didn't quicker nor decrease. This was just water. Another difference between house pets and drifters like himself. A tiny rain drop was like a crisis in their little world. It sickened him to see their humans holding colorful umbrellas over their well groomed heads. Since when was a little water deadly?

As the shadow became as clear as one of the pictures in the near by art gallery, Fiasco realized that this was indeed the canine who had tooken out the other lady just down the street. There was no fear what so ever in his body. In fact, there was nothing. It took a lot to make Fiasco feel anything. It was just nothing. Numb. That was okay though. It wasn't like he cared. "What's lady like you doing a job that that for?" Fiasco said, eyeing the female coolly. She would have to know what he was talking about. She couldn't play the male as a fool.

{{ Tattoos and a switchblade attitude
Snakebite heart with a bubblegum smile
Sex in stereo
Don't turn the radio down

[Oddity]

I used to rule the world
Seas would rise when I gave the word
Now in the morning I sleep alone
Sweep the streets I used to own

I used to roll the dice
Feel the fear in my enemy's eyes
Listen as the crowd would sing
"Now the old king is dead! Long live the king!"

She watched the white dog approach with faint interest,
her gold eyes calm, slightly narrowed. A male, by the looks of it, with shepard blood in his vanes, no doubt. Healthy enough. If he were one of those pacifist dogs, come to talk her out of her 'senseless violence', she would leave him be. Death was not necessary, not for a stray... and the idea of killing two dogs in one sitting revolted her. That was not her purpose.
It might not have been necessary for Roxy, either, had Jupiter been in a different mindset today. But when the little dog had come up alongside her so quickly, batting her eyelashes stupidly, asking "Which way home?", her eyes devoid of intelligence or feeling... a human slave... it had been nearly instant. Ah, well. Another one falls, another dog dies. They breed like rabbits, after all. She smirked, noble face looking down at him with an air of calm superiority. Her long-limbed frame was relaxed- it took a lot to threaten Jupiter, and this pup was not a lot. Nevertheless, she gave him his answer with minimal pause, her smirk dissapearing as she spoke. Death is not a joke, even if it is only the ending of life- nothing more, nothing less.

"Justice." She replied, her rough voice sure and confident.
"She was a disgrace; I know how this might seem, but I am no Sha'Moore dog. My name is Jupiter. My fight is with the humans."
She stepped out of the shadows, the rain falling over her mottled, uneven fur, her long, strong limbs, the scar that ran jaggedly from her left ear to the end of her muzzle.
It all shone, slick with water. Tall and strong, she watched him through pale gold eyes, dimly lit with curiousity.

"Are you afraid to get blood on your fur, like so many others?" She wanted to know.
It was only a question. Devoid of threat, or boast. She watched him, her breath slow and even, the soft and steady rythm of rain echoing her words..[/font]

I hear Jerusalem bells a ringing
Roman Cavalry choirs are singing
Be my mirror, my sword and shield
My missionaries in a foreign field

For some reason I can't explain
Once you go there was never
Never an honest word
And that was when I ruled the world

[`AKANEH]

{{ Shake down on a Saturday
Sit back
Gotta catch my breath
'Cause every time I see her
I know she's gonna take it back somehow

The female's rough voice was cold and frank. There appeared to me a method to her madness although at this moment Fiasco thought she was simply crazy. Who kills for justice? It just didn't seem natural. Then again, it did. Canines were hunters which meant the species was born to kill. What difference did it make if its prey was its own kind? That was not a fair match though. That spoiled mutt probably batted her lashes in order to get an answer out of this female, not even noticing her own stupidity. It was hard to understand how they were all related in the same gene pool. It was a shock to find out that this cold blooded killer wasn't enlisted in the Sha'Moore pack.

Sha'Moore killed for a living. This here female to live. If she didn't, she'd explode. This what was she was passionate about. Sadly, in order to get her cause across a life must be taken. Fiasco could imagine it now. The family who owned her would soon be treading through the city streets in search of their beloved friend. If the body was disposed of, no one would ever have the slightest clue as to where she was. Flyers with her touched up picture would hang on every pole in town. Days, weeks, and months would go by and eventually a new dog would be introduced into their household.

"I understand. They don't deserve to share the same title as us. We worked to earn it. They will never lift a finger," he said shaking his head in disgust. A burning hatred filled his body but as soon as it came he shook it off. They never asked to be pets it simply happened. Just like he never asked to be left alone on the streets but he was. Why should he argue with that logic? Even if she killed all the house pets in the city, more would come. She could never win. No one could. It was just impossible.

"No. Should I be?" His voice was stiff and steady. The male was unaware if this was a threat or just a question out of curiousity. Either way, he wasn't afraid. Death was going to come sooner or later. Really, what did he have to lose? Living wasn't all that. There had to be something next. This couldn't be the begining of the end. The rain soothed Fiasco. Its gentle rythme was very calming. If he wasn't so tense, he'd curl right up and take a nap. But there was no telling what this female had in store for him. His muscles locked ready to pounce at any moment. If it was blood she was looking to spill, she'd have it coming to her.

{{ Tattoos and a switchblade attitude
Snakebite heart with a bubblegum smile
Sex in stereo
Don't turn the radio down

[Oddity]

It was the wicked and wild wind
Blew down the doors to let me in
Shattered windows and the sound of drums
People couldn't believe what I'd become

Revolutionaries wait
For my head on a silver plate
Just a puppet on a lonely string
Oh who would ever want to be king?

She nodded seriously in agreement, though it was not the ease of their life that repulsed her- merely the act of allowing them permission to touch, stroke, fondle you. As if they were only capable of kindness and warmth. As If theirs was the only law, the only way.

What blind idiocy.

The wolfhound dane saw them as they were... deplorable, sadistic creatures whose caressing hands could be warped to pinch and slap and beat, whose comforting words could sharpen and sting. Anything in the hands of a human became a weapon, an extension of their body and therefore a bringer of pain. She was right. She had to be. Ever since she was a puppy, since they pulled her too early from the warmth of her mother's side, she'd known the cruelty of the two-legged abominations.
The right to destroy them, and to wound them with the destruction of their pets, was hers.

Jupiter smiled.
"No, unless you are a coward, and I can see that you are not. I, however, do not plan on attacking you. That- would be pointless," She asserted.
Her extensive form remained nonchalant, hackles undisturbed, stance neutral. She would not try to dominate this tense dog, though she stood a good bit taller and there was no doubt in her mind that she had more experience fighting. The bloody lady preferred not to engage in unnecessary battles, in tests of strength, unless they were those of intellect.

"I kill only to wound the humans, to twist the knife in deeper. If humans themselves are not available, I must continue my work with a substitute. It disorients and frightens them when something they own goes missing- Roxy, for example. The more I kill, the more the panic rises. Fearful, panicked animals are dangerous in some ways- and sloppy. Very, very sloppy."
She spoke as if not quite to him, her eyes on the deep gray sky, meeting his only occasionally. The rain pooled in their corners like tears, running down the fur of her body and across the slick, furless scar on her face.[/font]

I hear Jerusalem bells a ringing
Roman Cavalry choirs are singing
Be my mirror, my sword and shield
My missionaries in a foreign field

For some reason I can't explain
I know Saint Peter won't call my name
Never an honest word
But that was when I ruled the world

[`AKANEH]

{{ Shake down on a Saturday
Sit back
Gotta catch my breath
'Cause every time I see her
I know she's gonna take it back somehow

Her methods of attack were interesting. Fiasco honestly didn't understand why the female hadn't already thrown herself on a human. They were easier to take down then canines. Humans were defenseless unless armed with weapons. He'd laid eyes on what these weapons could do to dogs. One incident stayed fresh in his mind as if it had only happened yesterday. A street trash teenager, such as himself, came wandering down an alley looking for a fight. He was drunk of course. The smell of liquor filled the small area. Fiasco hid himself deep in the back of a tipped of trash can. A regular member to the alley came strolling in at the worst possible time. Eyes shifted to the boy as he pulled out a six in switchblade with a black handle. The light from the moon made the blade glow.

The canine had no sense at all. He simply stood their, tail wagging. He knew what was coming. Anyone would have. In a single instant, the dog was doubled over on his side, blood oozing onto the hardened cement. No one would ever know what happened. The next day the mess would be mopped up and no one would ever bother to ask what happened. For he was the only witness aside from the murderer who would never turn himself in. It was just another dog, he told himself trying to forget the horridly vivid picture. It was as if this was a sport to them that the bored guys participated in. Who could get that low? If they got any lower they'd be in hell.

A crooked smile formed on the female. Relief swept over him as she stated she had no use in killing him. "Buddy that's the truth," he croaked. Fiasco was a nobody. There was no use in killing him. It wouldn't affect anyone. Sometimes it was good to be a social reget. The tedious rythme of the rain began to calm him once again. There was nothing to fear but fear itself. This female wouldn't bother with him unless she had a reason to which currently she didn't. Life was okay once again. The universe was in balance. The bloody picture of Roxy formed in his mind. Was killing a little muppet like that really getting even with the humans?

"I do imagine how the sight of a beloved pet laying dead on the ground could spook a person but they will forget. They will replace her with another. If you kill that one, a new one will come. You need to find a different method. Killing our own isn't getting even. It's-" he paused hesitantly wondering whether or not he should continue, "..foolish." It took a lot of courage to say that. It had to be said though. Dogs were dogs and people were people. To hate a person was one thing but to kill an innocent dog because of that same hate was different. The fury and passion from within the female was so intense that he had to show her respect.

{{ Tattoos and a switchblade attitude
Snakebite heart with a bubblegum smile
Sex in stereo
Don't turn the radio down

[Oddity]

Love of two is one
Here but now they're gone
Came the last night of sadness
And it was clear she couldn't go on
Then the door was open and the wind appeared
The candles blew then disappeared
The curtains flew then he appeared... Saying don't be afraid

She nodded, admitting her respect for this still nameless dog's opinions with that small gesture. Secretly, Jupiter was pleased to have someone argue with her. It brought her reason, made her see more clearly, and the incidents were so few and far-between... not that she would ever lose grip on her mission. But her vision could be warped. The right path is fuzzy when you've go nobody to debate it with.

"You make a good point, and, I suppose, as well, that killing other dogs gains me nothing in the eyes of my fellow strays. At least, the ones I would bother approaching... The ones who still cling to sanity." She added.
Do I still cling to sanity? The though dissapeared. Too dangerous a place to go. She had a mission. She would not ask herself these questions, not if it put her emotions into gear. Those must be controlled. Unless they reflected hatred towards the two-leggers, or anything that would better her cause, they could not be expressed without turmoil and chaos, and so it was best to repress them- especially if one could do so without even noticing, as she did. A reflex, to protect her mind from the fragility of pain, guilt, terror. Being human was not her strong point.

Shaking the raindrops from her wiry pelt, any semblance of guilt dissolving, the huge canine turned to her companion with a raised brow. The rain was still pouring, but it had eased a little, and the humans- slowly, reluctantly- would soon be showing their faces again, emerging from their apartments, huge stone nests, cursing the world with their growling voices and loud footsteps.

"Enough about me," She offered with a wry smile,
"What brings you here, ...? I don't think I caught your name."
Jupiter's bright golden eyes, devoid of any hostility, watched him carefully. Certainly, he was intelligent... in arguing his point, he had earned her grudging respect, and she'd been alone in her cause for an uncomfortable amount of time... perhaps...
But she did not yet even know the white canine's name, and discovering wether his hate came within reach of hers, if his ambition was strong enough to withstand physical pain, would be a task for later, if the she-dog got the chance.
.[/font]

Come on baby... And she had no fear
And she ran to him... Then they started to fly
They looked backward and said goodbye... She had become like they are
She had taken his hand... She had become like they are
Come on baby... Don't fear the reaper

[`AKANEH]

{{ Shake down on a Saturday
Sit back
Gotta catch my breath
'Cause every time I see her
I know she's gonna take it back somehow

Fiasco concealed a sigh of relief although he was very pleased to see that the female considered his point without getting angry. The last thing he needed was to get on the nerves of a little broad whole had a rep for murder. It was the truth though, it really was. Killing something or in this case someone to get even with a completely different species was just completely unnecessary. Deep down, she had to know it. It was rare to find someone who lacked the voice inside their head saying this was a bad idea but there were still out there he guessed. Others, well, some just didn't care. They'd simply do what ever popped into their mind and deal with the consequences.

At a young age, that was the way he was. He'd never give anything a thought but simply react with his gut instinct. The majority of the time he'd wind up in tight spots because of that. Sanity? What is the world was she talking about? Sanity had nothing to do with this. Those who gripped sanity and those who ventured without it would still most likely frown upon her actions. Right about now he was starting to realize how crazy this chick really was. An idea was dawning on him though. Before he gace it a second thought, he shook his head ridding the idea. It was not a good one. Rather a violent turn for the worst. He wasn't looking for a fight. No. Not at all. A nice debate would do fine.

Fiasco had never replied to her earlier statement. There just wasn't much to say in this situation. As she suggested he tell more about himself, he smiled weakly between breathes and thought of a good way to sum up his life. What was there to tell? Not much. Oh how pathetic! There was not a decent thing to say. He turned out fine though. Deep down, that was what mattered. The past was the past and if he wanted a half decent future he'd have to stop dwelling on it. That was then and this is now. That was all there was to it. Some dogs like to think what if. What if I changed that, then this could have happened. At first, he tended to do that alot but he changed his ways for one reason which was to benefit himself.

Fiasco. That's my name," he spit out with a smooth, steady voice. It really did seem like he had it all under control. Maybe he did. For once maybe everything was under control. There was no need to hide behind a wall of aloofness because everything was alright. "There is no reason in particular here except for the fact that I have no where else to go," he said strangely, it even sounded strange to him. Quietly he fiddled around chewing at his lip but at the same time being careful not to break the skin. He was never big on the taste of blood. Especially his own.

{{ Tattoos and a switchblade attitude
Snakebite heart with a bubblegum smile
Sex in stereo
Don't turn the radio down