Snow Puppy

[deservesabone]

Who: Sam Merlotte & YOU
When: Yesterday afternoon (when there was still snow)
Where: Out and about!
Summary: Snow is a new thing for the Southerner, and he thought it would be fun to experience it doggy style.
Warnings: None
--

Comments

I flipped a coin. =/

[lawyerific]

Maybe one day he'd learn how to drive, but really that would require having somewhere to drive to and the money to actually afford proper upkeep...and petrol. As it is, Phoenix walked everywhere, which was made a little easier since the city was so much smaller, but a little harder by the snow. Snow, the bane of his life

[deservesabone]

The smell wasn't a familiar one - Sam had yet to really meet Phoenix in person. But the playfulness thrumming through him didn't care as much about familiarity as it did about availability. The dog formerly known as Sam barked at bundled-up shape of the man, bounding over with an eagerly wagging tail and bright amber-brown eyes.

Humans couldn't understand canine speech of course, but Sam was pretty sure bending low on his front paws, his butt and tail still high in the air, was a universal sign.

Play!

[lawyerific]

Even Phoenix could work out what that meant, but of course he had nothing to play with the dog with. Not that he had much experience with animals anyway. Oh right, dogs liked balls, didn't they? But he didn't... Correction, he had plenty of balls. Snow balls.

"You want to play?"

A handful of snow from the hood of a nearby car made a good hard snowball, and Phoenix tested it by throwing it slightly and catching it again.

"Ball?"

Because even if the dog spoke French it would recognise the word 'ball', right? Phoenix smiled, then threw the snowball along the sidewalk, heading after it. If he remembered right there was a park this way, wasn't there?

[deservesabone]

For a moment, Sam just stared. Do you really expect a dog to fall for this trick...?

But he wasn't expecting the snowball (more a ball of ice, really) to keep its shape after Phoenix tossed it. Sam's ears perked in surprise, and he trotted after the attorney with curiosity, bending to look where it had landed. Well I'll be damned, it's still in one piece.

Although really, he shouldn't have expected that luck to continue when he tried to take it in his mouth. The shepherd shook his head and awkwardly licked snow off his muzzle. Whoops.

[shi_swoon]

With all the people finding animals on the network lately, it was a little concerning seeing an un-collared dog running around. It looked healthy enough, but what if it had just been turned out? or gotten loose? He hated to think of the poor dog freezing, or worse, still running around during the night time.

He crouched down a few feet away from the dog, offering his palm out. He'd never had a dog himself, but that's what you were supposed to do, right? he called out with a soft whistle. "Hey--here boy, come here. You're not a stray are you?"

[deservesabone]

His ears perked up at the calling voice, and he looked over to see a beckoning young man, his hand outstretched. ...Sam gave a doggish grin. Well now, did the boy take him for a stray? That was a riot.

But he wasn't of a mind to just ignore the helpful summons (especially anyone at this point was a potential playmate, which was something both the Shepherd's instincts and his own good mood were agreed on). Sam trotted over with a pleasantly wagging tail and prancing paws, ready to at least humor the boy by sniffing his hand.

[shi_swoon]

Shi-Woon grinned back, letting the dog sniff him a moment before reaching up to scritch his ears. "Where did you come from, hm? You're too friendly to be a stray. I think."

He chuckled again, aware that he was only really talking to hear himself. He was going to have to worry about finding the dog's owner, soon, but for the moment he just indulged in what was for him, a novel opportunity.

[deservesabone]

You forgot to mention too clean, Sam thought to himself, leaning his hand into the petting. When Shi-Woon started scratching at a particularly satisfying spot, he was all but shoving his whole body into him. Ah, the miracle of human hands. It was no wonder dogs took on owners; who else would get those hard-to-reach spots?

sorry for all my edits, jeeeeez.

[atrumcanis]

There were several reasons to be Padfoot right now. An avoidance tactic, for one; it was easier to be running about as a dog right now, rather than face everything else. Not that things were so bad, the Sirius part of him thought quickly; things could most definitely be worse. That didn't mean that there wasn't a certain appeal in doggishness right now. It was simple this way--and, anyway, there was hardly a better way to enjoy snow. Some sort of wordless, effortless joy took over, and it was easy to get lost in that feeling, in the many varying smells of winter and the feel of the cold and the snow and

No problem!

[deservesabone]

...Jesus, that was a big dog.

It was the first thing Sam noticed when he looked over, his tail even half-tucking in surprise. Padfoot was huge, and shaggy to boot. Like someone had crossed a dog with a small bear. Sam looked like a pedigreed purebred by comparison.

But the mongrel at least didn't seem menacing - more eager to play than anything else. That could be all right. He trotted towards the strange stray, cautiously wagging. Maybe we'll play, but I want to get a good whiff of you first.

[atrumcanis]

His tail wagged harder in response, practically vibrating with anticipated excitement. If this dog wanted to play, then they would play--and that would be the best. He ducked his head, tongue lolling out of the corner of his mouth.

He was careful to keep still as the other dog approached--he wanted to run circles around it, and smell it, and then play, playing was the most important--but he only wriggled a little, sniffing at him. He lived with people, maybe; people and other pets, that's what the smell was.

[deservesabone]

Friendly body language and a scent that said the other canine was more interested in playing than fighting decided Sam's response. Intimidating though the stray was to look at, there was just another dog under all that thick black fur, eager to play. All right, you pass. Come on then, mongrel.

Sam jumped away and stopped, his tail and ears high as he gave a bark. Let's go, let's go. Tag would be fun - lots of running, lots of chances to jump in the snow. He ran a half-circle around Padfoot, waiting for the other dog to get the hint.

[makes_asteroids]

Erik - for all he didn't like to be cold enjoyed the snow. His powers allowed him to generate heat, meaning he was quite comfortable in nothing more than a heavy sweater and coat. While the streets weren't empty, they were less crowded than home, or so it seemed.

He was leaning against a fence, just people watching, sipping a cup of coffee when he spotted a dog. He didn't appear to be a street dog - he was in good condition, and appeared to be walking all right in the snow.

He seemed about as comfortable in the snow as Erik was, which amused him.

[deservesabone]

Dogs were adept at picking up emotion. It all had to do with a lot of things. Smell, for one (there were scents people gave off when angry or happy), the inflection of the voice and body language - people communicated more than they realized.

So it wasn't hard for Sam to pick up Erik's good mood, even though the mutant wasn't calling him over. And an amused, relaxed man was a man who might play. Maybe not much - he looked older - but maybe he had something he could throw for him, or he would bend down to give him a scratch behind the ears. Those would be nice.

Hopeful, Sam gave a single, friendly bark and trotted over, lifting his paws high as he walked, like a prancing horse.

[makes_asteroids]

Momentarily he stiffened just a little at the bark - bad memories of dogs barking, but he's mostly all right with them now, and even chuckled a little at the prancing. Erik shifted, knowing that due to using his powers to generate warmth, he had ozone gathering, and didn't want to overwhelm the dog's more sensitive nose with it.

As the dog came closer, Erik held his hand out, to let him sniff it and to pet him. He wasn't worried about being bitten - for one, friendly body language; for two - Ozone's sharp biting, bleach like oder tended to keep answers from wanting to bite him.

((Ozone smells like bleach only more nose burny...so he smells like fresh coffee and like he uses way too much bleach in his laundry - and mutants don't smell completely HUMAN Marvel has told us.))

[deservesabone]

That was a weird smell. Weird and strong, especially to such a sensitive nose. Sam paused a few feet away, snorting as if he could get rid of it. But the smell lingered. ...How was it coming from this man? It wasn't something he'd come in contact with before.

So he was more wary than he'd have normally been, as he approached. His tail fell a little lower, brown eyes trained up on Erik lest he make a violent move. But he slowly moved forward all the same, sniffing the offered hand as if it would let make sense of the man.

[elderyouth]

He'd always taken to traveling around the city as a 'dog,' and the snow didn't change a thing. It was better snow than that arctic had -- fluffy, easy to jump and roll in.

Which was exactly why the wolf was doing that right then. The snowplow had left a good amount piled on the sides of the road, and even if it was a bit dirty... He was leaping to the top, digging here and there for no particular reason; tried gulping some down when he got thirsty, but that turned out to be a gross-tasting experience. Had some thoughts on getting Haruhi or Minako or Tamaki out to play, but then he wouldn't be able to talk, and, well. This was fine, for now.

-- Except he jumped on a spot where the snow hadn't exactly been packed well, and fell front-end-first with a short yelp on into it. Ah, cold, cold, on the ears--!

[deservesabone]

That wasn't a dog.

Sam stopped cold at the scent on the wind, lifting his muzzle to catch it before looking around. Wolves weren't something he had a good repertoire with - mostly because back home they tended to turn into very human assholes. This one smelled different, but - well, you could never be too careful.

Spotting Toboe, he watched him from a safe distance away, his head and tail hanging low, wary. ...Was it just him, or did the wolf seem kind of... clumsy?

[elderyouth]

He was backing out of the snow ditch with a whine and a full-bodied shake, a few flakes still sticking to his coat. Ah, but if he tracked in wet paw marks, Haruhi would wonder...

It was around then that he caught the canine scent. One, two sneezes later, and he was turning his head around to try to spot where the scent had come from. It didn't smell sick, so that meant it could have possibly been someone to play with... Or even just greet.

Maybe. Ah, there. His instincts kicked in before he just ran over- instead, he gave a slow, low wag of his tail, ears perked forward. Hello?

[deservesabone]

Sam circled him, still wary. He couldn't help it. It was like a double dose - instinct and experience, both telling him to watch out. Wolves were predators. They weren't domestic, and they were unpredictable.

...But this one seemed as curious in Sam as Sam was in him. And what was he doing out here in front of everybody? Out with people? Weren't wolves notoriously shy? He'd have thought any wolves on the island would be out hiding in the woods somewhere, not just playing in the street. So maybe there was something special about this one; like someone had taken it in and trained it. It could be an escaped pet, he guessed.

If you bite me, I'mma have to shift to something bigger, and neither of us is gonna like that...

But he was willing to give it the benefit of the doubt for once. He wagged back, equally slowly, and came forward to get a good long sniff.