A bond of brothers

by **Oliver Villiers** Tue Dec 28, 2021 5:13 pm

It was cold and windy, but Oliver just wanted to get out and spend some time by himself whilst enjoying some fresh air. He wandered out into the park, as he had done so many times before, and seated himself on a bench in a clearing. For a second, Oliver closed his eyes, inhaled deeply, and exhaled. He had once read that breathing exercises could help people to calm down, however, he doubted it would have any beneficial effect on him. After he had done a few more deep breaths his eyes jolted open.

The park seemed empty, except for a few others. By now, Oliver had only spotted two runners and four people taking their pet out for a walk. But besides them, there was no one. Oliver wanted to close his eyes again and put his head back, but suddenly he heard rustling from behind him. His eyes widened as he saw how a shaggy dog stepped out of the bushes next to him. Oliver looked around, expecting his owner was somewhere around, but for now, there was not a single human to be seen. The dog had noticed him and gamboled towards him. Slowly, Oliver reached out his arm to pet the dog's head yet regretting it almost immediately as the dog was filthy. ”Ugh,” he growled.

♔ angie

by **Alva Skarsgård** Tue Dec 28, 2021 9:59 pm

She had forced herself to leave her dorm room. Last weekend she used her newest drug, for the first time, which had ensured that she had slept extremely well the night after it. The next day she hadn't had the energy to do much at all, although she mainly blamed it on her laziness. Now she was quite fresh and on a mandatory walk she had imposed on herself. She was pretty good at keeping her word when it came down to it. She had arrived at the park and glanced around for a moment. The cold wind kept most of the people indoors to enjoy their heated homes. She couldn't blame them. As soon as she had taken a walk, she too would settle down comfortably in her armchair with a glass of wine in her hand. "Ugh," She continued walking and heard a light growl from a dog standing close to a young man. As she stepped closer, the dog took a few steps back. "Poor dog, you insulted him. No wonder he growls." It came out pretty quick and sarcastic, though her smile gave away it was meant as a joke.

by **Oliver Villiers** Wed Dec 29, 2021 11:57 am

In this park, it was prohibited to have your dog off the leash, so Oliver was surprised to find one that walked around freely. Also, the condition this dog was in was rather peculiar. Its fur was almost completely covered with dirt, including his head. Oliver wondered where its owner was but at the moment there was no one else here.

As a way of greeting, Oliver petted the dog's head only to find out that even that part was dirty. Now it was not only the dog that was filthy but also his own hands. As he tried to clean them off by shaking them, he heard a woman’s voice. A young woman pointed out that he had just insulted the dog, which was the reason why it had growled. ”I happen to have that effect on animals,” he eventually said. ”Is it yours?” he continued, gesturing at the dog that had taken a seat next to him. If it was, she was a shitty dog owner.

♔ angie

by **Alva Skarsgård** Wed Dec 29, 2021 4:22 pm

”I happen to have that effect on animals,” Her gaze lingered for a moment on the dog that meanwhile choose to sit down next to the young man. "Is it yours?" Alva raised an eyebrow and let her gaze move from her feet to her hands, as if she needed to take a good look at herself. "Do I look like a dog person?" She paused before continuing, shaking her head. "Despite the dog's growl, it looks like you have a new friend." she said with a nod to the animal next to him. Alva stayed on her place and looked around for a moment. She had to admit that this was not the perfect place for a stray dog. The parc was surrounded with streets. Those were more dangerous than they first appeared.

by **Oliver Villiers** Thu Dec 30, 2021 7:41 pm

Judging by the words of the girl, the dog wasn’t hers. So, Oliver concluded that it was most likely a stray with no owner who was taking care of him. As far as he could see, it was also not wearing a dog collar that could help him find its keeper. The girl pointed out that, despite the angry sounds it had made before, it looked like the dog was his new friend. Oliver chuckled as he eyed the dog for a second. ”I charmed him,” he noted, shifting his gaze back to her again. ”I think he might be a stray,” he said. It was either that, or the owner just did not care about the dog’s wellbeing.

♔ angie

by **Alva Skarsgård** Sun Jan 02, 2022 11:44 am

While she briefly glanced at the surroundings, she rested her hand on her trouser pocket. She had to subconsciously check whether her purchase from last night was still there. As soon as she knew it was still there, she lowered her hand and shifted her gaze back to the dog next to the young man. ”I charmed him,” She smiled briefly at the young man before moving her eyes back to the dog, avoiding eye contact. ”I think he might be a stray,” he said. "Should we do something with him?" she thought aloud. "Drop him off somewhere or come back later to check on him?" Alva hadn't really come across a stray dog before, so she wasn't quite sure what to suggest more. She only suggested something to show that she was willing to help the dog, even though she was actually walking home after a short and mandatory walk.

by **Oliver Villiers** Sun Jan 09, 2022 11:07 am

As far as he knew, strays were not very common around here. There were plenty of dogs to be found at the park, but all of them had an owner that was looking after them. This one though seemed to be a free-ranging one without someone to take care of him. The girl next to him said that they might do something with him and suggested that they might want to drop him off somewhere to give him a check on him. Oliver nodded, rising from the bench. ”Maybe we can get him to a vet?” he suggested. ”Don’t they put chips inside them these days? Perhaps he has one.” Oliver remembered that their dogs had to go to the vet to get them little chips so they could be registered. If they were lucky, this one would have one of these chips too with which they could track its owner.

♔ angie