Realistic or Modern Safe Haven ( Animal focused roleplay )

[Flutterby]

Kipty rounded the edge of the shed, and saw no sign of the dog. She finished the loop, and peeked in the door. She could just barely make out the shape of the dog in the cage, and relaxed. Chase came up behind her, congratulating her, and she blushed, partly because she wasn't used to any praise, and partly because she knew she hadn't done a thing.


Chase stepped in and took a look at the dog, speaking to her as he did. The young woman held the door open wider as Chase emerged, and crouched next to the cage as he caught his breath. "She's a pretty girl." She murmured, and the dog glared at her. "Hi pretty momma," Kipty whispered, reaching into her pocket and pulling out a treat. She held it just inside the cage, watching as the dog sniffed the air. Catiously, she leaned forward and took the treat from her hand, but didn't get any closer to the human than she had to. "She's not too unfriendly, won't be hard to socialize and train." She commented, looking up at Chase. "Doing okay there, big guy? Maybe you should hit the gym." She teased, feeling more at ease with Chase now that they had accomplished a task together.


@Emem


Sadie stared at Kyle, even after he rolled his eyes and looked at the flat light thingy. Why didn't he want to pet her? It was a few minutes later that her ears caught the sound of paws on the floor and she popped her head up, looking at Skye as she came in. Sadie's tag began to wag, and when Skye came over, Sadie stood and sniffed at her in return. The mutt was very relaxed, and didn't think Skye was a mean dog. In fact, she thought they could be friends. Sadie gave a soft ruff, and couched experimentally, to see if Skye liked to play. Sadie was so excited to have a new canine friend that she didn't notice the humans that came into the room at all.


@Lonelytaco

 

[Emem]

Avery grinned when Nichole slipped the noose over the dog's head. Even though she had done basically nothing, she felt a sense of accomplishment at catching her first dog, and was excited about the prospect of doing more, on her own, in the future. The dog was quite food aggressive, but inch by inch and treat by treat Nichole coaxed him over and into the van. "His leg doesn't seem too bad." she commented, as he jumped into the van with relative ease. They both clambered into the truck and Nichole started driving back towards the shelter. "I noticed the food aggression." she confirmed, when Nichole mentioned about being careful while examining the dog. "Hopefully he settles down once he has had a few meals." she said optimistically, glancing towards the back of the van. The dog was laying tensely on the floor of his cage.


@Lonelytaco


Chase laughed at Kipty's teasing, watching her bend down to interact with the dog. A testament to his easy going nature, Chase was not one to take jokes personally, even if they were insults. "You could be right about that." he agreed jokingly even though, in fact, he was a regular at the local gym and had the fitness level to show for it. "I don't see you jumping up to offer to carry the big, heavy, cage." he shot back jokingly. "Alright, let's get out of here." he said, recovering his breath and bending down to pick up the cage and dog. He had to stop once by the gate to the backyard for a break, but otherwise carried the cage to the truck without too much trouble. "Mind getting the hatch and tailgate for me?" he asked Kipty as they approached the truck.


@Flutterby

 

[Hotaru]

"Um, yeah, actually. I'm Alyssa Harte, a new volunteer here. Today's supposed to be my first day. I thought I'd check in and stuff." Aly put her phone in her back pocket. She looked around. "It's a nice place here," she added.


((Sorry for the short rps I don't know what to add..))

 

[Flutterby]

Kipty stood slowly, still smiling at the mother dog, who didnt exactly share her good mood. "Well, thats probably because the big, heavy cage weighs about as much as I do." She shot back casually, turning her smile to him as she stepped back. He lifted the cage again, and she grabbed their things and waited patiently next to the gate. When he was ready, she pulled it open and followed him out, latching it behind them. A glow of satisfaction settled in her stomach, and she stood by the gate, basking in it for a moment.


Until his voice brought her out of it, and she hurried over to get the truck open. She fumbled with the hatch for a moment, unfamiliar with how it worked, but after a few horribly embarrassing seconds, she popped it open and lowered the tailgate for him. She slid the poles in along the side where they would be out of the way but secure, and watched closely to be ready to help if he needed it. But mostly she was watching the dog, happily patting herself on the back for her part in bringing her to her pups, however small or non-existent it really was.


"Back to Safe Haven now?" Kipty asked, turning her gray eyes back to him and looking up from under her cap brim.


@Emem

 

[Emem]

Chase waited patiently for Kipty to lower the hatch and then heaved the cage up and set it softly on the tailgate before sliding it safely inside. The dog was still pacing around the cage, but seemed a bit calmer once he had gently placed the tail gate up and shut the hatch, leaving her by herself. Chase pulled his baseball cap off and wiped the sweat onto the arm of his t-shirt before readjusting the hat. "Back to Safe Haven now?" he heard Kipty ask.


"One quick stop first. We have to go around and pick up the other trap at the diner." he said, nodding vaguely in the direction of the diner. He rummaged in his pocket for the keys and then walked over to the driver's side. The drive to the diner was only about a minute, and Chase pulled all the way around back. "You can wait in the truck if you want, I'm just going to disassemble the trap and then go tell Mrs. peters that we caught the troublemaker." he said, parking the truck next to the trap and leaving the keys in the ignition. He walked around to the side and quickly pulled apart the cage. He carried the cage and other supplies over to the truck and placed them inside beside the dog. She whined and pawed at the side of the cage. "Easy girl. Just a few minutes and you can go see your babies." he murmured, before easing the hatch closed. Chase walked quickly over to the diner and stepped inside. It was quite busy, now that it was just after lunch time.


Chase quickly found Mrs. Peters talking to a local house painter named John Oliver, who was sitting at a stool along the counter eating lunch. Mrs. Peters spotted him and smiled warmly. "Any luck finding that dog?" she asked.


"Yes ma'am, we just picked her up out of a trap I set earlier." Chase said with a nod. "I found a little surprise this morning, it turns out that she had four pups in a shed at a house just behind the diner." he added.


Mrs. Peters gasped. "Oh those poor puppies, I'm so sorry I scared that dog away." she said with a frown.


"Not a problem Mrs. Peters, the pups are fine and we'll get their mom back with them soon." he said with a slight smile.


"Good." she replied, firmly. "Now, let me go into the back for a sec and make you some food to bring back to Nichole, Remus and the rest of the workers to thank you for getting rid of my trouble maker." she said firmly, Mrs. peters was a short, round woman but her stern tone was enough to keep you from disagreeing, so Chase just nodded and let her hustle away into the kitchen. Chase talked with Mr. Oliver for a few minutes and then looked at his watch, Kipty was probably wondering what happened to him. Mrs. Peters came back five minutes later with a box containing two large paper bags. "Here you are." she said, setting the box on the counter. "I filled up a number of take out containers with my famous beef stew and chili. There's also some salads and a bunch of rolls. Hopefully everyone can find something they like." she beamed.


"Awe, thanks Mrs. Peters. Everyone will really appreciate it. It smells great." he said with a grin.


"No problem hun, keep me posted on how this dog and her puppies are doing. she said, waving him off.


Chase walked back out the door and hurried over to the truck. He held the box up against his chest as he fumbled to open the door left handed. "Sorry that took so long!" he apologized, "Mrs. Peters wouldn't let me leave without bringing lunch for everyone." he laughed, shaking his head and setting the box in the middle seat before jumping into the truck. Chase was always surprised by the kindness of the people of Harmony, it was one of his favourite things about living there and working for the shelter.


@Flutterby

 

[Flutterby]

Kipty watched the dog as Chase loaded her in, but looked at him to catch his nod toward the diner. She had heard about it, and loved the food that got brought back to the shelter occasionally, but she had never been there before. It was not Tim's aesthetic, to say the least. That tiny, insignificant connection occupied her thoughts on the short drive to the quaint place, and made her shrink away from getting out. So when Chase offered staying in the truck, she blinked before mumbling, "Oh, okay, yeah."


Her eyes followed him as he collected the equipment, and a small smile graced her lips as he reassured the pacing mother. But, when he disappeared into the diner, the dog seemed to give up on being out soon and laid at the bottom of the cage. A long minute passed, and she didnt move again. Kipty turned back to the front of the truck, now wishing she had gone in.


Slowly, her bored eyes slid to the keys, still hanging in the ignition. With a glance at the diner, she flipped them a single click and smiled when the radio crackled to life. She turned it up slowly, as a familiar oldie came on. Not exactly rock, but hey. It brought back the smell of campfires, the taste of pink wintergreen candies, and the smell of bold, heady 1980s cologne. She began humming along, nodding her head to the rhythm, enjoying the nostalgic music. She was getting even more into it, singing quietly and her hair bouncing, when Chase came out. She didnt notice, not even when he fumbled with the door, and when he got it open..


"Bu-bu-Benny and the-" Kipty jumped and snapped her mouth shut mid-line. Her face quickly turned completely red, and one of her hands flew in front of her lips in embarrassment. It took a moment for her to realize that he was actually already talking, apologizing for taking so long.


"Um.. yeah.. it-uh-its fine. It smells great." She said, reaching forward first to turn the radio back down and then pull the food further in so he could get in easier.


@Emem

 

[Emem]

In Chase's rush to apologize for leaving Kipty waiting in the truck for so long, he hadn't even noticed that the radio he had hurriedly turned off when they left Safe Haven had been turned back on, probably because it was rare for it to be off when he was driving. It wasn't until he pulled himself into the truck and saw Kipty's embarrassed look as she quickly turned the music down that he registered that she had been singing along when he had opened the door.


"What are you doing turning that down!? It's a good song." he laughed, amused with her embarrassed expression. He finally forced himself to look away long enough to find his seatbelt and buckle it, but a slight smirk remained on his face when he straightened up. "Okay Elton, let's get back to the shelter and this girl to her pups." he said, with a half-hearted attempt at a straight face. He wondered if he really knew Kipty well enough to tease her as he had been doing today, he quite liked working with Kipty, but today was the first time they had actually spent any time together talking about anything other than work, seeing as they were both workaholics. Chase had a habit of offending people with poorly timed jokes and an inability to draw the line, but he honestly never intended to hurt anyone. As far as he could tell though, Kipty seemed pretty good about rolling with the punches and responding with a quick retort. Chase started the truck, wondering why he was so concerned, and backed out of the parking spot.


They hadn't even pulled onto the road when Chase had a sudden thought "Hey! Elle could be a good name for our new friend." he said eagerly.


@Flutterby

 

[Flutterby]

Kipty stared at back him, horrified to be caught singing, trying to process his words. Quickly, she played them back in her head a few times, and with an unwilling smile, reached over and turned the radio back up to where it could be heard without being intrusive. It didn't occur to her to question why he looked at her for so long, but when he broke the eye contact, to buckle his seat belt, she did the same. She leaned back, pulling it across her chest and giving it a test yank after it clicked in.


Okay Elton.. Kipty looked at him again, an amused grin on her lips. "You know, if you hadn't kept us two ladies waiting, you wouldn't have had to witness that." She quipped back, the playfulness reaching her expression as she wrinkled her nose and her smile turning to a smirk. Even though she usually felt entirely uncomfortable with new people, Chase seemed to be on the same page as her. Along with her habit of accidentally giving random compliments, she had a similar habit of giving random insults without realizing it. She had a feeling if she did so with Chase, he would brush it off with a laugh. Her mind was mulling over the new comfort level when he spoke again, offering a name for their new girl.


Kipty turned in her seat, looking back at the pretty canine who had stood up to balance in the moving truck. Elle.. "Yeah, I think so too," She agreed distantly, looking at her for a momet longer before turning back to the road, a little sad her morning adventure was ending.


@Emem

 

[Emem]

Chase was pleased with Kipty's approval of the name choice, and he thought Nichole and Remus would be amused with it as well. "Now if we think of names for the pups that are related to Elton John songs my joke will be complete." he joked, looking away from the road for a second to wink at her. Kipty had turned quiet, staring out the front window, as they drove casually towards the shelter. Not being one for much small talk himself, Chase found the silence comfortable. He absentmindedly tapped his fingers along to the beat of the song playing softly on the radio with one hand while navigating with the other. Just take those old records off the shelf. I'll sit and listen to 'em by myself. Today's music ain't got the same soul. I like that old time rock and roll.


He shook his head a little, silently reprimanding himself for his lack of attention to the road, but truth be told, he could get from practically any point A to point B blind folded in Harmony.It wasn't as if he was simply remembering where to drive, the town was as much a part of him as his left hand. He knew how to get around this town as well as he knew how to string a fishing line, as well as he knew the thirty year football record of HDSS (Harmony District Secondary School), and even as well as hew knew his first high school love Sarah Thomas's beaten up leather couch. He guessed that was what happens when you grow up in a small town with nothing much else to do. From biking the streets as kids to cruising around in his old beat up Chevy with his brothers or friends and a case of illegally obtained beers as teenagers, he must have been on practically every street a thousand times in this town. Caught in his moment of reminiscing about the good ol' high school days, Chase was surprised by how quickly they reached the turn off to Safe Haven.


Rather than parking at the front of the building this time, he pulled around to the back door to unload their new catch. He backed up to the building so that he was just far enough away to get the door open, which would make carrying the cage significantly easier than walking through the maze of doors and hallways to the dog room from the front door. He quickly put the truck in park and pocketed the keys. "I wonder if Nichole and Avery had any luck catching that other dog?" he said aloud casually, as he jumped from the truck and slammed the door shut. He walked around to the back of the truck and pulled the hatch and tailgate open in one easy motion. The frightened dog jumped to her feet at the sudden change in scenery "Nothing to worry about there Elle, we'll get you in with your pups soon enough." he said softly, while sliding the crate forward. He propped the back door open with a wedge and took a deep breath to steady himself for a minute before carefully hoisting the cage from the truck and walking it inside. The back door led to a slightly unorganized supply room, in the centre of the room was a pallet filled with dog food that must he would need to put away later. Chase had already made the decision to leave the dog in the back room while he found out what Nichole wanted done with her, reasoning that if he put her in her own cage in the dog room she would lose her mind when she smelled her puppies but was unsure if she was supposed to be put with the pups straight away. He set the cage down off to the side and then straightened up. "Good work team." he said with a grin as Kipty followed in behind him carrying the boxes of food from the diner. "I don't know about you, but I'm starving. Ready for a lunch break?" he asked.


@Flutterby

 

[Catharsis]

(Once again, I haven't been getting notifications. I sincerely apologize.)


Nichole nodded at Avery's comments and continued to drive. "What really bothered me was that piece of work that had the nerve to confront me before I even got in the damn place." she responded in a frustrated tone, brushing her hair aside. She knew the woman had a right to be upset, however the amount of displeasure she showed Nichole showed that she was blaming her for the dog's actions. The child had probably been messing with the dog and it jumped up on her, that's what dogs do. "Maybe if she had been watching her fucking child..." she muttered unable to hide her anger. Nearly every single person in Harmony blamed their mistakes on the animals that they called animal control on, and honestly it was annoying. In attempts to take her thoughts off the drama of it all, Nichole turned the radio up half way and remained silent until they pulled back into Safe Haven. "Okay Avery, for now I think I'll have Kyle come out to get this dog, and let him settle in before we do anything else. He'd probably do best with a bit of space before we check him out, but I'd like if you could watch over his behavior carefully. See how he reacts being around the other dogs." she said, climbing out of the van.


Skye responded to Sadie rather positively, immediately sticking her tail in the air and bowing, snapping a bit at the dog's ears playfully. It was no secret that Skye was a bit lonely, she hung around dog's all day, but masters scolded her if she tried to get included. So far she hadn't been corrected with the new dog, and Skye was happy to embrace the new playmate.


Kyle stood up seeing the van pull back into the lot and began to make his way out, ignoring the two dogs in the corner. Nichole apparently saw him through one of the windows because she motioned for him to come outside. He walked out the door, being careful to shut the door because Nichole claimed if he didn't it would "Let the flies in.", yet the shelter did just fine producing flies on its own, with or without a cracked front door. He trudged to the back where he saw a slim dog laying in a cage comically larger than him. He noticed Avery and smiled at her. "So what do I need to do?" he asked raising an eyebrow at the sickly dog.


@Emem @Flutterby

 

[Emem]

Avery listened curiously as Nichole vented about the disregard for animals in the town. She found it a little hard to believe, having come from a town only an hour away, where everyone adored their pets. It wasn't long before they were pulling onto Safe Haven's road, the only road in the whole town that she found relatively easy to identify. The white picket fence on the corner was what gave it away, in front of a small, but smartly kept, pastel sided house. They pulled into the driveway at Safe Haven and Nichole parked near the front of the building. Nichole beckoned Kyle from the office when he looked outside. He sighed exasperatedly before opening the blue door and walking over to the van.


As Avery was getting out she noticed Chase's truck backed up to the rear doors and wondered excitedly if they had caught the mother dog! She heard Nichole's instructions. "Okay, I can take care of that. I wanted to go check on the puppies anyways and look them over, and I should probably go over all the other dog's vet records, which I can do easily enough while sitting in the dog room watching our new visitor." she said with a smile. They both waited at the back of the van for Kyle to walk over. He gave Avery a brief smile, which she returned with a pleasant smile and wave, and then turned to ask Nichole for instructions, sounding less than thrilled at the prospect of a new assignment.


@Lonelytaco

 

[The Mechanist]

Remus smiled at Cornelius, "You know Corn, I like that ya ask questions and aren't afraid of doing so. Well its been a while and since you're new here, I'll make your first day easy alright bud? Go ahead and do check ups on every cat in here, if there are any anomalies, come to me, I'll be in the office messaging other marine biologist for some extra input on the new wing we want to install. So do what you gotta do, make sure you keep a record of everything, put it in the filing cabinet by the door, and when youre done, come see me and I'll see if there is something you can help me with." Remus gave Cornelius a thumbs up and walked off to his office. On the way there he saw a new volunteer and approached her. "Well hello, Im Remus Renko, are one of the new volunteers?"


@Hotaru @mikaluvkitties

 

[Catharsis]

Nichole nodded at Avery before gesturing to Kyle, "If you need a break, or if you feel I'm overloading you, just make this one take over for ya." she said elbowing Kyle in the side slightly, receiving a groan in return. "Kyle will have the new pup in the dog room soon, so how bout you go check and see if Chase brought in momma dog. " she suggested with a smile. "Kyle, get this cage out of here and release him in a pen alone for me. Feed and water him before you release him. Afterwards, you'll do whatever Avery asks you to do for her.", Nichole began walking off to the stables after her last instruction to Ky, and fed Edgar. She did her daily check up with him, looking over his hooves as well as everything else before she sat down beside the large horse, sipping out of her water bottle. "Y'know, I think Jerky will be happy when your out of here, you attention hogger." she told the horse, reaching up to pet it's large mane. She talked to Edgar daily, as a sort of therepedic method. After today, Nichole wouldn't have time to spend much time with any animals. She would be too busy organizing the 5k to do anything other than her daily check-ups.


Kyle sighed and kicked up some of the dirt that made up the shelters ring around driveway as soon as Nichole left. He had been hoping to have a relaxed day rather than be at someone's beck and call. He lifted the dog's cage reluctantly, earning a growl from the snaggly dog. He banged on the cage a bit and continued on to take the dog to his new pen, where he poured water and food, also throwing in a toy or two for good measure. "Alright, your on your own now mutt."

 

[Emem]

"Oh, it's no problem!" she replied quickly when Nichole mentioned about 'overworking' her. She was eager to go check to see if Chase brought in the mother dog, but frowned when Kyle banged on the dog's cage.


"Kyle, scaring a caged dog is a good way to get bit when said dog is taken out of the cage." she reminded him in a sing-song voice as she grabbed her bag from the truck and walked around back. She looked through the door and saw Chase and Kipty in there. She opened the door and walked inside, her attention was immediately drawn to the cage they were looking at in the corner of the room.


"Ready for lunch?" she heard Chase ask Kipty.


"Awesome, you guys found her? We caught the injured dog also." she said with a smile, causing them both to look over. Apparently she was quieter than she thought she was opening the door. "Sorry, didn't mean to scare you!" she apologized quickly.


"Nice! Safe Haven 2, bumbling idiots of Harmony 0." Chase said with a grin. Although he would never act impolitely to their face, after all he was a former employee, the sheriffs office and town officials were ridiculous with their ideas on how to solve the massive stray animal overpopulation.


"Any idea what we should do with Elle here?" Chase asked Avery. Avery smiled at the adorable name for the beautiful Lab/Shepherd Mix. "I wasn't sure if we could put her with the pups right away or if her maternal instincts would cause her to be aggressive about us handling pups." he said thoughtfully, Avery had to admit she wasn't sure what would happen. The puppies themselves still weren't entirely fond of being handled and they needed to be socialized if they were going to find homes.


Avery had an idea "I'll be right back!" she said, rather than wasting time explaining her plan. She walked over to the dog room and nearly collided with Kyle, who was walking out. "All settled in?" she asked, not exactly pausing to hear his answer as she walked in the room. She saw their new acquire catch pacing around in a cage off by himself. She walked to the far end of the room and paused to look inside at the pups all huddled under the heat blanket sleeping peacefully. Avery opened the gate as quietly as she could and walked to the back, picking up the little female with her pink ribbon. She was the one that needed mom's care the most, being a tad on the ill side and lower in weight. She closed the cage door, wrapped the girl in a towel to keep her warm and walked back to the supply room. Chase and Kipty caught onto her plan quickly when she walked back with one of the pups. "I figure it's better to test her reaction hear where it's easy to catch her than by putting her in the cage with them." she explained for good measure. Avery walked over and kneeled down beside the cage. Elle shrank back to the far corner of the cage, until Avery showed her the puppy, which caused her to whine softly and step closer. She was hesitant, and it took a few minutes, but she eventually came right over to the puppy to sniff her. Avery was satisfied she had created a strong enough lure. "Would it be okay if we opened the cage in here, it seems secure enough?" she asked Kipty and Chase.


@Flutterby @Lonelytaco

 

[Flutterby]

"Well, as long as we get to call one of them Benny, I'll be pleased," Kipty said, but she blushed hard when he winked at her, and returned to looking out the window. As they unloaded at the back, he went to get the heavy cage and she grabbed the food, nodding excitedly when he asked if she was ready for lunch. But before they could really decide to eat, Avery enter quietly and spoke, causing her to jump a little. The vet had an idea about reuniting the mother with her pups safely, so while she and Chase chatted for a moment, she put the box in a neighboring room that served as a staff break room (among other things) and then returned to the supply room. Avery left a moment later, and returned with a pup in a pink ribbon. Elle was very wary at first, but came right up when she realized what the bundle in Avery's hands was. When she asked if the cage could be opened, Kipty frowned uncertainly. It made her a little nervous to let a dog who was so new out, but Avery probably knew better than she did, since she only trained after they were settled in and familiar with the shelter. "I'll close the door," She offered, standing to make sure it latched.


@Emem


Sadie, with no idea Kipty was back now, stayed focused on Skye. It was clear she wanted to play, so Sadie bounded forward. She was so excited to have a playmate, and began bounding around Skye in short, joyful bounces, tail wagging with a wide doggy grin. When she stopped jumping around, she snapped at her ears as well, vocalizing her excitement softly.


@Lonelytaco

 

[Emem]

"It should be okay." Chase agreed when Avery asked about letting the dog out of the cage, although he was a little hesitant. To be sure they could catch her again, he grabbed a catch pole before we went to let the dog out of the cage. He groaned a little bit as his stomach growled, it has been a long morning and he had been looking forward to kicking back in the staff room for a bit, but of course, work came first. He was careful to swing the door wide open and then retreat out of the way. Chase stood in a corner near the door with Kipty, curious if this would work. Elle had moved back to the far corner of the cage again when he approached, but she slowly moved over to the door. She was hesitant to leave the cage, which was pretty common among the dogs he trapped, they got used to the cage and didn't desire leaving their safe spot. Eventually, curiosity got the better of her and she walked out of the cage. Avery had straightened up and was murmuring softly. Elle could still clearly smell the puppy, and circled around Avery while whining, wondering how to get her puppy.


The sleepy little puppy was now alert and squirmed around frantically trying to get down to her mother. Avery still wasn't sure she trusted the mother dog, so she decided to sit down on a stack of dog food bags with the puppy in her lap. After a few minutes of stalking around in front of her, Elle inched close enough to smell her puppy and casually sniffed at Avery's hand in the process. Avery was careful to sit still as a log but smiled and glanced at Chase and Kipty giving them a wink. After a few more sniffs, Elle got the courage to nuzzle the puppy and she was staying closer for


noticeably longer. Avery decided that this dog was just nervous, not aggressive and would be easy to rehabilitate. As one final test, Avery placed the pup on the floor at her feet. Elle sprung into action and quickly picked the pup up and carried her into the safety of the cage. Avery walked over and crouched next to the cage again, the dog shifted away, but did not growl or seem overly concerned. "Hmm... I think she should be okay with the pups. Would you guys mind putting her into the dog room while I take a quick break? I want to get a quick drink and snack before I watch the behaviour of the new dog." she explained.


"Sure thing." Chase agreed. "Kipty and I actually brought lunch for everyone back from the diner that reported Elle, if you're hungry." Chase offered, gesturing at the box of food next to Kipty. "Actually, I can handle putting this dog away, if you want to join Avery?" he asked Kipty.





@Flutterby

 

[Catharsis]

Kyle pulled the cage aside from the dog's pen, making mental note to put it back in the van later, and sat down on the concrete floor. He watched as the dog panted and circled around the cage cautiously, every now and then letting out a small whine. "That'll get annoying quickly." he mumbled and pulled out his phone. He had begun to scroll through his social media accounts absentmindedly when he heard the sound of water hitting the floor. He looked up and watched as the dog hiked his leg up on the wall. Kyle looked around the pen frantically and realized he had forgotten to line it with puppy pads, as well as put bedding in. He stood up and ran to the large supply closet at the end of the room and fetched out 2 towels and a few pads for the dog as well. He slipped into the dog's cage and threw down a rawhide for good measure as he laid the things down. he had his back turned when he suddenly felt breathing on his neck. He jumped and looked down at the dog who had now coward over to the other side of the pen in fear. "Oh hey, no no it's just me. You scared me dude." he said pulling a small treat out of his pocket and offering it to the dog. The dog made it's way over to him slowly, eyeing Kyle cautiously the whole way over and even more as he snatched the treat from his hand.


Nichole stood up and walked out of Edar's stable, making her way back inside the shelter. She walked in and sighed happily as the cool air flowed through her body. She poured herself a drink and went to sit at the shelter's computer. Once there she sat down and scrolled through her files til she got to the shelter's population list. She went through each animal, scanning through each one carefully and taking note on each one's behavior. She had planned to take about 15 dogs and cats to the 5k to be shown, but was now considering taking more considering the amount of good traits each animal had. She still had to work on assigning each of her workers/volunteers a place for the event. She would need a few vendors, people to walk the dogs in the race, show the cats, as well as tend to the adoption papers of anyone who wished to adopt one. This event would take a lot of effort if they wanted it to work out.

 

[Flutterby]

(Little bit of writer's block)


Kipty watched, enraptured, as Elle and her baby were cautiously reunited. A wave of elation surged through her as they were allowed to be close together again. When avery spoke, she nodded excitedly. Her trance-like excitement was broken by Chase, offering for her to go eat instead. Blinking a few times, she remember how hungry she was and the fact she still had a few dogs to work with.


"Oh, yeah, sure. But no guarantees there will be any left," She said, with a grin as she picked up the box and headed to the staff room. Setting it down, she started to unpack it. "Looks like we've got beef stew, chilli, salads, and a bunch of rolls." She said, smiling as the smell of delicious food hit her nose again. For herself, she grabbed a take-out of beef stew and a roll, and then grabbed a fork. Leaning against the counter, she tried the stew. It was loaded with beef and potatoes and vegetables, with a rich broth. It reminded her of her father. She dipped the roll in the broth and ate the moistened bit, smiling around the mouthful of food. She would've tried to start a polite conversation, but she was too absorbed in the homey goodness she was eating.


@Emem

 

[Catharsis]

Lewis woke up to Max standing over his face, drooling and whimpering softly.

He reached up and wrestled the large dog off of his chest and sat up, wiping his eyes and reaching for his shirt,

a crumpled ball on the floor of his bedroom. He pulled it on and dragged Max off the bed with him as he walked into the living room,

where his mom was laid sprawled out of the couch watching the news. "Mornin' you two." she said sitting up to watch them walk through.

"Morning mom." Lewis grabbed his backpack off the table and began shoving bags of chips in it for the day ahead.

"Has everything been going good at the shelter?" she asked in a slightly suspicious tone as she watched him gather up stuff.

Lewis nodded a response and clipped on Max's leash, giving him a slight pat on the head.

He walked to the counter and grabbed his medicine, which he was required daily in order to prevent his condition from furthering, and took it all.

"I'll see you later mom." he said as he started out the door with Max to his truck. Once he got in he started the truck and began pulling out.

He started towards his best and only friend's house, Carter's. Once he got there he honked the horn and waited patiently for her arrival.

Carter had been waiting patiently for two hours when Lewis finally pulled in. She grabbed her cellphone and started out the door,

where her father stopped her. "You haven't said one word to me all morning Carter." he said with that gruff tone of his, looking down at her accusingly. "Hi dad." she said pushing past him and walking out the door.

She opened the passenger side door and was met with Max's glare. "I couldn't get him to move." Lewis said smiling apologetically.

"No problem" she pushed Max over just enough for her to get in and sat next to the dog.

The ride to the shelter was quiet, and Carter was happy for the silence. She thought of her father, who acted as if everything she did was just to spite him. It started when Carter first volunteered at the shelter behind his back, and furthered even more when she began taking rides from the town's boy known only for his HIV. To Carter, it didn't matter. Lewis was nice enough, and she wasn't idiotic enough to think that he was contagious. The two had had a quiet friendship since they were kids, and it wasn't going to change just because of a stupid condition.

Once they pulled into the shelter, Carter grabbed max and the three walked inside together. "Hey guys' she said waving slightly to everyone inside. Her, Lewis and Max walked up to the receptionist desk where Nichole was and waited for her to notice them.

Kyle slipped out of the dog's pen and shut it behind him. He didn't feel like dealing with him much more and decided to leave it to Avery. He found Kipty, Chase, and Avery all together in the staff room, and watched as Kipty started to bring out food. "Ooooh, got any good stuff in there for me?" he asked rubbing his hands together in a frantic motion before turning to Avery. "The new dog's pen is all set by the way."​

@Emem @Flutterby

Nichole jumped a bit when she noticed people standing over her. "Oh it's just you two." she said in realization, looking up at Carter and Lewis. "Hey Max!" she said looking over the counter to see the large dog, who was wiggling his body happily. She threw one of the treats she kept on her desk down to him and looked back to her two volunteers. "Lewis, Chase brought in some puppies today that you can help work on, and I think I saw everyone heading into the staff room if you two wanna check it out. I'll be here." she said looking back down to her computer screen. Carter released Max from his chain and allowed him to go before hanging his leash up. The two friends walked to the back room where they found Kyle, Chase, Kipty, and Avery. "Hey everyone." Lewis said looking down at the food."

Noel leaned over for a moment, taking a break from walking the dog she had been out with since 8 this morning. She watched the cars on the busy street speed by her spot on the sidewalk and took a sip of her water, pouring a bit down in a waterfall like motion for the dog as well. She was getting closer to the shelter, but was already worn out from the walk. It had been hours, and Noel was just ready to get back to Safe Haven.

​

 

[Emem]

Avery and Kipty walked into the break room and rummaged through the pile of food. She decided on some delicious looking beef stew and a roll and started wolfing it down so that she could get back to the new dog. Chase walked in a few minutes later and grabbed some chili, sprawling out on a beat up couch in the corner of the room and slurping noisily. He mentioned that the puppies were very happy to be back with their mom. A few seconds later Kyle walked in and announced that the new dog was put away successfully. "Thanks," Avery replied to Kyle in between mouthfuls of soup. "I'm just going to finish up lunch and I'll go watch him." she noted, looking down at the progress of her half-eaten bowl of stew. Two of the volunteers that she met yesterday, Carter and Lewis, walked into the room too. It was suddenly getting a little crowded in the tiny break room.


"Hey guys." Chase said with a wave, half grudgingly sitting up to make more sitting room. "Grab some food if you're hungry!" he said enthusiastically. Everyone was busily eating and it was silent for a number of minutes before he decided to break the ice "So guys. Favourite Elton John songs?" he asked, seemingly out of the blue. "Kipty and I made the executive decision to name that new dog Elle-ton and one of the pups Benny." he explained, wondering if these old songs were beyond the knowledge of the younger volunteers.


@Flutterby @Lonelytaco

 

[Flutterby]

Kipty leaned on the counter out of the way, happily watching everyone eat. She usually disliked groups of people, but while she was going unnoticed, the noise and energy of company was nice. The beef stew filled her up before it was completely gone, so she decided that the rest would be lunch for Sadie. She really should head back to work, a few dogs still needed to learn their basic commands, but she was enjoying being with everyone too much to go just yet.


She was happily meditating on this, when Chase spoke up, starting a sentence with her name. She looked up at him, a blush spreading from her cheeks to her ears. Kipty had taken her cap off when she came inside, but now she was wishing she still had it on, so she could duck her head and hide her embarrassment. But now she was stuck blushing in front of a room full of people. "Actually, it was his decision. I just accidentally inspired it." She said, poking at a lump of potato in her stew to avoid looking up.

 

[Catharsis]

Lewis shifted uncomfortably at Chase's question, "I'm more of a Nirvana kinda guy actually." he noted out loud and reached for a roll. He tried not to salivate as he bit into its soft surface. "So good." he said licking his fingers off before taking a seat. He poured himself a bowl of stew and started to eat, listening in to the conversation around him as he did. He felt comfortable at the shelter, everyone minded their own business and stayed out of his for the most part. Everyone was nice. He zoned back in and realized Chase's previous comment had mentioned puppies, which he specialized with. "Oh, you guys brought in puppies today?" he asked with a hint of hope in his voice. It had been a while since he had dealt with any puppies, so recently he just had to wonder around the shelter in hopes Nichole would need him for something, which she never did. He had kittens a few days ago, but they had been adopted much too soon for Lewis's liking.


Max whined softly outside of the door of the staff room, Master had once again forgot to hold the door for him. He bowed his head and began to sulk a bit quietly when he heard the playful yips of the two dogs playing behind him. He looked back at the two dogs before looking to the door again. He wanted to play, but what if while he was playing Master came out and couldn't find him? What if Master was going to get him treats or something? He decided to wait by the door rather than go play with the other two, but he still glanced back and forth painfully wishing he could go play.


Carter glanced around the room at everyone ating and her stomach let out a small gurgle. She had already eaten, but the food looked great. She almost reached for a plate when she heard Chase's question. "Oh... probably "Can you feel the love tonight?" cause y'know. Childhood memories." she said finally giving into the temptation. She took a seat and got herself some food, waiting patiently for the conversation to continue.


Noel walked into the shelter, wanting to faint at the feel of air conditioning on her skin. She walked the dog back to his pen before walking back out to the shelter's reception room. When she got there she saw Nichole beginning to stand, gathering a bundle of papers as she did so. "You need some help with that?" she asked walking over. Nichole looked up and nodded, brushing some hair aside. "Hold the door to the staff room open for me while I carry these please." Noel did as she was told, stepping aside to give Nichole room to get in, and stepping in behind her as well, waving to all the workers inside.


Nichole sat her papers down on the large table in the center of the room, making sure not to set them with the food that was on the table. "Hmm, this looks good." she said grabbing a roll and taking a bite before speaking again. "Since you guys are all here, we need to talk about the 5k on Friday. I gotta know whose doing what by then." she laid a single sheet of copy paper down with a small list of jobs that needed to be done. "So, when you decided which one you wanna do, sign your name beside it and that's all I ask of you." she said finishing up. She really needed all the workers to give 100% for this event. It could determine the future of Safe Haven as well as the present. As of now, the shelters funds were all washed up, but she didn't wanna tell the workers that. She needed them to work hard without overworking.


Kyle walked around the table and grabbed a pen, he scanned over all the jobs that needed to be done and finally decided that he would work on concessions. He scribbled his name and noted that at the top and bottom of the page, all the workers/volunteer's named had already been put down for the set up and clean up. Meaning he would have to stick around all day, as well as everyone else.

 

[The Mechanist]

Remus' phone began to ring, he turned to the newcomer, "please excuse me, I have to take this." He answered the call to find it was one of his marine biology buddies calling him about a large shark they had found. Apparently it was a large female great white on the verge of giving birth, he was wondering if Remus could make it out to their location. Remus had to decline the offer because he was working at the shelter and just couldnt leave his wife to fend for herself. He ended the call with a goodbye and made his way to the staff room where everyone else was there eating. And sure enough he saw his wife Nicole in front talking to everyone about the 5K event, he gave his loving wife a small wave and grabbed himself a roll; sitting down he scooted back a little bit because he picked up a new eating habit to make space between him and the table for a good reason. Tigger came around and jumped on Remus' lap and curled up into a ball, relaxing as Remus began to eat, purring loudly and happily.

 

[Flutterby]

Kipty listened quietly as they discussed names, avoiding involving herself as much as possible. She was instantly alert when Nichole came in, and when Kyle was done writing his name down, she took the sheet and scanned it. After a moment of thought, she put herself down as walking dogs in the race. It made sense. If the newer volunteers took the more leash-ready dogs, she could handle the possible handfuls. The girl was really excited about the 5k. Not only did she love animals and the shelter, she loved running. Maybe she could get Nichole to let her take one of the more athletic dogs and run with her..


Kipty put the sheet back down, letting others have a chance to sign up. The 5k was going to be a blast, and very good for the shelter. She just couldnt wait!

 

[Catharsis]

Nichole shook her head at Remus, "Don't forget to sign up for something, loser." she said, ruffling his hair playfully before walking out. Now that that was over with, she could relax and work on a few other things. She walked into the dog room and examined each pen carefully, until she came across one with a single name tag on it, "Tor". She kneeled down by the pen and observed the large dog pacing around the pen silently, every now and then glancing fearfully at Nichole. She grabbed a leash off the wall and opened the door slowly. The dog cowered in the corner of the large cage and Nichole approached him slowly. This dog was a Purple collar, meaning he was in the training stage. Tor had been found a week ago, his case was a bit different because he was a surrendered dog. He had been found amongst hoarders junk, and was quiet skittish. Despite claims, Nichole believes he was beaten. Now, she slips on the leash and walks slowly with him following far behind.