Post by Mango on Apr 18, 2006 17:29:44 GMT -5
As Mango padded through the abandoned human building, she thought, Hecate, I am hungry.
Mango wasn't a big dog. She was actually quite small for her age; her siblings had grown to be much bigger than her. It wasn't exactly advisable for one as small and slim as her to be walking through this unexplored territory at night. But she could run fast enough. If anything skulking in the shadows decided to have a go, she would be halfway to the door before you could say mouse.
Mouse. Mango's belly let out a defeated sort of gurgle. Mice didn't even taste that good. They were too small to make a real meal, and left a bitter aftertaste. The dog swiped her pink tongue around her mouth. Even that bitterness would be appreciated now. It had been three days since she'd eaten anything more than scraps.
Scraps. This time, Mango only felt the gurgle. Her belly seemed to have given up on using up its energy making any kind of noise. The gray-brown creature let out a small sigh, then plopped down on her hind quarters. Tongue lolling out of her mouth, she took a look around, orange eyes the brightest thing in the place. There wasn't much to see. This place was seriously dead. She had come down here in hopes of finding some trash, maybe, or a sympathetic human. All she could see here was a long, thin room that stretched far away in both directions. The night wind whistled through the gap she had entered through, blowing some stray paper down the staircase. She was underground, she realized. This strange gray chamber was built underground.
Mango peered to the other end of the room. A few broken benches stood against the wall, dusty and abandoned. The wall was decorated with the remains of papers, advertisements and flyers that now lay forgotten on the ground, pieces torn off and blown away to some unknown place. Mango rose to her broad, dark paws, and padded over to the papers. She sniffed them carefully. Detecting an old food scent on one, she licked it clean, then chewed it to pieces. As her jaw moved, her pale teeth stood out starkly against her black mouth. The paper left a blank taste in her mouth, and encouraged her belly to make that groan again. She flicked her ears and sighed. Where do I gotta go to get some decent food around here? she thought. Back home, food had been easy to find. Her brother and sister would help her, and they'd catch rats, or raid trash cans, laughing at the fury of the humans. Even when things had been at their worst, some humans were nice, and would give them scraps. Here, though, the humans were unsympathetic, shooing her away even when she made her puppy face.
She'd always known she'd eventually have to leave home, for that was her parents' territory. But why did it have to be so soon?
Raising her nose, Mango took in a deep sniff. Nothing much. Gasoline, mostly. A few stray human scents, maybe some dog here and there. They were all old. She took another breath, turning toward the back of the narrow chamber. Narrowing her eyes, she peered against the darkness. There was... a tunnel? It faded into darkness too quickly; she couldn't see it clearly. Hesitantly, she moved closer. Her claws clicked quietly on the cement, the only noise in this abandoned place.
As she approached the back, the ground suddenly fell away. Mango let out a tiny whine as she backed away hurriedly. She hadn't expected that! She could have fallen to her death, for the drop was nearly six feet. Perhaps she wouldn't die when she hit the ground, but she would break something, and that would certainly lead to her death. A broken leg would make her easy prey.
Much more carefully this time, Mango approached again. Yes, it was a tunnel. She stared down it. In both directions, the darkness ate away completely at the ends. She couldn't tell if the tunnel went on for a few meters or forever. What does it matter, anyway? she thought, backing away again. It didn't solve the main problem here.
Mango was hungry.
Mango wasn't a big dog. She was actually quite small for her age; her siblings had grown to be much bigger than her. It wasn't exactly advisable for one as small and slim as her to be walking through this unexplored territory at night. But she could run fast enough. If anything skulking in the shadows decided to have a go, she would be halfway to the door before you could say mouse.
Mouse. Mango's belly let out a defeated sort of gurgle. Mice didn't even taste that good. They were too small to make a real meal, and left a bitter aftertaste. The dog swiped her pink tongue around her mouth. Even that bitterness would be appreciated now. It had been three days since she'd eaten anything more than scraps.
Scraps. This time, Mango only felt the gurgle. Her belly seemed to have given up on using up its energy making any kind of noise. The gray-brown creature let out a small sigh, then plopped down on her hind quarters. Tongue lolling out of her mouth, she took a look around, orange eyes the brightest thing in the place. There wasn't much to see. This place was seriously dead. She had come down here in hopes of finding some trash, maybe, or a sympathetic human. All she could see here was a long, thin room that stretched far away in both directions. The night wind whistled through the gap she had entered through, blowing some stray paper down the staircase. She was underground, she realized. This strange gray chamber was built underground.
Mango peered to the other end of the room. A few broken benches stood against the wall, dusty and abandoned. The wall was decorated with the remains of papers, advertisements and flyers that now lay forgotten on the ground, pieces torn off and blown away to some unknown place. Mango rose to her broad, dark paws, and padded over to the papers. She sniffed them carefully. Detecting an old food scent on one, she licked it clean, then chewed it to pieces. As her jaw moved, her pale teeth stood out starkly against her black mouth. The paper left a blank taste in her mouth, and encouraged her belly to make that groan again. She flicked her ears and sighed. Where do I gotta go to get some decent food around here? she thought. Back home, food had been easy to find. Her brother and sister would help her, and they'd catch rats, or raid trash cans, laughing at the fury of the humans. Even when things had been at their worst, some humans were nice, and would give them scraps. Here, though, the humans were unsympathetic, shooing her away even when she made her puppy face.
She'd always known she'd eventually have to leave home, for that was her parents' territory. But why did it have to be so soon?
Raising her nose, Mango took in a deep sniff. Nothing much. Gasoline, mostly. A few stray human scents, maybe some dog here and there. They were all old. She took another breath, turning toward the back of the narrow chamber. Narrowing her eyes, she peered against the darkness. There was... a tunnel? It faded into darkness too quickly; she couldn't see it clearly. Hesitantly, she moved closer. Her claws clicked quietly on the cement, the only noise in this abandoned place.
As she approached the back, the ground suddenly fell away. Mango let out a tiny whine as she backed away hurriedly. She hadn't expected that! She could have fallen to her death, for the drop was nearly six feet. Perhaps she wouldn't die when she hit the ground, but she would break something, and that would certainly lead to her death. A broken leg would make her easy prey.
Much more carefully this time, Mango approached again. Yes, it was a tunnel. She stared down it. In both directions, the darkness ate away completely at the ends. She couldn't tell if the tunnel went on for a few meters or forever. What does it matter, anyway? she thought, backing away again. It didn't solve the main problem here.
Mango was hungry.