Vhaerau & Kennik

Black minx had waited till dusk to emerge from the depths of the sewers, where the bright glare of the outside world wouldn't so harsh on her one good eye. Above, street lights were already glaring an ugly yellow, though little of that unnatural light could reach the litter-strewn ravine Vhae was peeking up from. "I wonder how they harness the light of the moon in those things?"

"Moonlight?" Came the puzzled, uncertain query to his sister's comment. Ivory-toned brute, looking more gray in the shadows than white, raised his dial to the humming streetlamp above. "Humans are clever, but I don't think they can do that."

"And how would you know?" Vhae challenged, and got a shrug from her brother. Not overly concerned with finding out that answer, she peered past Kennik and into the drainpipe, see if their other siblings had followed along or not. When their familiar faces didn't greet her searching gaze, Vhaerau turned back around and started to ascend the ravine.

Kennik had glanced back too, but was too excited about their trip to the surface to wait too long. He figured Jinju and Nido could follow their tracks easily enough. Picking his way past garbage and broken bits of cement, the wolfdog nimbly traversed the steep incline and followed his sibling towards the street.

-Possibilities-

The setting sun meant that buisness at the Night Club was soon to shift. A few late dinner patrons lingered inside right now, and a dumpster around the backside of the building was permeated in the scent of unfinished meals - some of which had been in there for a day or few.

A car or two whizzed by the road, none of them slowing or stopping at the sight of two canines emerging from the ravine.

Further down the sidewalk, a jogger with earbuds was making his way in their direction.

Vhaerau & Kennik

Cars, they were use to. In the eastern tunnels that ran below the city, the vehicles rumbled and roared above at all hours of the day and night. They'd been taught and had learned well to utilize these giant beasts of the humans, knowing to stay out of their way, and to scrounge the edges of the roads for creatures not quick enough to escape their path. The thunderbugs tended to stay on their well-worn stone paths, and Vhaerau wisely stayed off of them after exiting the ravine. Instead she chose the sidewalk, and led her brother down it as they began their journey.

The jogger posed a potential problem. Kennik was the first to shy away after giving his sister a sharp nudge on the rump. "I don't like how quickly that one's moving." He didn't wait for her response as he slipped off the sidewalk and merged into the shadows, beyond the reach of the streetlights. That led him to the alleyway beside The Night Club.

Vhaerau hesitated, yet ultimately followed her alabaster brother. She slunk into the shadows after him, and quickly overtook the other to emerge behind the building before him. "Ahh, can you smell that?" Dropping the jogger from her concern, Vhae raised her coal-black muzzle and followed the aroma that wafted from the dump. Her stomach growled. Boldly she approached the giant metal box, trying to discern how to best get at the food inside...

-Possibilities-

Once off the streets, the cars were no longer a danger.

The jogger, a local resident, had his own mutual reservations about stray canines in the City and diverted to the other side of the street to continue his run.

Behind the Night Club, the dumpster posed a new challenge to the young Delvers. It held the promise of food, but it would take some problem solving to get at it. The sides were a solid, thick metal that no canine fang could penetrate. The top appeared to be covered by two large, black flaps, roughly four feet from the ground. A few stray crates and a single garbage can were positioned next to the dumpster.

Vhaerau & Kennik

Vhaerau studied the giant green box curiously, having seen these before, but never up close. She licked at the side first, finding an interesting mix of tastes assaulting her senses. Mostly rancid ones, but nothing that made her balk. Coming from the sewers, Vha and her pack were well use to foul odors and meals of less savory nature. Determined to get whatever was inside this thing, the wolfdog tried climbing the crates beside the dumpers, so that she could hop on top and see if there was any way in from up there...

Kennik, meanwhile, began to scrounge around the area to see if there was anything else of interest.

-Possibilities-

The crates wobble precariously as you try to climb them, but manage to hold steady until your on top. With your new vantage point, you catch a more direct scent of recently dumped french fries and the remains of hamburgers and gooey pizza slices. The odors come from the trash bin.

Kennik's searching brings him close to pile of grease stained boxes against the far corner of the building. As you get near, one of the boxes shifts and the distinct sound of rustling fur and claws is heard. A black and gray face peeks out from the end of the box as a racoon blinks up at you in a mix of fear and surprise...

Vhaerau & Kennik

Vhae felt her heart skip when the crates shifted, and scrambled to clear the top of the bin. Once safely on top, she peered down from her lofty height as her tail swayed proudly in the air. 'Heh, that was easy. Hmnn.. what's Kennik up to?' The fae cocked her head subtly, allowing her to better focus on her brother with her good eye. "Dude, did you not see me climb this thing? Kenni?" Thoughts of food were put on hold while the ebony wolfdog sought to feed her pride first, insisting that Kennik pause from his endeavors to admire hers.

A few feet below his sister, Kennik's orange eyes grow as wide as the raccoon's, and he barely manages to hold back a yip of surprise. There's a moment of uncertainty as he watched the creature, wondering if he ought to pounce on it and catch it for dinner, or see if this thing was friendly and a potential ally. Ultimately, he had just enough food in his gut to hold off on the former action. Kennik acknowledged his sister with a swivel of one alabaster ear, but otherwise focused on the masked critter in the box, "What are you doing in this box?"

*Raccoon*

The raccoon had bristled her fur, making her small body appear a smidgen larger than it actually was. She blinked once or twice at this canine, and glanced furtively up at the other one atop the dumpster. At length, the creature rose up, tilting her twitching nose closer to Kennik in hesitant curiosity, "Napping." Dark eyes flitted behind the white wolfdog, then again honed in on his face, "This is a good place to get food, if you know where to look and what to do."

Vhaerau & Kennik

Vhaerau frowned when all she got for acknowledgement was a twitch of her brother's ear. She was about to turn away from him and continue her investigation into the dumpster when she spotted the mask-faced creature in the box, and heard a soft voice emanating from within. Instantly her ebony ears were perked and direct forward and she leaned close to the edge of her metal perch. "Did you find food, and are now talking to it? Kenni, don't hold out on me."

The paler sibling again shifted an ear at his sister's words, and frowned a little when she suggested killing this raccoon. Sure, a few seconds again he'd contemplated the same thing, but now his curiosity was peeked just as much as this little beast currently sniffing at him. "What kind of food are you talking about? Can you show me?"

*Raccoon*

The raccoon's round ears pivoted and twitched, one shifting about like a little radar to catch Vhaerau's words, and the other tuned towards the young wolfdog before her. "I can show you, and it's much better than eating me." She added wisely. "And-" She inched forward, peeking her triangular face from the box to look up at the wolfdog atop the dumpster, "-if we work together, I can help you find food in the future." Kennik was back in her sights as she looked for an agreement to her suggestion. "There's a wide variety of food; you just have to know when to be where. And, it helps to be small."

Vhaerau & Kennik

The raccoon was met with a skeptical expression from Vhaerau when she peeked up from the box. She was still convinced this little morsel was better suited as a meal than whatever her brother was doing with it, but Vhae worked hard to get onto her perch and wasn't willing to jump down without first figuring out how to get the food hidden within the dumpster. "Whatever, but don't come crying to me when our lunch runs away because you were too busy chatting with it." She turned about on the platform and began to paw at it here and there, searching for some way to get inside...

Kennik again flicked an ear back, more in a reactionary way than actually paying heed to what his sister was saying. The clink of her claws against the metal and plastic top of the dumpster hardly registered either. Here in front of him was a ticket to more free food, and he wasn't going to pass that up! "We have a deal then. I won't eat you, and you'll show me food." Kennik's tail wagged merrily behind him, and he backed up away from the box to give the raccoon space to exit. "You lead, and I'll follow."

*Raccoon*

With some trial and error, it soon becomes clear that there are two separate flaps covering the top of the bin, and though large and cumbersome, a bit of dexterous nose-work might be enough to flip one of these lids open...

The raccoon wiggles her nose and ambles slowly from the box after Kennik gives her space to do so. "Deal." She clasps her dark paws in front of her, rubbing them briefly together before smoothing them over her pointed snout and bristly whiskers, as if trying to cleanse her face of some unseen irritant. In reality it was merely an anxious gesture, but it did highlight just how adroit the young creature was. "Follow, and stay close." A final, hesitant glance was thrown in the ebony sister's direction before the masked creature darted along the wall of the building and led Kennik out of the area.

Vhaerau & Kennik

"If I find anything, I'm not gonna hunt your butt down and share with you, you know." Vhaerau announced, in an attempt to wrangle her brother's attention and keep him nearby. She saw a white ear wiggle in her direction, but Kennik was too preoccupied with his new friend to really register what she'd said. Heaving a heavy sigh, Vhae muttered her irritation under her breath and began to paw at the plastic flaps. It took a bit of trial and error before she managed to wedge her slender snout beneath the edge of one, and with some effort, attempted to push it open.

Kennik's tail was waving freely behind him, "Right behind you." Truly not recalling what his sibling had just said to him, he didn't even think twice about Vhae as he trotted curiously after raccoon.

*Trash & Treasure*

It took some effort and a few attempts, but eventually you manage to nudge one lid far enough back that it remains open, without trying to flop back down in your face. The reward for your efforts is the immediate aroma of many tangled scents, some foul and rancid, some fresh, but all potentially a delicious free meal depending on one's preferences. The promise of fries, burgers, and pizza also holds true, as all of these items, in varying states of freshness, can be found in portions throughout the bin. It will take some digging, as most are surrounded by inedible plastics and packaging, but there is enough to easily fill a single canine's belly.