Skeil

The pit bull wandered around the stores, searching in the back of each one. She rammed many trashcans to knock them over and search for anything edible.

Maxim

The haggard canine's head lifted from the can he was digging through. His wolven instinct--territorial by nature--put him on the defense as the pit bull appeared. A low growl started in his throat, but compassion from his canine half filled in as he realized that she was hungry. There were leftovers in the can he had been digging through--meager as they were. He had not been able to fill his stomach--but he was comfortable after having not eaten in quite some time. Eyeing the rear doors that opened to the stores, he backed away from the can and looked to her. He was large for a dog--but small for a wolf. There are still a few scraps in there, if you want them. He waited for a reply silently, keeping his ears and nose alert for any humans.

Skeil

She looked up quickly when she heard the growl, and the fur rose slightly along her spine. Yet after he offered the few bits of food, she let the hair relax again over her back as she gave a slight nod, "Thank you." The pit bull hungrily ate the small portion of meat then took a step back and surveyed the doors that Maxim had. "Sometimes, those doors can be pushed open and there is food inside." Skeil stated. Her pack's old alpha use to do that. And now she kind of felt bad for eating Maxim's last bit of food, as well as not saving any for the rest of her pack, which wouldn't have really gone far to slate their hunger anyway. "Do you want to try it?"

Maxim

Maxim had never been part of a pack--though his father's family had. The wolven instinct ran hot in his blood, and made him more aggressive than many--but humans frightened him. As a pup--born to a human's german shepherd--he had been beaten and "trained." The latter did not go so well and Maxim had ended up nearly killing his trainer. He was thrown out and here he was where he currently found himself.

His gaze fell upon the fem, pleased that he could help. Is it wise? He was not the type to rush in to something dangerous--as it was he was very nervous being in the dumpsters that humans frequented. I mean, do you think the humans would notice?
Maxim revolted at the thought of sounding weak--rather than wise--as he inquired further.

Skeil

"Well, normally we don't risk such things, especially since our last alpha died." The pit bull shook her head, dismissing the thoughts in her mind, "But in times like these, the risks are worth the reward." Skeil took a few steps towards the door and lifted her blunt muzzle to take in scents that wafted from it. "If we are quiet, we can sneak inside and sometimes find fresh food laying unwatched." She was leery of going near humans, but her starving stomach was overpowering her caution now. She waited to see whether Maxim wanted to try and steal the food as well.

Maxim

His gaze looked wearily to where the door was--as if looking through it and into the human infested chamber. Fear was a great enemy of starvation. However, the want of food weighed out fear as the scent of delicious food assaulted his nostrils. His courage built with a single nod of his head. If you are a swift runner, I will watch your back and go with you. His thick tail swayed to and fro with a canine smile upon his facial features.

Skeil

She revealed her fangs in a classic-looking pit bull grin. With the though of delicious food, Skeil turned towards the beckoning door and reared up to reach the handle. From much experience, she learned how to operate most doors. It was awkward to do, but Skeil gripped the handle in her jaws and tugged back while balancing on her hind legs. Her whip-like tail was held ridged and all of her powerful muscles strained back. She hoped this door was unlocked...

*Storage Room*

A careless employee left the door unlocked. After a few tugs, the heavy door lurches open and the scent of fresh food pours out strongly. Light from within also floods the snowy ground.

The room beyond the door is a storage area for the restaurant, which happens to be a pizza restaurant. Flour, sauce, meat, veggies, cheese, and other pizza-related foods can be found setting out on counters, wrapped in plastic or in containers. Some of the food is hidden away in cupboards, but easy enough to get into. The teeth of canines will suffice to break through the foods' containers. And so far, no human is in the storage room...

Maxim

As the door swung open--slow though it was--his heart began to race with nervous anxiety and pump with adrenaline. As the scent of food washed over him, Maxim lost all fear and allowed his stomach to become his confidence. A canine smirk was offered to the other--whom he did not yet know by name--and made ready to walk with her inside.

His eyes scanned what was visible from the doorway and he thought silently. Finally he looked to the fem. We must be certain that the door will not close once we are in...Otherwise we will be trapped. This sent a chill through his bones. He knew what humans did--at least what he heard from other canines. Maxim was simply awestruck at the buffet of choices with which to satiate their palate and did not know where to start. What do you have a taste for tonight?

Skeil

She gave another grin. Normally rotten or stale human food was a treat to get from scrounging... but this! Fresh food enough to feed her, Maxim, and even some to bring back for her pack; that is, if they didn't get caught first. She spoke quietly to the hybrid as she peeked her blunt head into the open door. "You're right; it would be disaster to get caught in a human's domain." The pit bull stepped cautiously inside, keeping her body low and senses alert for humans as she answered his last question, "All that can fit in my stomach is good enough!" her eagerness for this good food almost lost her the stealthy caution she had learned after years of living off the streets. Forcing herself to be somewhat restrained, she approached one of the counters after picking out the scent of meat.

"...ahh, this smells delicious!" Skeil whispered as she reared up and sunk her teeth into the package of meat. With a few tugs, the package fell off the counter with a thud. Skeil leapt back at first and perked her ears up to see if the sudden noise brought humans. Then she quickly began to tear through the bag and consume the meat.

Maxim

Maxim followed suit, sniffing the air warily for any scents of humans. His paws reluctantly left the safety of the open door, but only for an instant. The hybrid backed up rather quickly as Skeil brought the meat to the floor. Fear flooded his gaze as he waited for what seemed like eternity before she began tearing into the package.

He was beginning to grow somewhat comfortable with the situation and saw that none had come yet, so perhaps none were around. With his canid instinct and the stealth of a wolven hunter, Maxim hurried to a group of packages nearby. They were on a counter a few feet above his head, making him jump to reach them. His nose smelled each one accordingly and found the succulently sweet scent of meat. Following Skeil's suit, he pulled the package to the floor, dragging it toward the still-open door. Standing there he listened for any signs of humans before tearing through the plastic with his blunt claws and dagger-like teeth.

The meat--uncooked and still somewhat cold--held the iron tang of blood as it slid down his throat. The blood lingered on his tongue and made the ancient lines in his own blood race with the thrill of the hunt. Adrenaline again took the place of fear and he consumed the remainder of meat in the package before him. The remains were licked from his muzzle as he waited patiently for Skeil to finish. Ears pivoted, listening for any human sounds and his nose searched for any human scents...

Skeil & Bullet

Skeil bolted down the food quickly while her wary eyes and keen ears stayed alert. The meat was enough to fill her up, but she needed to retrieve food for her pack now. The pit bull reared up and sniffed the counters again, searching for any more food.

The tawny wolf hybrid, Bullet, had followed Skeil's trail to the store. He had no luck at finding food in the dump, but he received new from a friend on where to find easy prey. With his head dropped down even with his shoulder, Bullet padded up to the open door. His nose told him Skeil and another canine were inside with good food. Boldly, the hybrid entered the room and looked towards Maxim, "Who are you?"

Skeil glanced back at her friend, "Don't worry Bullet. He's not an enemy." To her pack, any canine that showed the slightest resentment to her pack members was thought of as an enemy and driven from the area, if not killed. Lately, most stray dogs had been driven from the Alleys and the areas around because they competed with her pack for the scarce food.

Maxim

With his acute hearing, Maxim detected the other in the vicinity. A low growl was suppressed--quickly--as he realized that this other dog was a friend of Skeil's.

The hybrid looked cautiously at the other, wolven instinct telling him many things. He would stay by the door though and briefly looked in Skeil's direction before turning his attention back to the other--Bullet she had called him.

With a critical glance at Bullet he decided it was a good idea to answer his question. Maxim. He answered short and to the point--as was his nature most the time. Patience held him still as he awaited a response from either of the two...

Skeil & Bullet

The hybrid gave a slight nod, "I'm Bullet. Are you a loner?" His ember eyes studied Maxim with a critical gaze, but his voice was casual and non-threatening. Unlike his alpha sister, Bullet was more mellow and not so harsh with strangers.

Skeil continued to search around for more food. She came across a large bin that trash was thrown in, and discovered a package chicken. From the smell of it, it wasn't very fresh and that's probably why it had been thrown away. But it wasn't bad enough to not be eaten. The pit bull grasped one corner of the bag and drug it from the bin. She would take this back to her pack when Bullet was ready to leave.

Maxim

Maxim's gaze watched Bullet with more intrigue than critique now. A slight dip of his head gestured his reply. Aye. Loner by heart. Though more unwillingly by his previous owners. Instinct was the only part of him that warned of pack vs. loner relationships. For the most part, pack life eluded his knowledge and somewhat interested him.

Maxim turned to where Skeil had brought down the package of chicken and his ears twitched. He would wait for the other two to leave before following them out.

Skeil & Bullet

Bullet gave a nod again in acknowledgment. Yet he didn't have the authority to invite anyone to the pack. Still, the hybrid knew his sister would be pleased to have a new member to the pack, especially since they had recently lost two members to a fight and now had a litter of pups to care for. After hesitating a minute, trying to decide if his sister would be upset with him or not, Bullet spoke to Maxim again, "If you want to join our pack anytime, come to the Alleys." Without waiting for a reply, he located a sauce bag and snatched up the end by his teeth. His canines pierced through the plastic and caused sauce to ooze out between his jaws. With a glance to Skeil, he carried his prize out the door with a small trail of sauce marking his path.

Skeil nodded to Maxim as she exited the door with the chicken clenched in her stout jaws. She followed Bullet back to the alleys.

Maxim

Maxim continued to listen for any signs of humans, nodding silently to Bullet and Skeil. I will consider. A canine smile appeared on his features as he exited the door to let it slam back into place. For fear of humans, Maxim quickly bid the two farewell and set out in direction that opposed the alleys. He would be back some other time, there was still too much to explore to settle just yet..