Life and Death

This is Dante's search and rescue training for the hero dogs. All of the hero dogs are welcome, but please remember, this is a training thread, so light fun can be had, but ultimately, your character should come away with something of a lesson in how to rescue injured fellow soldiers~ Date is March 1st.

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The silver wolfdog sighed deeply, as he allowed his tongue to loll out of his mouth. He was leaning up against the thick pole that held up one of the tents in the camp, as he was tired from dashing back and forth for most of the morning, hiding dummy dolls all over the general vicinity. Why? Dante knew that unlike himself, most of the dogs here were house pets, with no semblance of training. While he held no ill will towards them, he knew that they were completely unequipped to fight, try as they might.

And from what he had seen and heard around the camp, they had tried pretty damn hard, coming away with scars and the occasional death. 

But what if most of those could have been avoided? What if there was a way to teach them to at least find those who were injured, and get them to safety before their foes reached them? From his own experience of being trained to sniff out fellow gypsies, dead or alive, Dante knew it was useful knowledge that he could impart with his fellow canines. He was a natural leader, much like his king. And it was there he waited for his "students", having notified them of his training, for those who were interested. The shepherd mix stretched out his forelegs, before resting his head between his paws, emerald eyes keeping watch for any approaching canine.

Cassie stretched her leg as she ducked under the flap of her tent and stepped out into the day. Her sleep schedule was all over the place now, and she really needed to work on getting it back on track, especially now that they were going to start training again. The lab had overheard about a search and rescue training for dogs, and with her lack of training, figured she could use all the classes she could get.

She wandered through the camp, looking for any of her fellow canines. Though she'd overheard about the training, the teen didn't actually know where they were supposed to meet up. Eventually her eyes fell upon a white shepherd looking dog. She'd not met this dog before, but maybe he might know about the search and rescue training.
With a small trot she made her way over to the other canine.
"excuse me?" she asked "Sorry, but do you happen to know where the search and rescue training is being held?"

Lady padded along the training grounds. Head held high and docked tail set at a merry height like the jackstaff of a ship. She had been recovering well since her voyage into the Outlands, already her body showed signs of good nutrition, and her beautiful fur had returned to it's natural luster. Only the ugly X across her chest stood out among the soft tan fur. A terrible scar that, like the war itself, decimated an image of canine beauty. She wore it like a badge. A symbol of just how far she would go to protect those she loved.

The spaniel had debated the wisdom of joining this training sect since she learned of it's execution. On one paw, she felt that in her promise to protect her own family she should do everything in her power to overcome her own limitations. On the other, it was facing her own disabilities as a housepet. She was never a solder, never intended to be one. She had seen her place in the camp as a supporter. Not as a fighter. But that was before her being taken by Zira, before her time in the Outlands.

She had spoken with the Tramp on this matter, and implored him to join her. Even though for now she walked alone, she felt secure in the thought that the gray mongrel would not be too far behind her.

She stopped for a second, seeing the snow white Labrador, and the silver wolfdog siting by one of the exterior support beam for a tent. For a fleeting second, she debating if it would be better to wait in the background for the Tramp. Her brown eyes darting side to side, one paw was held in midair in canine curiosity. Taking a deep breath, she decided that it would be best to just join the crowd and see what there was to be made of this session. Slowly stepping forward, the graceful cocker slid next to Cassie.

“Oh, please do excuse me. I understand this was were a canine training session is to be held. I hope I'm not late to participate...or too early, as it were.”

Hunter snoozed under an Adansonia tree. He rolled over on his back, and all four limbs sporadically flailed.  

He dreamed that a ragtag emu army led by Clopin was stampeding the Pride Lands. Hunter ran up Pride Rock to evade them. Nearby, Kuzimu plopped down on a big red mushroom and ate a whole bag of Lay's Flamin' Hot Potato chips and chugged a cold can of beer brewed from supernovas. Scar rode a shiny yellow tricycle on an upside down skateboard ramp. Malkia urged Kula to eat a box of crayons. A giant toaster strudel chased Khola, Raha and Zahir. Ni pole-danced as Kituko hurled grenades at him. Babu swung on a chandelier as Kivivu cooked him a specially-made grilled cheese sandwich. Vumbi asked Scruffy to pour tomato sauce on him so he can prove to Uhuru Zukkiza stole the magical spice rack from Mega. 

"DON'T MAKE ME COME DOWN THERE!" Evangeline boomed.

Hunter woke up and almost immediately remembered he was supposed to meet Dante for a lesson. "I better skedaddle!" He got on his paws and quickly galloped to the training grounds. Cassie and Lady were already there. He grinned sheepishly and took a seat, hoping Dante won't be too upset with him. 

"Wazzup?"

"Cassie, hey!" Raine barked as he spotted his friend and quickly raced across the stretch of land towards her, slowing his pace once he takes in the sight of the larger dog who the lab was asking a question of. "We're going to be training? Is that what ya said?" he asked, thinking he might've heard wrong from where he was standing when he spotted the cream-colored Labrador. The spotted dog's tail wagged a mile a minute. He just loved hanging out with Cassie, even if it was going to be training.

Cassie glanced over as she heard someone else walk up to stand beside her. A beautiful cocker spaniel stood there, fur gleaming, even in the lack of sunlight. The only thing that looked out of place on her was an X shaped scar across her chest. Cassie let out a mental wince, she couldn't imagine how bad that must've felt. The lab had gotten somewhat used to seeing scars on her fellow soldiers, but it still unnerved her, knowing how brutal the war could get by the stories that these scars carried with them.
Never the less, Cassie flashed a warm smile at the cocker, her tail swishing leisurely behind her.

She almost jumped when a much larger canine, a wolf, bounded up to the group. Sure she'd seen larger dogs, but wolves were another thing entirely. They didn't live among humans, choosing instead to live in the wild, like the lions that lived here in the pridelands. But this wolf was clearly a friend, by the way he gave a friendly grin towards them. 
She gave a friendly nod in response to his greeting "hello."

Cassie's ears perked when a familiar voice reached her. Turning her head, she smiled
"Raine! "
Her tail wagged faster now, as her friend crush approached. 
"Mhmm, I think they're gonna start upping the training since one of the Generals returned. We're doing search and rescue training for all the hero canines." She gave a lopsided smile
"should be fun, like hide and seek!"

"Oh, if it's like hide and seek, then I'm gonna be a master at this!" he yipped, his tail wagging madly, its black tip was all a blur at her words. He turned to look at the other dogs and nodded in greeting. He gazed towards Hunter as he heard the wolf racing towards the little group, and he held back a giggle. He always did find Hunter kinda goofy, and he was still amazed how the wolf managed to hold his own in battle.

"So... a training session is going on here?"

Bolt's brown eyes looked over the group, ears perked slightly as he looked over the group of dogs gathered. Slowly, he walked over, left hind leg tenderly touching the ground with each step. The rest of his injuries had healed for the most part - a small scar still rested on his back from the strike to the ground with Bambi's antlers. However, it was currently hidden underneath his white fur, covered over completely.

While the rest of him, for the most part was healed, that didn’t mean his leg had. After the confrontation with Silver, Bolt had stumbled into the medical tent as soon as possible. They had stitched him up as quickly as possible, and told him to lie easy on it for a while. Even then, he had gotten some familiar glares. But the medics did their job regardless, and took out the stitches at the two week mark. While it had been long past that date, it wouldn’t be at least another two weeks until his leg was fully healed.

When Bolt heard that there was going to be a training session, he was hesitant to go at first for two reasons. First, he wasn’t sure how useful it would be for him to be there with his leg. After all, if it was a fighting session, he didn’t want to get even more injured than he already was. That problem was solved easily when he learned what the session was about - though the second wasn’t as easily solved.

If anyone knew him from his past, Bolt was afraid that he was going to meet someone who he didn’t like - or specifically, anyone who don't like him. It would be distracting for both him and the other… and being the center of attention was just not on Bolt’s mind. He wanted to prove himself again. As a real hero. And this was one way to do it. So far.... Bolt felt relief as he looked around the circle. No one specifically that he remembered from that time.

Dante's head lifted as he noticed a small cream-colored labrador and a tan cocker spaniel headed his way. Both of them asked whether this was the training session, to which he nodded. But before the wolfdog could answer, his friend Hunter appeared, looking like he just woke up. Dante couldn't help but laugh, as he smiled at the three of them.

"All is well, Hunter. I'm glad to see that you made it, mon ami! Yes, you three have made it to the right area. This is the training session for search and rescue. But there are still a few more who have yet to join us, before I begin." Dante said, as he rose into a sitting position. His ears were poised and alert, listening for the pawsteps of any stragglers. As if on cue, a Dalmatian puppy joined them, seemingly excited to see the cream colored Labrador there. The two of them began to engage in an excited conversation, and Dante could only guess that this was perhaps their first training session. At the mention of hide and seek, Dante opened his mouth to speak, but was yet again interrupted by the arrival of another canine, a white shepherd like himself.

"Welcome." Dante said, with a bow of his head. His emerald eyes scanned the group before him. It was a smaller group than he had expected, but then again, dogs could join them later if they wished, even though they would have to play a bit of catch up. He took a deep breath, before standing up. He couldn't help but listen to the conversation between the two younger dogs.

"Should be fun, like hide and seek!"

"Finding fellow soldiers is not like hide and seek, for life and death is certainly not a laughing matter, petits." Dante began, with a stern tone to his voice.

"As canines, we are man's best friend. They take care of us, and in turn, we take care of them. We are heroes, no?"

"That is what we are doing here today. If you would all follow me, s'il te plait. " Dante said, as he turned tail, and began walking outside of the camp, to where the training grounds were located. He then paused to wait for them at the entrance of the grounds, so that he could continue.

"Wait! Wait! I want to help too! I do! I do!"

The pudgy retriever came bounding forward to join the gathering of dogs. Dug's tail was a blur behind him as he ran and his tongue lolled out of his mouth for all to see. Honestly? Dug was probably the least competent dog they could have picked to be a part of this lesson. He had taken forever to learn how to track like the other dogs in his old pack, but that hardly deterred him. Dug wanted to do something to help the heroes. The best thing he could think of to do was joining the little gathering and learn as much as he could from Dante. Speaking of... Dug came to an abrupt stop when he saw that the other dogs were very close by that point. This led to him tumbling on to the ground and landing in a heap not too far from Cassie and the little Dalmatian. Dug just laughed a bit and shook his head before getting to his paws again.

"Sorry. I got excited. I really did," Dug told them. "I heard that there were tracking lessons going on, and I want to learn how to be a better tracker. ...That is what we're doing, isn't it?" Dug tilted his head to the side and a soft whimper came from him. He wasn't even really sure of what specifically Dante was going to be teaching them beyond it probably being related to tracking. This didn't make him look that good compared to the others present. He hardly cared, though. He just wanted to be a good dog.

There was one other dog that Dug became aware of moments later. Perdita came walking up to the group, much more elegant than Dug had been in the process, and looked over the gathering of canines present. Her gaze became hard and disapproving when she saw Raine there, though. None of her pups should have been getting involved with this. They knew what she and Pongo had decided; they weren't allowed to leave camp. Why then was Raine trying become involved with this little lesson?

Perdita could have voiced her disapproval of her adopted son being there, but ultimately decided against it. He already was there, and there was no sense in trying to shoo him away. Honestly, he probably wouldn't have understood her attempt at trying to keep him safe in the first place. So instead, Perdita turned her attention specifically to Dante.

"You called us here to learn something that could benefit the army, correct?"

"Finding fellow soldiers is not like hide and seek, for life and death is certainly not a laughing matter, petits."

Raine's ears and tail instantly drooped at the scolding. "Sorry sir," he whispered. Had he mucked this up already? Brown orbs turned to look as the pudgy golden retriever came bounding towards them and nearly skidded right into Cassie and himself. Raine took a step forward to block Cassie, just in case, as the golden luckily came to a stop some feet away from them.

And then.

"Hi Mum..." Raine swallowed at the sight of his adopted mother walking towards them. He glanced away from her sheepishly, not wanting to be yelled at in front of Cassie, and listened as Perdita talked to Dante.

((For the record, I am aware that Vixey's a vulpine and not a canine, but Clopin specifically asked me for her presence ^^ Sorry about taking so long jumping in, but better late than never...?))

Two sets of paws padded on the ground as their owners approached the gathering. One form was small, russet-coated, delicate on her feet; while the other was taller, a lithe and lean form of a dalmatian. Pongo no longer walked with a limp - the bullet wound in his thigh had left an obvious scar, but the rest of the damage it had caused had healed up in the months since his return - and he carried himself with some of the old confidence to his step.

Some, but not all of it. It was plain to anyone who knew that the weight of his dead children still rode heavily upon Pongo's shoulders - Penny, Pepper, and all of them - as did the weight of his responsibility to bring the rest of them back home, whether they liked it or not. A parent had to make hard decisions; and that one, knowing how many of his pups resented it, was one of the hardest. He knew it was for their own good, but none of them would thank him for it.

Passing Raine, giving a small nod of acknowledgement to his adoptive son, Pongo stepped up beside Perdita. He pressed his muzzle against her cheek in affectionate greeting, cherishing the familiar slight roughness of her fur beneath his nose, but otherwise stood silently. He could tell that the lesson here was already underway, and Pongo didn't intend to be the one to interrupt it.

Search and rescue was the subject of the day; in Pongo's mind, that meant searching out his lost pups and bringing them home. Each and every one of them.

--

The other animal who had arrived at the same time as Pongo, the russet-coated female, had more reservations about her place here. Dogs were a species that Vixey had an instinctive, deep-seated fear of; a fear that she hadn't ever quite been able to kick, even after seeing so many around camp; a fear that had only grown more accute in the weeks since Tod's murder. One or two, she could manage around; but being surrounded by the animals on all sides wasn't Vixey's idea of a good time.

Still, Clopin had sought her out, had insisted that she should be a part of this training session. And, understanding how these skills could help her in her role of saving lives even when she was out of the medtent, Vixey had agreed to attend. She might not have a sense of smell as accurate as a trained canine's, but she had incredibly accute hearing, which she knew could be just as useful. And it was important to learn, to expand her skills--

She just couldn't help but wish she could do so in a context that didn't leave her surrounded by the animals she still struggled to think of as anything other than the enemy.

"Say, ah, so you must be the dog Clopin told me about, right?" She padded up to Dante's side, nervous and wary - but also feeling like that was the best place to be. Clopin trusted this canine, and she trusted Clopin; if she was safe anywhere here, it was as close to him as possible.

"Finding fellow soldiers is not like hide and seek, for life and death is certainly not a laughing matter, petits."
Cassie's ears perked for a moment at Dante's voice, then drooped to the side of her head at his stern tone. She hadn't meant to make a joke out of such a serious thing, simply wanting the get her and her friend excited for training. 
"I'm sorry sir." she replied along side Raine, casting a glance at her spotted friend. He looked just as guilty as she felt, and she'd been the one that said it.

She didn't have long to feel bad however, as a large golden mass of fur came tumbling to a stop almost on top of the two teenage pups. Raine stepping in to block her from a possible collision didn't go un-noticed by the lab, and the corners of her maw tugged upwards a little.
Another coat of spots caught Cassie's attention, she half expected it to be another pup like her and Raine, but instead found herself staring at a full grown dalmatian. Her unasked question was answered when she heard her friend mutter a quiet
"Hi mum."
So this was the mother of all the dalmatian puppies she'd come to know and hear about. Not long after the first parent, a second dalmatian, who Cassie could only assume was the father, came up and stood beside the first.
She noticed Raine avoiding his mother's gaze of disapproval, and softly placed one of her paws over his own, giving him a small smile. He had just as much of a right to be here as any of the other dogs here, in her opinion.

Out of the corner of her eye, Cassie noticed a coat of soft russet fur and distinctly fluffy tail. Her brown eyes blinked as she recognised the fox she'd met the night of Clopin's return. Vixey didn't look comfortable being around so many dogs, and Cassie honestly couldn't blame her. She flashed a reassuring smile at the vixen, before turning her attention back to Dante.

Lady watched as more and more canines arrived. She surely was in the right place at least, and glancing about her companions the cocker found herself among a growing pack of all breeds, sizes, and ages. As well as what appeared to be one vulpine. While the others chatted and greeted one another, the graceful spaniel remained silent, sitting on her haunches and awaiting further instructions. Still no Tramp, she imagined he was still sleeping under his wagon by her tent. She would let him sleep, after all he had spent so much time keeping an eye on her. She figured whatever she learned she could pass on. Their organizer seemed to have a plan in mind, regarding search and rescue. Ironically, a task that Lady had been engaged in more times then she cared to admit.

One family did stand out however. The two dalmatian parents who's incredibly large litter seemed to always be underfoot were both present. It didn't take her maternal instincts to notice the disprovable, especially notable on the mother's face, amongst the two of them at seeing their offspring alongside the trainees. Lady couldn't blame them, and while she would never voice her own opinions on another family unprovoked, she mentally wondered why the dalmatian mother remained silent despite her own obvious disagreement.

Of course, none of Lady's own litter was present. Yet the thought of seeing Annie, Scamp, or Cole with their ranks rose a strange mix of fear for their safety, and pride for being capable of rising to a challenge. For the moment however, that was not the case, and the Dalmatian family's problems were not her's to question. So, Lady returned her attention to their teacher.

"As canines, we are man's best friend. They take care of us, and in turn, we take care of them. We are heroes, no?"

That was a statement Lady could get behind, and she cast a kind smile of agreement at Dantie along with a sharp nod of her head. As Trusty had always preached, a dog's best friend is a human. Of course things were not as simple as that, something she learned as she matured and saw more of the outside world with the Tramp, and later on Cash. Everything had it's gray areas. Yet, she had always been made comfortable by her humans, and her loyalty was never questioned.

Standing to her paws, she silently padded behind the white furred canine as he led them outside, to the training grounds. She stuck a respective distance close to his side, preferring to give her attention to their instructor then anything else and fallow his lead to the finest detail. Only standing back when the vixen approached and anxiously spoke to him directly. The training grounds were not that far, and Lady, being of a sporting pedigree, could keep pace with the rest of their gang easily.

Dante sat as the other canines caught up. Along with the original group that joined him at the beginning, there were a few newcomers. The first of the newcomers was Dug. While he was a pudgy retriever, Dante was sure he could be put to good use. Along with him came the elegant Perdita, who shot a glance towards Raine. She seemed to put off whatever it was that was bothering her, to ask him if they were going to learn something.

"That is...close to what we are doing, Dug. And yes, Perdita. We are learning how to search and rescue our fallen soldiers, to bring them back to camp for medical attention." Dante said, with a bow of his head.

The next pair was Pongo, Perdita's mate, and Vixey. Dante was pleasantly surprised; he hadn't expected this much of a turnout. Apparently it was possible that the hero dogs wanted to learn, and not just sit around and do nothing. The silver wolfdog smiled as Vixey padded up to his side. Ah yes, she was the one that Clopin had sent his way.

A special fox.

"Yes, I am. And he told me about you. He speaks highly of you." Dante said, as he looked down to her. She had no reason to fear him; he was not a foxhound at all. He hunted for birds and other prey, not foxes.

To the two pups, Dante gave the two of them a reassuring smile. He had to be stern, but he was not mad.

Dante took a couple leaps and bounds just then, as he climbed up onto a small boulder, to overlook his crew. Emerald eyes scanned the dogs(and fox), before he cleared his throat.

"Now then, mes amis. In order to learn, I will split you all into groups. Your objective is to find the dummy I have hidden in each team's particular section." Dante said, as he gestured with a paw towards the marked off perimeters. He dragged the last dummy from behind him, as it had been sitting there waiting for him. Leaping down from the rock, he pushed the dummy towards the group.

"This dummy, as with all of them, has been marked with cinnamon. Learn the smell, and memorize it." Dante said.

"Each section has a different terrain, of which the effects are temporary. There is the snow, desert, plains, and forest. The winds vary, so don't lose the scent. Once you find your dummy, return to this rock with it."

"As for the groups, they are as follows: Pongo, Dug, and Perdita, you will go to the plains. Lady and Hunter, you have the forest. Raine, Cassie, and Bolt, you will go to the desert. And Vixey, you will come with me to the snow."

(OOC: The terrains were created by Bob, and they mimic the actual climates of those places. They are temporary. They're basically 60-acre chunks of land that each team has to try and find the dummy in. I figured they'd do a mix of trailing/air-scenting first, before learning cadaver searches. By the way guys, Dante is silver, not white ^^)