Cross-posted from Madrona Project
Aug. 31st, 2013 03:17 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
kiramaru7Title: Living a Dog’s Life
Author: kira
Word Count: 1784
World: Capital city of Madrona
Main Characters: Sugar (a dog), Bethany (10 year girl) & Gabriel (13 year old boy)
Borrow: yes
Summary: Sugar, Bethany, and Gabriel celebrate Vine Fest in their own special way…
The dog wagged his tail as he pushed his way through the crowds of people in the main square. He felt warm and tired and a bit hungry too, but she had told him to roam the crowds of others and find food. He followed his nose, eventually ending up in front of a food vendor’s cart. The shaggy dun-colored mutt stood there, licking his chops and wagging his tail. He knew if he waited long enough one of the others would feed him some scraps.
Letting out a soft whine, the dog sat and panted while he waited. The others would step around him, a few tried to chase him away, but one old sweet smelling one, gave him a few bites. He licked her fingers clean for her trouble too. When it looked like no more food would be coming his way, he took off again in the crowd. He liked hunting for her; it gave him a sense of purpose. He also liked it whenever the vast crowds would appear in the square, for then hunting was easy.
The dog had a few tricks he used to make things easier. The others liked to feed him more if he acted like he was hurt and the dog quickly learned to whimper and hobble along on three legs if he wanted a full belly. Then there were the unguarded baskets of yummy meats and sausages that were easy to pilfer in the excitement. The dog had no idea why the streets were full of others; he only knew that hunting was good as the seasons changed. Late summers, when days were hot and long, were the best. The others had food in abundance and while they yelled at him and threw stuff at him, he always found enough for his pack.
Nose to the ground, the dog found an unguarded basket brimming with food. He slunk up to the other, whose feet it rested near, and made a grab for it. Taking the handle in his mouth, he backed away, turned and high-tailed out of there. He ran through the streets, much to the amusement of the others, until he reached their den. Wagging his tail, he set the basket down and barked.
She held her hands out and called out softly for him, “Sugar… come’re boy.”
The dog picked up the basket and brought it closer to her.
She reached out and patted him. “Thanks, Sugar. They feed you, boy?”
The dog licked her face.
“Oh good…” she laughed. “When Gabriel gets here, we can eat.” Setting the basket aside, she pulled him onto her lap and waited. Sugar wagged his tail; he liked him too, even if he was loud and boisterous. They were his pack and he did his best to provide for them and protect them. She needed it more than he did, as she was small and sickly, and he had the feeling she could not see, since he needed to drop things in her lap in order for her to notice them. He also tended to do it, and Sugar, being a smart dog, quickly caught on.
“Hey, Bethany,” Gabriel said as he approached. “Hey, Sugar.”
“Hey, Gabe…” Bethany reached out to touch his face with her hand. Blind from a devastating illness ran through the poorer parts of Madrona, she considered herself lucky it was only her sight she had lost instead of her life like her mother had. Since she had no other family to look after her, Bethany relied on her friend and the dog to take care of her. “Sugar, got us some food.”
“Sweet!” He patted the dog. “That’s my Sugar!” His grin went unnoticed by Bethany, but she heard the mirth in his voice. Sugar simply barked.
“So what’s for dinner?” Gabriel looked in the basket.
“I’m not sure what he got, Gabe. I think there’s some baguettes and cheese, maybe a few sausages.”
“Bread, cheese, eggs, a sausage coil, and what’s this…” Gabriel lifted a wrapped bundle from the basket. He opened it. “Hot damn!”
“Gabe!” Bethany gently chided.
“Sorry, Beth, but we got real meat here! Not sausage, or dried fish, or half a chicken, but real meat!” He grinned.
“Yeah?”
“Uh hunh! I’ll make us a fire and cook it, okay?”
Bethany nodded. Gabriel did most things for her, with Sugar filling in the gaps and she was grateful to have them both in her life. She knew she could never have survived without either of them. Life on the streets was hard, but it beat the alternative. Ending up in an orphanage or a brothel was not much of a better choice either. Not that she really minded losing her sight as it was not that great to begin with, but it saddened her that she had no idea what Gabriel now looked like. In her mind’s eye, he looked the same as he had when he was her age, all big dark brown eyes and a mop of chestnut curls, but now when she “saw” him with her fingertips, he had the beginnings of a beard on his chin and some pimples on his cheeks that felt strange. Bethany had the feeling he did not like her knowing they were there, so she never mentioned it to him. She did like how his voice was deepening though, even it did crack every once in a while and made her giggle, much to his annoyance. Bethany’s only regret about losing her sight was that she had no idea what Sugar looked like. All she knew was that he was big and fluffy and soft, and she loved that he knew whenever she was feeling sad and lonely even better than Gabriel did. Sugar never failed to give her a reassuring lick on her cheek, breathing warm doggy breath on her. He was also quick to bark at strangers, baring his teeth and growling to keep them away. He would also whine and wag his tail every time Gabriel returned and since he latched on to them, Bethany stopped being afraid whenever her friend left her alone to go forage for food for them.
She held Sugar, listening as Gabriel puttered about, lighting a fire and grumbling to himself, which always made her giggle. It did not take long, before the smell of roasting meat filled her nostrils and she felt her mouth watering at the thought of fresh meat, real meat, and not the meager scraps they sometimes ate. Bethany inhaled deeply as she tried to push those thoughts away. This was a rare treat, since they mostly lived on whatever Gabriel could pilfer or Sugar scavenged.
“Ouch! Shit!!” Gabriel swore, burning his fingers on the chunk of beef dangling from the metal skewer. “Here, Beth…” he said as he pulled it off and put it on the hunk of bread that served as a plate. “Careful; it’s hot.” He smiled as he watched Bethany eagerly devour their first good meal since the start of Vine Fest. He finished cooking the rest of meat, which was not much, but to the two of them it was a veritable feast. He quickly put out the fire once their meal was done, before sitting back to enjoy his share.
Gabriel continued watching her eat, handing Bethany little bits of meat form the skewer in a vain attempt at fattening her up. Last winter was a wet one and it was a miracle that she did not die from the coughing sickness that spread like wildfire through the poorer sections of town. He thought she was one of the prettiest little girls he had ever seen when he had first met her, ragged and dirty, and crying softly for her dead mother. Most folks would have said she was trouble and that he was too young at ten years old to burden himself with a blind eight year old, but Gabriel knew what it was like to lose one’s family and it made him feel like a man to look after her. He took off his cap and ran his fingers through his curly dark hair and smiled. That’s what always hurt, the fact that Bethany could never see his smile, but as he got older and his feelings took on a more romantic edge, he decided that was a good thing. Gabriel swore to himself, that as soon as she turned sixteen, he was going to drag her to the nearest church and marry her, maybe he would even wait until the end of Vine Fest to do so, so Bethany could hear the fireworks going off and they could pretend the Queen was setting them off in honor of their wedding. Unfortunately, six years seemed like half a lifetime away. Gabriel sighed softly and fed another piece of meat to Sugar. He agreed wholeheartedly with Bethany that that dog was the best thing to ever happen to them.
They ate in style, savoring the bits of meat and washing it down with a pint of the local ale, Gabriel had stolen off an unsuspecting patron at one the beer stalls in the marketplace. He smiled in response to Bethany’s giggles as it seemed she found it highly amusing whenever Sugar licked her face. He then would take it upon himself to get the dog to stop by offering tidbits of meat, which Sugar eagerly accepted. Life was good during the festivals and that was how they marked the seasons, by counting the days until the next one. Sinterklaas was next and always a hard one. While it was a longer festival, lasting about three weeks, and people did give alms to the poor as part of the celebration, there were no open air markets, nor crowds of people, thanks to Madrona’s wet winters. Which was why he always tended to try and fatten Bethany up before then, but that was months away and Gabriel found he like living in the now; there were fewer worries that way. Now that their stomachs were full, it was time to think about finding shelter for the night.
“Come, Beth, let’s go look for a place to sleep.”
“Is it that time already, Gabe?”
“No, not yet, but you don’t want all the good spots taken.” He helped her to her feet, before bending over to pick up their basket of goodies. Placing her hand in the crock of his arm, Gabriel led her out into the failing sunlight as night finally began to fall. Sugar trotted along beside them.
“Tell me what you saw today, Gabe,” Bethany asked as they walked along.
Taking a deep breath, Gabriel did just that…
Author: kira
Word Count: 1784
World: Capital city of Madrona
Main Characters: Sugar (a dog), Bethany (10 year girl) & Gabriel (13 year old boy)
Borrow: yes
Summary: Sugar, Bethany, and Gabriel celebrate Vine Fest in their own special way…
The dog wagged his tail as he pushed his way through the crowds of people in the main square. He felt warm and tired and a bit hungry too, but she had told him to roam the crowds of others and find food. He followed his nose, eventually ending up in front of a food vendor’s cart. The shaggy dun-colored mutt stood there, licking his chops and wagging his tail. He knew if he waited long enough one of the others would feed him some scraps.
Letting out a soft whine, the dog sat and panted while he waited. The others would step around him, a few tried to chase him away, but one old sweet smelling one, gave him a few bites. He licked her fingers clean for her trouble too. When it looked like no more food would be coming his way, he took off again in the crowd. He liked hunting for her; it gave him a sense of purpose. He also liked it whenever the vast crowds would appear in the square, for then hunting was easy.
The dog had a few tricks he used to make things easier. The others liked to feed him more if he acted like he was hurt and the dog quickly learned to whimper and hobble along on three legs if he wanted a full belly. Then there were the unguarded baskets of yummy meats and sausages that were easy to pilfer in the excitement. The dog had no idea why the streets were full of others; he only knew that hunting was good as the seasons changed. Late summers, when days were hot and long, were the best. The others had food in abundance and while they yelled at him and threw stuff at him, he always found enough for his pack.
Nose to the ground, the dog found an unguarded basket brimming with food. He slunk up to the other, whose feet it rested near, and made a grab for it. Taking the handle in his mouth, he backed away, turned and high-tailed out of there. He ran through the streets, much to the amusement of the others, until he reached their den. Wagging his tail, he set the basket down and barked.
She held her hands out and called out softly for him, “Sugar… come’re boy.”
The dog picked up the basket and brought it closer to her.
She reached out and patted him. “Thanks, Sugar. They feed you, boy?”
The dog licked her face.
“Oh good…” she laughed. “When Gabriel gets here, we can eat.” Setting the basket aside, she pulled him onto her lap and waited. Sugar wagged his tail; he liked him too, even if he was loud and boisterous. They were his pack and he did his best to provide for them and protect them. She needed it more than he did, as she was small and sickly, and he had the feeling she could not see, since he needed to drop things in her lap in order for her to notice them. He also tended to do it, and Sugar, being a smart dog, quickly caught on.
“Hey, Bethany,” Gabriel said as he approached. “Hey, Sugar.”
“Hey, Gabe…” Bethany reached out to touch his face with her hand. Blind from a devastating illness ran through the poorer parts of Madrona, she considered herself lucky it was only her sight she had lost instead of her life like her mother had. Since she had no other family to look after her, Bethany relied on her friend and the dog to take care of her. “Sugar, got us some food.”
“Sweet!” He patted the dog. “That’s my Sugar!” His grin went unnoticed by Bethany, but she heard the mirth in his voice. Sugar simply barked.
“So what’s for dinner?” Gabriel looked in the basket.
“I’m not sure what he got, Gabe. I think there’s some baguettes and cheese, maybe a few sausages.”
“Bread, cheese, eggs, a sausage coil, and what’s this…” Gabriel lifted a wrapped bundle from the basket. He opened it. “Hot damn!”
“Gabe!” Bethany gently chided.
“Sorry, Beth, but we got real meat here! Not sausage, or dried fish, or half a chicken, but real meat!” He grinned.
“Yeah?”
“Uh hunh! I’ll make us a fire and cook it, okay?”
Bethany nodded. Gabriel did most things for her, with Sugar filling in the gaps and she was grateful to have them both in her life. She knew she could never have survived without either of them. Life on the streets was hard, but it beat the alternative. Ending up in an orphanage or a brothel was not much of a better choice either. Not that she really minded losing her sight as it was not that great to begin with, but it saddened her that she had no idea what Gabriel now looked like. In her mind’s eye, he looked the same as he had when he was her age, all big dark brown eyes and a mop of chestnut curls, but now when she “saw” him with her fingertips, he had the beginnings of a beard on his chin and some pimples on his cheeks that felt strange. Bethany had the feeling he did not like her knowing they were there, so she never mentioned it to him. She did like how his voice was deepening though, even it did crack every once in a while and made her giggle, much to his annoyance. Bethany’s only regret about losing her sight was that she had no idea what Sugar looked like. All she knew was that he was big and fluffy and soft, and she loved that he knew whenever she was feeling sad and lonely even better than Gabriel did. Sugar never failed to give her a reassuring lick on her cheek, breathing warm doggy breath on her. He was also quick to bark at strangers, baring his teeth and growling to keep them away. He would also whine and wag his tail every time Gabriel returned and since he latched on to them, Bethany stopped being afraid whenever her friend left her alone to go forage for food for them.
She held Sugar, listening as Gabriel puttered about, lighting a fire and grumbling to himself, which always made her giggle. It did not take long, before the smell of roasting meat filled her nostrils and she felt her mouth watering at the thought of fresh meat, real meat, and not the meager scraps they sometimes ate. Bethany inhaled deeply as she tried to push those thoughts away. This was a rare treat, since they mostly lived on whatever Gabriel could pilfer or Sugar scavenged.
“Ouch! Shit!!” Gabriel swore, burning his fingers on the chunk of beef dangling from the metal skewer. “Here, Beth…” he said as he pulled it off and put it on the hunk of bread that served as a plate. “Careful; it’s hot.” He smiled as he watched Bethany eagerly devour their first good meal since the start of Vine Fest. He finished cooking the rest of meat, which was not much, but to the two of them it was a veritable feast. He quickly put out the fire once their meal was done, before sitting back to enjoy his share.
Gabriel continued watching her eat, handing Bethany little bits of meat form the skewer in a vain attempt at fattening her up. Last winter was a wet one and it was a miracle that she did not die from the coughing sickness that spread like wildfire through the poorer sections of town. He thought she was one of the prettiest little girls he had ever seen when he had first met her, ragged and dirty, and crying softly for her dead mother. Most folks would have said she was trouble and that he was too young at ten years old to burden himself with a blind eight year old, but Gabriel knew what it was like to lose one’s family and it made him feel like a man to look after her. He took off his cap and ran his fingers through his curly dark hair and smiled. That’s what always hurt, the fact that Bethany could never see his smile, but as he got older and his feelings took on a more romantic edge, he decided that was a good thing. Gabriel swore to himself, that as soon as she turned sixteen, he was going to drag her to the nearest church and marry her, maybe he would even wait until the end of Vine Fest to do so, so Bethany could hear the fireworks going off and they could pretend the Queen was setting them off in honor of their wedding. Unfortunately, six years seemed like half a lifetime away. Gabriel sighed softly and fed another piece of meat to Sugar. He agreed wholeheartedly with Bethany that that dog was the best thing to ever happen to them.
They ate in style, savoring the bits of meat and washing it down with a pint of the local ale, Gabriel had stolen off an unsuspecting patron at one the beer stalls in the marketplace. He smiled in response to Bethany’s giggles as it seemed she found it highly amusing whenever Sugar licked her face. He then would take it upon himself to get the dog to stop by offering tidbits of meat, which Sugar eagerly accepted. Life was good during the festivals and that was how they marked the seasons, by counting the days until the next one. Sinterklaas was next and always a hard one. While it was a longer festival, lasting about three weeks, and people did give alms to the poor as part of the celebration, there were no open air markets, nor crowds of people, thanks to Madrona’s wet winters. Which was why he always tended to try and fatten Bethany up before then, but that was months away and Gabriel found he like living in the now; there were fewer worries that way. Now that their stomachs were full, it was time to think about finding shelter for the night.
“Come, Beth, let’s go look for a place to sleep.”
“Is it that time already, Gabe?”
“No, not yet, but you don’t want all the good spots taken.” He helped her to her feet, before bending over to pick up their basket of goodies. Placing her hand in the crock of his arm, Gabriel led her out into the failing sunlight as night finally began to fall. Sugar trotted along beside them.
“Tell me what you saw today, Gabe,” Bethany asked as they walked along.
Taking a deep breath, Gabriel did just that…
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2013-09-04 12:33 pm (UTC)A fantastic read and I can't help wanting to see these 3 in any number of future tales - perhaps I can meet them in my own?
A beautiful read, girl! :D
no subject
Date: 2013-09-04 06:26 pm (UTC)They're up for borrowing so feel free to add them to your world! Maybe Roquette would like to meet them. :D
*blushes* Thanks! :D
no subject
Date: 2013-09-05 12:47 am (UTC)Speaking of Roquette, I've been working in her world all damn day - seems I am now writing the Great American Novel! LOL.
I'd positively love for her to meet these three, perhaps I can do something about Bethany's sight in the process - cataract surgery was not unknown in the High Medieval period. While she may not be able to see well enough to go un-aided, she would at least get light and colors and possibly a glimpse of her very special family. It's a nice thought in what is turning out to be a rather intense tale. I very much appreciate the chance to play with your wonderful creations; thank you!
You're very, very welcome! :D
no subject
Date: 2013-09-05 12:54 am (UTC)YAY! I can't wait to read more! I need to get back to my horse traders, I had a baby coming when I left off. ^^;
YAY! That would be awesome! :D I'm sooo looking forward to reading! I love your stories! :D
You're welcome! I made these 3 to be played with, so it'll be fun to see if anyone else decides to pick them up too & have a go at it with them! :D
*huggles*
no subject
Date: 2013-09-05 09:51 pm (UTC)Wow - thanks for the excitement! :D Your horse traders sound so very fun - but I would have a hell of a time keeping track of whose kid were whose! Poly families twist me into knots like that... :D Can't wait to read what comes of them too!
I love your stories as well - I'm at 20 pages and Vine Fest hasn't even really started yet... but it's a busy, heavy-duty sort of fun. I find I have written my very best stories just for you, dearie - so thank you for being a muse; the Kaede/Totosai tale and the Liechtenstein/Prussia period fic are two of my very favorites :)
I think I can find a place for them in my tale - I might just let them visit the Imperial Palace too! We'll just have to see... *giggle*
*squeezes*
no subject
Date: 2013-09-05 10:45 pm (UTC)You're welcome! *blushes* Thanks! *laughs* That's why I filled out one of those character sheet things, otherwise I'd have trouble keeping them all straight too. But they kinda don't care, cuz the kids belong to them all. :D Thanks! I need to find some time to sit & work on them. :D
*blushes* Thanks! Sweet! I can't wait to see what you come up with! :D Awe... *blushes* You're welcoem! And I find I write soem of my best stuff too for other peopel! You're Pleasantville fic is one of them,there's a fic I wrote for Kat, that's original set in a rp'verse of ours that's another. :D
YAY! If not, it's okay too! :D They're not going anywhere and they're free to borrow so anytime you want to play with them, go ahead. :D
Awesomeness!! I think they'd die if that happened! *giggles* And I'm sure Gabe would find it hard not to swipe something. ;p
*Snuggles*