Priscilla
|(more or less) interacting with Octavius
Wanting to make sure she had not missed anything edible Priscilla looked through the trash one last time. When she didn't find anything else she looked around and finally trotted off, not wanting to stay longer than necessary. Humans could show up anytime and the longer she stayed in one place the bigger the risk became. Not that she feared all humans, not everyone was dangerous, after all, and some didn't chase her off immediately. But during this time of the year she wasn't going to take any chances. The last thing she wanted was to end up like those unfortunate ones that had to fight just because humans wanted them to. Sure, they didn't have to worry about their next meal or finding shelter for the night, especially if they did extremely well, but Priscilla didn't see any sense in it. While she went hungry on some days and didn't find shelter on some nights at least she had a much better shot at surviving than those gladiator dogs, not having to fight humans or even lions.
No, living on the streets was much better. It was far from pleasant but did that really matter? There was no such thing as an easy life, after all. Unless, of course, you were a house dog. There were times when Priscilla envied those dogs but since she valued her freedom she had no desire to live with humans. And even if she did there was no one who would want to take in a dirty and ragged stray like her.
As she walked through the streets she noticed that several dogs had already found shelter for the night. It was still evening but the sooner one found shelter the better, especially during gladiator season. Finding somewhere to hide from human eyes was more important than ever during these days. And with so many strays around one couldn't start early enough. To Priscilla's disappointment most of those places seemed to be taken by groups and she knew well enough that they didn't want strangers nearby, not even for a single night. Still, she wasn't too worried about it since there were plenty of other places and if there really was no other way she would just chase off any loners who had already claimed those spots.
The border collie was rounding a corner when she saw the dog. With a low growl she stopped as she recognized the three-legged german shepherd. Oh she knew who he was. Everyone did. How many groups had been trying to recruit this dog. And honestly she couldn't blame them. There were quite a few strays who were strong and experienced, whether due to their age or because of how long they had already lived in the streets. But even the best of them couldn't compare to Octavius.
For a moment Priscilla hoped he hadn't seen her but then she stepped out from behind the corner, curious, but alert. If he turned out to be aggressive she could just run from him. Probably. She gave a soft bark to indicate that she was no threat but her stance also made it clear that she was on guard.
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Varius
|interacting with Marina
After having walked around for a while, trying to get as much distance between him and the places he used to frequent, Varius decided to stop for a moment. Now he sat ducked near some buildings. He couldn't stay there for long since it wasn't a well-hidden spot but it would be enough for a short break. As long as no one came to close he wouldn't be spotted immediately. Maybe this was one of the reasons why some dogs preferred to be alone instead of trying to join a group or even form their own. A single dog didn't stand out as much. Still, as much as Varius tried to think about the advantages of it he did miss the company that living in a group inevitably brought with it. And he knew this was something he was going to miss out on for the rest of his life. Most groups didn't welcome strangers and he also didn't feel like teaming up with some other strays. He didn't really know anyone who would be interested anyway, most were content with living alone. While he wouldn't mind being part of a new group he didn't know if anyone would even want to team up with him. Most dogs knew Varius had been part of a group already and even though most didn't know why he was alone now they would assume that he had left or that he had been kicked out. If they assumed the latter there was no way that anyone would want to be around him. Sure, they wouldn't know why his group didn't want him anymore but they would definitely figure out that there must be a reason for it.
It was when he was just crawling out of his "hiding-spot" that he noticed a sandy-colored dog under a stone bench a little further from where he was. Either the dog had been there all this time and Varius hadn't seen them when had walked past it or they had just crawled under it. He took a few more steps towards it, slowly and keeping low as to not draw the humans attention, and once he was sure that there really was a dog he ducked into the shadows of another building, close enough that the other dog could see or hear him. He didn't want to get too close to the bench for he would be seen by humans if he did. And if they saw him they would probably also discover the dog beneath the bench. So he chose a spot nearby instead.
As he got a closer look at the dog he found that he had seen her before. Not that often but still a few times when he was looking for food or shelter with Aulus and the others. They had never seen her as much of a threat, though, so they have never really interacted with her before. Varius wasn't sure about talking to a former "rival" but then again that would mean that he couldn't talk to any dog that hadn't been part of Aulus's group. And what was the point in that? And maybe talking to someone, even just briefly, wouldn't be so bad. At least he would have some company for a moment.
"Uhm... hey," he spoke in a half-whisper, loud enough to draw her attention but not so loud that anyone else would hear it. "I'm not gonna try and chase you off," he added quickly, in case she thought he was trying to start a fight. "See? I didn't bring anyone else."