Melt (o)

[Raven]

The lone bitch padded wearily on the searing asphalt, her paws completely numb to the burning, having lost feeling many steps ago. This particular female was taking the heat wave very poorly, as her thick black coat dragged her down and amplified the heat for her. A thin line of slobber dribbled off her flopping tongue as she looked desperately for shade to lie beneath. On the bright side, she was not starving. The dead animals lying around provided easy meals for her.

Raven looked up to see the elementary school, and sighed with relief when she noticed the shadow produced by the setting sun. She trotted for her life, not realising or even caring that the sudden increase in activity was making her even more hot and thirsty. Before the shade had even consumed her, the fatigued female dove and flopped down onto her belly, panting more heavily than strictly necessary, but she was not concerned with who may have been watching her.

After several moments of lying there, Raven finally sat up in a more dignified manner. She presumed to let her tongue hang out and did not bother to control the saliva sliding down her jaw and onto the parched grass. Raven almost found she couldn't even call it grass. It was dry and easily broken, not lush as it had once been. She wished it would rain. She had extreme difficulty finding water to drink, as she would usually lap some water out of a puddle. She sat there pitying herself, and rested her head on her paws. The cool of shade soothed her, but she was still much too hot to sleep. She would have to wait until the sun disappeared.

For the first time all day, Raven felt rested. She hoped that no dog would try to chase her off, or that she wouldn't have to chase another dog off. It would be better if any dog that happened to come along would just sit there and not bother her, that they could share in peace. Fighting would only make everything much worse.

[Whisper]

Whisper was not used to such blistering heat. It just wasn't in her genes! The pup toddled along the sidewalk in front of the deserted school, trying to remember why she had started walking in the first place. Was it to find water? Food? Entertainment? Probably the latter. Boredom could only be satisfied by adventure for this mutt. Lo and behold, she would have it, for not far off sounds of an exhausted dog panting were heard.

The bitch stopped and quirked her head to the side, causing her still soft, puppy ears to flop over. Considering her options, Whisper immedietly decided she had nothing to lose but her life. And really, what was that worth any more? Besides, what was living without a little spice to it?

Whisper waggled her tail hopefully and scanned the area. She had trouble locating the source of the noise, but eventually... There! In the shadows sat a dark-as-night dog with a waterfall of drool splattering to the ground. Hm. Could be dangerous. Ah, well!

"Hiya," she said brightly, if carefully, as she trotted closer. Whisper stayed just out of the shadow, shifting her weight from paw to paw to keep the tender pads from burning too much. She would not get any closer unless the dog was friendly. She may be a thrill-seeker, but she wasn't retarded.

[Raven]

Raven was about to doze off in the heat when a sudden and rather high-pitched voice rang through her ears. The female, startled by the random and sudden appearance, leapt to her feet with a yelp. The sound then turned into a low growl. She swung her head aggressively, bearing her teeth at the potential threat. The anger melted away to confusion as she noticed that this was no threat at all. Raven snorted at the pup in front of her, amazed that she was dumb enough to approach a dog so much older than her. The older female raised her head in an blatant act of superiority. There was no way a young one would dare to challenge her.

Raven lay back down, her pounding heart making her pant once again. She narrowed her eyes when she thought of how peaceful she was, but she would not start a fight. She knew that both dogs would want to stay as cool as possible. Disregarding the pup's friendly greeting, she replied in a less-than-polite way: "Can I help you?" she said grumpily. It was clear she didn't really want company, yet Raven did not feel the need to send the pup away back into the blistering sun. The pup looked about as happy about the heat as she did.

Much to Raven's humiliation, the waterfall of drool returned, and she tried her best to stop, but it was nearly impossible. She kept licking her lips in hopes that it would make a difference. After a while she gave up, shook her head, and turned back to the pup. "What's your name?" she asked, her tone lightening slightly. It wasn't so much that she cared; she was merely looking for an excuse to stop panting and therefore stop drooling.