Arkadian Mascot

[Juliet Ross]

THEY THINK YOU ARE MADE OF STONE
THAT JUST MEANS YOU AREN'T AFRAID OF MAKING THE TOUGH CHOICES
TAGGED @rey	Juliet was still getting used to life in Arkadia—especially with Pike in charge. They were on red alert; boxed in by grounders and being starved out until they gave over their chancellor, which they would never do. Jules was loyal. She stood behind every decision without even a thought of rebelling against it. She killed the grounder soldiers alongside her fellow guards and she would protect Arkadia from the backlash. She was a soldier... Now, she stood at her post looking over the wall and she could see the torchlight of the grounders in the distance. Curiously, she raised her marksman rifle and looking through the sights, trying to see if she was able to catch sight of anyone who had strayed too close. It was hard to see anything but the faint fires they lit. As she looked through the sights, a sudden whimper made her jump. It was close. So close in fact that the sound came from below. With a frown, she leaned over the wall and looked down to see what animal had wandered too close. She was ready to shoot for food, but the sandy brown mutt that looked back up at her wasn’t some fierce predator like the panthers they had seen. The dog gave another whine as his big brown eyes looked up at Juliet. Hesitantly, she looked around, wondering if anyone would catch her if she snuck the hungry dog some rations. That was... wasteful. “Hey boy,” she murmured as she looked at him. He had a rope tightly tied around his neck and paint over his brows. He was a grounder’s pet, clearly, but he didn’t have anything on him that made him seem like a threat. Carefully, Jules climbed over the wall. It was impulse, but she was curious about the animal. She slipped down the side and hit the ground with a soft grunt only to instantly be greeted by a very happy, very welcoming pup. It pushed his forehead against her stomach and lapped his tongue over her hands as she moved to pet him. She couldn’t help smiling. It was rare for her... to feel much of anything. Yet, the dog was adorable. She was quick to cut the tight rope from his neck, where the fur was a little matted and bloody. “We gotta get you cleaned up bud...” she murmured as she wiped the dried paint from his eyes. He was a guard dog... but he was also so sweet. She slipped out some salted meat from her jacket pocket and started walking towards one of the few gaps in the wall. She was the guard on duty monitoring that area so she didn’t think she’d be caught sneaking in the puppy. She led it to the gap and squeezed through, hoping he would follow. “Common boy... come here,” she murmured as she held out some of the meats. Footsteps behind her made her freeze and spin around. “Rey you scared me,” she gasped when she saw the familiar face, hoping that she wouldn’t report her for trying to sneak a dog in.

pyxis ★

[Deleted]

It was odd being in Arkadia. Out there in the snow, the survivors of farm station had all transformed into warriors. They all had the same view – killed or be killed. Do whatever it took to survive. Things were different here. Some of these people had seen hardship on the ground, but most of them were blissfully ignorant to how violent the world around them could truly be. They hadn’t understood the threat of the grounder army outside their gates. So it had fallen to Rey and Juliet and the rest of Pike’s people to deal with it for them. Although if Rey was being totally honest, some part of it still didn’t sit right with her. She couldn’t really put a finger on why. Grounders were grounders, as evidenced by the siege the camp was now under. They would’ve attacked eventually anyway. Besides, what was done was done.

And yet it was still keeping Rey awake tonight. Finally she gave up on trying to sleep. Juliet was out on watch tonight; maybe Rey could keep her company for a bit. Since landing on the ground, Rey had come to see the other guard as a real and true friend. Maybe it was everything farm station had gone through. Whatever it was, she found something rather calming in Juliet’s occasionally awkward nature.

Camp was quiet as Rey wandered toward the section of the wall Juliet was guarding. Finding the other guard didn’t take long. But she wasn’t standing at her usual post. In fact, she actually seemed pretty nervous, jumping visibly when Rey got close enough to be heard. Interesting. What trouble could Juliet, lover of rules, possibly be getting into? “Sorry,” Rey whispered with a hint of humor. And then she saw… “Is that a dog?”

Her question was answered by the creature running the short distance to her. Rey’s first instinct was to reach her hand for her knife. She had yet to come across a single animal on the ground that was friendly, much less one with teeth. But then there was a cold nose nuzzling her hand and two adorably large eyes looking up at her expectantly. It was like something out of a movie, the ones where dogs were man’s best friend. Rey couldn’t help grinning a little at the sight of him. “Well, hey there.” She knelt down instinctively, and suddenly there were paws on her legs and a tongue licking her chin. Rey scratched the side of his head for a second, a smile forming on her face, before the dog climbed off her and sat down beside her. He looked expectantly at Juliet, and Rey did the same, still scratching his ears. “Where did he come from?” And more importantly, what were they going to do with him?

Juliet Ross
(Realized I forgot the tag.)