[speckles]

is this a good introduction for specks? yea probably

Speckles couldn't go a day in her life without causing some sort of trouble, either intentionally or not. The kid was a magnet for it, attracting it one way or another. She couldn't help it, but every other day arose another minor conundrum the members of Tortuga were faced with, typically caused by the one and only Specks. And she hadn't even been here that long! This day or that one, she was causing a mess and being scolded for it. A lot of the time, she hadn't meant to cause trouble. Sure, there were her pranks, but she hadn't pulled any successful pranks since coming to Tortuga.

Today, the whelp wanted to prove herself at least somewhat useful. Whelps were expected to carry their weight just like anyone else, and even if she was a late bloomer in growth, she wouldn't let something as simple as that stop her. No, she would do something that would impress the others. Something the other youths and maybe even some of the adults couldn't do. Specks wanted to do something that set her apart, something only she could do.

The idea had started when she had been going about her morning like any other. That is until her thoughts snagged on passing words she had overheard. "Ugh, I just wish the good palm fronds weren't so hard to get!" A few simple words and the speckled female's thoughts were already working quickly. Most of the time, members were too large or not nimble enough to reach the peaks of the palm trees that took root around their territory. However, Specks was glad for how she was still small for her age. Lightweight, agile, if a bit clumsy. By midafternoon, she was dead-set on getting palm fronds fresh off the top of a palm tree.

Dashing off, Speck looked around for any of the telltale trees. She spotted one quickly enough, not far away from where the group made their home. She grinned, looking up at the top and the palm fronds that shuttered lazily in a passing breeze. She studied the tree momentarily, not thinking to form a proper plan before she launched herself into finding a way to shimmy up the tree. She latched around the tree in a death-like hug, worming her way up to where it curved slightly. She slithered across, eventually testing the tree by trying to stand on all fours.

For the moment, her balance held and she smiled. Good, that would make it a lot easier. She carefully worked closer to the fronds, a wind stronger than the previous breeze rocking the tree and testing her balance. She yelped in surprise, nearly falling. Scrambling to maintain her posture, Specks somehow retained her form and remained on the tree. Satisfied with the tree once it stopped shifting, she sighed with relief. She didn't want to make the climb again, only to probably fall once more. Turning her attention back to the mission at hand (or at paw?), Specks studied the palm fronds, searching for the greenest.

They were a bit out of her reach, so she craned her neck forward as far as she could. She huffed in frustration when she couldn't quite reach the greenest fronds, then carefully placing a paw unsteadily on one of the coconuts. She reached forward again, finally close enough that she could clamp her jaw around some of the fronds and yank with all her tiny might. She almost cried out from the reacting force, nearly flying out of the tree if she hadn't flopped back down and clutched the trunk, still close to the fronds. It was then, with palm fronds in her mouth, that Speckles realized that she had not thought of a way to get down.

As she tried to struggle to all fours and regain her bearings, another strong wind rocked the palm tree. Crying out in fear and dropping the few palm fronds she had collected, Speckles fell from the tree and hit the ground, her fronds scattering around her. She sat up in the shade of the tree, rebounding quickly, looking at the leaves surrounding her before grinning triumphantly. She yipped with joy, dancing around as she laughed.

That was until a coconut fell from the tree above her and hit her square on the skull, knocking Specks out cold.

[Charley]

She was gone again... He knew it. The broody orphan looked up from his nap to see the area devoid of a certain ginger freckled headache. He blew through his nose looking around for a caretaker, the stewardess that was supposed to take care of them. Bah, she wasn't doing a very good job now was she. He was used to it though, no one really cared around here it seemed, they didn't really care about him when his parents where killed for having him.

Kyanite got up with a grunt, almost like an elder wolf, though he hadn't even seen his first year yet, and put his nose to the ground. Her scent was fresh and he might as well make sure she hadn't offed herself or thrown herself into the ocean for giggles this time.

He easily followed her scent and eventually saw a figure scrambling at the top of a palm tree. He didn't even have to continue sniffing her out he just knew it was her. So he huffed and picked up his pace to watch this new shenanigan develop. He watched as the wind blew and nearly knocked her down with a bored expression on his face. What was she doing with those palm fronds? He lifted his eye brows as the wind picked up again, scattered her fronds, and he heard her yip in fear as she plummeted to the sandy beach. Then his expression immediately scrunched with incredulousness as she got on all fours and started jumping around. Shaking his head he started coming up to her,

"What're you-" He wasn't able to finish becuase he watched a coconut descend from the swaying palm and clock her upside the head. He paused and waited for her to laugh and get up. She didn't. "Speck?" He called after her, picking up his pace and sniffing her all over.
"Speck!" Oh no, he should get someone to help! He started Barking for help, pacing up and down the beach,

"Help help! Coconut! Dixie! Alanis! Speckles Head! Surgeon!" He shouted, hoping to get anyone's attention.

[Dixie]

    She didn’t spend every waking moment with the kids. Dixie had spent time with them as usual, but she had other jobs to do. Well, making herself a few too many drinks wasn’t exactly her job, but she had done it anyways. The dog had poured one drink, and then another, and then another, and being a dog she was easy to become tipsy to drunk and easy to lose count of the drinks. It wasn’t like she was going to be needed, right? She had drank during the night, after sleeping for a good while earlier in the night, having been tired from her real work. She had woken up, and didn’t notice the moon fall and the sun rise. Whatever, she was fine. She could be an adult still.

    In all honesty, she didn’t think the two pups that she presided over were going to be awake yet. Or at least she thought that if they decided to go out and play or do something, they would find her or, hopefully, another steward to watch over them. The drunk dog found herself nearing the beach, a thing she had gotten use to. It was a good way to relax and recollect. The way the world spinned with uncertain steps, she needed to recollect. "Help help! Coconut! Dixie! Alanis! Speckles Head! Surgeon!" Dixie’s ears perked up, and she tried to feel serious. It was a call for help, and it was a call for her. She couldn’t wait to see if Alanis was close by, as the dog started to run towards the call of the pup.

    As she approached, she tried to take in what lay before her. There were palm leaves scattered on the ground, with the pup Speckles laying still on the ground. Her eyes went onto the coconut, mainly because Kyanite had yelled about it. She took weird steps forward, trying to push back her drunkenness to focus on the, what appeared to be, hurt child. She used her paws to move Speckle’s face from side to side, seeing if there was any damage. She would speak, slightly slurred, to Kyanite while doing so. “Wha’ happened to ‘er?” Dixie could somehow make a good guess at what happened, but wanted to make sure. For some reason despite the scene laying in front of her, pretty obvious, her mind didn’t want to accept it unless someone else told her.

[speckles]

It was when Dixie's paw moved her face around that Speckles began to stir, and quite quickly for the record. Her eyes shot open as she scrambled to her feet, looking at Dixie and Kyan accusingly. "Why are you guys looking at me like that? Did I grow a second head or something?" she said sharply. Then the headache hit her and she blinked in surprise. Ouch, that hurt a lot. What the hell did she do this time to get a headache like the one she had now?

Looking around, her eyes fell on the palm fronds and the coconut and she quickly recalled how she had ended up in her current, albeit very odd, situation. "Shit," she swore quietly, smiling sheepishly at Dixie and Kyan before "discreetly" kicking the coconut out of view. "Now, Miss Dixie, I swear it ain't what it looks like, promise. I was just on a walk and I fell asleep under this palm tree. See?" She gestured to her otherwise unharmed person, not mentioning her growing headache. She knew her lie was a shit one, but hey, it never hurt to try, right?

It was then that she shot a short-lived glare at Kyan. The older whelp was always snitching on her schemes and foiled so many of her plans by telling those who would have been her victims. She didn't know if he saw what truly did happen, but it was always best to be safe rather than sorry. Especially if it saved her the trouble of being scolded by Dixie and facing the likely consequences for her reckless actions. It wasn't as if she could easily help herself, anyway. Mischief called to her like a siren at sea and who was she to ignore it?

"Besides, even if a coconut fell on my head for some unknown reason other than me simply being unlucky -- a very common occurrence, might I add -- I did nothing wrong, promise. And it's not like anything's wronger than usual about me. I don't sound dumber than usual, so that's a sign after all!" The words that came out of her mouth made very little sense to even Specks. Jeez, maybe she did sound dumber than usual. Did she have one of those thingies Alanis was talking about once- a concession? No, it was a concussion. Right? Hell if she knew.

[Charley]

Kyan panted beside Dixie as the dog sloppily came over to investigate his friend. He could smell the booze but wasn't at all surprised.

Just as he was about to fill in the dog, Speks made all kinds of ruckus after waking up. Lying through her teeth and kicking the coconut away behind her. Kyan just sat back on his haunches and assumed the incredulous bored expression. She was so in trouble, and he was not going to let her live this down one bit. He flicked his tail as she shot him her look to keep him quiet and he looked at the half drunk Keeper. To be honest Dixie would probably let this slide just to get them out of her fur.

If Dixie looked over at Kyanite he'd shrug his grey shoulders and shake his head, while saying with a sigh... "She was climbing the tree..." Not that climbing the tree was illegal but he was an ass kisser and his parents already paid the ultimate price and he wasn't going to join them in the afterlife by lying to any of the higher-ups.

[Dixie]

    Dixie pulled her paw back when Speckles started to move, and then get up. The Keeper said nothing, watching the pup get herself together. She almost felt as if she could relate, expect usually she was getting herself together from other things, not a hit on the head with a coconut. "Why are you guys looking at me like that? Did I grow a second head or something?" She rolled her eyes. Even with an altered state of mind, Dixie could put the puzzle pieces together (it was just a little more funnier). At least, from what laid before her. In her mind, she kept going over it all as if the first time wasn’t enough. No, she was going to keep thinking until there was some other piece she had missed.

    "Now, Miss Dixie, I swear it ain't what it looks like, promise. I was just on a walk and I fell asleep under this palm tree. See?" Dixie lifted what could be considered her doggy-eyebrows, in an obvious way of saying ‘really?’. "Besides, even if a coconut fell on my head for some unknown reason other than me simply being unlucky -- a very common occurrence, might I add -- I did nothing wrong, promise. And it's not like anything's wronger than usual about me. I don't sound dumber than usual, so that's a sign after all!" If she had been in a normal state of mind, she would be properly sitting up, scolding them. Instead her mind drifted to the fact that she had slept under plenty of palm trees and had never had a coconut fall on her head.

    Her head cocked over towards Kyan, as if just expecting the child to tell the truth. He was a good lad, honest and loyal. It might not be common in puppies, but she felt it was a good start in life. Speckles would probably grow up to be honest as well, but for now she was still in her lying-puppy state. "She was climbing the tree..." There they go. Dixie sighed, sitting up as proper as she could. “Thank you, Kyanite.” It was obvious that she was annoyed, but not at the boy. Her attention turned to Speckles. “Please, tell me why you tried ta climb the palm tree.” Dixie actually expected some kind of wild answer. A bird, or the urge to fly. Her voice was dripping with annoyance, but through it there was also the hint of curiosity.

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i'm so sorry i forgot about this thread gomennn